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Race in America

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March 18, 2008 02:18 PM

Regardless of who you support in this election - Senator Clinton, Senator McCain or Senator Obama - this is a speech that you should watch in its entirety. I have never before heard a politician speak this directly, or with such subtlety and complexity, about this important issue facing our nation.

The problem with the speech is that it will be blasted into a dozen Fox-news sized ten second snippets, and a truly honest discourse on race in America is not a topic that can be reduced into sound-bites.

If you're a supporter of Senator Obama's then listen critically. If you're not then listen with an open mind. Either way - listen.

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Tara Colquitt

Tara Colquitt, The Credit Woman, LLC - Philadelphia, PA

Credit Counselor

Thanks Christopher. I missed the original speech (sleeping off a stomach virus), but saw many clips. Will watch immediately.

Mar 18, 2008 02:23 PM

Liz Moras Migic

Chilliwack, BC

Chilliwack, British Columbia - Realtor

\i spent all day looking for this speech, i missed it in the morning because i had to drive my daughter to work...then when i got to work..........no one had it, not u tube........not bbc..........msnbc, cnn, no one! I'm Canadian...........but i am passionately emmersed in this election.........hmmm now i wonder why! smile thank you thank you thank you

Mar 18, 2008 02:24 PM

Mel Miller

Soleil Real Estate - Spokane, WA

Great motivational speaker, makes me weep with passion. Great campaigner, makes me want to empty my pocketbook. Lacks on specifics on any of the issues, makes me vote for someone else.

Mar 18, 2008 02:29 PM

Christopher Smith

EquityScout.com - Houston, TX

Look here or here if you want lots and lots of details on the various issues.

If you don't like his views on the specifics then that's fair. But the specifics are all there: from healthcare to eduation to immigration to foreign policy. One would argue that he's been the most thorough and transparent of the major candidates.

Mar 27, 2008 04:20 AM

Kirk Westervelt

Van West Realty - Greenville, SC Realtor -Short Sale Expert! - Greenville, SC

Kirk Westervelt, Broker In Charge, Van West Realty - CDPE - Short Sale Agent - Home for Sale - Greenville, Simpsonvil...

It's a sad thing that he's been forced to have to give this speech in order to calm the masses over his pastor's comments. This election really hasn't been about or at least it has not focused on race. I hope he can get past all of this quickly and get back to other issues. Hillary would love it if he were somehow on a continuously defensive stance over race and his church, etc. He's simply got to get past it, rise above it, and play the smartest strategy of all, which is to marginalize Hillary by beginning to openly debate McCain. It's the ultimate assumptive close on his part and it will embed a message in the voter's minds that this thing really is between Obama and McCain.

Mar 30, 2008 04:07 AM

Christopher Smith

EquityScout.com - Houston, TX

Kirk,

I understand your sentiment and I know where you're coming from - and Obama's whole strategy was to campaign as a "post-racial" candidate. He and Clinton have, for the most part, focused on the issues and haven't emphasized race or gender (although their surrogates brought these things up from time to time).

But in the end, it's not reasonable to assume that the first African American president would be able to go through his entire campaign without addressing the issue of race. I'm happy that he did it in the way that he did - by pointing out that these issues are real, they aren't in just in people's heads, and that bitterness does linger in our citizens, both black and white. It's not something that we an just wish away, or ignoring it thinking it will just disappear.

As real estate professionals I think we all have a role to play - just by talking to someone who's views are different than our own. Not to convince them of one thing or other, but to try to understand where they're coming from and help them understand why you feel how you do. It's a first step...one our country has never really taken.

This will be over soon (I hope) and I do have a lot of respect for John McCain as a principled individual. Come November I hope we have a debate between the Democratic and Republican parties that we as Americans can be proud of. We'll see...

Mar 30, 2008 05:01 AM

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