Spin it baby!

To quote Jon Stewart: It's almost as if he talked to us like adults!

cameroncrazy1984: To quote Jon Stewart: It's almost as if he talked to us like adults!

He's gonna be in Portland in the morning, I have to go see this..lol.

I'm pretty cynical so I'm inclined to agree. But this is Obama we're talking about here! Destroyer of cynicism!

Hope it works, won't be surprised if it backfires.

Obama should have made like a Clinton: Deliver a clean, sound-bite- ready break from Wright that Reagan Democrats in Pennsylvania could have batted around at the Knights of Columbus hall.

Many people have been quoted in the press, whining that Obama didn't do exactly that. Just disown Wright. They get their sound bites, which are the only things some people pay any attention to anyway, and can move on without any need to think.

That probably would have been the best thing for him to do politically. It would have also been dishonest.

So... it seems to me that TFA is right.

that was actually pretty well reasoned.

It's amazing that the spin-machine has taken that speech's "If we don't hang together, we'll certainly hang separately" message to the races and turned it into "Barak Obama is a racist!" And it's stunning that people actually believe that.

mediaho: It's amazing that the spin-machine has taken that speech's "If we don't hang together, we'll certainly hang separately" message to the races and turned it into "Barak Obama is a racist!" And it's stunning that people actually believe that.

An idea which requires more than a sentence to convey is a difficult sell to the American electorate. Usually they go with the most extreme version of what they hear first and ignore the rest. I mean, who has 37 minutes to listen to the whole speech!

yes. obviously we as americans should always expect our politicians to be liars and dumb things down for us. Its the status quo. Its comfortable. If we expect things like honesty and forthrightness, we might have to work at democracy for a change, and we can't have that.

SilentStrider: yes. obviously we as americans should always expect our politicians to be liars and dumb things down for us. Its the status quo. Its comfortable. If we expect things like honesty and forthrightness, we might have to work at democracy for a change, and we can't have that.

Oh stop, you're being too honest and intellectual.

SilentStrider: yes. obviously we as americans should always expect our politicians to be liars and dumb things down for us. Its the status quo. Its comfortable. If we expect things like honesty and forthrightness, we might have to work at democracy for a change, and we can't have that.

TLDR

gilgamesh23: I mean, who has 37 minutes to listen to the whole speech!

obama needs to release the speech on audiobook, as read by samuel l. jackson.

/i'm here because of ashley, motherfarker!
//the black people are angry, and there ain't a got-damn thing you can do about it!

It was shockingly candid, written in the middle of a breakneck campaign and delivered amid great turmoil, a trick not unlike trying to comb your hair in a wind tunnel.


Sounds to me like a writer who wants to be Edwin R. Murrow is trying to make Barrack sound like Winston Churchill. Neither come close.

burndtdan: gilgamesh23: I mean, who has 37 minutes to listen to the whole speech!

obama needs to release the speech on audiobook, as read by samuel l. jackson.

/i'm here because of ashley, motherfarker!
//the black people are angry, and there ain't a got-damn thing you can do about it!

/cue 70's "Shaft" theme

Well... the polls are showing a turn around from the Wright nose dive. this time next week their poll numbers will be even again, or Obama will be edging her out nationally again.

Code_Archeologist: Well... the polls are showing a turn around from the Wright nose dive. this time next week their poll numbers will be even again, or Obama will be edging her out nationally again.

The party is heading for a crash. All the talking heads are gibbering such. What could possibly happen that would "avoid" a train wreck in Denver now?

GaryPDX: Code_Archeologist: Well... the polls are showing a turn around from the Wright nose dive. this time next week their poll numbers will be even again, or Obama will be edging her out nationally again.

The party is heading for a crash. All the talking heads are gibbering such. What could possibly happen that would "avoid" a train wreck in Denver now?

A train wreck that kills Hillary?

Can she be killed?

The speech was probably was too candid and honest for most people to deal with. It did open Obama up to attacks by small-minded lemmings who just want to dumb everything down to extreme positions. It wasn't what the media wanted to hear. It didn't lend itself to endless replaying of the same soundbytes, which means that people whose real motivation is to attack him are annoyed because they need a new tack. All of which means that it was what it was--a great speech delivered by a great orator. Would he have delivered it if not for the Wright controversy? Probably not. Actually, definitely not. But was it a speech worth delivering that transcended the idiot level of the current "controversy?" Absolutely, yes.

