Organizing for America | Sam Graham-Felsen's Blog: "A More Perfect Union"

"A More Perfect Union"

By Sam Graham-Felsen - Mar 18th, 2008 at 11:33 am EDT

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“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”

Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution – a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.

And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part – through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign – to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either “too black” or “not black enough.” We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, we’ve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it’s based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems – two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God’s work here on Earth – by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:

“People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend’s voice up into the rafters….And in that single note – hope! – I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion’s den, Ezekiel’s field of dry bones. Those stories – of survival, and freedom, and hope – became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories tha t we didn’t need to feel shame about…memories that all people might study and cherish – and with which we could start to rebuild.”

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety – the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity’s services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions – the good and the bad – of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

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.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America – to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through – a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, “The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past.” We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven’t fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today’s black and white students.

Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments – meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today’s urban and rural communities.

A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one’s family, contributed to the erosion of black families – a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods – parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement – all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What’s remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn’t make it – those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations – those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicia ns, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician’s own failings.

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. 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. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committ ed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy – particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction – a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people – that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances – for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives – by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American – and yes, conservative – notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright’s sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It’s that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country – a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen – is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope – the audacity to hope – for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging 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 – by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.” This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don’t have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn’t look like you might take your job; it’s that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should’ve been authorized and never should’ve been waged, and we want to talk about how we’ll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

I would not be running for President if I didn’t believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation – the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that I’d like to leave you with today – a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King’s birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother’s problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn’t. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war.   He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.”

“I’m here because of Ashley.” By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.

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WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By maria from europe Mar 18th 2008 at 11:35 am EDT

WOWOOWOW

God bless him !!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Diana Mar 18th 2008 at 11:38 am EDT

I am so proud of him! Thank you Obama for staying focused and standing up with your courage.

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By Sam in UK (endeavouring to do my part to form that more perfect union) Mar 18th 2008 at 11:45 am EDT

It’s a really sad commentary that in this day and age this speech was wholly necessary, that being said Sen Obama was his eloquent, poignant, authentic self.

Indeed that took a lot more courage than he will get credit for.

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By Christine "No Distractions" O'Bama Mar 18th 2008 at 11:51 am EDT

I just donated $50. Please join me and ensure that Barack Hussein Obama is the next President of these United States of America.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Ishara ☮ in Strong Support of MLK's Legacy☮ Mar 18th 2008 at 12:00 pm EDT

Everyone,

Pls consider donating to my page.

Sarah from Middletown, CT supports a new dawn for the politics of the future, won‘t you join us? Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I adopted the name Hussein to denounce the politics of fear, suspicion and hatred.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By DragonMama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:07 pm EDT

March Moneybomb for Equality

March 20 is the Spring Equinox, a day when light and dark is equal. Aside from the obvious comparison to Barack's own parents, Barack has shown amazing foresight in the darkest of times and is swinging our country toward lightness and hope despite the darkness of our current situation. He does this by declaring the equality of all people, we the people, no matter our skin color, religion, who we love, how much money or education or "experience" we have, we are all equal, e pluribus unum. Therefore, everyone can share this vision donate $20.20 (twenty dollars and twenty cents) on March 20th to honor Barack's foresight, past and present.

Can you join me?

Even if you can't do it personally due to tight finances, please spread the word. I would personally be honored if some of the contributions were made through my fundraiser page:
Link
so that I know the message has gotten out, but please feel free to change that to your own fundraising page link as you spread the word! Maybe kinda like a "chain letter" we can do "chain donations" donating to the person who forwarded it to you, then start/add your own fundraising page and replace the link with your own, then pass on to friends!

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By RA Mar 18th 2008 at 12:16 pm EDT

See part of Obama's Philadelphia speech here!

Link

Also see Keith Olbermann's World's Worst here!

Link

See Spitzer's advice on how to avoid a sex scandal!

Link

Great speech Senator Obama! YES WE CAN!

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By moongoddess Mar 19th 2008 at 12:34 am EDT

Bless it be dragonmama. I will send to the obama camp the amount of money you have stated and i will try to get some friends to do the same, i wish you luck with the fund raising so mote it be.
moonnebbia

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By jose and change Mar 18th 2008 at 12:47 pm EDT

Why do people want to be taught about African American history??? and why is Obama responsible for what his pastor said?????? So all these people want to go backwards instead of forward????? instead of complaining, why don't we look at the prospects and what can be done. What about the divisive mcCain pastors, can they Unify the country, specially when they're setting mccains agenda, is that who some want as president???? he was ok for his time, but we have to move forward.

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By OLD ACCOUNT Mar 18th 2008 at 12:57 pm EDT

We are moving foward. We WILL move forward with President Obama. The time for change has come.

Yes, We Can.

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By Angelene from Pompano Beach, FL Mar 18th 2008 at 1:11 pm EDT

With all due repect, people need to know the African American history because it is just that, our history; many people do not know that history and why people like Wright speaks the way they do. More importantly, it is good that it has come to this so that we can finally see both sides, well all sides of a story, then make our decisions based on that, not hearsey.

I think Barack did the most honorable thing to do, face the facts of history, bring in the new generation of thinkers, like us and let's move to the next level of bring the United States of American together for greatest.

Obama and Michelle
President and First Lady 2008

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By MRA - Mary, NY - SO VERY PROUD OF MY COUNTRY! Mar 18th 2008 at 12:59 pm EDT

Why wouldn't people want to learn African American History? Just as they would want to learn Native American History, Irish immigrant history, Japanese American history, Women in America's history, and so on - since ALL OF THESE MAKE UP AMERICAN HISTORY!

Don't really get your question, but that is my answer!

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By 1!! Juan "Hussein" Perez Mar 18th 2008 at 1:14 pm EDT

Link

Please donate $10, $25, $50, $100 to Obama. Let's send a message right now!

Please use my fund raising page.

Link

Thank you!

Yes We Can!

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By Liz M Mar 18th 2008 at 1:52 pm EDT

I would also remind anyone who asks...African-American history IS American history...and those that act as if this is a digression from the main topic--- are kidding themselves, or being ignorant...

STAND UP AND SHOUT

NOT THIS TIME

Also how do people feel about a petition that says something like this:

We, the undersigned support Barack Obama in his relationship with Reverend Wright. We understand that there are as many views of America as there are Americans, and as Americans we have the absolute right and responsibility to critique our nation for it's failings, as well as to celebrate -when- it lives up to its ideals.

We, as Americans will not be forced to say everything is OK, when it is not. We, as Americans support a diverse range of expression, diverse means of expression and diverse expressions on any topic under discussion in the United States of America. And finally, we support Reverend Wright, a veteran - to say whatever he pleases on the topic of race, or any other subject he so chooses.

He has earned it.

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By Connie Obama (Not held hostage by polls or media) Mar 18th 2008 at 2:08 pm EDT

I personally wouldn't want that petition because it will create another "divide" to be exploited by the MSM; it also keeps the issue alive. We do not need to help the MSM, they'll keep beating the same drum anyway. They'd say, "See, told you the AA's are sticking together". It couldn't possibly be because he's the best candidate and God forbid, they'll never admit that it's more than AA's who have voted for BHO!!

BHO "handled" it!! Will the MSM & HRC/McCain still try to keep it alive? Yes!! Let's just keep watching BHO continue to win, whether or not the MSM acknowledges the wins (Wy, Miss. then Iowa); they can't ignore the numbers!!

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By Easton - [Obama is the "ONLY" One Can Restore America's Image Around The World]- FL Mar 18th 2008 at 2:54 pm EDT

Connie from Chester, VA

I AGREE 100%!!

LET THAT PETITION THING GO, IT WILL KEEP THE DIVIDE ACTIVE! WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS SPREAD THIS HISTORICK SPEECH, Email It to Everyone as possible.

Distorted BAD NEWS, Fan by the MSM especially FOX NEWS, have a way of spreading LIKE WILD FIRE! In the other hand, the GOOD NEWS gets, Intentionally, stuck in traffick or buried with conspiracy Theories!

YES WE CAN !!

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By Liz M Mar 18th 2008 at 3:19 pm EDT

YEs - I on reflection - thought better of the petition... but sad to point out I'm 'white' - and so are my parents and they would sign it in a heartbeat - so sickened by the way this has been used.

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By OBAMAMUSIC Mar 18th 2008 at 3:25 pm EDT

Thank you Elizabeth for your support of my ex-pastor Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright. I would really like to focus on the powerful words of our candidate in today's profound speech.

I am confident that he is correct in that we can talk about his minister or we can move on and talk about the issues of his candidacy. Let's move on.

YES WE CAN!!!!!

Geneva in Chicago

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By Karshi and Tina "Kiss Your Surge Goodbye, McCain" Smith Mar 18th 2008 at 5:05 pm EDT

Hi! What has it been like seeing your ex-pastor be unfairly attacked? What's the attitude been? I'm glad that you're still an Obama Supporter.

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By Unknown user Mar 18th 2008 at 2:04 pm EDT

He saw wrong and try to right it. He saw surfering and try to heal it. He saw war and try to stop it. Great speech.

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By Unknown user Mar 18th 2008 at 2:22 pm EDT

He saw wrong and try to right it. He saw surfering and try to heal it. He saw war and try to stop it. Great speech.

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By Nikki in VA "Who finds it nearly impossible to function without a phone list or a canvassing walk pack!" Mar 18th 2008 at 1:39 pm EDT

"Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."

--- George Santayana

Disabled Service & Non-Service Connected Vets For Obama | Report to Admin

By LV Duckworth Mar 18th 2008 at 2:17 pm EDT

Many people are in a similar financial situation to myself, living on a small pension or SSDI, unable to walk the streets knocking on doors, lacking the means or ability to spend countless hours calling prospective voters.

If this is you, here is your chance to contribute whatever you can spare, (as little as $5.00) will help us win the White House and return this country to the path that our founding fathers had envisioned and fought so hard to create, that our own fathers and grandfathers defended with their blood and that the current men and woman serving abroad deserve to come home to. A country with an agenda that is not mired in self made turmoil and devisive politics.

Help bring the dream to fruition, donate today!

Link

Anything you can give will be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

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By Patrice Mar 18th 2008 at 2:56 pm EDT

I want to know about African American History. I don't want to live in a colorless country; I want to live in a country where all cultures and races can be appreciated, loved, and respected. I love my culture and those around me.

African American History is a significant part of American History and to truly move forward one must have an deep understanding of the past. It is due to our history that Obama had to make a speech today like he did. I don't want us to move on until we recognize each other for who we are culturally.

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By LenaX Mar 18th 2008 at 2:17 pm EDT

I was crying! My God that was EXCEPTIONAL!

My Dad always said ownership and accountability for your actions. Be accountable, he absolutely hit this out of the park!

He began the very hard conversation of race relations in this country on a platform of openess and honesty.

HE WON!

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By Marybeth Mar 18th 2008 at 3:23 pm EDT

Just donated 10 dollars to help you meet your goal. Good luck.

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By Sano Mar 18th 2008 at 12:03 pm EDT

Donated $50 as well.

This was the most profound State of the Union address this country has heard in a LOOOONG time. Barack Obama should be the next president of the UNITED States. As the racists, hate-filled language bellows in response to this profound statement, I am convinced that we are witnessing a change in direction in the perfecting of this country. The days of ignorance and bias because of gender or race are over. I wish there was some evidence that commentators (even and especially in the MSM) are joining in the perfecting instead of continued dissecting. Thank you Barack Obama.

Donate: Link

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By DragonMama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:07 pm EDT (Updated Mar 18th 2008 at 1:24 pm EDT)

This post has been removed due to duplicate postings.

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By Sharon in CA baby boomers for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:41 pm EDT

Barack was courageous. No matter what happens, his speech today will be discussed for years as one of the defining moments in American history. As 58 year old black woman, I see the destiny of America being revealed in the open minded, unifying spirit of the young people I see on this blog. My generation passes the torch to you. Now get to work everybody!!! You/We have an election to win!!

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By SFT Mar 18th 2008 at 12:59 pm EDT

Senator Barack Obama is an incredible and noble human being who understands that although all of us are imperfect we have this moment to take the next step in healing. Thank you Sharon! Keep HOPE shining.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Robby from Louisiana who loves the Middle Name Hussein and Believe in Barack Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 1:13 pm EDT

Hi Sharon,
I agree that Barack is courageous, and his heart is right to lead this Country. As I am sitting here reflecting on his speech, I feel one of the most painful blockage of tears. I feel like just screaming so loud until all the pain that I as an African American Female, United States Army Veteran, Grandmother of 3, Wife of 29 years,and Christian has ever felt. For the first time I feel like one of the heaviest burdens have been lifted off of me, and now I can see the beauty of the struggle that every one of us no matter race, religion, status, or gender had to go through in order to get to this day in American History. A time in History where Barack Obama a bi-racial child turned man could stand before this country and challenge each of us to take the mirror and see the imperfection in ourselves, but also see the hope of a brighter tomorrow. Barack is the leader that this country need at this time in history, and the President we need in order to heal, repair, and press forward. I want to close this post with: My heart is heavy, and my burden is light. I now can dream of a future that is fair, and bright. I can stand next to my brother and not see his faults, and I can let go of the tears and fear that masked my pain, and embrace the America that I'm beginning to see again. The Land of the Free and the home of the Brave.

Love, Grace and Peace
Robby from Louisiana

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By Chris San Jose Cal Mar 18th 2008 at 1:26 pm EDT

Beautiful post, Robby

You are absolutely right about being challenged by Barack to look into the mirror.

I'm working hard on this campaign to try to insure a better American for my son and your children and grandchildren.

BTW, in phonebanking, the Louisiana folks were by far the friendliest!

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By OBAMAMUSIC Mar 18th 2008 at 3:39 pm EDT

Robby, Robby, Robby!

Your words!!!! Your beautiful words!

>>challenge each of us to take the mirror and see the imperfection in ourselves, but also see the hope of a brighter tomorrow. <<

I love what you said and I too feel renewed hope.

