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White House
Macdaffy -- 03:17 pm Pacific Time -- Apr 28, 2008 -- #3329 of 3982
If anyone doubts the interests of the mainstream media or has any questions about their impartiality, those doubts should be completely dispelled by the saga of Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama.
I've said it before: For all the freedoms we've gained, we black people will never be free until we're free from each other.
Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright are being denied their individuality because that is what America does to black people. If one sins, we all sin. If one misspeaks, we all misspeak. If one steals, we all steal. Any negative thing -- real or perceived -- becomes the burden of all of us until we bow down and prove ourselves "good Negroes" by denying an association that shouldn't have been made in the first place. No other candidate is bearing this burden to the extent that Barack Obama is bearing it. Only Hillary Clinton is somewhat hindered by the baggage of her husband, but that's not the same thing.
The continued calls for Barack Obama to denounce every pronouncement of Reverend Wright, the continued calls for Senator Obama to moderate the speech and behavior of his pastor, the continued calls for Reverend Wright to be silent infuriate me. What other human being in this country has to live his or her life as the political and rhetorical shadow of some other person -- besides Clarence Thomas and Joe Lieberman, who signed up for the job? With no other people and under no other circumstances would this pseudo-firestorm be possible.
Let me emphasize again: It is racism of the crudest and most basic sort. Anyone who continues to judge Barack Obama in the reflected light of Reverend Jeremiah Wright is guilty of racism -- that bastard child of ignorance and arrogance. Not "vetting." Not "journalism." Racism. Pure and simple. Period.
Shall I tie Catholics to their pederast priests and demand that those parishioners renounce their church?
I have a nodding acquaintance with Amiri Baraka. Want to give me credit for the Dutchman?
I know someone who knows Angela Davis.
Shall I loathe the pope for his stint in der Hitler-Jugend?
Shall I stop watching Keith Olbermann because all those General Electric jet engines are killing innocent Iraqis?
Would it be fair for me to challenge every person of Japanese descent on their role in World War II?
Why shouldn't I regard you with suspicion if your last name is McVeigh?
Ridiculous? Just as ridiculous as associating Barack Obama's every word and deed with those of Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
It's racist. It's stupidity. It's the only handle the forces out to get Senator Obama have and I'm ashamed of and angry at the people who are allowing it to be used. One of the reasons I persist in Table Talk -- one reason I pay my subscription every year -- is to be one black voice willing to talk frankly and openly about race.
Here's frank and open for you: We can discuss Barack Obama on any issue anyone desires as long as it's something that he has said, he has done, or he believes -- and that includes people working for his campaign. Any mention of Reverend Jeremiah Wright will signal to me everything I need to know about that person's moral and intellectual capacities.
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BOOKS
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Obama's first book, a memoir focused on personal issues of race, identity, and community.
By Barack Obama
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
Obama's second book, in which he shares his personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people.
By Barack Obama
10 reasons there's a bright future for journalism
An optimistic take on what's coming, both for news outlets and news consumers.
By Mark Glaser, Salon
Obama: From Promise to Power
In this compelling book, a Chicago Tribune reporter draws on interviews with Obama, his family, friends, and rivals, as well as his own extensive coverage since Obama's days in the Illinois Senate, to offer a nuanced look at a man of idealism and ambition intent on making history.
By David Mendell
SPEECHES
July 28, 2004: Obama's first national prime-time speech
In this speech, Barack Obama urges America to remember its unity, pledging that "out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come."
August 28, 2008: Obama's acceptance of the Democratic Party's presidential nomination
In this speech, Obama lays into John McCain, describing him as "anything but independent."
November 5th, 2008: Obama's victory speech
In this speech, Obama tells his ecstatic supporters, and the entire nation, that "change has come to America."
January 20, 2009: Obama's inaugural address
The new president calls upon the nation to face its challenges head on, with determination, strength and a commitment to ensuring the delivery of freedom to future generations.
SALON STORIES
How would Barack Obama handle foreign policy?
The presidential contender on dealing with Iran, fighting AIDS in Africa and restoring America's standing in the world.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Chicago is Barack Obama's kind of town
The city has a unique history of launching the careers of powerful black politicians -- which is part of the reason Obama moved there.
By Edward McClelland, Salon
American revolutionary
In his acceptance speech, Barack Obama stood up for Democratic values, took the fight to McCain -- and proved that the United States is still capable of reinventing itself.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Barack Obama's epic win
The culmination of a brilliant campaign, Obama's unequivocal defeat of John McCain marks a political and generational transformation.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Barack Obama, honeymoon killer?
The Clintonites in his Cabinet, forgiveness for Lieberman, the creeping signs of centrism -- progressives aren't ready to panic, yet.
By Mike Madden, Salon
"A new era of responsibility"
Mixing straight talk about dire times with lofty rhetoric about hope and determination, Obama repudiates Bush and vows to get to work.
By Mike Madden, Salon
OTHER STORIES
The Conciliator
Where is Barack Obama coming from?
By Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker
Time's "Person of the Year" coverage of Obama
A strangely fascinating database of Obama-formation, including everything from "6 Degrees of Obama" to a collection of Obama-themed art from Flickr.
Time
The presidency of Barack Obama
This New York Times megapage is the last word on Barack Obama, including everything from his personal biography to his current political stance on detainees and Africa.
The New York Times
Pres. Obama Touches Down in Florida's Heartland
McCain Looks to Block Net Neutrality, Appease Telecom Donors