Pocket Ninja: The speech was probably was too candid and honest for most people to deal with. It did open Obama up to attacks by small-minded lemmings who just want to dumb everything down to extreme positions. It wasn't what the media wanted to hear. It didn't lend itself to endless replaying of the same soundbytes, which means that people whose real motivation is to attack him are annoyed because they need a new tack. All of which means that it was what it was--a great speech delivered by a great orator. Would he have delivered it if not for the Wright controversy? Probably not. Actually, definitely not. But was it a speech worth delivering that transcended the idiot level of the current "controversy?" Absolutely, yes.

I have a bad feeling he's gonna regret that speech. With the internet and youtube, all kinds of weird shiat is going to come out of the woodwork. I really wish we could have addressed all this at a different time than THIS election year, all of a sudden, out of the blue. Like we needed more fat on the fire.

Pocket Ninja: The speech was probably was too candid and honest for most people to deal with. It did open Obama up to attacks by small-minded lemmings who just want to dumb everything down to extreme positions. It wasn't what the media wanted to hear. It didn't lend itself to endless replaying of the same soundbytes, which means that people whose real motivation is to attack him are annoyed because they need a new tack. All of which means that it was what it was--a great speech delivered by a great orator. Would he have delivered it if not for the Wright controversy? Probably not. Actually, definitely not. But was it a speech worth delivering that transcended the idiot level of the current "controversy?" Absolutely, yes.

there are some decent sound bites in it, if you do a little editing to condense them. especially the "not this time" bit and the "and nothing will change" bit.

Unbelievable. One of the best speeches in 50 years...and the right-wing talking machine has successfully spun it into "HOW DARE OBAMA BESMIRCH HIS WHITE GRANDMOTHER LIKE THAT!"

robsul82: Unbelievable. One of the best speeches in 50 years...and the right-wing talking machine has successfully spun it into "HOW DARE OBAMA BESMIRCH HIS WHITE GRANDMOTHER LIKE THAT!"

Oh, it's gonna get better in the General. Obama left out Asians and Latinos from his all historic speech. This is going to get really ugly before it settles down.

Ryan2065: Can she be killed?

Only by dunking her in molten steel or crushing her in a 10 ton press.

robsul82: Unbelievable. One of the best speeches in 50 years...and the right-wing talking machine has successfully spun it into "HOW DARE OBAMA BESMIRCH HIS WHITE GRANDMOTHER LIKE THAT!"

Exactly. I posted this in another "Obama Speech" thread, but I'll leave it for you to kick around in this one too:

I don't care if Obama gets the nod any more. He went out on a limb and spoke honestly and openly and intelligently on one of the most important (and politically dangerous) subjects in our nation's history. If he loses, he can take consolation in the fact that he delivered a speech that may, in some small way, help this country become a better place for all people. That still means something to some of us.

One Republican particularly unmoved by Obama's speech was Representative Peter King of New York who said his party had "to make Reverend Wright a centerpiece of the campaign."

I really hate this douchebag. He's my congressman, and it would be awesome if he got beaten by Obama's coat-tails.

Why does Margaret Carlson hate America?

GaryPDX:
Oh, it's gonna get better in the General. Obama left out Asians and Latinos from his all historic speech. This is going to get really ugly before it settles down.


That's alright, McCain included the Asians with his "I hate the gooks" comments.

patrick767: Obama should have made like a Clinton: Deliver a clean, sound-bite- ready break from Wright that Reagan Democrats in Pennsylvania could have batted around at the Knights of Columbus hall.

Many people have been quoted in the press, whining that Obama didn't do exactly that. Just disown Wright. They get their sound bites, which are the only things some people pay any attention to anyway, and can move on without any need to think.

That probably would have been the best thing for him to do politically. It would have also been dishonest.

So... it seems to me that TFA is right.

But then you disown a friend. A friend you will never, ever get back, win or lose. He'd have been hammered on that too, you know.

GaryPDX: Oh, it's gonna get better in the General. Obama left out Asians and Latinos from his all historic speech. This is going to get really ugly before it settles down.

