The 50-year anniversary of Martin Luther King's "Dream" speech isn't about Obama except to the extent it is.
We'll see what happens in the speeches today, speeches about a speech, but MLK was much more than that speech, though over the years MLK has been reframed as That Speech, which works to align Obama with MLK, since Obama is, above all, the speechmaker, even though he too is so much more. He's the President of the United States, and we need him to do so much more than give another speech — my God, we are going to war, war over weapons of mass destruction, war without the United Nations, without the coalition of the willing, without the authorization of Congress — but today he'll be giving another speech, a speech about The Speech, the speech by the speechmaker about The Speech by The Speechmaker.
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A dream corrupted and perverted by those who say they are seeking the dream for others (all while making themselves filthy rich by ensuring there are more and more people who can't have the dream).
The political version of lather, rinse and repeat.
I supported the war in Iraq, I don't take that back, but knowing what we know now, I hope the President does what he was elected to do, namely, keep us out of wars in Russian satellites between enemies who both hate us and only wish to manipulate us for some tactical advantage, and will feel no sense of an incurred debt of gratitude.
Obama is doing his job. He's killing the myth of the Magic Negro.
You know, the myth that oppression taught blacks to be sainted and spiritual?
The myth needs to be killed so that we can operate on the sane assumption that blacks are just as venal as all other humans. Had blacks had the upper hand in the U.S. prior to the civil rights movement, they would have behaved precisely as whites behaved.
Obama went sent to us to kill the myth. He's just doing his job. After the myth has been killed, we might be able to move on to some semblance of sanity.
For instance, blacks might started by dumping the notion that "[t]he essence of contemporary blackness in America is eternal indignation."
People tend to do what they know how to do. This is what Obama knows how to do, give speeches that always seem to be about him whatever else the subject is supposed to be.
He also knows how to do drone strikes so we'll probably see some of that in Syria as well. If he isn't already doing it, drone strikes I mean. Who would know? Certainly not us.
Perhaps he will praise nonviolence.
This guy is a speech maker?
Anyone who routinely uses "tah" when saying "to", and "gonna" instead of "going" is not an eloquent speaker. Not to mention the frequency of "um" and "ah" when he isn't reading a Teleprompter.
Huffington Post has taken a leaf from Drudge's book. Go to aol.com and compare the pictures of MLK delivering The Speech with Obama delivering yet another speech.
Obama's dream speech.
"....someday men will be judged not by the color of their skin, although that will remain a factor, but by the content of their files."
Martin Luther King would scorn Obama for the betrayer of the American people, flunky for the 1%, and war criminal that he is.
If speeches is all you got, then you gotta speechify.
Sheesh.
I did not support the War in Iraq because I did not see a way out. People might tell me we got out, but I'll say we just shifted where we are. (Curiously, though, I did support the Surge.)
Why go into Syria? Especially why do it alone? I've not seen a good argument for it.
A 50-year anniversary is something to note. But there's a touch of overboardness to acknowledging the MLKJr Speech. It's almost like it's being used as a distraction.
How would such a speech not be narcissism?
I congratulate everyone who could read past the first two paragraphs of the NYT puff piece. I could not. It is bad enough that the MLK speech was another of the civil rights leader's plagiarized gems - but now we have to put up with the Narcissist in Chief competing for the oxygen. I am privately rooting for a great increase in CO2 at the White House.
Obama gave a speech? What else is new. I switch channels if they portray him and allow his voice on the news. I can no longer stand him, though I once listened to an entire speech he gave in 2008 after the Texas primary.
Nevermore quoth the Raven.
@Shouting Thomas: That's an interesting take at 9:03. Well done, sir.
As for Obama's speech, I am sure about one thing, it will not be memorable.
Its hard to believe we are less than a year into the second term. Is this all you got?
"Why go into Syria? Especially why do it alone?"
Don't worry. We won't. What Obama will do is what he knows how to do. Symbols.
Clinton, whatever advice he was willing to take on domestic maters, was no better at foreign policy. He shot a few cruise missiles into Afghanistan after we were attacked by bin Laden a few times.
That worked out well, didn't it.
We will probably get the same effect. I don't know if Obama will be as lucky as Clinton was. The response to Clinton was after he left office. I doubt Iran will wait that long.
Fifty years ago there was The Speech. Today we will have The Speech About The Speech. Perhaps tomorrow there will be The Speech About The Speech About The Speech. And so, ad infinitum.
I have a speech.
The ugliest ever statue is the made in China multi-million dollars Maoist-Leninist King colossus. Looks like a Lenin with updated clothing and a black man's head. A generic head with no warmth, no subtlety, no style.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/16/martin-luther-king-memorial-changes-made-for-50-anniversary_n_3770471.html
Obama's not half the speaker Clinton was. Why the fawning over his ability to read a teleprompter. I think it's racist, in part. Like the amazement over a talking dog.
It would be cool if the 50th anniversary was being used to celebrate how much of a difference MLK made and how far we've come. But the pieces I see all hit on how far we still have to go, and that's just tiring. It would be really nice to celebrate all of us once in a while, wouldn't it?
My comment at 9:17 is OBE. Aol.com took the Barack Obama-is-like-Martin Luther King image down.
Obama is great at making speeches. Too bad the job of being the president isn't just ceremonial. Now if we had a prime minister who would do and could do the actual job of governing Obama could go about his business of speachifying everyday. He would be a happier man and we would be a happier country.
elkh1,
I disagree. That statue looks like a composite of Kim Il Sung and Mao Tse Tung.
Whichever, it certainly is an insult to Martin Luther King. Jr.
I had to take the neighbors kid somewhere yesterday. And he talked and talked and talked and talked and talked and talked and talked ....yadda yadda yadda....endlessly. Just total diarrhea of consciousness, only without the conscious. He said to me at one point "You might have noticed I'm a talker". I told him "It's okay to be a talker. But at least try to say something."
I feel I would give zero the same advice.
Ps. A bombing plan physical enough to not be mocked? That in itself is mock worthy.
I had to take the neighbors kid somewhere yesterday. And he talked and talked and talked and talked and yadda yadda yadda...didn't even stop to breath. he did that thing good wind instrument players do, inhale through the nose while exhaling through the mouth at the same time.
Very impressive, but annoying as hell.
Extremely annoying.
At one point he said to me "I'm a talker in case you haven't noticed"
I answered " It's okay to be a talker. Just try to say something though."
I would give the same advice for zero. (no more capitol, he doesn't merit the effort)
I just saw the "comment moderation" boiler plate. Pity that. One of the best things about your site was the total freedom of expression. Hope the NSA and the IRS didn't pressure you into that.
They've just introduced former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama at the ceremony. I watched them coming out and all I could thing was that if I was going to carve an anti-Mount Rushmore, those faces would probably be on it.
(Curiously, though, I did support the Surge.)
When you're up to your ass in alligators......
The scary thing about Obama heading to War is how stunningly unproactive he has been about building those coalitions among our Allies. It's just another case of how he seems to be "Present" but unaccounted for.
Also let's not forget that this lack of proactivity caused him to botch the Status of Forces agreement in Iraq in a way that threatens the progress made in the Surge. Bush won that war but Obama might succeed in forfeiting it (eg widespread AQ jailbreaks are Obama's fault)
But there was an Election to win I guess.. And a lot of speeches but not a lot of Recovery nor jobs..
Speeches only matter with something valuable to say.
King yes. pResident Obama...never.
I'm listening to the speech on replay right now.
What a colossally boring speech.
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