Obama’s Bird Moment

Oh come on….

There is nothing to that.

Weak. His index finger is clearly raised as well. The crowd was responding to the “in her element” remark. That element being political slime.

We’ve now reached the point at which the vaunted “blogosphere” is shown to be running on fumes. [roll eyes]

Obama wants to “reclaim the American dream” because he believes white America’s dreams came at the expense of others… most notably black America. uh huh….

Wow, you really missed the point there…

Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense.

He was saying white people often feel cheated out of opportunites when they have worked hard all their lives, with nothing ever being just handed to them. He was saying it doesn’t have to be an us versus them solution. During the debate he proposed removal of the racial component to affirmative action in college admissions, that other factors should be considered more important.

If you really don’t see the other finger, then fine with me, but did I expect more. Conservatives are usually more rational.

Fit fit, if you’re the one who is setting the bar for rationality then I think most people could walk over it without problem.

I don’t know about the hand gestures, but I’ve been meaning to comment about another body gesture, not to change the subject too much. Did anyone else notice how profusely Obama was blinking every time he was being asked a direct, tough question? I’ve heard that it can indicate one exhibits this behavior when one is trying to think of a really good lie in response.

I have to agree with Hillary on this one…if he can’t handle being asked tough questions now, how in the world can he expect to be under the lamp of scrutiny as president??? Or even less, the general election debates? And, as far as the latest on John McCain’s age being an issue, to me it looks like Obama man is MUCH more tired looking than either Hillary or John McCain!

Sorry to get off point slightly…

It appears he flipped the bird (the crowd sure responded to it and his smirk acknowledged it). I suspect it is an attempt to create controversy and a diversion from the “hard” questions that were starting to get asked at the debate.

>>Since he was discussing that discrimination is real, grounded in legacy,>>

If you accept this as a fact, just how..

>>and needs to be addressed>>

is this supposed to happen? We can’t change the past..unless he knows something the rest of us don’t know. So, is just stating that “yes, dicrimination is real, and yes, discrimination has existed since the Civil War” going to do the trick? Since it seems to be that whites are simply oblivious to this basic “fact” that makes blacks so angry and indeed…bitter…, what does he propose will make a difference? Talking about it? but aren’t we racist if we talk about race? How about just turning the whole government over to blacks…is that what he has in mind?

Really. Just exactly what is he proposing? _Any_ ideas?

Suek, don’t ask me to explain Obama’s words. They are his words and his beliefs… not mine. I’m not in the man’s head, fer heavens sake! :0) I will re’quote what Obama said in his More Perfect Union speech.

snip…that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination – and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past – are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds -…snip

Full paragraph of his speech is quoted in my 4/18, 10:20am post above.

As for if I accept that as “fact”, I can only say my grandparents are the first here thru Ellis Island. They had their fair share of discimination in that era, but they never once whined. And it did not affect their success for a happy and fruitful life. They did not harbor animosity and pass it on to their children and grandchildren. Tho I can remember my mother clinging to my hand tightly in an elevator as a child when one scowled at her very dark, Hungarian appearance. (I resemble my Ukraine grandparents… fairer) She was nervous at that moment, but never “bitter” about anything. Nor was her mother.

So I personally don’t accept it as fact. But I can only speak for myself.

The way I see Obama proposes to address his perceived racial divide problem (ala his “not only words but deeds” comment) is to strongly focus on affirmative action’esque domestic policies. Certainly he is a fan of nanny government from top to bottom. He’s never hidden that. Just most refuse to acknowledge it.

I have two problems with Obama. First, he’s too socialist for me. Second, I have this nagging feeling he’s a black American first, and an American second. He has reminded me of that way too often. And, ya know, I don’t care he’s black. I care about his socialist plans.

Curt wrote:

The blogosphere was considered “vaunted”? Puhlease…..

I’m sorry, but when I see bloggers on TV next to former Cabinet Secretaries, 20-year journalists and the like…yeah, the “blogosphere”–or, if you prefer, “new media”–qualifies as “vaunted.”

Having said that, it’s stuff like this that drags down the reputation of everyone who “reports” it, much less those who attempt to “analyze” it in some fashion. It ranks right up there with the lefties who read evil into every eyebrow lift performed by Dick Cheney or caterwaul over every “smirk” that crosses George Bush’s face.

MataHarley,

LINK

Quote:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Obama, last May we talked about affirmative action, and you said at the time that affluent African- Americans, like your daughters, should probably be treated as pretty advantaged when they apply to college and that poor, white children, kids, should get special consideration, affirmative action.

So as president, how specifically would you recommend changing affirmative action policies so that affluent African-Americans are not given advantages and poor, less affluent whites are?

OBAMA: Well, I think that the basic principle that should guide discussions not just of affirmative action, but how we are admitting young people to college generally, is how do we make sure that we’re providing ladders of opportunity for people? How do we make sure that every child in America has a decent shot in pursuing their dreams?

And race is still a factor in our society. And I think that for universities and other institutions to say, “You know, we’re going to take into account the hardships that somebody has experienced because they’re black or Latino or because they’re a woman”…

STEPHANOPOULOS: Even if they’re wealthy?

OBAMA: … I think that’s something that they can take into account, but it can only be in the context of looking at the whole situation of the young person.

So if they look at my child, and they say, “You know, Malia and Sasha, they’ve had a pretty good deal,” then that shouldn’t be factored in.

On the other hand, if there’s a young white person, who has been working hard, struggling, and has overcome great odds, that’s something that should be taken into account.

So I still believe in affirmative action as a means of overcoming both historic and potentially current discrimination, but I think that it can’t be a quota system and it can’t be something that is simply applied without looking at the whole person, whether that person is black, or white, or Hispanic, male or female.

What we want to do is make sure that people who’ve been locked out of opportunity are going to be able to walk through those doors of opportunity in the future.

The REAL Obama bird:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1072391/barack_obama_bird/