At least one conservative thinks Obama did pretty well:
I read the various posts here on “The Corner,” mostly pretty ho-hum or critical about Obama’s speech. Then I figured I’d better read the text (I tried to find a video of it, but couldn’t). I’ve just finished. Has any other major American politician ever made a speech on race that comes even close to this one? As far as I’m concerned, it is just plain flat out brilliant—rhetorically, but also in capturing a lot of nuance about race in America. It is so far above the standard we’re used to from our pols…. But you know me. Starry-eyed Obama groupie.
The cynical side of me says the public isn’t going to buy it, but the whole Obama campaign has been one big surprise to begin with and, watching the speech, I couldn’t help thinking that I was listening to the next President of the United States.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Hey doug, You are sooooo gullible!!!!!!
March 19th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
As a conservative, I liked the speech. I thought it was reasonable to say, okay, these two groups have been talking only to themselves about how much they hate each other, and not talking together to try and find common ground. This is a really nice theme.
I think most people would agree that Obama’s preacher showed considerable more anger against whites than we show against blacks, but I’m sure someone could show me examples to the contrary. In any event, this is a fresh, promising approach that tries to put the antagonisms behind us, and I think that is healthy indeed.
The problem was, in the end, what are we supposed to come together for? Why the same old bromides of kill the war (and most likely many of our Iraqi friends in the process), get national health care and of course protect the teachers’ union view of the educational universe.
Being for the war, against national healthcare(1), and against the teachers’ unions(2), I can’t say I have a lot to talk about with Mr Obama.
From page 1-5 (in the New York TImes version) I was all for him and then he ruined it all in pages 6-7.
Nice try, though.
D
(1) I think the medical establishment is one of the most wasteful institutions anywhere, even if I am not sure why or how. $3,000 for a day in a hospital where nothing was accomplished? Nine hour waits in emergency rooms for the requisite five minutes with a doctor? Thousands of dollars billed for service that would be completely unacceptable in a cheap auto repair shop charging 1% of the rates? I have names for that and none of them are good.
National health care would preserve and protect this kind of institutional poor performance. Our only hope is to be required to pay for our own health care. Then the hospitals would go broke and hopefully whatever replaced them would do a better job at a more fair cost. The clinics appearing in CVS and Wal*Mart stores seem like a good start.
(2) As far as I can tell, educational budgets have been rising, with results surprisingly similar to hospitals. More money goes in, but teachers aren’t paid significantly better, the physical plant of schools continues to deteriorate, and the quality of education is still horrible. Just like hospitals, it seems like the money is dropping into a sinkhole and we’re getting nothing in return.
This seems to be a common refrain of public/charitable institutions. Compare with LAZIK surgery, which is as far as I know entirely private and the cost has halved in a few years while other medical costs have doubled and tripled. What’s with that?