Obama’s Little Speech Problem « Emac's Stock Watch

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March 20, 2008 01:42 PM EDT by Elizabeth MacDonald

Obama's Little Speech Problem

Ok, I needed a break from all the craziness on Wall Street, so I am venturing into the always entertaining world of politics.

Barack Obama has a speech problem.

It goes beyond the recent controversy over Obama's slow disavowal of the Rev. Jeremiah "God damn America" Wright, his spiritual mentor and the man who presided over his marital ceremony.

It goes beyond the fact that, as Obama purports to want to heal the partisan divide in Washington, DC, he now stands perilously on a Grand Canyon of a default line over race.

And it goes beyond Obama's recent speech about slavery, a truly courageous speech, though undermined by statements that he can no more "disown" Rev. Wright as he can no more disown his "white grandmother," the woman who largely helped raise Obama after his father left him and his mother, a grandmother who he says was afraid of black men passing her on the street and who he says "on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

It doesn't stop there.

I thought you might like to hear about a growing controversy over a speech Obama gave on March 4, 2007 in Selma, Ala. to commemorate the courageous Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights for African Americans, which ended with marchers being assaulted with tear gas and Billy clubs by state troopers. Conservative writer Paul Hollrah flagged it first in a similar take as the one I offer below, my uncle Jimmy alerted it to me, excerpts are below.

You can also watch the speech on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r-XG_VJZDw

It's a speech that cemented Obama's standing as a formidable contender for the White House, and it's a speech that shows how uncannily brilliant he is at oratory, as it may make you feel instantly transported.

But it's a speech filled with manufactured, self-promoting phantasms, and it may make you grind your teeth--read through to the bottom of this blog to find out why.

Obama has said in a presidential debate recently: "Words are important, words matter, and the implication that they don't diminishes how important it is to speak to the American people directly about making America as good as its promise," later characterizing Sen. Hillary Clinton's charges that he plagiarized a speech given by Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick as a sign that it's the "silly season" in politics.

It certainly is:

"...And something happened back here in Selma, Alabama. Something happened in Birmingham that sent out what Bobby Kennedy called, ‘ripples of hope all around the world.' Something happened when a bunch of women decided we're going to walk instead of ride the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry, looking after somebody else's children."

"When (black) men who had PhD's were working as Pullman porters decided 'that's enough' and we're going to stand up despite the risks for our dignity... that sent a shout across oceans so that my grandfather began to imagine something different for his son...."

"And his son, who grew up herding goats in a small village in Africa could suddenly set his sights a little higher and suddenly believe that maybe a black man in this world had a chance..... "

"And what happened in Selma, Ala. and Birmingham also stirred the conscience of the nation and it worried folks in the White House who said, you know we're battling communism, how are we gonna win the battle for hearts and minds all across the world that, right here in our own country John, we're not observing the ideals that are set forth in our Constitution, we might be accused of being hypocrites...

"So the Kennedys decided, we're gonna do an airlift. We're gonna go out to Africa and we're gonna start bringing young Africans over to this country and give them scholarships to study so that they can learn what a wonderful country America is...."

"And this young man named Barack Obama got one of those tickets and came over to this country. And he met this woman whose great great-great-great- grandfather had owned slaves. But she had a different idea, there's some good craziness going on because they looked at each other and they decided we know that, in the world as it has been, it might not be possible for us to get together and have a child...."

"But something stirred across the country because of what happened in Selma, Alabama, because some folks were willing to march across a bridge...."

"So they got together, Barack Obama, Jr. was born....

"So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama. Don't tell me I'm not coming home when I come to Selma, Alabama, I'm here because somebody marched across a bridge. I'm here because y'all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of that."

All right, here we go.

Obama begins and then finishes the speech by saying that, because a group of African Americans had the courage to protest in Birmingham and to march across a bridge in Selma, Alabama, that the bravery of those here in the United States who stood up to the evil of bigotry and racism "sent a shout across oceans" that inspired his grandfather to "imagine something different for his son," Obama's father.

Obama goes on to say that what happened in Selma, Ala. and Birmingham "worried folks in the White House" and "so the Kennedys decided, we're gonna do an airlift" to bring young Africans here and give them scholarships to study.

The problem is, Barrack Obama, Jr., was born on August 4, 1961. The first of three marches across that bridge in Selma didn't occur until March 7, 1965, three and half years after he was born and six years after his parents met. The anti-segregation marches took place in Birmingham in 1963.

