He called his grandmother a “typical white person,” as if the typical white person finds out that the father of the son-in-law does not want his family sullied by the blood of a white woman, as if the typical white person raises an interracial grandchild for 8 years. That isn’t NUANCE, that is a SLEGEHAMMER.

I’m asking for you to understand nuance in Obama’s speech and you turn the tables and say I don’t understand degree? Love it.
I still say many are playing politics and making political points by using this to essentially peg Obama as an ungrateful grandson – therefore a bad person – therefore a bad candidate, etc.
I DO think Obama has a problem due to Rev Wright – that we can agree on. But I don’t believe he compared his grandmother to Wright. He is instead talking about the nature of racism and his personal feelings to try and understand it. There is a degree of difference there.
That said I see almost no way he could denounce Wright given their history. But one CAN denounce someone’s viewpoint or politics and still like them. Would you agree?
I won’t say you are wrong. It is your viewpoint. Maybe we are essentially both right. But perhaps that’s too postmodern?

Fair enough? /g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XOFYJlO_P0

And yes, of course, Obama loves both people despite their imperfections. But that is hardly relevant to the point I was making, which is about the relative degree of those imperfections. There is no comparision whatsoever. It’s like comparing gangrene to a paper cut. And Obama owes more loyalty to his grandmother than he does to Wright, so his criticism of her is worse in that sense as well.

I can’t make it any clearer than that.

Yes, there is gain for you. You have a political blog. Why else would you post opinions about a candidate you don’t want to win unless you were hoping to be heard and thus make a difference? Nothing wrong with that. But that’s working within the system and thereby gaining something in return – like a Republican victory. Or gratification as a political analyst. You are not in an echo chamber or just posting as you would a private diary. If so what’s the point? I have an art blog. Why? Because I want to introduce art, or music or videos that I like to people.

And so I don’t quite see the equivalence
You mean making a point about Rev Wright and his grandmother? If so, I clearly see the equivalence. Both of these people are important to him. That’s the point. He loves them despite their imperfections.

Is all criticism alike to you?
Not sure what you mean?

If you or any of us could write the definitive uplifting speech about race in America, how would it go?

You have people like Rev Wright giving whites perfectly plausible reasons for being suspicious.

Could we possibly be seeing evidence that blacks are secretly terrified of not being propped up by this cycle of pseudo oppression?

I think so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y7OFLl3asg

Watch this video and tell me that this guy isn’t a manipulator?