God Bless you!

Geneva in Chicago

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By OBAMAMUSIC Mar 18th 2008 at 3:40 pm EDT

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By Change is about ending the abomination to create the Obama nation Mar 18th 2008 at 1:32 pm EDT

That was beautiful.

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By ready4change Mar 18th 2008 at 1:40 pm EDT

God bless you Robby. I too am filled with such emotion it's hard to explain. God Bless Barack Obama and his family.

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By Jeannie "Make Three Wishes on Her Bottle of Hope for One and All" in PA Mar 18th 2008 at 1:46 pm EDT

Just when I've finally dried my tears, you have to post that, and the water is flowing again.

Love and hugs to you Robbie!

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By Brenda in Indiana Mar 18th 2008 at 2:02 pm EDT

God Bless you Robby!. I'm am so proud to be among all the wonderful Obama supporters such as yourself who see things for what they truly are. There are, of course, going to continue to be people who will not understand where Barack is coming from no matter what he says or does.It is my hope and prayer that people will look inside themselves to find the honesty within to begin changing their outlook and views so that we can all come together for the common good. I hope to get the chance to cast my vote to elect this wonderful man for President of the United States of America.

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By JP - VA 4 OBAMA Mar 18th 2008 at 1:52 pm EDT

Robby, your post was powerful.

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By Liz M Mar 18th 2008 at 1:58 pm EDT

Dear Robby,

My white rural mother heard every word in that speech and takes it to heart. She is outraged at the treatment of Reverend Wright and Obama in this instance, and despises the media for pouring salt on wounds rather than, as Obama is doing - help us see ourselves through it - to something we all want..a world worth living in and living for, for ourselves, our kids and their kids.

NOT THIS TIME.

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By Sandy Haire Mar 18th 2008 at 2:03 pm EDT

Beautiful and well said Bobby from Louisiana. Thank you for your insight.
Sandy

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By Katie Mar 18th 2008 at 2:09 pm EDT

God bless you for those words. I am a 35 year old white mother from Indianola, Mississippi - the most Southern place on earth. My hope has never been in our divided past. The past is too ugly, too painful. Finally, FINALLY, a leader who speaks to the hope of our future.
Scream, Robby! I think I can hear you!

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By mr.inspired Mar 18th 2008 at 2:57 pm EDT

You just brought this grown man to tears.

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By Jonelle4Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 3:02 pm EDT

I thought I was the only one crying! I cried a throughout the speech. Obama was absolutely inspiring.

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By Jonelle4Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 3:00 pm EDT

Hey Robby!! Glad to see a fellow person from Louisiana on board!

I am so proud of MY PRESIDENT!!!!!!!

OBAMA 08

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By Don for Obama....The People's President! Mar 18th 2008 at 3:19 pm EDT

Did you ever see a grown man shed a tear? Well I'm not ashamed to say it and all I can think of now is what a speech and what a testimony to a person of such deep convictions. You wanted substance....you got substance!

And I'm beginning to understand this movement more each day. Barack Obama has that rare ability to connect with people....to be able to put his feet in my shoes.
I'm reminded of that old song when the young boy connects with his father.....
"I wanna be just like you dad....I wanna be just like you."

For sure there is something special going on here and it doesn't happen much in our history. Our time is now and we dare not let this moment escape us. We have the rare opportunity to elect a President of the people, by the people and for the people. Barack Obama.....the people's President.

Let's do it!!

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By Michele Mar 18th 2008 at 4:08 pm EDT

Someone on another blog wrote,"The only thing that keeps HRC in the race is the media."

I think we all know in our heart of hearts who can lead this nation forward.

OBAMA '08

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By 37-year-old mother from MN Mar 18th 2008 at 9:51 pm EDT

I was just going through everyone's responses a little closer than I did today......this is beautiful! What you said touched home with me....I wanna be like you dad!! Isn't this an incredible moment for all of us to be so connected and yet so positive.

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By West Coast Canuck who wishes she could vote, and contribute $$ Mar 18th 2008 at 5:00 pm EDT

Robby stop - now you've got ME crying....

(((((Robby))))) (those are hugs, btw).

Karen

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By Don for Obama....The People's President! Mar 18th 2008 at 10:28 pm EDT

Hi Mom from MN!

Thanks for your kind words. I just think the Obama Supporters are some special people! Barack just knows how to connect and as you mentioned, everyone here is so positive after that fantastic speech.

Take care.

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By Chris San Jose Cal Mar 18th 2008 at 1:17 pm EDT

Hey Sharon- from your 55 year old white counterpart in California, I was thrilled with Barack's speech. How he wove all those different themes together into one speech which spoke to everyone amazed me.

The standout to me was the closing comment- do we want to keep listening figuratively and literally to the 'rewinds' of racial disharmony that have plagued our country since our inception or do we want to move forward?

Yes, Barack Obama, we want to move forward. Me and Ashley and the elderly black man at the table in South Carolina.

Yes we can!

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By BARBARA in Queens, NY Mar 18th 2008 at 2:03 pm EDT

ROBBY your post was wonderful. I can't stop crying. I loved barack's speech. he is so powerful, come on people we can not let this election go down the tubes. please, please let's work hard for change and a brighter future! Barack has now answered all of their questions and he put america on notice. Will we all STAND for change.

N Carolina | Report to Admin

By Carol G Mar 18th 2008 at 2:15 pm EDT

I just read this on another blog and I wasn't sure if you know this already so I decided to post it here too because we have work to do people!!!!!!!!

+++++++++++++

In North Carolina, you do not need a reason to request a mail-in ballot.

To do so, you must send a written request to your county Board of Elections with your name, home and mailing address, party affiliation, date of birth, phone number and signature. If you are unaffiliated, you must specify which party's ballot you want.

The request must be received by April 29, and the ballot must be returned by 5 p.m. on May 5.

In some counties, voters may also cast early ballots at one-stop voting sites in the weekends leading up to the primary. Check with your county Board of Elections for more information.
+++++++++++++

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By Easton - [Obama is the "ONLY" One Can Restore America's Image Around The World]- FL Mar 18th 2008 at 2:28 pm EDT

Chris San Jose Cal,

I FULLY AGREE With You!!

WE THE GOOD PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY CANNOT ALLOW

A FANTASTIC INSPIRING LEADER Like This To Not To Serve the Great Nation as President! WE MUST DO EVERY THING WE CAN to Help is Movement be a success!!

I am a White Male and I KNOW America NEED a leader like Sen. OBAMA NOW!!

He has demondstrate so much Honesty and Integrity that WE HAVE NOT SEEN in a Presidential Candidate in the last 35, 40 years.

I HAVE SEEN YOUNG PEOPLE EXCITED AND STICKING WITH IS CAMPAIGN LIKE NEVER BEFORE In the History of Politics In This Country!

MAKE CALLS Please!! DONATE ETC!!

YES WE CAN With Your Support!!

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By Robyn in San Antonio Mar 19th 2008 at 1:29 am EDT

Hey - I'm late to the blog discussion but just now watched the entire speech (hey we folks in Texas have a county caucus coming up on the 29th and I was at training tonight on how that all works! I'm a delegation chair, ya know? GOTV!

I have never been so profoundly proud of an American politician. Never. I watched Senator Obama speak the truth - a truth that an entire generation of politicians before him did not have the guts to speak.

This middle-aged white Republican female voter is more energized by Senator Obama than ever. He speaks unity, inclusiveness and reconciliation.

I sent the video link of this speech to my entire 140-person email contact list. I'll get some cr*p for it from my right-winged friends, but that's ok. If even half of them view the 30-minute speech, America will benefit.

This man is a leader for our times. I knew that before ... but now I KNOW (as in KNOW, KNOW, KNOW) that.

Yes, America, we can.

Robyn

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By Patrice Mar 18th 2008 at 3:00 pm EDT

Thank You Sharon.

I agree; this was a defining moment in history and it tells much about him, his character, strength, courage. He has such a 360* grasp of the country, history, and people.

Now, as someone said, let's work to put this man into the White House!

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By Life Obama Style Mar 18th 2008 at 3:15 pm EDT

I did not see the speech today, but by your descriptions it sound wonderful almost bringing me, a black male to tears. I did read the speach though, but I'm sure it is nothing compared to hearing Barack speaking it.

Love you all, black, white, red and blue. Obama stands for truth through and through.

Obama '08

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By Juanita Mar 18th 2008 at 1:37 pm EDT

That was a momentous speech by a courageous man! I am an elderly white woman (supposedly for Hillary), but I have supported Obama from the start. America cannot affort to let this remarkable man get away. I see a far better future with Barack Obama as our leader.

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By CeCe in South Carolina where everyone is not a jerk like Wilson Mar 18th 2008 at 1:43 pm EDT

I am so proud of Obama and the wisdom, courage, and strength that it took to say what he said. I've read some comments from other sites and all that I can say is that some people will hear what they want to hear.

I thank God that I can hear the truth and recognize it.

Thank you, Senator Obama for bringing America's dark insecurity about race into the light.

We need Obama in the White House--NOW!!!!

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By Kym from Pacific Palisades, CA Mar 18th 2008 at 1:58 pm EDT

Thank you Juanita,

You are a shining example of the beauty that is this country... our country.

Together we must find a way!

YES WE CAN!!

Kym

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By Alice from Indian Trail, NC Mar 18th 2008 at 12:39 pm EDT

I just donated $50 join me...

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By Arun Mar 18th 2008 at 2:09 pm EDT

The HRC campaign sent me an email about "not letting Obama take over Pennsylvania" asking for donations.

I just maxed out with Obama ... He is the one!

We cannot ever have a better President to lead our country into a new age of prosperity, ingenuity and UNITY than BARACK OBAMA.

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By Easton - [Obama is the "ONLY" One Can Restore America's Image Around The World]- FL Mar 18th 2008 at 2:57 pm EDT

Sano, white male 40

I AGREE 100%

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By MartiM who is thrilled with Joe Biden as VP! Mar 18th 2008 at 12:27 pm EDT

$50 to Obama for being so excellent a human being!! Marti HM

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By Veeve Mar 18th 2008 at 1:03 pm EDT

Wow. I was overcome. That was the most honest, poingnant speech given by one of our political leaders during my lifetime. We must ensure that Senator Obama becomes our next president.

Here is another $50 from me as well.

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By Veeve Mar 18th 2008 at 1:04 pm EDT

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By Alethea Mar 18th 2008 at 1:19 pm EDT

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”- Romans 15:13

HE NAILED IT. He put all of the parts together.

You cannot have the healing that is needed without acknowledging the wound exists and not just that the wound exists, but the MASSIVE size of the wound. THEN and only then can you begin to seek and implement a healing methodology.

I am also glad that he did NOT disown his pastor. To have disowned his pastor in this speech would have been appeasement -- doing 'whatever it takes' to win votes. We embrace people, the good and bad in them and endeavor to bring them to a better place. We do NOT kick them to the curb and leave them in their misery.

Barack is NOT Pastor Wright. He has separated himself and HIS views VERY CLEARLY from the views of his pastor, as he should. I hope that in this process Pastor Wright, too, can obtain healing and move forward.

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By Alethea Mar 18th 2008 at 1:55 pm EDT

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."- Romans 15:13

HE NAILED IT. He put all of the parts together.

You cannot have the healing that is needed without acknowledging the wound exists and not just that the wound exists, but the MASSIVE size of the wound. THEN and only then can you begin to seek and implement a healing methodology.

I am also glad that he did NOT disown his pastor. To have disowned his pastor in this speech would have been appeasement -- doing 'whatever it takes' to win votes. We embrace people, the good and bad in them and endeavor to bring them to a better place. We do NOT kick them to the curb and leave them in their misery.

Barack is NOT Pastor Wright. He has separated himself and HIS views VERY CLEARLY from the views of his pastor, as he should. I hope that in this process Pastor Wright, too, can obtain healing and move forward.

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By Nunya from Mesena, GA Mar 18th 2008 at 2:16 pm EDT

And I am one of those who will not give him credit. What a pity and how very telling that Obama said the following:

"...anger over those injustices often find voice in black churches on Sunday mornings. "The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning," he said.

The "truism" is that the MOST united hour in American life occurs on Sunday - at least among those of faith. And shame on Barack Obama.

The fact is Rev. Wright or any "minister" for that matter, who uses the pulpit for hate rhetoric and political stumping whether righteously angry or not, is not doing their job and is NOT a man of God. Those types do nothing but push and preach personal agenda, using their position as a religious leader to manipulate those who trust and look up to them. Barack Obama is smart enough to understand this. Barack Obama KNOWS this. Barack Obama will never be President of the United States because as a member of this congregation for 20 years, he took an active part in dividing the races.

There are no African, Italian, French, Polish, Mexican, or German-Americans, unless they happen to have dual citizenship. So, Mr. Obama is quite simply an AMERICAN, but he is not smart enough apparently to say that proudly as he should. As long as he refers to his race as black when he is as much white he will be viewed as chosing one race over another. And as long as he refers to his ethnicity as African-American, when he is no such thing, I don't want him in office, and... I am legion.

Need a treat? | Report to Admin

By loralei Mar 18th 2008 at 2:43 pm EDT

Banana Smoothie

2 frozen bananas, cut in sections
1 heaping tbs tahini or nut butter
1 tbs vanilla
2 tbs sugar or sweetener
2 cups milk or almond milk

Blend up, delicious!

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By Citizen Can Mar 18th 2008 at 2:51 pm EDT

Nunya,

Doesn't the media use it's pulpit (the broadcast forum) to manipulate those who trust them for accurate reporting of news events, not for hate rhetoric and political stumping.

What do you mean "an active part in dividing the races" ? Why can’t it be that for 20 years
God has had him in training, learning what the needs of people are.

I’m praying for you.

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By Michael Kee Mar 18th 2008 at 2:58 pm EDT

I'm sorry my friend, but you are missing the point....

How many 'men of god' have embraced the virtues of segregation, or other forms of hatred? How long has a system of 'seperate but equal' existed in this country? How many Americans, both white and black have suffered because those who are in power want to create a working class and a wealthy class of Americans in this country?