Not entirely. He mentioned them at least one time I could remember, when he was talking about "our crumbling schools".

AssCobra77: GaryPDX:
Oh, it's gonna get better in the General. Obama left out Asians and Latinos from his all historic speech. This is going to get really ugly before it settles down.


That's alright, McCain included the Asians with his "I hate the gooks" comments.

Yea..but he luvs him some refugees from the south.

I get it now. I'm not voting to preserve democracy, I'm voting to preserve stupidity.

GaryPDX: Obama left out Asians and Latinos from his all historic speech.

Um - wrong.

However you did just reveal that you didn't actually listen to the speech you are oh so quick to weigh in on.

gilgamesh23: GaryPDX: Oh, it's gonna get better in the General. Obama left out Asians and Latinos from his all historic speech. This is going to get really ugly before it settles down.

Not entirely. He mentioned them at least one time I could remember, when he was talking about "our crumbling schools".

Barely. I was wondering if anyone would even remember. He mentioned them once. He made it all black and white.

gilgamesh23: Not entirely. He mentioned them at least one time I could remember, when he was talking about "our crumbling schools".

He also mentioned Native Americans when talking about schools.

We've already seen this happening on FARK. A frank speech on race relations had been dumbed down into ZOMG Obama hates his grandma!!!!11111!!

j_twelve: I get it now. I'm not voting to preserve democracy, I'm voting to preserve stupidity.

Of course. Apparently, being honest and smart is un-American.

Man, if we're going to CELEBRATE stupidity, we deserve to get overtaken by China and India.

I am getting really tired of politicians and the media treating the public like we are children

Fart_Machine: We've already seen this happening on FARK. A frank speech on race relations had been dumbed down into ZOMG Obama hates his grandma!!!!11111!!

I wonder how many "white grandmas" took offense? Don't underestimate the "old clam" voting block.

Ryan2065: A train wreck that kills Hillary?

Can she be killed?

Perhaps, but then we just have a Zombie Hillary.

GaryPDX: He made it all black and white.

He discussed the issue at hand in detail. The issue being black/white racism. Other races were included as appropriate.

The analysis seems pretty accurate, but, then again, I've always had a weird thing for Margaret Carlson and those unique glasses of hers. She's like a grown up Velma from Scooby-Doo, and I had a weird thing for Velma, too. Anyways...

Bears repeating from the other speech thread today: Obama talked about race in America as if we were all intelligent and mature adults. Unfortunately, putting your trust in the intelligence of the American people is like trusting the seaworthiness of a big dumb rock.

I don't think he should have lied, just used smaller words.

What does "condemned in unequivocal terms" really mean anyways? Let's just keep it real up in here!

GaryPDX: He made it all black and white.

You should definitely watch the speech again.

quickdraw: GaryPDX: He made it all black and white.

He discussed the issue at hand in detail. The issue being black/white racism. Other races were included as appropriate.

As I said, barely. Look at the Latino polls and you tell me what you think is going on there.

GaryPDX: Obama left out Asians and Latinos from his all historic speech.

So did Martin Luther King. He did okay. Except for the getting assassinated thing.

hockeyfarker: I don't think he should have lied, just used smaller words.

What does "condemned in unequivocal terms" really mean anyways? Let's just keep it real up in here!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you "America."

GaryPDX: Look at the Latino polls and you tell me what you think is going on there.

My conclusion is that Hillary is buying votes with gazpacho.

kronicfeld: So did Martin Luther King. He did okay. Except for the getting assassinated thing.

Can't have everything...

kronicfeld: GaryPDX: Obama left out Asians and Latinos from his all historic speech.

So did Martin Luther King. He did okay. Except for the getting assassinated thing.

lol..my gawd..and we have 8 months to go too...blblblblblb. I'm just speculating. Looking at this whole thing, hell, anything can happen at this point including the National Guard called out in Denver.

Some things are more important than winning. I believe that that speech was one of them.

If he loses he will still have come out and said some things that desperately needed to be said to blacks and whites. He is uniquely qualified to do so. Nobody else in the world could have stood up there and done that.

You all act as though dumb white racists are the only audience worth addressing.