So Obama is essentially saying the Selma and Birmingham civil rights protests are the reasons why he was brought into existence when he was already in existence. Yes, it's understood that the civil rights movement was well underway in the late '50s--but he didn't say that, he cited these specific instances, which is far different and at minimum manipulative.

Also, Obama's father did in fact come here on one of those scholarships in 1959, but it was when President Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House--then Senator Kennedy had yet to announce his presidential candidacy, though he did support the scholarship program.

"People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election," Otto von Bismarck once said.

How true.

Footnote: Sen. Hillary Clinton has had her own controversies in this regard, for example, claiming she was essentially a principal player in the peace talks in Northern Ireland and that she was named after famous mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary, even though Clinton was born six years before Sir Hillary was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. The assertion was made in her husband's autobiography; later, Clinton said what really happened was her mother had read an article about Sir Hillary when she was pregnant with her daughter in 1947--though that's viewed as doubtful as well.

Now, why didn't Al Gore win the Nobel Peace Prize given that, while in Congress, he "took the intiative in creating the Internet?"

17 Comments

jon

This is a blunder. well! another lie? day by day this guy is becomming a joke! His paid volunteers are jumping up and down on every forum to counter the honest opinion of the public. But it doesn't matter what his paid campaign volunteers yell in the forum.. for sure this is a lost ticket for dems!

April 7, 2008 at 8:34 am

Bill Cates

Ron Paul is the only hope we have as a nation!!Write in your VOTE,DO'NT TRUST THE MACHINES!!REVOLTION IS THE SOULTION !!

March 30, 2008 at 5:34 pm

polyzygote

bill, i agree, if it were ron paul vs. obama i would vote paul, but you are manifestly only half literate, and do paul very little service by SHOUTING STUPIDLY. whade, i've seen other posts probably by you, stop name calling, just put the facts down, you'll get more respect and make r.p. seem less of an outsider. regards, pz

March 29, 2008 at 8:05 am

Sick of the media circus on the three stooges

Hillaroius, Obamanation, or McAin't (up to the Job). Oh well, at least that fraudster Guiliani is politically finished, using 9/11 as a PR stunt, and poisoning millions of New Yorkers in the process !! And Ron Paul is given complete indifference in the media. This is the greatest crime of this election.

March 29, 2008 at 5:04 am

Deco

Obama is claiming to be another Martin Luther King. Completely untrue. MLK was an activist, who would pay what ever price for his priciples. Obama will pay any price for power, make any lie, and Obama has few, if any principles. Obama is a fraud. Hillary is a fraud. And McCain is honest, but not up to the job. These are the only three candidates that can become President. Amazing. In the face of an economic recession of serious proportions, these three stooges of economics are the hope of America. Even Canada or France does not elect idiots like this. Hey, even the Mexicans with their one party democracy, and widespread corruption can elect political leaders of greater capabilitiy. Of course Ron Paul is totally unelectable, because he is straight-talking, and this is only for the old Westerns, but not for an important jub like running the political system.... Obama is just as snake oil salesman. When Americans are queueing up at the border to get work in Canada, the Canadians will be listening to speeches from Obama and wondering why the Americans have never elected anybody with any ability since Eisenhower !!

March 29, 2008 at 4:39 am

nan sweetser

lizzie, i think you should stick with the craziness on wall street.... love you, nan

March 27, 2008 at 5:50 pm

Whade

There is no contender for the job of objective & honest statesman here in Canada, while in extreme contrast to all you there in the USA, ... you have this committed, dedicated & correct 'lone ranger,' Dr. Ron Paul. Your censored, fearful, and entrenched treatment of this "silver-plate solution" (to most of your economic & political ailments) is anti-life & extremely disgusting, to say the least. With this man, humanity would once again begin to see the way to flourish, but instead it will witness your country, once full of independent heroes which the world looked up to, run away from all that is right, & good, & loving; only to further enslave your population to the sicko-elites of the world. How do you want me to inform your grandchildren of your entrenched defaults? Perhaps you'd prefer that the puppet satanist Billarity, or the vacuous Obamanation, or the sociopathic McGain ought to write that story for your beloved (joke) progeny. Be warned, in the future many will point out your lazy-minded choice at the ballot. Do something about your hypnotized selves while you still can. The short term pains you may fear from returning to solid, small government are nothing, when contrasted with what the puppet-masters have in mind for you all there ~ in the once-jewel called America.