The message that you failed to hear is that we must all come together as one country, united in a cause to benefit each and every American. That is the only way in which this country can truly prosper.

We must move beyond our petty divisiveness. We can no longer continue to allow the past practices of pitting one group against another to prevail at the expense of moving all of America forward.

Open your mind, and let him who has ears hear. Only when we are all concerned about each of our fellow Americans can we truly live out the meaning of our destiny.

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By Not This Time, Not This Year DHussein Mar 18th 2008 at 3:01 pm EDT

We often hate most in others that which we struggle with most in ourselves. Any psychologist will tell you that.

Jesus said, why do you complain about the speck in your brothers eye when you have a log in your own. There is a difference between the "person" and their behavior...you can love the person and realize they are imperfect in their behavior. Judgement does nothing but continue the illusion of "superiority" and self-righteousness that we as humans use to bolster our egos. Truth is beyond all of that..which is why so many are responding so positively to Baracks word. It's the peace that passes understanding. I hope you find that someday.

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By ★Hold Firmly Without Wavering,To The Hope That We Confess★- bonnie4Obama of MD Mar 18th 2008 at 3:28 pm EDT

Amen Amen, Oh DHussein, you hit you hit it!!

It's just too sad, that some folks aren't going to get the message no matter what. See they just can't move themselves out of their own way.

I wish more Americans would look and learn from our History. Else I fear, it shall be repeated.

My God Forbid!!!

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By Telperion "Not this Time" in DC Mar 18th 2008 at 3:21 pm EDT

lol @ "i am legion"

um, hi Lucifer... i see you left hell for a day to post on our blog.

hmmm. here's a glass of water for all those flames...

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By aurelia Mar 18th 2008 at 4:36 pm EDT

nicely put.
Anyone who doesn't get a change of heart and mind set and learn something from this extraordinary speech is not of this world.

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By Lucy Hussein who is bitter because her posts keep getting lost on this blog Mar 18th 2008 at 3:27 pm EDT

There is an excellent documentary from PBS Called Eyes On The Prize. It is on youtube. It begins with Awakening for 9 parts, here is the first.
Link

then on to Fighting Back for 9 parts, then Two Societies for 9 parts. If anyone has time, check it out. Rev. Wright came of age during this turbulent time.I was a young girl, but I remember when the KKK raided my neighborhood, and burned a cross in front of my church. When I was a teenager, my friends and I would always run and hide if we saw a string of headlights coming in our direction if we were out after dark. Back then we walked to all of our school functions like basketball games and other school functions, but, we walked in groups. It was the only safe way. Things are much better today, and I am glad of the progress, but those memories are still burned into my psyche. Let progress march on til victory is won.

Also an excellent movie is Glory Road. It is about a white coach back in 1965 was the first to recruit blacks for his Texas Western Universiy basketball program.True Story. I won't tell you the story, hahahaha! Movie trailer, best I can do for you.
Link

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By rob4Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 3:28 pm EDT

Nunya

here a must see for you
Link

don't sleep, when you sleep to much your life passes empty

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By Yawman Mar 18th 2008 at 3:39 pm EDT

Then you are certainly part of the problem. Why does it bother you so much for someone to affirm their roots or heritage? It sounds to me that you want people to disown their own uniqueness to service some sort of "fragile cultural ego." As long as you and your "legion" cannot deal with the fact that their will be diverse people in America who are proud of their roots/cultural heritage as well as proud of America then we will continue to have the divide. The problem is that you think the two ideas are mutually exclusive and they do not necessarily have to be.

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By Stio Mar 18th 2008 at 3:48 pm EDT

Nunya,
I hope that when our time comes to be judged by God ( and not by mere mortals which is what you and I are), God bases his judgement on our entire lives and not a 30 second sound bite whene we may not have been at our best. I admire Barack's ability to love Reverend Wright in spite of his weakness and to recognize that it is God who judges. If you choose not to vote for Barack so be it, but just make sure that your 30 second sound bite is in order when it's your time for judgement.

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By Michele Mar 18th 2008 at 4:14 pm EDT

Alas, there will always be some left behind.

Yes, Nunya, even YOU can.

OBAMA '08

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By Yves from Monroe, NY Mar 18th 2008 at 7:54 pm EDT

Nunya,

YES WE CAN!

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By Actionmac Mar 18th 2008 at 3:25 pm EDT

Ok, $50 and I raise it $50 = $100. I see this as an INVESTMENT and I am so VERY PROUD to INVEST.

"YES WE CAN" and WE WILL in 2008

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By Natasha Mar 18th 2008 at 4:51 pm EDT

LET'S RAISE 100 MILLION DOLLARS TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT FOR SENATOR OBAMA!!!

Link

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By Whitney Hussein Mar 19th 2008 at 3:03 am EDT

Seeing Barack's speech made me want to come clean about some prejudices that I have had in my life. For example....

I was afraid of black men walking down the same street as me.

I had problems on the job because I have been qualified but passed up for promotion unjustly.

I angered an older black person when I thought their correlation between the tragedy of slavery and the poverty of urban neighborhoods of today was an unjust parallel and that blacks have lots of opportunities today, now more than ever.

I avoided certain neighborhoods, especially after daylight hours.

I found myself in heated arguments about why I don't understand why blacks have to call themselves "African-Americans" and questioned why there isn't more of an inclination to say "American" as their primary identity.

I too have been accused of not understanding the "quintessential black experience" in America and have angered some by asking them to define that experience, and then not getting a concise answer.

I too have had a job interview with a would-be supervisor who was a black woman who did not hire me for a job that I was 200 percent qualified for.

I am also black.

PHONE-A-THON | Report to Admin

By Musicians4Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:09 pm EDT

LET'S GET BACK TO WORK!

PHONE-A-THON
Too shy or too busy to make calls?
Donate Here: Link

For every dollar donated I will make 2 calls on your behalf. 2,580 calls to date. We are more than half way there, thanks to a lot of great people!

PLEASE KEEP ME TALKING ABOUT BARACK!

We still have more work to do to reach our goal of 5000 calls by April 22nd.

Together we can make a difference.
YES WE CAN!

Re: PHONE-A-THON | Report to Admin

By Natasha Mar 18th 2008 at 12:24 pm EDT

LETS RAISE 100 MILLION DOLLARS THIS MONTH!

Re: PHONE-A-THON | Report to Admin

By joe ruwe Mar 18th 2008 at 12:28 pm EDT

that's what i'm talking about. everyone chip in 20 bones right now. support this true American patriot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: PHONE-A-THON | Report to Admin

By Arizona Grandma who needs affordable health insurance Mar 18th 2008 at 12:37 pm EDT

I just donated another $60. PB&J for the next couple of weeks - but honor, equality and unity for the next 8 years.

Re: PHONE-A-THON | Report to Admin

By Christine "No Distractions" O'Bama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:48 pm EDT

LOL! I am eating PB&J with my 4-year-old right now!

Re: PHONE-A-THON | Report to Admin

By Rich from FLA Mar 18th 2008 at 1:25 pm EDT

Count me in for $30!

Re: PHONE-A-THON | Report to Admin

By O-Yes O-Bama O-8 Mar 18th 2008 at 1:49 pm EDT

I just donated another $50 to this campaign thru your phone-a-thon.

Thanks for letting me be a part of this with you!!!

Thanks for making the calls I can't!!

Hugs!

YES WE CAN!!!

Re: PHONE-A-THON | Report to Admin

By Liz M Mar 18th 2008 at 2:01 pm EDT

No I don't think so. There were no 25 cent words in that speech, just very plain talk - which Obama excels at.

And yeah - another 50 from me.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Elyse W Mar 18th 2008 at 12:28 pm EDT

I agree with Diana -- and so many others! We're proud of you, Senator Obama!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By S. danielle Clark Mar 18th 2008 at 12:37 pm EDT

Nat and El and fellow Obamains....

I am sure I would rather march on this side than the other. I just reread the speech and the truth and courage and power and determination are way more than inspiring.

Hey, there has been talk of a 50 State rally and National March for Change and Unity. Now is the time to kick this thing off.

Let's all pick a day before the next election, let's say the weekend before (i.e. April 18..) or 30 days from now.

We need everybody to contact Moveon. org and ask them to help us get permits for all the major parks or put on the website how and form committees to do this. I am in NYC. I think we can do 2 big parks, Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

Let's e-mail and text message. Lets do it like Community Organizers. Let's show America that we are not just about words...we're about words that preamble REAL ACTION.

THE TIME TO MOVE IS NOW. CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By End The War Mar 18th 2008 at 1:37 pm EDT

That's a great idea. Let's do an "Obama Family Reunion" bringing ALL of us across the country united to cities near you. Let's do it hopefully on April 20th (PA - 22nd) or May 3rd which will cover us for the May elections. They'll have to be a contact from each city to get the permits etc., if needed. Even if you just unite and rally at a large park, you don't even need a large city. Someone will have to go with this. Get a sign-up on the site, PR, etc. Maybe someone could design a logo and we each take it and get some shirts printed and give one away with every $25 donation. The shirts will probably be about $8 - $10 each so that could make us a good fundraiser.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Wayne from Sausalito, CA Mar 18th 2008 at 2:08 pm EDT

What a great idea! April 20th rallies across the nation inspiring those who have yet to vote. It will also show Barack one more time that we are untied in the vision of Change and we are not going away. Showing our support not only in the booth, but simultaneously on the streets everywhere keep him energized through these trying times.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By IveyLeague5 Mar 18th 2008 at 3:17 pm EDT

Count me in... I will post a blog to announce to my groups and friends.

WOW... An Obama Family Reunion! Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Native American, and ALL AMERICANS!

Perhaps, with a SimuCast Speech, from our leader, Barack Obama, himself.

Let's show how many different Americans of various races love the message of CHANGE and HOPE.

Add me as a friend...

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By READY FOR CHANGE Mar 18th 2008 at 12:54 pm EDT

this speech could only have been as successful as it was because it was given by barack obama no oone else could have orated a speech like this, some wounds may have been opened but this is a perfect opportunity for america to heal the wounds of racial inequality and decisiveness.as a black american i truly love america because she has given so much to me but i do think her past is kind of shady and i hope we all pick up the patriotic side of us and show the next generation that we all bleed the same blood and we are our brothers keeper.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Dana Mar 18th 2008 at 1:07 pm EDT

I think it's important that we have a march in support of Obama.People of all races and creeds.
I will email moveon.org.
Hopefully they will help us with everything.
We need to do this a.s.a.p.

This speech,these words of wisdom made me cry.
It gives me hope because someone is speaking the things that I have thought for awhile.
I am very proud of you and your convictions Barack.I am proud to be an American along with all of the supporters of Obama as well.
You all have renewed my faith in this country.
This is a turning point in our country and there are some who will still try and tear it down.
WE MUST BE HEARD-LOUD AND CLEAR!
WE MUST GATHER AND MARCH!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Czarina CarolforObama Mar 18th 2008 at 1:41 pm EDT

Dana, keep me posted about the march. You can add me to your friends list, and vice versa. We tried organizing a march here in April in the DC area but we had trouble getting permits. I would be happy to travel to Philly. I am in Md and not that far away.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By AndiVan Mar 18th 2008 at 2:07 pm EDT

Count me in as well. I will do whatever I can. Can't give too much money any more as I just got laid off last week so funds are very tight at the moment..but would love to do other things to help organize such an event.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Tasha Mar 18th 2008 at 3:03 pm EDT

Yes, as I would not mind going to Philly also, to support this wonderful man and what he stand for.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By ***Yvette in DE Standing for Change with Obama-Biden*** Mar 18th 2008 at 1:20 pm EDT

1600 Pennsyvlania Avenue
Yes we can!
Obama 08

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Sharon~Independent for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 1:28 pm EDT

The cynics filled with negativity and the Trolls are trying to hi-jack our blog and spew their hate. PLEASE IGNORE them...do not allow them to set the agenda and control our conversations on this site.

If you must respond...first change the title of your post in the comment box, if the original title is offensive. Then...give a recipe...tell a joke...famous quote... or any off-the-wall wacky comment.

Today is a great day for Barack Obama. Excellent speech.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Obama4Me Mar 18th 2008 at 2:46 pm EDT

I'm so proud of him! What an amazing human being he is. For all of those Negative Nellys that keep blogging on this site...you will not prevail. We are loyal to Sen. Obama...We believe in Him....We will fight for him....you will not PREVAIL...so just go away! I'm donating $250 to the campaign! $50 for each member in my family and everytime I read something negative on this site I will donate another $5 until I reach my limit!!!!! So all you TROLLS out there... you are just raising more money for him! :)

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Futbolmom5 Mar 18th 2008 at 4:01 pm EDT

"You are sheep among wolves, be wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves."

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By oge for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 2:31 pm EDT

Obama, you have again shown the world why you should and would be president, i admire your courage to say it as it is, i will continue to pray for you, and yes we can make America a more perfect union.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Suna Z. Mar 18th 2008 at 8:54 pm EDT

Me too! That took guts! This is something that hasn't been done since Doctor Marting Luther King Junior had that dream.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Marcia--One who believes in Dreams! Mar 18th 2008 at 11:40 am EDT

Extraordinary speech! Now, I truly hope we can move past this and become united as Barack Obama has suggested!! We have the ability to CHANGE America! YES WE CAN!!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Marcia--One who believes in Dreams! Mar 18th 2008 at 11:59 am EDT

I've just donated another $50 and now I'm going to make calls. Please help and thankyou!
Link

Military Mom 4 Obama
Bring our troops home!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Brandi Mar 18th 2008 at 12:22 pm EDT

Marcia,

I've just donated another $25.00 to your fund raising campaign in honor of not allowing fear to overcome hope!

Not this time, we are not going to let it happen!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Christine "No Distractions" O'Bama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:34 pm EDT

I just donated $50 (see above), and this afternoon I will be making 50 calls to match my own donation.

