One of my favorite songs is "The Impossible Dream" from the Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha." I would sing it as I planned my improbable journey from Bed-Stuy to Palo Alto to attend Stanford Law School. The song reverberated in my head as I read a recent opinion piece by Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Cynthia Tucker. She praised Barack Obama's call for a biracial coalition of Americans united to "solve the challenges of our time" together.Tucker wrote:
That high-minded appeal has drawn its share of skeptics, and for good reason. One of the more puzzling, yet persistent, features of the American political landscape has been the success of politicians who seize on racial tensions and long-simmering resentments to win over working-class white voters - even while supporting policies that betray the economic interests of that same group. ...A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows the hurdles are indeed higher. Among those who saw Obama's Philadelphia speech, 47 percent said he had "sufficiently addressed the Wright issue," 37 percent said "he needs to address it more." There is a racial gap in voters' response: 67 percent of blacks were satisfied with Obama's explanation compared to 45 percent of whites.
Obama isn't naive about the challenge he faces. And with the images of his incendiary former pastor playing over and over on cable TV and YouTube, his hurdles are higher than before. But he made a compelling case for ignoring the demagoguery and innuendo and divisiveness.
The poll also found:
- 29 percent of all voters say they need more answers about Obama's pastor disaster.
- 38 percent of white voters want Obama to address the Wright controversy further compared to 25 percent of black voters.
- 60 percent said Obama could be successful at uniting the country, compared to 58 percent who said John McCain could be a uniter and 46 percent who say Clinton do so.
Comments: (26)
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By: Shay on 3/28/2008 10:26AM
Barack Obama is for everybody, it doesn't matter what hue you are. The media will knock you down quickly, makes you wonder who the person supports when they put out the news and why it is interesting enough to be on time for the opposite opponent to use smear tactics and mudslinging.
Obama was good enough to be Senator and they did not have a problem with his faith.
Now Hillary Campaign puts this out but not in full context. It is obvious that they have no fear of God. If I was Hillary I would not have touched it at all and kept my mouth shut. She claim to pick her pastor but she did pick her family. She married Bill,which include the resume of Nafta, impeachment, scandals, women, stealing, lying. Makes you wonder why she is with him now and why would you want to carry so much baggage. She would have been better off without the excess baggage. She is using him and all of us know that. In Love with your husband is more powerful because there is a lust that is involve, Bill destroyed that totally, he use to be high on the totem pole for her but I can just about guaranteed you that does not exist anymore for Bill not even the trust. She is not going to get out of the relationship because of the high standards that is involved and she is using him for her own special purpose no matter how much baggage it will cost her. I'm sensing that this is for just GP ( General Principles) and using America at the expense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqPUXjFYh38
Here is an interesting article of Barack
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/election2008/story/31759.html
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By: Ester on 3/28/2008 12:16PM
There are some democrats who act like they would rather McCain win than Obama, and that's why they are causing so much confusion within the democratic party. It's reached the point that I am ashamed to be a democrat. I am seriously thinking about going Green or Independent. I know others who feel the same way. What is the Fla/Michigan mess all about? I wish someone could explain it to me and others. What are the heads of the dcc doing? Can't they get this mess straight, or did they cause it? Too much confusion. Senator Clinton needs to get off Rev. Wright, and Senator Obama and get her own house in order. She causes too much confusion.
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By: Nanci on 3/28/2008 12:57PM
Obama's problem is far worse then anything Hillary Clinton has ever done.
Obama's beliefs are very serious to the American People -- He hates Jews, whites, Italians. He can not win on just be black vote and many black voters are upset with views because they are not the views they have as black power. Obama doesn't know who he wants to be -- a black man, a white man. How can he run a country. He will never be my President.
He would have left the church if Pastor Wright wouldn't have retired!!! What happened when these statements were said back in 2003, etc. This is political posturing and is totally unbelieveable. He thinks the American people are stupid, but he is the one that is stupid.
