Yesterday, my post on Obama’s speech on race was mainly focused on his inclination to use big government as the solution to the nation’s woes; however, there were two other really important points that also should be highlighted.
First, Obama, in his effort to be a uniter, uses very subtle language to insult and continue to divide us. As fellow contributor BK noted on Reagan’s GOP, he outright accuses the Reagan coalition to, in large part, have been formed due to race issues. It’s a sad commentary on his inability to get “past race” and see that the Reagan coalition had several other, more important factors drawing voters to Reagan.
Second, Obama, while critical of Wright, completely used the “aw, shucks, it’s just my pastor” approach. He condemned the words, but made little to no effort at distancing himself from the man. In a very real sense, Obama asked all of us to give Wright a free pass. He said that there were a whole bunch of other things that caused Wright to think this way and say these things, so we shouldn’t be so tough on him.
Really? So, I guess all the times the Democrats attacked Strom Thurmond or Jesse Helms, it was acceptable to say that “it was the environment” that caused these people to think this way. So, just forget about it and lets move on.
There is no doubt that there needs to be a dialog on race. And, we, at the local and state level, have a long way to go to ensuring that there is equal access and opportunity. But I feel Obama really glossed over these more tangible and substantive issues in his speech, all the while giving his pastor a free pass. In the end, he directed the problems related to race on others, as opposed to accepting any personal responsibility for the present and the future.
