Today's Recommended Reader Blogs
The talk of the town this week is obviously Barack Obama's big speech from Tuesday, so to start off, here are some our readers' takes:
Reader Diamond Sutra argues that the speech was about far more than race alone, namely, class, nation, and covenant.
FlyOnTheWall puts Obama's remarks in the broader context of some of the prevalent contemporary discourses on race in America.
And The Zaftig Redhead says the speech finally pushed her off the "'I-miss-John-Edwards' fence."
More after the jump. . .
Eric Folkerth offers a preacher's perspective on what Rev. Wright meant when he said "God Damn America." Eric doesn't justify Wright's words, but he does make clear that What appears to be a simple statement can become much more complex when looked at in context. (Also take a look at Eric's comments on five years of war in Iraq.
Amid much (not undue) bashing of Wright, a few people have come to his defense. Whatever your feelings on the matter, it's worth reading both sides of the story. Reader QTip looks at some of the race-related crises that Wright has witnessed in his lifetime, and Angry Vet urges us to at least try to empathize, if not with Wright's sentiments themselves, then with where they might have come from.
In more general election news, John McCain wrote an op-ed from The Financial Times that seems, at least on the surface, to be relatively palatable. This of course raises a few questions, which reader Eddie-george takes up.
Also, in case you still need any reasons, destor lays out a few good ones for why McCain isn't a viable choice for Clinton Backers.
Finally, to leave things on a lighter note, genghis analyzes the Democratic nomination race through the all-important lens of dance-floor wizardry.
What is this?! Pro-war Democrat, Senator Evan Bayh, good looker, caucasian archangel, handsomer than the day is long, looks so great beside Hillary--and might be her running mate? Are we being asked to forget about the war, and the betrayal of the Democrats in congress who support it?
DAMN IT! We are! And we're going to say "OK" to this! The words "Evan Bayh" are being crooned flirtatiously all over the TV news, without a single mention of his Bush/Cheney/Rice/Rummy style position on the war in Iraq.
Not a word, not a whisper. Nobody remembers, or nobody cares. We are dead.
So Hillary Clinton really IS republican-lite. Or not so lite. And we are so disenchanted over Rev. Wright (as Obama's drastic drop in the newer polls shows) that Ken doll dreamboat Evan Bayh, pro-war Democrat, soft-spoken, mannerly, looks GREAT to us, as never before. We don't even care about his politics, he just looks SOOOOO good after a week of Rev. Wright.
I knew they would find a way to do this, or something like this.
March 20, 2008 10:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
And if you're looking for bit more than single, personal reactions and personal spin on it:
Did Obama’s Speech Reach the Voters He Needs?
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: March 19, 2008
March 21, 2008 3:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Governor Richardson endorses Barack Obama
After a week from hell, Barack Obama has pulled off a great coup. Bill Richardson, the Governor of New Mexico a super delegate and a former Presidential candidate has endorsed Senator Obama. Richardson, a Latino and a former Secretary of Energy in Bill Clinton's Administration said he is endorsing Obama to unite the party and hopefully put an end to divisiveness. This speaks volumes for Richardson for endorsing a candidate who was being beaten up by the media and right wing conservatives. To take a stand under these circumstances is courageous and admirable.
This is also a major blow to Senator Hillary Clinton as Bill Richardson was considered close to Clintons and Hillary was wooing for his endorsement. Is this going to be the start of a major move by super delegates to throw their lot in with the front runner? We have to wait and see. But if it is, this may be the beginning of the end for Hillary Clinton.
March 21, 2008 10:30 AM | Reply | Permalink