He is not electable.
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By: Omaha Ne Patricia on 3/28/2008 3:14PM
To Nanci #3 You say that Barack will never be your president? It sounds to me like you are making plans to relocate to another country, because Sen. Barack will be the president of the U.S.A. HEY EVERYBODY IF YOU WANT TO HELP SEN. BARACK, GO TO MOVEON.ORG AND TELL NANCY PELOSKI THAT YOU SUPPORT HER EFFORT TO NOT LET THE SUPER DELEGATES STEAL THE NOMINATION FROM SEN. BARACK. TWENTY BIG TIME CONTRIBUTORS AND SUPPORTERS OF HILLARY (BOB JOHNSON OF BET FAME IS THEIR LEADER) AND 19 OTHERS WROTE AND SIGNED A LETTER SAYING FOR HER TO BACK DOWN OFF THE SUPER DELEGATES. WE NEED YOUR HELP IN THIS EFFORT. THE ONLY WAY HILLARY CAN WIN IS BY STEALING IT FROM HIM.
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By: WANDA RICHARDSON on 3/28/2008 3:24PM
It is sad to want to beleive lies before the truth. And it is a hard truth to except that we live in a county, that states, in God we trust, and God is the father of all truth. People perish for the lack of knowledge, that's what the bible say's. If you want to know something, find out for yourselves, instead of going along with the crowd. Search google, NAACP, lawsuits and involment with the Clinton's in Arkansas. See who Bill did his internship with and what they stood for. Obama is both white and Black, and he knows both worlds, which are different. Hillary and Bill's marriage? The seperations, it worked to get back togeather to get Bill elected, why not continue to lie. I think that we all need to be upset with those who play on our intelligence. I am not like Mikke who eat's anything or beleives everything. Prayer and research is the answer to things's that we need answer's too = TRUTH.
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By: Omaha Ne Patricia on 3/28/2008 3:22PM
Go to the web site moveon.org Support Nancy Pelosi in her effort in dealing with the super delegates. Thank You
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By: interesting on 3/28/2008 7:48PM
To all Obama Supporters:
Obama is in TROUBLE and you know it. This Rev. Wright flap will not go away and with him and his wife talking like LIE-LAWYERS, they are in deep trouble.
I heard from some whites who did vote for him, that they feel he will get assasinated or taken out especially with this Rev. Wright flap.
Well, I told him, Obama did this to himself. He should not have run having this freakin skeleton in his closet.
You guys remember Gore and Kerry. Obama has not weathered anything and these polls are a bunch of crap.
The media with Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator John Kerry (Mr. Swiftboat) and Oprah are trying to make Obama a black camelot.
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By: interesting on 3/28/2008 7:58PM
You remember what happened to Camelot or Lincoln for that matter.
