Breaking News: Senator Obama Calls Off his Campaign

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by pinksirfidel

Tru, when it comes to knowing who his grandmother is. The story did mention Obama's comments about her.

Usually when someone is on their deathbed, their loved ones mention the positives about the person--Not the negatives. You can disagree with your family members, but that doesn't mean you love them any less.

Right, but Obama didn't write the article so it shouldn't reflect his view particularly, and the article mentioned that he had referred to her but elected not to remind us what he had said.

I find that worthy of a small footnote on media bias. It is because I wholeheartedly believe that if it were McCain, we'd have a reprint of his comments in their entirety.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Right, but Obama didn't write the article so it shouldn't reflect his view particularly, and the article mentioned that he had referred to her but elected not to remind us what he had said.

I find that worthy of a small footnote on media bias. It is because I wholeheartedly believe that if it were McCain, we'd have a reprint of his comments in their entirety.

Here you go, happy? http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/...ipt/index.html

And I assume this is the "offensive" paragraph/statement you keep referring to?

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother -- a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Even out of context, this doesn't even approach what you're trying to interpret his comments as saying.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Here you go, happy? http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/...ipt/index.html

And I assume this is the "offensive" paragraph/statement you keep referring to?

Even out of context, this doesn't even approach what you're trying to interpret his comments as saying.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I quoted.

He called his beloved grandmother out for her racism but indicated that he loved her anyway. I don't dispute his regard for her. I find the media's not mentioning what the comments were telling about them. That is all.

Mrs. Dunham's (Tutu) been a big supporter of the non-profit I work for, so this news comes as a shock.

To UGAalum94 and others, she's a Hawaii banking pioneer: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar...ING01/81020084 -- she was in the spotlight long before her grandson gave that amazing speech at the 2004 DNC.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by OTW

Mrs. Dunham's (Tutu) been a big supporter of the non-profit I work for, so this news comes as a shock.

To UGAalum94 and others, she's a Hawaii banking pioneer: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar...ING01/81020084 -- she was in the spotlight long before her grandson gave that amazing speech at the 2004 DNC.

I apologize for using this mention of her ill health to snark about the media.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

He called his beloved grandmother out for her racism but indicated that he loved her anyway. I don't dispute his regard for her. I find the media's not mentioning what the comments were telling about them. That is all.

Jesus Christ, he didn't "call her out" for her "racism". Either you didn't read or hear the entire speech or you just can't or won't see beyond your own defined spectrum of views and what you want to hear/believe or you're just being obtuse.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Jesus Christ, he didn't "call her out" for her "racism". Either you didn't read or hear the entire speech or you just can't or won't see beyond your own defined spectrum of views and what you want to hear/believe or you're just being obtuse.

Nittany, do you not see saying that she was afraid of black men and used racial and ethnic stereotypes as identifying her racism? He did that in the speech.

In a later interview, he says, he's not really racist; she'd just a typical white person.

I'm not making that up or mishearing it. And I'm not the only one who looked at it that way. Clinton supporters regarded it the same way at the time.

I agree with your assessment of the speech overall, but the comments about his grandmother and his equating her with Wright on the other end of the spectrum don't really honor her as she might deserve to be honored.

ETA: I'm not trying to build a case bigger than he talked some crap about his grandmother's racial attitudes and I thought it was noteworthy that the OP mentioned the comments about her, but not what they were. I'm not trying to say that Obama hates white people or anything.


ETA: about bdog, I feel that way about a lot of MyDD, but I felt like you might accept the link to blogger who bills herself as the answer to right wing talk radio.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Nittany, do you not see saying that she was afraid of black men and used racial and ethnic stereotypes as identifying her racism? He did that in the speech.

Yes, he did, to make a LARGER point. Which was obviously lost on you.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Yes, he did, to make a LARGER point. Which was obviously lost on you.

No. I wasn't lost on me; it just didn't negate what he said about her.

I though his speech on race was generally fine, but some points, like this kind of I-have-to-love-both-Wright-and-my-grandmother-who-are-both-capable-of-racism less effective than you apparently did.

ETA: I suppose I should clarify that I do think we are better off accepting people and working with who they are, but I think it was bad to defend his relationship with Wright (an entirely elected one which he did in fact later sever and which prompted at least the timing of the speech if not the very fact that it was made) by drawing an analogy with his grandmother who while flawed, apparently showed him nothing but unconditional love.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

ETA: about bdog, I feel that way about a lot of MyDD, but I felt like you might accept the link to blogger who bills herself as the answer to right wing talk radio.

I don't read blogs, but thanks for knowing me well enough to assume what I will or won't "accept" or be able to understand unless it's written by someone who somehow miraculously holds every single view I do. (and because you seem to only read black or white, I'm adding the note that this should be read with dripping sarcasm, not sure you'll get the nuance)

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

I don't read blogs, but thanks for knowing me well enough to assume what I will or won't "accept" or be able to understand unless it's written by someone who somehow miraculously holds every single view I do. (and because you seem to only read black or white, I'm adding the note that this should be read with dripping sarcasm, not sure you'll get the nuance)

Oh, I do. Perhaps it's a shame you don't recognize when other people are pulling your leg.

Maybe it will be slightly funnier if you google the results yourself and you see how many right wing blogs come up long before you get to anyone who would seem objective on the point. I think the first link returned is to Fox.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...earch&aq=f&oq=

Honestly, what would you have said if I posted a link on the topic from Fox news? You know you would have mentioned it, don't you?

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Here you go, happy? http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/...ipt/index.html

And I assume this is the "offensive" paragraph/statement you keep referring to?

Even out of context, this doesn't even approach what you're trying to interpret his comments as saying.

I didn't refer to an "offensive" paragraph. And I wonder if you would find "racist" an appropriate word to describe someone who is afraid of black men and utters ethnic and racist stereotypes. I might, but I probably wouldn't refer to such a person an a typical white person.

I'm sincerely sorry for hi-jacking this in this direction. I don't think I would have even thought of it had the story not mentioned the speech but then omitted the nature of how he used her as an illustration.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I didn't refer to an "offensive" paragraph. And I wonder if you would find "racist" an appropriate word to describe someone who is afraid of black men and utters ethnic and racist stereotypes. I might, but I probably wouldn't refer to such a person an a typical white person.

Yeah, I didn't "hear" that interview, would love a link.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Yeah, I didn't "hear" that interview, would love a link.

I intentionally plucked this from a non-right wing site:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/3/20/141741/528

ETA: Huff Post seems to have an active audio link:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0...-_n_92587.html

It's hard to find an active clip of the audio, but this myDD page links to another blogger covering it.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I intentionally plucked this from a non-right wing site:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/3/20/141741/528

ETA: Huff Post seems to have an active audio link:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0...-_n_92587.html

It's hard to find an active clip of the audio, but this myDD page links to another blogger covering it.

I'm glad you found the other link because yeah, the blog from "bdog"... not exactly the news source you trust.

Hey, look, if you can listen to that entire clip (and yes, I'm sure that he in retrospect thought that if he'd had an edit button he'd have taken out the word "white" and either left it as "typical person" or even attribute it to her being from an older generation) and really only get out of it that he is therefore calling every white person "racist" and not getting what he's actually trying to address, then that's what you get to hear/believe. I get what he's saying. And I appreciate that he's not afraid to talk about these issues in a more frank manner than people are used to. But if you're not hearing that or getting that, then hey, that's your prism and your perspective and feel free to keep harping, then.