I challenge everyone on the blog today to donate whatever you can and then match your own donation with calls.

And if you can't donate $ today, double your calls!

YES, WE CAN PERFECT THIS COUNTRY!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By TV Mar 18th 2008 at 5:04 pm EDT

Add me in for $20

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Excited about Change and Working Hard to Make it Happen Mar 18th 2008 at 9:00 pm EDT

Please donate...

My school district goes on Spring Break next week, so I will be able to make a ton of calls then. We're off until April 7th. I can't help make phone calls right now nor make a donation, but I will be able to in the morning!!! I hope that you all will make a donation tonight to help me honor service men and woman, reach my goal, and add to the momentum of "our" campaign.

Link
Thanks in advance!!!

YES WE CAN!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Lydia from Durham, NC Mar 18th 2008 at 12:42 pm EDT

He does not want us to move past it; instead, he has given us a way to deal with our racial differences. Obama has open up a necessary conversation which prompts us to see race through the lens of the other racial or cultural identity, not through our own. His speech demonstrated his ability to appeal to the best in people. It gives white and black people agency to make this nation a more perfect union -- not just by transcending race but by addressing health care, joblessness, needless war, home lost, etc. The elephant is in the room, but it doesn’t have to destroy house.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Tamsin Mar 18th 2008 at 11:40 am EDT

This was truly an extraordinary speech, with a message that no other leader has had the courage or the credibility to deliver to a people who desperately need to hear it.

And, it was unflinchingly honest and hopeful and challenging.

This is a moment I will never forget, as an individual and as an American.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Sen Obama.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By ◎Desert Dove Dan◎ Mar 18th 2008 at 11:58 am EDT

I'm with you Tamsin. I think it is the most important speech ever given in America. It was more than just politics. This man has intestinal fortitude that I could only wish for. Not only was there courage and brilliance in this speech, but I heard an awful lot of love from him toward this country.

Link

The link is for a mashup of 5 different versions of the Star-Spangled Banner with images of Barack, Michelle, American flags, eagles, etc.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Arizona Grandma who needs affordable health insurance Mar 18th 2008 at 12:40 pm EDT

On Air America radio - they just said "it was neither defensive nor patronizing - it was the greatest speech on race I have ever heard in this country."

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Christine "No Distractions" O'Bama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:53 pm EDT

Indeed.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Vee Mar 18th 2008 at 1:03 pm EDT

Couldn't agree with you more. The tears just flowing like a stream.

No politician in my lifetime could move me to the core the way Senator Obama does. That is the most courageous, thougthful, speech on race I've ever seen and heard.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By berkelbees feels the winds of change Mar 18th 2008 at 1:50 pm EDT

Who can argue?

IT IS TIME

YES WE CAN

mustard and relish on toast for EVERYONE!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Athena Mar 18th 2008 at 12:17 pm EDT

I am with you too, Tamsin.

I'm not pressing the donate button at this moment, nor picking up the phone.

I am just sitting here ready to cry with joy and emotion.

Let's all take a minute of contemplation to digest that magnificent words we are reading.

Let's hold hands and ask others to do the same.

The best thing we can do for Our Candidate at this particular moment is to read, listen, and spread the word.

Then we can get back to work, our mission strengthened, our purpose solidified.

WE LOVE YOU, BARACK!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By ◎Desert Dove Dan◎ Mar 18th 2008 at 12:26 pm EDT

Athena, I'm holding hands with you and Tamsin right now. What joy!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Lisa D-O Mar 18th 2008 at 12:52 pm EDT

I listened to most of the speech and ran out the door to work as late as possible and read the whole thing once I got here. I am drying off my tears. As I sat at home, listening and watching, I held my biracial 8 month old daughter and told her the next President was talking. When Barack talked about his grandmother, I looked at my husband, a new US citizen, and thought about all of the times I have probably accidentally made HIM cringe, but he loves me anyway and knows I am trying to make the world a better place and we are working together to do so. A small microcosm of this country and what we are trying to do now in this movement.

We can do this and what Barack said is right on. I loved the summary with the universal Golden Rule.

Blessings to everyone today.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Tamsin Mar 18th 2008 at 1:12 pm EDT

Lisa, your post has me crying all over again. Yes, we are all imperfect and trying as best we can to make things better. You and your family are in my thoughts.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By J. Grateful 4 Obama Ohio Mar 18th 2008 at 1:39 pm EDT

I have never in my 58 years witnessed a speech that was so inspiraing, uplifting, spiritual and so filled with love and the message of unity in my life.
Yes We Can!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Connie Obama (Not held hostage by polls or media) Mar 18th 2008 at 2:28 pm EDT

I am 57 and vividly remember the live coverage (black & white TV) of Dr. Martin L. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech in Washington, D.C. I remember My mother and everyone who'd gathered crying and then, silence. I EXPERIENCED THE SAME FEELINGS TODAY WITH SEN. OBAMA!!!

Dont' believe the pundits who try to tell you it wasn't as great as that legendary speech by MLK, which did bring all people together, much like BHO's coalition today!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By West Coast Canuck who wishes she could vote, and contribute $$ Mar 18th 2008 at 5:23 pm EDT

Connie,

I'm with you friend. I'm a 55 y.o. white Canadian woman who saw the exact same speech those many years ago. I saw my mother cry then, and I've cried many times since, over that wonderful speech.

Today, you, me, all of us, we are crying for the truth and bravery and integrity, empathy, courage shown by this most extraordinary man in a speech that is, indeed, just as important, just as great, as that wonderful speech of MLK.

Yes, let us not ever listen to any pundit who may say differently. We know, intrinsicly, the truth and nobody can take that away from us. If we let them, we will give away not only our power, but a bit of our soul as well.

Love to you all, Karen

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By berkelbees feels the winds of change Mar 18th 2008 at 1:59 pm EDT

I am so proud, inspired and humbled, loved, joyful..ALL of it.

To be a witness to what can be the turning point in all of our lives cannot be summed up in a blog for me.

All I know is that Barack says, feels and thinks those things that I have know to be true. I know he speaks for EVERYONE. I know there are some too afraid to join this movement because it seems too good to be true. It is TRUE, it is happening now, so hop aboard!

"The day came when the risk to remain the same became more painful than the courage to evolve."

I know someone penned this quote before me, but I cannot find a source!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Erick Esteban Mar 18th 2008 at 3:01 pm EDT

Thank you for these words that quote really sums it up quite well.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Christine "No Distractions" O'Bama Mar 18th 2008 at 3:11 pm EDT

It's really like being pregnant -- that point you reach at about 39 weeks when the pain of being pregnant exceeds your fear of going through the delivery.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Fraerly from Tallahassee, FL Mar 18th 2008 at 11:42 am EDT

What an incredible depth of understanding for the greatest problem in american history. Its sad that pundids have not even reflected on the message, and are already passing judgment.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Sam in UK (endeavouring to do my part to form that more perfect union) Mar 18th 2008 at 12:08 pm EDT

That’s merely a reflection of the tendency of our politics to focus on fabricated implications and spin rather than on the message itself.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By ♫ Cynthia ♫ championing choice, affordability and quality Healthcare in all 50 states Mar 18th 2008 at 12:46 pm EDT

I read an artical through a link from this blog that said that Barack Obama's problem would be that he would not be able to confront the race issue head on.

Once again Barack Obama shows us that all of America's problems can be tackled if you do it in the right way.

Yes WE can! over come our racial divisiness and move America forward toward becoming a more perfect union.

Obama 08

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Connie Obama (Not held hostage by polls or media) Mar 18th 2008 at 2:36 pm EDT

Yes, it was especially satisfying to see how wrong all the "talking heads" were. Everybody kept saying what BHO was going to say, which irritated me so much I muted the tv until BHO came on! As usual, BHO "nailed it" and they weren't close in what they "thought" he would say.

Just goes to show the pundits don't know any more about anything than my 3 yr old grandson!

Note: Checked out the new show with David Gregory last night just to see how fair he'd be. Conclusion: just another Clinton show, trying to be a little slicker. Add to BOYCOTT list for me!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By ♦ Gigi Mar 18th 2008 at 12:15 pm EDT

I wouldn't be so swift to pass judgment on the "pundits" here are some comments I captured on MSNBC

This speech was more important than politics.

This was stunning, unprecedented for a politician – at least in the last 25 years that I’ve been reporting.

He was talking to not just Democrats – he was talking to all Americans.

Whether he wins or loses his will go down in one of the most important speeches given in modern political history.

Most important speech on race since MLK I have a Dream.

So many people didn’t understand their own resentments / anger – white and blacks. “This is why you’re angry and we shouldn’t be angry at each other; we should be angry at the system.”

This speech was very patriotic.

What BO did was a gift to this country – he framed the discussion in a way that gives everybody a chance to air their grievances.

I loved that he talked about the Constitution – an incredible towering document – in its foundation there is a piece of racism and sexism, but he still believes in forming this perfect union.

What AA have is that we came here not by choice, and we were treated as less than full human beings and if we forget that past, we’re condemned to repeat it.

The pundits are Americans, too :)

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By eagleforlife Mar 18th 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

Words simply can not express my feeelings on your speech Senator Obama. Bravo. You have only solidified my support for you. You are America's "ram in the bush". Thank you for your courage and your integrity.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Sharon~Independent for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:13 pm EDT

Bravo Sen. Obama! This was an incredible speech. I am very happy to be part of this historic campaign. Barack Obama is who this nation so desperately needs to help lead and guide us to prosperity and healing.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Liz M Mar 18th 2008 at 2:57 pm EDT

Wow those comments are amazing from the pundits. But not as amazing as that speech!

I was listening to FOX just to hear the reaction - and I got to say its really sickening, the way they are trying to stir the pot and seem patriotic... They are the most disgusting opportunists...And seriously - they take opportunity - when they have none - I mean WHAT can you say about that speech besides AMEN, FINALLY AMEN!

This is the MOMENT | Report to Admin

By Unknown user Mar 18th 2008 at 11:46 am EDT

THE SPEECH OF ALL SPEECHES

WISDOM FOR ALL AMERICANS. A STRONG COMPASSIONATE SPEECH TO HEAL THE WOUNDS OF AMERICA AS A NATION. HE WAS CHOSEN FOR THE TIME AS THIS.

LET US DONATE

OBAMA 08

Re: This is the MOMENT | Report to Admin

By Diana Mar 18th 2008 at 12:23 pm EDT

An historic speech. If we take the time as a nation to reflect on it, discuss and debate it we will be a better country.
This election can be a turning point in our history, a change of course on so many levels.
YES WE CAN.

Re: This is the MOMENT | Report to Admin

By Diana Mar 18th 2008 at 12:24 pm EDT

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Dee C. Mar 18th 2008 at 11:48 am EDT

God Bless you Obama..God Bless you...

I am an agnostic..I have stopped praying...
But today- I want to pray again- I pray for you.

God Bless you.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Sano Mar 18th 2008 at 12:04 pm EDT

YES WE CAN!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Trish - Working To Elect That One Mar 18th 2008 at 12:04 pm EDT

Yes ... God bless you, Barack Obama.

This was one of the most statesman-like speeches I have heard in my life. When this man is elected President, this will go down among the great speeches of history.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Connie Obama (Not held hostage by polls or media) Mar 18th 2008 at 2:47 pm EDT

Yes, BHO's statesman like demeanor really highlights the clear difference between him and HRC. Beside him, she looks even more mean spirited, petty and unpresidential. Also, in a way very sad and not dignified at all.

Right after BHO's speech, she was shown at her "Bring the Troops Home" rally, contradicting what one of her advisors, and even one of her Generals, said about when she'd withdraw the troops. She doesn't know or have her own voice. Somehow, she just looks old and bitter, altho she'll continue on I'm sure. The "legal games" have already begun! No matter, my faith lies higher than SDs and courts!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Donna from Park Forest, IL Mar 18th 2008 at 12:06 pm EDT

That means a lot!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By 1justice Mar 18th 2008 at 12:34 pm EDT

I agree with the title, "statesman". Barack Obama is the greatest presidential candidate ever and I hope he can proceed to be the best president the US has ever had. The speech was profound!

Yes we can!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By kindness please... Mar 18th 2008 at 12:13 pm EDT

I have never been more proud of ANY person in my entire life. Sen Obama is an HONARABLE REAL MAN !!!!!! God Bless Barack Obama and his family !
Lets all unite, black, brown,white, yellow ,whatever...
LET US NOT BE DIVIDED....OR DETERRED BY THE SAME OLD POLITICS....
OBAMA 08 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Jacqueline from Stockbridge, GA Mar 18th 2008 at 2:28 pm EDT

Dee,

I have read a lot of comments today, but I find that you want to pray today as important as the impact of Sen Obama's speech. You want to pray and I will pray for you.

Bravo!!!!!!

Right Up There With the Gettysburg Address | Report to Admin

By LACrimAtty Mar 18th 2008 at 11:48 am EDT

I read it, haven't seen it yet, but this speech might come to be viewed as among the greatest ever given in this country.

Re: Right Up There With the Gettysburg Address | Report to Admin

By kindness please... Mar 18th 2008 at 11:58 am EDT

Your comments have moved me to tears... I can only pray that more people will "have ears to hear"....
God Bless YOU..... Sen Obama and his family..

Re: Right Up There With the Gettysburg Address | Report to Admin

By Jay "Hussein" PhD Mar 18th 2008 at 12:01 pm EDT

I agree.....I was moved to tears a second time after reading it. You have to see the video. He delivered this with perfection....with all the Obama touches.

Re: Right Up There With the Gettysburg Address | Report to Admin

By Carol G Mar 18th 2008 at 12:25 pm EDT

Wow, we are a teary eyes lot! lol I was crying on and off thoughout his speech. It was very very touching and I loved it. He had a few applauses from the audience and rightly so because it was a very powerful speech. He did not say polically correct things but he went straight to the issues and answered the charges.

I have heard Pat Buchanan on MSNBC start talking about Farakhan so I am assuming that he is hoping that the MSM will start trying to link him to Farakhan now. I think that Pat Buchanan is trying to play devil's advocate here. I hope that the MSM will stop all these racial nonsense now.

