[quote=Bigfella;473634]
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Apologies JAD. I should have qualified my remarks. I don't think of conservatives in either of our nations as a bloc. Just as leftists like me sometimes get grief for the sins of some of my less lucid bretheren, I have unintentionally grouped you with people who I have seen you argue against.
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No apology necessary, but appreciated. Your point is well taken. Conservatives and liberals can disagree with their ostensible brethern on some issues. For example, I disagree with those who say Wright is a racist, but happily the disagreement is really over the definition of racist. I have yet to find anything Wright said that maintains that black skinned people are intrinsically superior to white skinned people.
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I don't think we actually disagree very much here. I don't think Obama is obsessed by his an emotional response to segregationist racism, though I don't doubt it does produce an emotional response - as it should.
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He has the advantage of extensive education, being the offspring of a mixed marriage, and the perspective of high elected office from which to examine racism in America objectively--from both sides--and at the same time to experience it subjectively as a black man.
I think he represents the end game in the struggle for racial equality. He realizes that there must come a time, as in any struggle, when the leaders of the struggle must have the courage to give way as the goal they sought to acheive becomes reality. I think he has faith in both races and believes he can be the catalyst for bringing them together.
But the danger we're facing is that Wright and other blacks leaders like him show no sign of yielding to progress; either they have become too comfortable in their roles or they are blinded by the past. A black president could be a powerful counterweight, or he could be simply dismissed by Wright and others as an Uncle Tom. As for myself, I have no objection to a black president. I would even welcome one so we can get past it. But I put more emphasis on where a candidate stands on the whole range of issues facing the country.