Obama Hits the Mark in Race Speech

03-18-2008

We won't know for awhile how voters view Barack Obama's speech today on race relations but The Brody File saw it as a HUGE positive for Obama and a successful turning point for the future of his campaign. The Obama campaign tells me he told high level staffers on Saturday that he wanted to do this speech. He ended up writing it himself on Sunday and Monday and then finished it up this morning.

With all those American flags behind him, the background was very "State of the Union." It was very presidential and Obama looked like and sounded like a President in the speech.

There were a number of factors that made the speech work. First of all, he didn't just devote a couple paragraphs to Pastor Wright. He wove him throughout the entire speech. It came across as a masterful stroke because he didn't minimize the controversy and yet at the same time was able to explain how Wright's comments fit into the larger "anger" issue within the black community.

In addition, as it relates to the Pastor Wright controversy, I thought the key lines were these:

"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."

The reason this part was important was because Obama was able to insulate himself on the authenticity issue. In other words, this was a pretty full mea culpa. He admitted that he sat in church while hearing remarks that were controversial. He will always have his doubters. Some will say he should have left right then and there but Obama argues that you have to look at the whole picture. He's making the case that Wright's ministry needs to be seen in totality. Voters will decide if that is a sustainable argument.

Some may question his judgment, but once you lose your authenticity, you lose everything. One of the big concerns people had was that Obama was making it sound like he had no idea that his pastor was controversial -- like Obama was living in some sort of bubble. But in this speech, Obama was clear that he knew about "stuff" that his pastor was saying. It was a raw moment. We'll see if it comes back to bite him. I think him coming clean about it has more upside than to deny the obvious.

The speech was so sweeping as he talked so much about what divides this country. He was able to shine a light on the racism that existed and still exists in America, but he was able to do it in a way that didn't seem condemning. By confronting the anxieties in both the white and black communities, he was able to get in the weeds a little bit and tell it like it is. Anytime a politician is being "candid" with their audience, it's a good day. Obama had a good day.

The best part of this for the Obama campaign is that their candidate got a chance to look presidential. He got a chance to talk about a major topic in America. It may not have come under the best circumstances but what was impressive is how the campaign didn't go into hibernation. They knew they had a problem and Obama and his campaign didn't wait long at all to be pro-active on this. They went against the grain. Instead of trying to distance themselves, they went head on into it and my guess is they'll be better for it.

Did he go far enough in distancing himself from Pastor Wright in this speech? There will be those who say he had to be stronger in his language. I'm not so sure. Look, the guy defended his pastor who has done a lot for the community but he also chastised him numerous times too. What do we want to do here? Have Obama bring out a dart board complete with a picture of Wright and have Obama start throwing darts at the bulls eye?

I will say this: One word of caution for the Obama campaign: combine this controversy with those Muslim emails circulating, plus his full name, plus Michelle Obama talking about how the first time in her adult life she was proud to be an American and you have a narrative that could take hold. But this speech today seemed to not only contain the Wright controversy but hit a homerun on race relations in this country.

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