Lincoln - assasinated
JFK - assasinated
RFK - assasinated
Obama ? (you figure it out)
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By: Fifth Ward Preacher on 3/29/2008 12:04AM
sskkk
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By: Gawania Spigner on 3/29/2008 12:22AM
THE APPROVAL OF DIRTY/SLANTED POLITICS AND THE PRESS IS SOMETHING IAM GETTING ASHAMED OF LETTING MY CHILD SEE. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF THERACE BUT HOW MORALLY PERMISSABLE IT IS TO GET LOW DOWN AND DIRTY.**SORRY BUT HILLARY AND BILL LEAD WITH THE DIRTY AND KEEP SAYING COMEON WITH IT. ISSUE 1. WRIGHT IS OBAMA'S FORMER PASTOR: ROBERT PARSLEY,JOHN HAGEE,JERRY FARWELL, PAT ROBERTSON AND MANY MORE WHITE PREACHERS ALL SAID THE SAME THING THAT GOD HAD TURNED HIS BACK ON US BECAUSEWE HAD TURNED OUR BACKS ON HIM. IN ESSENCE ALL WEREDAMNING AMERICA.BY THE WAY WHAT DID YOUR PASTOR SAY ON THE SUNDAY AFTER 911.A LOT OFVOTERS ARE HIDING BEHIND RACIST MASKS WHILE CALLING RACIST. CHOOSING INSTITUTIONAL CRIMINALS LIKE HILLARYAND BILL IN THE WHITEHOUSE OR THREATENING TO CHANGE PARTIES RATHER THAN VOTE FOR A BLACKMAN. **"MY GOD THE MAN WAS IMPEACHED WHILE IN OFFICE, THIS IS NOSMEAR CAMPAIGN IT IS DOCUMENTED TRUTH. HIS WIFE HILLARY WAS THE 1ST1S T LADY EVER TO COME AGAINST CRIMINAL CHARGES. **THIS SPEAKS VOLUMEABOUT THE RACISM IN AMERICA. MORALS HAVE GOTTEN SO LOW SOME DEMOCRATSJUST LOOKFORWARD TO GREASING YOUR FISTS WITH MONEY IN A CLINTON LEGISLATURE. TO MAKE IT WORSE A MISMANAGED WORD **FIGHTER HAS BEEN APPLIED TO BEING UNDERHANDED, AND THROWING SAND IN THE EYESPOLITICS. TO TOP IT OFF HILLARY HAS ALREADY DESTROYED A WOULD BE MOMENTOUS MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF WOMAN. INSTEAD WOMENS HISTORY HAS BEEN BURNT WITH THIS CAMPAIGN FOR WOMEN A LESS THAN CELEBROUS MOMENT,WHICH WILL STAND FOR ALL TIMES. **I HOPE THIS IS NOT THE IDEALS YOU ARE RAISING YOUR CHILDREN WITH. I DO NOT WANT MY SON OR IFI HAD A DAUGHTER TO THINK THAT DIRTY IS OK AS LONG AS YOU WIN.***BY THE WAY CLINTONS FORMER PASTOR DID NOT SAY SOMETHING HE DID SOMETHING HE MOLESTED A CHILD AND WAS CONVICTED FOR IT***Thinking back to 911when a lot of us ran to the churches of America, we heard a lot ofcondolences, critisms, and condemnationsagainst this country and its sin. We heard how America had turned its back onthe Lord and now he turns his back on America basically. Which to me was the same as saying we were damned because of our cultural condescendance, and depravity. OBAMA FORMER PASTOR Rev Wright basically said the same thing that I heard when I watched tv preachers Jerry Faldwell, Pat Robinson, and Rob Parsley which are white men. GOD HAS DAMNED AMERICA IS THE SAME AS GD AMERICA Why is it so inflammatory when this black preacher says it is what is a puzzle to me, even if he was one of the candidates pastor go to the other candidates files and find out what their pastors said. I think this was a time when the church stood to point out to Americans that wecould not continue to get away from the morals of what this countrywas built on, that disaster would await. (this is only my opinion).Do you remember the Sunday after 911 what your pastor, rabbi, clergyman,bishop, even the pope said? White minister John Hagee MCCAIN SPIRITUAL CONSORT spoke on September 18, 2006, edition of National Public Radio's Fresh Air,Hagee said Hurricane Katrina was an act of God, punishing New Orleansfor "a level of sin that was offensive to God". He specifically referred to a "homosexual parade"that was held on the date the hurricane struck and that this wasproof "of the judgment of Godagainst the city of New Orleans" [2],even though the SouthernDecadence parade was scheduled for the following week and the primary gay neighborhoods, the French Quarter and the Marigny, were spared the flooding and destruction. Another reason for God's wrath, Hagee claims,was the Bush administration'spressure on Israel to abandon settlements and the land associated with them. Therefore, God took American land in a "tit for tat"exchange during Hurricane Katrina. Mostly blacks died in this disaster, however his call for judgement created no outcry. IS THIS BECAUSE THE JUDGEMENT WAS NOT DIRECTED TO WHITES?
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