memeorandum: The Politics of Obama's Speech (Jonathan Chait/The New Republic)

3:35 PM ET, March 18, 2008

Top Items:

OBAMA SPEECH IN FULL: A MORE PERFECT UNION — “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.” — Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy.

Discussion: Clive Crook, Power Line, TalkLeft, The Corner, Althouse, Little Green Footballs, TownHall Blog, Ross Douthat, JustOneMinute, Rocky Mountain News, Crooks and Liars, Blog P.I., The Huffington Post, The New Republic, Confederate Yankee, Redstate, Washington Monthly, protein wisdom, American Princess, NYCweboy, Hot Air, QandO, Outside The Beltway, Donklephant, Taylor Marsh, Macsmind, A Blog For All, Wake up America, NO QUARTER, Brave New Films blog, Roger Ailes, FP Passport, Firedoglake, The Caucus, MyDD, The Sundries Shack, Polimom Says, Sweetness & Light, Dick Polman's American Debate, Pam's House Blend, Comments from Left Field, PoliBlog (TM), Pandagon, The Strata-Sphere, The Carpetbagger Report, Ankle Biting Pundits, Classical Values, Stop The ACLU, The Campaign Spot, Balloon Juice, Atlas Shrugs, Steve Sailer's iSteve Blog, Joe. My. God., Suburban Guerrilla, No More Mister Nice Blog, Associated Press, Daimnation!, Attytood and Swords Crossed

Shelby Steele / Wall Street Journal:

The Obama Bargain — Geraldine Ferraro may have had sinister motives when she said that Barack Obama would not be “in his position” as a frontrunner but for his race. Possibly she was acting as Hillary Clinton's surrogate. Or maybe she was simply befuddled by this new reality …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, Little Miss Attila, American Thinker, Debbie Schlussel, Dr. Sanity, Too Sense and baldilocks

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

The Speech — Alas, I cannot give a more considered response right now as I have to get on the road. But I do want to say that this searing, nuanced, gut-wrenching, loyal, and deeply, deeply Christian speech is the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Tom Watson, NYCweboy, Brilliant at Breakfast and StephenBainbridge.com

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

Full Text Of Obama's Big Race Speech: A Big Break With Political Precedent — We have a full transcript of Obama's big race speech for you after the jump. He's set to deliver it in Philadelphia within moments. — Reading it, you can't escape the fact that in various ways it represents …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Open Left, American Street, Democratic Strategist and Suburban Guerrilla

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

FIRST THOUGHTS: OBAMA'S BIG SPEECH — From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray — *** Obama's big speech: The last time a top presidential candidate gave an important speech on a sensitive topic was last December, when Mitt Romney talked about American faith. His speech drew favorable reviews …

Discussion: Trailhead and MyDD

Charles Murray / The Corner:

Have I missed the competition? — 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 …

Discussion: Ross Douthat and StephenBainbridge.com

Ben Smith / The Politico:

The speech — He hasn't started speaking yet here in Philly, but Drudge just busted the embargo, so I've posted the text after the jump. — It's quite a speech: autobiographical, embracing complexity, and answering questions about Wright — whose most offensive words, he says …

Discussion: Shakesville, The Confluence and Reason Magazine

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

CHECKING IN WITH THE OTHER SIDE....I thing we can safely assume that Barack Obama's supporters will all swoon over his speech today. And why not? It was, as usual for him, a helluva good address: intelligent, sane, sympathetic, and broadly appealing. He didn't, however …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Hullabaloo and The Carpetbagger Report

John Derbyshire / The Corner:

Obama's Lies — Not so much lies as a sort of slippery sleight-of-mouth. I'm starting to really dislike Obama. … Segregation was not “the law of the land” in the 1950s. It was the law in a minority of states. … If, as Obama seems to be claiming, those are the sentiments …

Discussion: The New Republic

CNN:
Obama: We can move beyond some of our racial wounds

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Fox News, Associated Press, Ben Smith's Blogs and Donklephant

Jay Rosen / PressThink:
Obama tells the Best Political Team on Television: You Have a Choice

Discussion: MoJoBlog, TPM Election Central and David Corn

Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
The Politics of Obama's Speech

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

Pete Abel / The Moderate Voice: ‘Not This Time’ — I watched most of Obama's speech live on CNN.com.

Charlotte Hays / The Corner:
The Politics of Grievance — Obama is no longer a post-racial candidate.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Matthew Yglesias

The New Republic:
John McWhorter Reviews Obama's Speech

Discussion: Too Sense

Stanley Kurtz / The Corner: MoveOn Move In — Obama's speech was thoughtful, powerful …

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
On Obama's Speech — Sen. Barack Obama's speech on race …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, MSNBC, Ross Douthat and AMERICAblog

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Testing Of Obama

Discussion: The New Republic, JustOneMinute, The Root, protein wisdom, Outside The Beltway and Don Surber

Mark Hemingway / The Corner:
About Obama's Speech

Discussion: American Spectator

Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard Blog:
Obama as Mortal: Blame America

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs

Marc Ambinder:
Reflections On Obama's Speech

Discussion: Bluey Blog

ABCNEWS:
The Note: Black & White Stall

Discussion: MyDD, Blog P.I., The Swamp and Washington Wire

Kathryn Jean Lopez / The Corner:
It's an Impressive Speech

Discussion: The Opinionator and TownHall Blog

Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
Assessing Race in America, Obama Calls Pastor Divisive

Discussion: Trailhead and FREEDOM EDEN

Washington Post:

A McCain Gaffe in Jordan — AMMAN, Jordan — Sen. John McCain, traveling in the Middle East to promote his foreign policy expertise, misidentified in remarks Tuesday which broad category of Iraqi extremists are allegedly receiving support from Iran. — He said several times that Iran …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Think Progress, Washington Monthly, Marc Ambinder, Townhall.com, Daily Kos, The Carpetbagger Report, The New Republic, Taylor Marsh, The Page, The Impolitic, Cato-at-liberty, Matthew Yglesias, Middle Earth Journal, Newsweek, Cliff Schecter and The BRAD BLOG

Matthew Yglesias:
Doesn't Understand Economics, Either

Discussion: Eschaton

Marc Ambinder:

More On Imminent Death Of Michigan Primary.... This dispatch from the MIRS News Service in Michigan (no link)

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs and Daily Kos

WWJ:
Democratic Re-do Likely Won't Happen

Discussion: TalkLeft

CNN:

Archives to release Clinton's first lady schedules — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Over 11,000 pages of Hillary Clinton's schedule as first lady are set to be released to the public on Wednesday, the National Archives announced. — The documents are among those the Obama campaign has long said need …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs