It was a very good speech, actually historic by American political standards, because it touched on an issue Obama has been trying to avoid, his race, which is much more controversial in America than gender (something Hillary constantly embraces and panders over). He also challenged voters to try and understand a complex issue, which is something American politicians simply do not do. They try to simplify everything to the point of intellectual spoon feeding or avoid the issues for fear they might be misunderstood by too many people or a certain demographic. Reality is most Americans are not that great at abstract thinking and many who are capable do not have the time. Intellectually, historically, has been frowned on in this country, so unlike Latin America or France where people give very long nuanced speeches, Americans like to keep it simple. This speech took real political balls, the size of elephants.
I’m not sure it will help win over blue collar whites in places like Penn or Indiana. Then again maybe it was not meant to, just meant to “keep them thinking or open” so he can hit them with further economic issues. Then again, maybe who he was really speaking to was the media, elite whites, blacks, and Super Delegates…letting them know he is okay and things will be okay and I can deal with it (in a presidential way and I can fight in my own way and show balls). If he can get the majority of the media back under his spell he can define the day and focus on trying to get some of the white vote back (specifically white males who are not college educated).
In any case, he won’t need to worry about them in the primary, as he has got that, it seems (unless something else stupid happens), but in the general election white males will be the battle ground demographic. If he can win uneducated blue collar white males he can win the presidency. If he can’t then he will join the ranks of Kerry and Gore.
As far as black folks. I think most blacks will stick with Obama in very high numbers (85% ) but I think today he might have angered some leftist black radicals, who were obviously spoon fed neo-Maoist revolutionary black nationalism from the time they were in diapers by former Panthers and white Communists; people I like to call, “red doper diaper babies”. He can worry about dealing with them after he gets in the Oval Office, and he will have to deal with them, a lot of them.
Right now those folks don’t matter. Obama doesn’t need to them to win. If he can get 40% of white males, get a normal white female count for a Democrat and get blacks and at least 60% of Hispanics he will be the next president of the United States hands down. That is if Hillary will ever bow out and let him start building that coalition before it is so polarized it will be impossible to establish.
It may be true that talking race is what was needed in the democrat primary. But in the general election, this incident with his pastor and a church that fully embraces this political teaching that he is willing to raise his children in will be a great tool in pushing his political leanings as far to the left.
Mccain won’t touch race, he will only work issues…. I believe this, my opponent believes this. My opponent gets his world view from this… My opponents views are no different than Dennis Kusinich or Barbara Streisand. Obama, personally will have difficulty talking about superior judgment with this issue remaining in the backround.
I think when the general election comes, to combat this far left defining of him he needs to push hard on his one stance that the left doesn’t agree with. And that would be his stance on traditional family values. Explain the great divide between 2 parent and one parent families, and how changing this statistic would help our urban centers. He then needs to explain covertly that him addressing this issue will be more effective than his opponent; to the point where we nod our heads and say we get it, but don’t say why.