Re: Right Up There With the Gettysburg Address | Report to Admin

By wazolangu Mar 18th 2008 at 12:16 pm EDT

Now I don't care what happens after this speech; The Man has ready made a mark in History!

Re: Right Up There With the Gettysburg Address | Report to Admin

By Julie Mar 19th 2008 at 1:59 am EDT

We can't stop now. He NEEDS to be president in 2008!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By MO Mar 18th 2008 at 11:50 am EDT

I have never been more proud to be an Obama supporter. I have more respect for Senator Obama than I have ever had for any other politician. This is why I have just made another donation to his campaign. I will continue to pray for him, and support him in everyway that I can.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Envougue Mar 18th 2008 at 12:52 pm EDT

I am with you. Obama has done us proud. Hes a true statesman.

GREAT JOB!!! | Report to Admin

By Debbie for Obama/Biden Thank You Jesus! Mar 18th 2008 at 11:54 am EDT

GREAT JOB BARACK!!

I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!

YOU STOOD WITH CLAM, DIGNITY AND INTERGRITY UNDER SUCH HARD CIRCUMSTANCES!

MAY JESUS BLESS BARACK AND HIS FAMILY!!

LOVE,DEBBIE

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Becky Ready to Rumble in NW Iowa Mar 18th 2008 at 11:57 am EDT

My entire family--husband home sick--just sat with our jaws dropped and our eyes misty, watching the most eloquent and intelligent political speech we have heard in possibly decades, profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to elect this person President of our country.

My GOD! We have the shining chance, right now, to move to the next level of discourse and reason and opportunity in the United States of America....or..we can screw it up, choose "stupid business as usual"...go for the knee-jerk reaction and the "bread and circuses" distractions while our country and our world fall apart.

I know which option I'm choosing...have chosen.

The profoundly important question is: which opportunity will the majority of us choose? The cynic in me wants to reiterate, "Oh, we're too glib, we're too shallow, we've turned into Boob Tube Idiots and are incapable of Reason."

But the Barack in me says, instead: "This is our moment. We CAN seize it."

I HOPE this is so.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By ♫ Cynthia ♫ championing choice, affordability and quality Healthcare in all 50 states Mar 18th 2008 at 12:54 pm EDT

I like that ...but the Barack in me...

The Barack in me says Yes We Can get pass this distraction and tackle the real problems of America and the world.

Yes WE can!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Elena from Indy (Who acknowledges BO's strategic genius!) He's One Smart Man! Mar 18th 2008 at 1:45 pm EDT

On the contrary, we are some of the most deep thinkers there are! We refuse to allow it to just be "business as usual."

I sat in my office and watched this speech LIVE, and as a 50 year old bi-racial female, I totally understood where he was coming from. I, too, had white family who dogged the black family and there were times I was the ONLY "dark" face at these family reunions, and I'd hear these outrageous comments about relatives I loved equally. There is a LOT of misunderstanding, but I sincerely believe we're on our way to healing.

And those pundits who want to harp on the negatives will CONTINUE to harp on the negatives, but our WILL and LOVE will drown them out, and we will move forward under our new president.

United We Stand - MY Thoughts on the Speech | Report to Admin

By Musicians4Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 11:59 am EDT

Barack on America: FROM MANY ONE PEOPLE - AMERICANS

On Rev. Wright:I can not disown him just as I can not disown my white grandmother (who loved me) but once confessed her fear of black men who passed her on the streets. Wrights mistake was not in speaking about racism but in speaking as if the U.S. is irrevocably bound to it's past.

On the past: Lack of opportunity for black men contributed to the errosion of the black family. Bigoted policies still have lingering effects on the men and women of Rev. Wright's generation.

On the present: Memories of humiliation, doubt and fear have never gone away. The anger is real It is powerful. That anger may not get expressed in public but it is real. To simply wish it away widens the racial divide and is to distract attention from facing our own complicity.

The Future: We must form a coalition to move beyond some of our old wounds. We have no choice if we are to continue on the road to forming a more perfect union. We need to be our broter's keeper.

At this moment in this election we can say NOT THIS TIME. The children of America are not those kids they are our kids. This time the real concer is not that someone who does not look like you is gonna take your job, we have to talk about how to keep the government from shipping our jobs overseas.

This union may not be perfect but we must not give up on the qwest of perfecting that union.

Great story at the end - i am here because of Ashley.

THANK YOU BARACK - YOU WILL BE PRESIDENT #44 ...

... even if I have to write you in and vote for you.

AMERICA, LET'S ALL STAND IN THE MIRROR TODAY AND TAKE A SECOND LOOK.

Re: United We Stand - MY Thoughts on the Speech | Report to Admin

By TheMod1 Mar 18th 2008 at 1:41 pm EDT

Not this time, America, Not this time !

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Lisa-Another Obama Mama (A TRUE OBAMA SUPPORTER; NOT SWAYED BY MSM, PUNDITS, POLLS, DISTRACTIONS, HATERS) Mar 18th 2008 at 11:59 am EDT

Everyday, everyday... Barack Obama takes me to a new height in politics. I was more than excited when scrolling through the radio stations in my car on the commute to work, I happened upon c-span radio. I rushed to my radio at work to see if I could pick up the station. I usually don't get good reception at work but today I did. I was able to listen to Barack's speech in its entirety. Words just can't express how good I feel deep down within my soul. No one else could have delivered this message. Barack had to do it. Thank you so much Barack Obama. You are the change we have been waiting for!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By LaffinCrow Mar 18th 2008 at 1:48 pm EDT

Has anyone ever looked up the definition of politics? I did that about a year ago and I was amazed at the definition, (to summarize): it meant, "the policing of a society". At that time, I thought the definition utterly laughable given many of our current politicians. However, right now, with Barack, this definition reasonates completely with his campaign. Barack MUST become the next POTUS or we will lapse into "business as usual" in Washington. We need some class back in Washington and Barack is our man. 100% All The Way......Obama '08.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By David Hussein Hopkins Willingboro,NJ Mar 18th 2008 at 12:01 pm EDT

Barack is a great man!!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By joe ruwe Mar 18th 2008 at 12:15 pm EDT

I was totally blown away. This man could be the most incredible President in history.

Re: " A More Perfect Union" | Report to Admin

By Shep Men Re Tui Mar 18th 2008 at 1:03 pm EDT

I am overwelmed with this speech. I believe that it tackled all of the difficult issues head on. Some parts of the message were uncomfortable for me to hear, not just for myself, but for how others would interpret them. However they needed to be said and I am glad that he was strong enough to say them!

I am proud of you Barack Obama, job well done!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By DD Mar 18th 2008 at 12:03 pm EDT

All I can say it was WONDERFUL

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By ♥♥♥ dreams of peace( who is tired of sara "kill em" & "drill em palin) ♥♥♥ Mar 18th 2008 at 12:04 pm EDT

great speech......it really makes me think..

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Melissa from Redmond, OR Mar 18th 2008 at 12:07 pm EDT

Your speech has taken a semi-racist family and changed their minds completly. You brought a tear to our eye and now seeing how blind we have been. That one will go down in history. Congradulations!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Donna from Park Forest, IL Mar 18th 2008 at 12:12 pm EDT

I thought that Senator Barack Obama, did a great job addressing race and disparity in America. He brought out that ugly word that no one wants to openly admit exist, but acknowledged what a lot of America feel in their heart amongst safe ground. I felt extremely moved and proud that an presidential candidate actually addressed the issue that all of us knows exist. This is how we can have a better America by first acknowledging it exist and then making an effort to overcome.....here in America first before we can address democracy in other nations when there is still a divide here in our homeland of America.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Belinda Mar 18th 2008 at 2:06 pm EDT

Melissa from Redmond, OR right on. I don't know if you are white or black but I can't do anything but cry right now being a black woman OB's speech have made me realized that I have been on the defensive for so long because of racism and my 67 year old black mothers resentment of whites because of what she went through and My eyes have been open to my own rasicm against whites. I am so quick to accuse but in that acussation am preventing myself from seeing my own racist views.
This is a new day for me. I can now see America as MY PEOPLE ALL OF IT. The tears are flowing because I can now say it don't have to be this way I don't have to feel this way I want to walk out my door right now and hug the next white person I see and say I love you you are my borther or my sister we are one people and we can MOVE ON. We can be better, We can heal this GREAT NATION OF OURS.

YES WE CAN!!!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By berkelbees feels the winds of change Mar 18th 2008 at 2:04 pm EDT

I am donating another $20 for your ability to change!

You have inspired me, Melissa!

"The day came when the risk to remain the same became more painful than the courage to evolve."

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Liz M Mar 18th 2008 at 3:26 pm EDT

Belinda,

Wonderful, wonderful... how can it be that both my mother and yourself feel their eyes were opened by that speech. Now THAT is a powerful speech!

Now let's roll up our sleeves ;)

Much love and hope,
E in Brooklyn

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By TV Mar 18th 2008 at 8:19 pm EDT

Melissa,
Your words gives me great hope, and yes, brought a tear to my eyes.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Lawrence Mar 18th 2008 at 12:13 pm EDT

VOTE NOW!!!

MSNBC Poll : Was Speech a Success.

Link

I voted on MSNBC poll | Report to Admin

By Amylouise in idaho Mar 18th 2008 at 12:23 pm EDT

I just voted for our next pres. It was at 67% success.

Re: I voted on MSNBC poll | Report to Admin

By ahsugarbear Mar 18th 2008 at 1:52 pm EDT

I definitely voted that his speech was successful!

Re: I voted on MSNBC poll | Report to Admin

By Bolouva Mar 18th 2008 at 6:30 pm EDT

Done

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Leila Mar 18th 2008 at 2:04 pm EDT

Done!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Victoria Mar 18th 2008 at 12:15 pm EDT

It's our turn now so vote!:

Link

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Ann Marie Mar 18th 2008 at 12:16 pm EDT

Barack Obama, this man is the REAL DEAL!!!!

I am in this for the long haul, and will donate a big portion of my life (time, money & effort) to getting this man, this real man, elected.

YES. WE. CAN.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Fired Up in Atlanta Mar 18th 2008 at 3:08 pm EDT

That is such an understatement. That is how I used to categorize him until I heard this speech. I do not even have words for this man!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Micki from Wasilla, AK Mar 18th 2008 at 12:20 pm EDT

This is one old white woman who believes God must be saying right now...."That's My Boy"....and I agree.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Julie Mar 19th 2008 at 2:02 am EDT

amen.

BRILLIANT | Report to Admin

By katie Mar 18th 2008 at 12:25 pm EDT

AS AN OBAMA PRECINCT CAPTAIN, WHAT WE SAW AND HEARED THIS MORNING, IS WHAT WE WORKED SO HARD FOR. WE SAW THIS BRILLIANCE FROM THE BEGINNING AND WHAT A JOURNEY IT HAS BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE. THANK YOU BARACK, YOU JUST HAVE "IT"! KUDOS.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Laurie B, hard-working white person Mar 18th 2008 at 12:25 pm EDT

Amen.

Barack Obama, YOU ARE change we can believe in.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Mbelle Mar 18th 2008 at 12:44 pm EDT

Read this!!!

Obama - A GREAT speech, from a non-supporter

Link

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Computer Engineer Mar 18th 2008 at 12:47 pm EDT

I am not usually a soft guy. But tears rolled down gently down my face after reading this speech. Once again my faith in the Human race is affirmed and the possibilities of a human community made real. Thank you barrack.

Solicitor
UK

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By lisarae Mar 18th 2008 at 2:37 pm EDT

Amazing speech. I was also crying during the entire thing. What an awesome person and candidate he is.

Below is a link to a blog written by the founder of Netscape. He spent an hour with Barack before the campaign began and he speaks about his impressions and relates some questions he posed and the answers he received. Great article!

Link

Re: healed a wound | Report to Admin

By Robert & Colleen from Pearl River, LA Mar 18th 2008 at 12:47 pm EDT

My wife and I are 58-60 African Americans, educated in white colleges, I worked in government, she in private industry, now retired. Senator Obama spoke today not only from his heart, but the heart of so many of us, tired of the division of all Americans, tired of the media making a circus of it. Most of our lives we have heard racial comments from both races, black & white, we just dealt with them. Today he touched our hearts and put us on a path of healing divisive words spoken by all races. He spoke not only standing in his shoes, but as if he has stood in the shoes of all since the birth of this nation. This man gets it better than anyone before him. We all are products of our history's past, now let us get on with the future if we are to survive.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Fatima from Buffalo, NY Mar 18th 2008 at 12:53 pm EDT

I am so proud of Barack Obama. Fox News is so quiet on the subject right now. I wonder why?

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By mozzaikh Mar 18th 2008 at 1:39 pm EDT

you still wonder why?
They can not imafine a man giving a such GREAT SPEECH Fatima.
They are stunned by the PERFORMANCE so far.
That why they are quite
HUGE MORAL VICTORY FOR BARACK
I even expect Hillary to congratulate Barack for the Speech.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Angelene from Pompano Beach, FL Mar 18th 2008 at 4:31 pm EDT

Fox is not quite any more, but not as untamed as usual.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By 1justice Mar 18th 2008 at 12:55 pm EDT

Go to this polling site and take the "Is Barack Ready to be President" poll.

Link

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Katharine Stavrinou Mar 18th 2008 at 12:56 pm EDT

ground breaking and history making!

MEGA PRESIDENTIAL !! | Report to Admin

By MARITZA from Manvel, TX Mar 18th 2008 at 12:57 pm EDT

AS THE GREAT LEADER HE IS TO A GREAT NATION WE ARE, BARACK DID IT AGAIN. LETS BRING HIM TO THE WHITE HOUSE, HE IS THE RIGTH LEADER FOR THE JOB!!! THE SPEACH IS ATTONISHING, ELECTRIFYING AND FULL OF HEARTINESS. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU SENATOR OBAMA. I AM A LATINA TEACHER SUPPORTING YOU.