March 27, 2008 at 1:46 pm

Bill

RON PAUL is the man that can get this country back on track with are CONSTITUTION. And are CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. I have A question for everyone, how much evadince, Do's it take before conspiracy, BECOME FACT. WRITE IN RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT.

March 27, 2008 at 8:59 am

ooftie3

You should be very proud, that when the hate mongers do their number on Obama, you and others of your ilk can take full credit.. You should be ashamed of yourself for peddling such hate.. As a veteran I am appalled by your article.. it deals with nothing but hate.. ipu

March 26, 2008 at 7:18 am

William Taylor

I am a independent voter. I was really thinking Obama might be okay early on. Till I started looking up his past, starting with his work place after I read his books. In the early 80's. I also read comments from his co-workers regarding dress and his duties. The book he wrote became a lie. I moved on following threads, and went to the UK, Pakistan, Syria, Indonesia and back to the United States. Here I looked up his pastor, read and listened to archive sermons, discovered Tony Rezko and his wife, Syrian, Louis Farrakhan, Rashid, and the Woods Fund that Obama was a paid director of in 2000 and 2001. I read the info about the donation to the PLO. I read about the Weatherman (ex?) terrorist who was also on the board and was sorry he didn't blow up more buildings. The more I found out, the more I became concerened about Obama actually becoming the next president. It had nothing to do with race. I wondered why the main stream news wasn't looking at what I was looking at, some of the facts and was giving him a clear ride. Sure, I found far right posts. But the foreign ones were not far right posts and many here in America were not far right either. Now, I can not vote for a person who has associated with these type of people. Facts are facts. Hillary, can't stand her. So my vote now is going to have to be for McCain, who I don't like either. Hope he picks a good VP to run with. He is the least of the two evils. Thats a shame considering I don't really agree with the current president on many issues either. However, I am a American first, in November I will cast my vote based on what I beleive is good for America even though many of you will scoff and vote differently. That however is your choice. If Obama wins and puts in place his changes, whatever they are, we'll see if America really likes those changes. I hear and read what he says. However we all should know that a candidate will say anything before a election to get elected then do someting totally different after they are in office. If McCain gets in, then we have another election in 2012 that i will again research the candidates, and make my choice. I am hoping, that the Democrat party gets rid of the rich, far left leaders who don't give a d*** about the working people. If Hillary ends up with the nomination I expect all h*** to break loose in that party.

March 25, 2008 at 9:31 am

Uncle Jimmy

I think Obama feels he has to have some material for the fiction section of his presidential library - this speech is a great start. You can't make this stuff up - unless your first name is Barack then you can. To plagarize the Mammas and the Papas "it feels so groovy to say when the words don't get in the way"

March 24, 2008 at 4:01 pm

Lynn

Forget Obama speech or the pastor rant or Hillary empty talk or McCain arthritis. When the general election will be here people will vote their pockets. It's economy and business Eliz

March 21, 2008 at 10:56 pm

April Clover

I was poised and ready to vote for Obama. Hillary is not, and never has been an option. Her lack of character and mud-slinging politics have long been known. I was looking at Obama as the "change" he spoke for. Then Pastor Wright revealed the side of Obama we never dreamed of. He had my vote. No more. There's no doubt he was aware of the hate-filled sermons and anti-American rantings of a madman. He not only condoned them, but supported the church and it's theology for 20 years. I will hold my nose and vote for McCain. Last thing we need is a reacist in the White House. His color has nothing to do with it .... Obama is making this a race issue. For me it is not. I would feel the same if Pastor Wright and Obama were white .... the statements are disgusting and totally unacceptable. al

March 21, 2008 at 3:57 pm

Tom Richardson

Since studying my first economic hero, Milton Friedman, I have added to the list such people as Thomas Sowell and Shelby Steele. Steele's new book has a provocative title, "A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win" (Free Press, 2007). Elizabeth MacDonald has given us more "Why he can't win". If only the title would be: "Why Hillary and Obama can't win." But then I remember how distraught I was over Ted Kennedy's run for the Presidency. I ask myself if I, once again, am worried for naught?

March 21, 2008 at 12:32 pm

chris mikesell

Liz you could write on politics for a career if business gets bad.

March 20, 2008 at 6:47 pm