{"id":688,"date":"2008-03-18T20:59:31","date_gmt":"2008-03-19T01:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/2008\/03\/18\/more-like-this-obamas-speech\/"},"modified":"2008-03-18T20:59:31","modified_gmt":"2008-03-19T01:59:31","slug":"more-like-this-obamas-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/2008\/03\/18\/more-like-this-obamas-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"More Like This: Obama’s Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s probably too late, but I’ll say this anyway: ignore all the coverage you see of the speech that Obama gave today, and go watch<\/a> or read<\/a> it yourself.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a little slow at the beginning, but I think it’s one of the best speeches on race in America (and how it affects our political discourse) that I’ve heard from a national politician in a very very long time.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Instead of running from the issue, or smoothing it over with meaningless platitudes, Obama grabbed it head on and spoke frankly.\u00c2\u00a0 I think every politician could take a lesson here.\u00c2\u00a0 And if they actually paid attention to that lesson, they could help create a climate in which a substantive and productive discussion on race in America could take place.<\/p>\n

I have been – and remain – an Obama skeptic.\u00c2\u00a0 And there are a good number of things I’d change about that speech, were I giving it.\u00c2\u00a0 That said, I think it represents a real step forward in political discourse.\u00c2\u00a0 We’d all do well to take a look at it ourselves, instead of through the filter of cable news or short online summaries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s probably too late, but I’ll say this anyway: ignore all the coverage you see of the speech that Obama gave today, and go watch or read it yourself.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a little slow at the beginning, but I think it’s one of the best speeches on race in America (and how it affects our political […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal","category-politics","category-society"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t