EXCELLENT RESPONSE,CONGRATULATION.

Maritza.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Angelene from Pompano Beach, FL Mar 18th 2008 at 1:02 pm EDT

Yes We Can!

I am a proud supporter of Barack and I knew in my heart that he could set the record straight. He will always have my vote, the media will never scare me to vote for anyone now or in the general election.

Obama 2008

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Jess Meltzer Mar 18th 2008 at 1:03 pm EDT

Thank you for your honesty and courage Barack and family.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Tisha Mar 18th 2008 at 1:23 pm EDT

This is my first time blogging here and all I have to say is, "YES, WE CAN, YES, WE CAN!"

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Tisha Mar 18th 2008 at 1:25 pm EDT

This is my first time blogging here and all I have to say is, "YES, WE CAN, YES, WE CAN!"

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Mbelle Mar 18th 2008 at 1:28 pm EDT

Read this!!!

Obama - A GREAT speech, from a non-supporter

Link

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Tom from Rockville, MD Mar 18th 2008 at 1:32 pm EDT

I'm a white old guy (+50) who has voted republican since 1980. I was moved by Obama's words and his personal sincerity. Just donated $50. I hope to see a Obama vs McCain campaign becasue I feel they both want to elevate the discourse to debate real issues, and not play gutter politics. Not saying I'll vote for Obama (yet) but I really like what I hear from him.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Leila Mar 18th 2008 at 2:03 pm EDT

Wow, thanks so much, Tom!
And welcome! You are hope.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Belinda Mar 18th 2008 at 2:26 pm EDT

Tom you are the change you've been waiting for.

Thank you and God Bless you my fellow American

A hug and a pat on the back from me to you.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By berkelbees feels the winds of change Mar 18th 2008 at 2:09 pm EDT

Thank you, Tom!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Connie Obama (Not held hostage by polls or media) Mar 18th 2008 at 3:47 pm EDT

Thanks, Tom and welcome!! I, too like what I hear from Obama. At least he has not ever "ducked" or run away from any of the problems created by the "kitchen sink" strategy. He has been open in disclosing his taxes, list of earmarks and went to the papers for himself to talk about Rezco. But most of all, he is a man who didn't go back on his word with the agreement all candidates signed, including Clinton! When she started falling behind, she didn't hesitate to go back on her word and insist that Michigan and Florida be counted!

I have a son on his way back to Iraq (second time). If I can't trust her to keep her word now, I do not trust anything else she says, especially when so many American lives, including my son's, are at stake! They (military) have done their jobs! I trust this man with my son's life and believe he will bring troops home in a safe and timely way!!!

If you can do a little research or keep reading here, you'll find that the Clintons have as many legal and other types of scandal now as when they were in the White House before. It's facts out on the internet but not on TV. She's the one getting a free pass. I think you'll "come on over" once you do! Have a great day!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By dara "leos rule" walker Mar 18th 2008 at 1:34 pm EDT

i could not possibly love this man any more than i do now. WOW.

G O B A M A '08

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By SA Mar 18th 2008 at 2:07 pm EDT

WOW!! Thank you Tom!!! Keep listening and reading about him. I hope you join us. I am drawn to this campaign because it brings people together.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Jama for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 2:12 pm EDT

SUPERDELEGATES...HERE THEY COME

PA.... HERE WE COME!!!

WHITEHOUSE.... HERE WE COME

I AM SO HAPPY, MOVED,DETERMINED AND PROUD AS WE ALL SHOULD BE

BARACK WE L-O-V-E-.....Y-O-U!!!!!
YES WE DO

YES WE CAN...AND WE WILL!

peace | Report to Admin

By Atlanta Wanda Mar 18th 2008 at 1:38 pm EDT

as a fifty five year old woman with two sons, I start to tear up because I have been guilty of negativity towards my countries policies since I was bussed to a white elementary school and experienced the bitter results of ending segregation.I did receive a much better education,but the scars of being in a place where you are not welcome, but by law, still affects my self esteem. The better education gave me the tools to believe when my sons grew up, there would be more opportunity.My sons have completed college, one is an engineer, and the other is a lawyer. The bottom line is they are kind good generous and NOT BITTER. Change however painful to all sides,is a blessing.Thank God for Barack! PEACE

PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! | Report to Admin

By Shar Mar 18th 2008 at 1:45 pm EDT

BARACK IS ABLE TO SPEAK FOR EVERY AMERICAN AND I BELIEVE ANY TRUE AMERICAN CANNOT HEAR THIS SPEECH AND NOT BE AFFECTED.

HE REMAINS CONSISTENT AND STICKS TO HIS WORD. THAT IS THE FOCUS, NOT WHO HE KNOWS.

I FEEL HONORED TO BE ALIVE DURING THIS CRITICAL MOMENT IN HISTORY. THIS IS A CHANGING DAY THAT I WILL TELL MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN ABOUT. BARACK IS THE MAN FOR THE TIMES!

ANOTHER DONATION COMING YOUR WAY MR. PRESIDENT.

24YO AFRICAN AMERICAN
SOUTH CAROLINA WHERE THE CONFEDERATE FLAG STILL HANGS.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Peanuts Mar 18th 2008 at 1:50 pm EDT

Excellent! Excellent! speech Senator! God Bless you and God Bless America!

Myspace Music 4 Obama | Report to Admin

By Greg from IL Mar 18th 2008 at 1:51 pm EDT

Obama'08!

Link

Great Speech Today!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Seth Mar 18th 2008 at 1:52 pm EDT

Barack's courage astounds me. His words, his voice, his conviction has the possibility to facilitate real change in our nation. The kind of change that everyone of every race and color is dying for. Prejudice and bigotry is most often the product of fear. And people hate being afraid. Barack's words have the power to persuade people to look at each other for our values and morals and not for the color of our skin (or lack of color in my case).

If each person just takes one step towards one another, we will be so much closer.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Seth Mar 18th 2008 at 1:54 pm EDT

Oh yeah, and DONATE people! Volunteer! Get the word out!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Ethelena Bailey Persons Mar 18th 2008 at 1:53 pm EDT

My faith in Barack Obama remains strong and I am more convinced than ever that he is the one who can help this nation move forward, unify and heal. Will it be easy? No, it will not be easy. Obama has the vision, the courage and the leadership to help us navigate the rocky road ahead.

As a person on the planet and living in America for 60 years, I also have faith in the American people and their enduring courage and their determination to achieve the American dream and make our union more perfect. Yes we can!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Connie Obama (Not held hostage by polls or media) Mar 18th 2008 at 1:56 pm EDT

Yes, GOD!! I prayed even more fervently for BHO last night and just before his speech!! Just goes to show that "what the enemy meant for evil, God is able to turn to good!!

There were those who hailed this as being as important as Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech! Of course, some pundits , as was expected, have already started lifting selected sentences out of context, in order to diminish and discredit both BHO & the effectiveness of his speech.

Be encouraged! Any right thinking person will at least admit BHO has not run away from anything and has been the ONLY candidate who is not afraid to
stand in front of anyone and take a stand for something! Just imagine HRC or McCain voluntarily opening themselves to questioning like BHO did with Rezco, S. Power and the racial issue.

What remains sad is the number of AA's the MSM is trotting out to continue to try to tear down BHO. (The worst today has been Joe Watkins, a Republican who calls himself a minister! No surprises there).

Great, great speech!! Now BHO can get back on the issues to make up for the lies HRC has been telling while campaigning (Keith O. exposed one of her lies on Countdown last night!!) Keep praying and working!! Now back to my BOYCOTT!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Excited in '08 Mar 18th 2008 at 2:05 pm EDT

I am truly moved by Barak, I ask that each of us send up a prayer and ask that GOD continue to guide his path and his speech; protect and continue to find favor with him and his family.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Nicki from California Mar 18th 2008 at 2:10 pm EDT

Thank God Barack had the courage to face this issues head on and take an opportunity to discuss the racial divisions preventing us ALL from moving forward. I hope the world felt his heart. I hope the world knows how brave this speech was. It's nice to finally hear a politician talking so eloquently about facing a real problem.

WOW! I'm proud to be an American. I love that anything is possible in this country.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Kelly29 Mar 18th 2008 at 2:10 pm EDT

That speech I believe is HISTORIC. It was very real and yet in true Obama fashion it was very positive.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Felicia Mar 18th 2008 at 2:20 pm EDT

Please vote in this MSM poll to show them that Obama did a great job answering tough questions and his courage and honesty shone through.

Link

Yes We Can!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Pilar from Iowa Mar 18th 2008 at 2:21 pm EDT

Barack Obama, may the Lord bless you and keep you, may He shine his countenance upon you and give you peace! I believe you have the Spirit of God within you. How could we possibly go wrong in electing you as our president?

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Warren "HUSSEIN" Davis Mar 18th 2008 at 2:25 pm EDT

WOWOWOWOWO! This was absolutely the MOST inspirational speech my family and I HAVE EVER WITNESS! I tell you after such remarkable WORDS EVERYBODY SHOULD DONATE TO THIS CAMPAIGN TODAY!

PEOPLE OUR JOB NOW IS TO MAKE SURE THIS SPEECH IS HEARD AND SEEN EVERYWHERE ON THE INTERNET (YOUTUBE,MYSPACE,FACEBOOK,BLOG S ETC.) THE QUESTION IS CAN THE GOOD OUT WAY THE EVIL?

YES WE CAN

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Armand from Kissimmee, FL Mar 18th 2008 at 2:53 pm EDT

Did someone made a speech like that before? I never heard any man spoke like that before. Excellent job!Thank you Obama for standing up!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Kishira from Atlanta, GA Mar 18th 2008 at 3:10 pm EDT

I am so proud too of this campaign and the focus of Obama and his supporters, such as ourselves. We must remember to get on the phones and bring people together as best we can!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Advocate For Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 3:14 pm EDT

Senator Obama is REMARKABLE!!! His speech was so sincere, honest, just amazing!!! We love you in Texas Senator Obama! May God bless you and use you for your purpose!!!

OUTSTANDING! | Report to Admin

By Steph C Mar 18th 2008 at 3:38 pm EDT

He is truly remarkable! Without him, many of us would have blindly voted for Hillary w/o knowing the issues. Thanks to Senator Obama, we are voting for the BEST CANDIDATE and not just the best party! A true humanitarian!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By ♥♥♥ dreams of peace( who is tired of sara "kill em" & "drill em palin) ♥♥♥ Mar 18th 2008 at 4:39 pm EDT

obama supporters we need to protest the DNC again. Florida is trying to seat the delegatess again.

I just called the DNC and they said- not to believe anything on tv. The whole thing is crazy

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Grant in MD Mar 18th 2008 at 5:38 pm EDT

I think this was a truly great speech. It was at least as powerful as the speech I heard JFK give in 1960 addressing the issue of his Catholicism vs his commitment to the Constitution.

Barack Obama is a truly amazing person. If he is the nominee of the Democratic party, I think we can have the first truly civil debate about public policy since the one opportunity we missed in 1964 which JFK and Barry Goldwater promised us and, sadly, were not fated to deliver.

I've had it with the inflammatory rhetoric which has so dominated the public converstation for the past 44 years. It is time for a change and I believe the Barack Obama and John McCain can deliver for us.

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Carressa Mar 18th 2008 at 6:59 pm EDT

EVERYONE Please go to foxnews.com and click at the top on politics and stroll to the middle of the page and answer the poll question today re: Barack. They are still trying to make him out to be a bandit. The more of us that vote, Fox will have to change their tune. PLEASE GO VOTE NOW!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Carressa Mar 18th 2008 at 7:04 pm EDT

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Darlene Mar 18th 2008 at 7:12 pm EDT

Absolutely Amazing!!!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By Roldan from Rancho Cucamonga, CA Mar 18th 2008 at 11:24 pm EDT

everyone has a racist uncle,aunt,grandmother etc, who they dont agree with. if you know someone twenty years and build a relationship there like family period. you dont throw them under the bus or love them any less because of there ignorance. because youre related and or remain friends it doesnt mean you have the same value system. all of the gop supporters and media have racist and horrible friends that will say anything to push a button. i wonder do they denounce them like they urged obama to do. this obama is just brilliant in every aspect. sean hannity pushed this reverend issue for over a year and predicted it would ruin obamas run at the white house. it will in time have the opposite affect on the race. race had been an issue for a few months now and it was at its boiling point. obama sealed the deal and answered all of his critics with the best speech that ive ever seen. once this hits the web and tv mainstream and people read and watch, it will sway voters towards obama by the thousands!

Re: WOWOWOWO | Report to Admin

By dara "leos rule" walker Mar 18th 2008 at 11:54 pm EDT

i could not possibly love this man any more than i do now. WOW.

G O B A M A '08

FIRST!! | Report to Admin

By Niko-"God Says It's OBAMA'S time"...... Mar 18th 2008 at 11:35 am EDT

Great Speech

Re: FIRST!! | Report to Admin

By maria from europe Mar 18th 2008 at 11:37 am EDT

amazing brilliant wow

Re: FIRST!! | Report to Admin

By OLD ACCOUNT Mar 18th 2008 at 11:38 am EDT

Yes, WE can!

Now who's ready for some phonebanking?

Re: FIRST!! | Report to Admin

By Cool Chick for Obama-Austin,TX Mar 18th 2008 at 11:38 am EDT

Yes We Can!
Awesome speech...let's get to work!
Obama '08

Re: FIRST!! | Report to Admin

By Brooklyn for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:59 pm EDT

love ittttttttttttttttt

Absolutely beautiful | Report to Admin

By dorothy Mar 18th 2008 at 11:37 am EDT

He has little pieces of America sewn up in him through and through. Perhaps, I am just blindly optimistic, but I am trusting that we will be calling him Mr. President this time next year.

Re: Absolutely beautiful | Report to Admin

By Saska Mar 18th 2008 at 11:42 am EDT

I am hopeful that we are worthy of his faith in the basic goodness of people, and capable of electing him.

I will work tirelessly in support of that effort.

Re: Absolutely beautiful | Report to Admin

By Marcia--One who believes in Dreams! Mar 18th 2008 at 11:47 am EDT

I'm ready...let's call, let's donate, let's work to get Barack nominated for this country's next President.

If you wish to donate to my fundraising effort: Link
Thanks!
Military Mom 4 Obama

Re: Absolutely beautiful | Report to Admin

By Carressa Mar 18th 2008 at 7:05 pm EDT

Obama 08 | Report to Admin

By Vijay from Milwaukee, WI Mar 18th 2008 at 11:38 am EDT

Inspirational...
Unifying...
Uplifting...
Passionate...
and
Presidential

-Obama 08-

Re: Obama 08 | Report to Admin

By chitown Mar 18th 2008 at 11:39 am EDT

can you post the clip of the entire speech please

awesome speech | Report to Admin

By DianaR ILLINOIS whose conscience will only allow a vote for Barack Obama even if I have to write his name on the ballot! Mar 18th 2008 at 11:38 am EDT

I knew he'd do an awesome job. He is so very right!!! We need UNITY NOW!!! God bless America!!

Greatest Statements of All Time | Report to Admin

By Stephanie from Tampa, FL Mar 18th 2008 at 11:38 am EDT

Greatest speech, statements, sentiment not only of our time but of all time. I have been brought to tears and am utter speechless, I want to walk out of my office right now and embrace anyone I see.

Re: Greatest Statements of All Time | Report to Admin

By Tamsin Mar 18th 2008 at 11:42 am EDT

Here's a virtual embrace from me!

thank you senator obama!!! | Report to Admin

By Justin from New York, NY Mar 18th 2008 at 11:39 am EDT

wow...how can anybody doubt this man's patriotism after that?

Re: thank you senator obama!!! | Report to Admin

By joe ruwe Mar 18th 2008 at 12:21 pm EDT

if the right wing slime machine attacks this great speech, we will know finally for sure that they are traitors to our country.

Great speech | Report to Admin

By Erin- Independent in NY, NY Mar 18th 2008 at 11:39 am EDT

I was incredibly moved, and found it to be a candid and insightful commentary on the state of Race in America today. Bravo, Senator.

Another $25. Who's with me?

Link

If you'd like to make a contribution to my page, click above.

Re: Great speech | Report to Admin

By Georgina from Silver Spring, MD Mar 18th 2008 at 11:41 am EDT

Moved to tears!
This man is presidencial!
I can't wqit to see him succeed!

$25 to that!

OBAMA 08

Re: Great speech | Report to Admin

By greenparty4barack Mar 18th 2008 at 11:58 am EDT

im in for 25.

Re: Great speech | Report to Admin

By Ishara ☮ in Strong Support of MLK's Legacy☮ Mar 18th 2008 at 12:09 pm EDT

Pls consider donating to my page.

Sarah from Middletown, CT supports a new dawn for the politics of the future, won‘t you join us? Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I adopted the name Hussein to denounce the politics of fear, suspicion and hatred.

Re: Great speech | Report to Admin

By ♦ Gigi Mar 18th 2008 at 12:24 pm EDT

Hi Ishara!

I'll give you $25 if you give me $25! Together we can win this! :)

Link

Re: Great speech | Report to Admin

By Emily Mar 18th 2008 at 2:24 pm EDT

What a fantastic speech.

I'm a long-time supporter, and I've made lots of little donations, but my fundraising effort hasn't gotten anywhere (living overseas, I don't have many friends who are allowed to donate.)

I'll make a deal similar to Gigi's....

Are you new or newish or a lurker on these blogs? With no fundraising page or an empty one like mine? I'm ready to give $100 today. 10 times 10$, to match anyone who gives me 10$, then we can both get some momentum rolling!

Let's send a loud message to Barack and his campaign (what a great job you guys are doing!) and an equally loud message to his detracters (anyone else ready to raise the tone of the debate in this country to Obama's level?)

Yes we can! Dat kunnen wij wel! Emily (in the Netherlands) (open to adding some more on-line friends to my Obama page as well....)

A Essential Speech | Report to Admin

By TonyMontana Mar 18th 2008 at 11:39 am EDT

Asking for understanding. Appealing for tolerance. Exhorting for clarity in not allowing problems such as this to distract us from what is critical. Is this so difficult? Is this asking too much? Can we strive for this in others as well as in ourselves? Yes, we can.

Get Inspired, Help PA! | Report to Admin

By Ilya Mar 18th 2008 at 11:39 am EDT

I hope everyone is even more inspired after that amazing speech.

We really need help in PA, less than a week left to register voters!
This is as important as GOTV!

Please call, donate, come here and volunteer, and send us campaign materials (we have nothing to give out in Philly).

Re: Get Inspired, Help PA! | Report to Admin

By Robby from Louisiana who loves the Middle Name Hussein and Believe in Barack Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:01 pm EDT

I think we as a Country has just witnessed the greatest speach that will be delivered in this century. I am left speechless, and my heart is full. If Barack does not win this election, he will win the ultimate battle, and that is, he will be able to sleep at night, and his beautiful daughters can grow up to be proud of their father.And we as his Obama-nites can be proud to have been touched, and blessed by a true American Hero.
This is America, and we are more, and should be more than racial divides, religion divides, and status divides. Even after such a historical speech for the 21st Century there will still be those in the media, and outside the media that want to keep the racial divide in this Country. Now we who are truely tired of this media circus, and the way they have tried to keep the division that has lingered for years, we must say no more to denying our dreams, our hopes, and our right to inherit a Country that is truely American the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

Love, Grace, and Peace
Robby from Louisiana
48 year old African American Female
U.S. Army Veteran
Wife, and Grandmother of 3

Re: Get Inspired, Help PA! | Report to Admin

By Shamaka Mar 18th 2008 at 12:30 pm EDT

Wow is all that I have to say. You are totally right coming from Louisiana as you do we know how much Race can divide, but I am simply sick and tired of it. Ilove this campagin and its supporters almost as much as I love our canidate becasue we are the hope we have been waiting for!!! God Bless America!!!

Re: Get Inspired, Help PA! | Report to Admin

By zolie from WA Mar 18th 2008 at 2:24 pm EDT

If Obama is elected president, hopefully we hear many more speeches from him of this caliber!!!

Republicans going for Hillary | Report to Admin

By Kamile from Camden, NJ Mar 18th 2008 at 11:40 am EDT

An article of CNN's website is stating that Republicans are voting for Hillary because they want to drag out the race and get Hillary the nomination because republicans feel that she will be easier to beat over Barack. Technically, Barack won the Texas primary because Hillary got 116,000 republican voters to vote for her. Vote for Barack because even Mccain's supporters are scared of him.
The link for the article is below:
Link

Re: Republicans going for Hillary | Report to Admin

By eagleforlife Mar 18th 2008 at 12:10 pm EDT

This is old news. By the way did you read or hear the speech Barack just gave? Our concentration is not on Hillary and the Republicans. Now is the time to focus and turn back to the mission at hand which is getting Barack Obama first elected as the democratic nominee,then President of the United States of America!

Re: Republicans going for Hillary | Report to Admin

By Debbie, PA Mar 18th 2008 at 12:11 pm EDT

I Knew that from the beginning when she won Texas, I bet that went on in Ohio too. I heard 24 percent of her vote in Mississippi were Republicans. She knows it too, so you think she would just get out instead of helping them. They do not want to have to go up against Obama They know they will loss, and if they have to attack him they will look raciest. Plus they know even if they don't like McCain they dislike HRC more and will come out and vote just so she don't win. That won't happen if McCain is running against Obama.

Great Speech.

To our next POTUS | Report to Admin

By Ann Marie Mar 18th 2008 at 11:40 am EDT

I would like to print this speech,
and thank Senator Obama for his reassuring words, and addressing the issue at hand.

This is one of our defining moments, and it is up to us to stand together and stand for what we believe in. what we really believe in and not what others believe for us nor what others tell us we believe in. or allow others to define us.

Now is our turn to stand together. YES WE CAN!!!!!

speech today | Report to Admin

By Mary R. Il. Mar 18th 2008 at 11:40 am EDT

Stunning ...goosebump moments again.

If anyone ever wondered why they were supporting OBAMA..

a more perfect union..

And Crown thy Good with BROTHERHOOD from sea to shining sea!

YES WE WILL>

Great speech | Report to Admin

By Bill from Durham, NC Mar 18th 2008 at 11:41 am EDT

uplifting; we've(USA) accomplished a lot but work to be done

Re: Great speech | Report to Admin

By SA Mar 18th 2008 at 1:11 pm EDT

Bill. I hope you guys can get it done up there! NC can help put this guy in the White House!! I hope and pray that it gets done. Get people to vote early up there (April 17-May3 is early voting and one-stop voting)

The Mills The Mills | Report to Admin

By Bye-Partisan Mar 18th 2008 at 11:41 am EDT

He talked about the Mills, I think we won some John Edwards supporters.

Re: The Mills The Mills | Report to Admin

By OLD ACCOUNT Mar 18th 2008 at 11:43 am EDT

At the site where I watched the vid, there was a chat box next to the video. We got at least one edwards supporter from the vid, Cheryl.

YES WE CAN!

Re: The Mills The Mills | Report to Admin

By eagleforlife Mar 18th 2008 at 12:17 pm EDT

He probably just won a couple votes in North Carolina because we were a textile and tobacco state and ALL of the larger mills and most of the smaller mills have packed up and moved across the boarder and overseas. Technology jobs are being outsourced and our military men and women are on a constant rotation to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Re: The Mills The Mills | Report to Admin

By eagleforlife Mar 18th 2008 at 12:19 pm EDT

typo: border

America's challenge | Report to Admin

By monica Mar 18th 2008 at 11:42 am EDT

Obama has truly shown the spirit of what it means to be an American. All who have a heart and mind, especially those proclaiming to be rooted in christ's beliefs or just human, should be touched and convinced by Obama's heartfelt words.

No matter what side you're on his words transcend all divides and must be distributed as widely as the hateful remarks of others that get so much play in the media. If Americans are not reached/touched by these true words, and are only motivated/energized by sensational negative rhetoric, then we are truly lost as a country.

Inspired | Report to Admin

By Aris Mar 18th 2008 at 11:42 am EDT

Now I can write it, "The Obama Renaissance"

It starts like this:

Sometimes, the ebb and flow of time finds its perfect rhythm, it finds that harmonic code of the cosmos that is reserved for great moments in history. On March 18th 2008, it all came together for a such a moment, a moment of such historical magnitude, that it may someday be known as “The Obama Renaissance.” On this day Barack Obama would give the speech of a generation, a roadmap from where we’ve been to where we still need and want to go.

The setting could not have been more appropriate, Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. America and the world were waiting to see if this young Senator could deliver another masterpiece. Oh, did he ever deliver.

There are speeches that have defined history, Lincoln’s hope of a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, JFK willing us to follow the cap he tossed over the wall of space, Dr. King’s visionary dream. These were speeches that moved a nation, speeches that grabbed us on the inside and forced us to take measure of ourselves and our place in the grander scope of being an American. These were the moments that captivated us so that when we turned to our neighbor we didn’t see color or gender, age or education, we saw a brother, a sister, a fellow countryman, a human being that shared so many common aspirations that the differences seemed trivial. Now, finally, the 21st century has been christened by just such a moment...

Bravo Senator!

Obama '08 - History in the Making

Re: Inspired | Report to Admin

By ◎Desert Dove Dan◎ Mar 18th 2008 at 12:17 pm EDT

Nicely done Aris! Thanks brother, now that I dried the tears from Obama's speech you come along and start the flow again.

Re: Inspired | Report to Admin

By Aris Mar 18th 2008 at 12:28 pm EDT

You, me and the world Dan...it seems you have your video work cut out for you :)

Re: Inspired | Report to Admin

By ◎Desert Dove Dan◎ Mar 18th 2008 at 12:33 pm EDT

I sure do. Music selections are already running through my head.

Re: Inspired | Report to Admin

By Karen M" With Obama since he announced his run!" Mar 18th 2008 at 12:29 pm EDT

Beautifully stated Aris. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this movement. Thank you Senator Obama for being willing to speak to the truth of our issues...as hard as they can be and help us to see we can move forward and beyond.

Re: Inspired | Report to Admin

By stclaire for Obama 08 Mar 18th 2008 at 2:57 pm EDT

Aris,
I was wondering what you will come up with this remarkable speech and as expected, your writing ability once again emerged. I love that "The Obama Reinassance" because it connects the dark side of our times.

YES WE CAN!!!

Alot to think about | Report to Admin

By John from Eunice, LA Mar 18th 2008 at 11:43 am EDT

I first want to thank Mr. Obama for addressing this difficult subject. He did this in a way I've never heard before. I am scared for my three daughters, for my wife, and for myself. I am scared for this nation. We, as ancient Rome, appear to be killing ourselves from within. As the Word says,".....a house divided, cannot stand." I am still not sure of who I'll vote for, however, Mr. Obama has made me much more comfortable with him and his beliefs.

Re: Alot to think about | Report to Admin

By OLD ACCOUNT Mar 18th 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

Glad to hear that :)

With you, YES WE CAN!

Re: Alot to think about | Report to Admin

By S. danielle Clark Mar 18th 2008 at 1:03 pm EDT

John,

Just look into your own heart and ask God to give you the ability to discern. God does not want his people to fear.

I know you will make the right choice for you and your family. It is time to move forward, as a country and as a people.

Re: Alot to think about | Report to Admin

By Belinda Mar 18th 2008 at 2:55 pm EDT

John
You are the change you've been waiting for. God bless your family

A big hug and a pat on the bagck from me to you.

Yes we CAN!!!

Re: Alot to think about | Report to Admin

By Barb ~ Blogging to Back Barack's Back Mar 18th 2008 at 11:45 am EDT

I'M SO PROUD OF OUR CANDIDATE!! One of the best speeches ever!
Thought I'd just throw these
McCain quotes in from the other night. He helped, I think, looking forward.

Driving conservatives crazy?

Or letting others do his dirty work?

Or both.

We report, you decide.

A classic exchange between Sean Hannity and John McCain last night (bolding mine):

HANNITY: Sen. Clinton claims that Barack Obama has not had the scrutiny that other candidates have had in this campaign.

There is a big emerging controversy about his pastor of 20 years, a man who went on a trip with Louis Farrakhan to Tripoli, a guy that has — his church has given a lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan. We now have some of his sermons. He used "g-d America," "the U.S. of KKK of A." "The chickens have come home to roost," he said the Sunday after the attack on this country on 9/11.

He has called him — Barack has said of his pastor, his trusted adviser, he's proud of his pastor. He married him and his wife. He's baptized his kids.

Does that sound like a problem for you?

MCCAIN: I think that when people support you, it doesn't mean that you support everything they say. Obviously, those words and those statements are statements that none of us would associate ourselves with, and I don't believe that Sen. Obama would support any of those, as well.

HANNITY: He's been — but he's been going to the church for 20 years. His pastor — the church gave a lifetime achievement award to one of the biggest racists and anti-Semites in the country, Louis Farrakhan. Would you go to a church that — where your pastor supported Louis Farrakhan?

MCCAIN: Obviously, that would not be my choice. But I do know Sen. Obama. He does not share those views.

And we get sometimes — I don't — a lot of those statements I've just heard for the first time that you mentioned. But I know that, for example, I've had endorsements of some people that I didn't share their views...

HANNITY: Pastor Hagee recently, yes.

MCCAIN: ... but they endorsed mine. And so I think we've got to be very careful about that part.

Don't be surprised to see the Obama campaign use McCain's defense should the Wright footage be used against them this fall.

Re: Alot to think about | Report to Admin

By meg Mar 18th 2008 at 1:14 pm EDT

Thank you for considering Barack Obama. His talk about uniting us is not just rhetoric. Look at his record and his detailed plans for our country, and come out and meet his supporters. I hope you like what you see. To me, he is a remarkable leader, with integrity, intelligence, meaningful experience, compassion, guts, and determination! He has already brought us together, and will continue to do so.

Obama | Report to Admin

By Jeff in "Mayretta", GA -- Middle aged, yet a first time voter because of Barack Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 11:43 am EDT

The below excerpt came from this Link

Michael Dobbs, of the Washington Post, asked the Clinton camp, "Yes or no, would Clinton stick to the withdrawal plan she has outlined even if the security situation in Iraq were to fall apart?"

"This is Howard Wolfson, you asked for a one-word answer and the answer is yes."

This means that unlike Barack, Clinton will withdraw no matter what the security situation is, even if the withdrawal is unsafe for our troops – So, she not only helped drive the bus into the ditch, she's gonna back it out into oncoming traffic while blindfolded.

Re: Obama | Report to Admin

By Ilya Mar 18th 2008 at 12:25 pm EDT

"she's gonna back it out into oncoming traffic while blindfolded"

thats great... scary.. true.. but great

Re: Obama | Report to Admin

By S. danielle Clark Mar 18th 2008 at 1:15 pm EDT

maryelouise,

You all really have to stop falling for the Clintonista trap. This whole thing is from Clinton AND NOT MCCAIN.

McCain is a man of character and principle who believes he will win on his own strength and ideas not on knocking someone else down. He does not have the negatives against his Character that Hillary has so he has no need to engage in character assassination and no desire to do so.

This is Hillary baby doing her swan song for the Superdelegates. This is the Clintonistas trying to make Obama unelectable in the General Election by painting the spectre of whites flocking in droves away from this radical racist in sheeps cloths as has been proven by the Clintonista's with this entire Rev. Wright assault.

The only question is whether it will work or back fire for the very reasons Barack states in his speech and the need and desire for Black and White Americans to accept the anger of Rev. Wright and the Reagan Democrats with understanding and a determination not to allow the anger from stopping us from working together in our own best self interest.

Hillary is not in our interest and, although I do respect him, neither is Sen. McCain.

Re: Obama | Report to Admin

By Heather Mar 18th 2008 at 3:39 pm EDT

Shelley,

I agree with your last statement. Let's practice the politics of grace today and every day as we move through our daily lives.

There will always be people who won't want to see the opportunity in front of us and will act against their own best interests.

I am proud to be a part of this campaign and feel, like others have said, a part of a family here.

Our time is Time is NOW!

Heather

Barack's Speech | Report to Admin

By Cornell Hussein from Harrisburg PA Mar 18th 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

Barack's speech was amazing and true.. We all hurt and we all have the same problems in America, no matter if we are black, white, hispanic, asian, striaght or gay. We now need to come together and start working on these problems, so we all can start having a better life and our children even have a more better life. Barack should be the next President of the United States.

Re: Barack's Speech | Report to Admin

By Pablo Escobar Mar 18th 2008 at 12:14 pm EDT

Amen.

Unity! Yes we can. | Report to Admin

By Fraerly from Tallahassee, FL Mar 18th 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

What an impresive and deep understanding of the greatest american problem in american history. It's sad that pundits are already passing judgment without even reflecting on the content of his message.

Re: Unity! Yes we can. | Report to Admin

By greenparty4barack Mar 18th 2008 at 11:52 am EDT

i thought the same thing about the pundits. do they actually listen to the words and issues? Sen. Obama will only come out a stronger candidate and leader from all of this. Thank you Barack, hopefully America listens and reflects on what you had to say-our country needed that wake up call.

Obama08-lets get to work to make this happen.

Re: Unity! Yes we can. | Report to Admin

By Sharon~Independent for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:37 pm EDT

I watched CNN today because I can't stand Pat Buchanan on MSNBC. Believe it or not, CNN actually had better and more insightful coverage today...and I had stopped watching CNN 2 weeks ago.

Re: Unity! Yes we can. | Report to Admin

By Kelly who just moved to FL so she could vote there for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:58 pm EDT

Not to dampen out morning, but I have been conducting a personal campaign to have MSNBC recognize that Buchanan is a commentator who time has passed by. I'm not trying to be hateful or mean but I really think his opinion is becoming less revelant to the viewers and to the times. Plus, in his own weird way, he keeps deepening the same divisions. I have always been polite in my comments.

Re: Unity! Yes we can. | Report to Admin

By Leila Mar 18th 2008 at 2:15 pm EDT

Good to know, Sharon. I was curious about that since I boycotted CNN.

Re: Unity! Yes we can. | Report to Admin

By Bamafille Mar 18th 2008 at 3:12 pm EDT

Tim Clancey commented that that speak will be remembered for a long time.

That was music to my ear.

Devisive | Report to Admin

By Tracy from Seattle, WA Mar 18th 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

Geesh Barack Obama is the one great oracle speaker. He has the art of putting together words into a beautiful picture.

Profound message. Only a dark heart wouldn't get his message.

YES WE CAN.

Obama for president 2008

I | Report to Admin

By marytnurse, supporting Barack Obama until I see his library built on donations from We The People Mar 18th 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

I <3 Barack Obama. See, THIS is why we need this man. This is it. That plateau? You do all realize that plateaus are temporary, right? That was the end of his plateau.

Re: I | Report to Admin

By ♫ Cynthia ♫ championing choice, affordability and quality Healthcare in all 50 states Mar 18th 2008 at 11:55 am EDT

Marty,

Shouldn't you add repudiating to your name also?

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :-}

Re: I | Report to Admin

By marytnurse, supporting Barack Obama until I see his library built on donations from We The People Mar 18th 2008 at 11:56 am EDT

lol

Re: I | Report to Admin

By ♫ Cynthia ♫ championing choice, affordability and quality Healthcare in all 50 states Mar 18th 2008 at 11:56 am EDT

Sorry I spelled Maryt wrong

Re: I | Report to Admin

By Tamsin Mar 18th 2008 at 12:06 pm EDT

I realize that what he did was to bring us all to the mountaintop so that we could all look together at the promised land. And now we must choose-to go to the promised land together or to tumble back down into the valley of divisiveness and fear together.

Re: I | Report to Admin

By ◎Desert Dove Dan◎ Mar 18th 2008 at 12:23 pm EDT

Nice analogy Tamsin. Right on.

Re: I | Report to Admin

By Linda Mar 20th 2008 at 1:07 pm EDT

I'm with you 100%, I will vote for Barack even if I have to write his name in.

Tears..... | Report to Admin

By Jay "Hussein" PhD Mar 18th 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

Yes, I have tears.....

Awesome.....!

Integrity and Intelligence | Report to Admin

By SS Mar 18th 2008 at 11:45 am EDT

I loved this speech from beginning to end. It confirmed why I respect and admire this man and am counting on him to become our next President. It showed his amazing judgment and ability to consider all perspectives. I can't imagine any other politician giving a speech this candid with legitimacy.

Senator Obama's Speech | Report to Admin

By Richard Mar 18th 2008 at 11:45 am EDT

Senator Obama hit a home run with his speech!His comments about Rev.Wright and about the need to discuss race were enlightening!He was very Presidential in demeanor! Go Obama!

Video | Report to Admin

By Jason in Iowa Mar 18th 2008 at 11:46 am EDT

video posted anywhere?

The speech | Report to Admin

By Jenny from Vancouver WA Mar 18th 2008 at 11:46 am EDT

Was brilliant! Barack Obama...YOU NAILED IT!!!

Re: The speech | Report to Admin

By Nick, READY TO FIGHT in Iowa! Mar 18th 2008 at 11:48 am EDT

Completely amazing! He hit it on the head. Too bad the MSM will twist it around and "anaylize" it to death!

Wolf Blitzer just did not get the speech, his comments were way off!!

Re: The speech | Report to Admin

By Jason in Iowa Mar 18th 2008 at 12:25 pm EDT

Shocking, imagine Blitzer being clueless and tone deaf.

Re: The speech | Report to Admin

By GX Mar 18th 2008 at 12:26 pm EDT

Blitzer, the crying Wolf.

Eyes rolling...

Re: The speech | Report to Admin

By Sharon~Independent for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:48 pm EDT

I didn't think that Wolf was that bad. He said that BO gave an excellent speech. I preferred watching Wolf over Pat Buchanan on MSNBC.

CNN!!! | Report to Admin

By Heather - An Obama victory would fulfill everything the rest of the world has been told America could be! Mar 18th 2008 at 11:46 am EDT

Barack delivers an amazing, wonderful speech and all CNN can do is post a headline: "Constitution stained by sin of slavery", obvIOUSLY meant to be divisive and to question his patriotism!

Email them to express your outrage!!!

Link

Re: CNN!!! | Report to Admin

By Jay "Hussein" PhD Mar 18th 2008 at 11:49 am EDT

Yeah, flipped to Fox really fast and they wont touch it.

Expect the worse from MSM.....its not over yet.

Re: CNN!!! | Report to Admin

By WadeDean Mar 18th 2008 at 6:01 pm EDT

Sorry to be a quibbler but I think Obama was making a profound point here. He specifically said "Constitution stained by the original sin of slavery". Original sin is a concept common to Catholic and Protestant doctrine.

The thing about original sin is that you don't have to *do* anything to get it. Newborn babies have it and they haven't even sinned yet. So you inherit it even if you didn't commit it. And slavery was in our constitution (each slave counted as 3/5 of a person). So the white college students I saw when I walked to my car these evening, who were born in the 80's, may say "slavery is ancient history." But what they don't realize is that their grandparents lived during segregation and their great-grandparents lived in the time of lynchings and a few great-ancestors beyond that ... there was slavery in North America. My own, sweetest-person-in-the-world, 65 yr. old mother, who grew up in segregation, once said that MLK, Jr. was not a hero--but a trouble-maker: there were riots everywhere he went. In her white worldview, everybody was happy with their situation. I was in high school when she made that remark. I have since learned (from my uncles) that her father was in the KKK. When I was in college, my Mom went back to work in a furniture factory and--for the first time--met and befriended some African-American ladies. My 90 yr. old grandfather is still a racist and occasionally lets a remark slip in conversation. My east TN high school had 1400 students, and 99% of us were white. I didn't make any African-American friends until college. And though some people do believe in original sin, I don't blame my sins on Adam, Eve, or the Devil--I'm not a Christian.

Re: CNN!!! | Report to Admin

By Jenny from Vancouver WA Mar 18th 2008 at 12:01 pm EDT

They changed the headline!!! Go look!!!

Re: CNN!!! | Report to Admin

By Sharon~Independent for Obama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:53 pm EDT

The media obviously does not know how to deal with the issue of race...these big wig media moguls have never been discriminated against and don't understand it.

powerful speech! | Report to Admin

By ReneeaCA Mar 18th 2008 at 11:46 am EDT

yes I cried too...but that was out of hope, out of wanting BO to win this thing. I believe he can/will do it...there is no shortage of people who want the same.

right after his speech, CNN went to the PA GOVENOR, who said in part that OBAMA has to stay on THE message that he and Clinton are unitifers....REALLY?

Damn! | Report to Admin

By Diamond -- IrishAmericansForObama Mar 18th 2008 at 11:46 am EDT

I can't believe I waited for the speech all morning from last night and just when I stepped out, I missed it.

Did anyone record it? Is it posted anywhere?

Please help!

Re: Damn! | Report to Admin

By ReneeaCA Mar 18th 2008 at 11:49 am EDT

CNN has it up

Re: Damn! | Report to Admin

By Miss.Jessica (CA) Mar 18th 2008 at 11:50 am EDT

Thanks!!!

Re: Damn! | Report to Admin

By Miss.Jessica (CA) Mar 18th 2008 at 11:53 am EDT

Link

...Barack's speech

Re: Damn! | Report to Admin

By chitown Mar 18th 2008 at 12:15 pm EDT

this is only an except clip not entire speech

Re: Damn! | Report to Admin

By Diamond -- IrishAmericansForObama Mar 18th 2008 at 12:24 pm EDT

Thanks, Jessica. But this is just 2 minutes. I need the whole thing.

Re: Damn! | Report to Admin

By Ida from Lynnwood, WA