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Suzanne M. Gold
Department of Political Science
The Pennsylvania State University
While it may convince some, there will inevitably be people out there who will not be able to disentangle Obama's words from Rev. Wright's. The Internet is a powerful thing, and between Rev. Wright's words, the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, and the picture of Obama in "Muslim-looking" apparel, there will be people all over the country, not just in Pennsylvania, that will see and hear those few things and run with them. No damage control can change those people's minds.
What Obama was able to do today was set the record straight as best as he could. He confronted the racial rumblings in the campaign that finally erupted with Rev. Wright's comments. I think it definitely works to his advantage to tackle the topic of race head on as opposed to pretending it does not make a difference in the campaign. The fact is that he is Black, and this puts him in another category than the rest of the other candidates. Running from that fact can only make him look like he is running away from his roots, and this would outrage the Black community — his core supporters.
It is important for any presidential candidate to tackle "scandals" like these head on as opposed to running from them. If they do not confront them, the opponents will and it will quickly become much bigger than it would have been. In regard to White working class Pennsylvanians, I think they will react like all other voters around the country — those who already like Obama will say his speech was moving and inspirational, and those who have never liked him will say this is just another example of him using rhetoric with no action to back it up. As for the swing voters (the real target group) Obama will continue to address these issues in the same manner and "set the record straight," so to speak, continuously until April 22nd. This is not the last we will hear of this from Obama — especially not in Pennsylvania.
Eric Plutzer
Department of Political Science
Penn State University
It did not put the Rev. Wright controversy behind him. Those skeptical of Obama are likely to continue to distribute video clips, and quotes of Obama's own words, to argue that his reaction was not sufficiently strong — out of context and perhaps even in context, there were plenty of passages that reflect a mixed message with respect to Wright. It was a great speech but few Americans sitting on the fence — either Democrats for upcoming primaries or independents in the general election — will have heard more than a few bites. It will have an effect only if it reverberates among party leaders and thoughtful independents.
Stephanie Cutter
Unaffiliated Democratic Consultant
Worked on John Kerry's 2004 Presidential Campaign
I thought the speech was incredibly honest and personal. Very few politicians in this country, black or white, could have given an authentic speech like that and speak to the experiences of every American. I don't think these issues are going away, but Obama changed the terms of the debate. From the start, the promise of his candidacy has been about moving beyond petty politics and confronting the big issues confronting the country. He did that today. There are likely lots of voters giving him a second look today who had previously written him off.
Donna Brazile
Unaffiliated Democratic Consultant
Ran Al Gore's 2000 Presidential Campaign
Senator Obama had to walk a very thin line, both rebuking and distancing himself from his former pastor as well as reminding people of the long march toward the more perfect union.
He's unlike any other politician — I've been racking my brain all day, what other politician could weave not just their own personal history with American history but serving themselves up as an example of the contradictions in this country? He did a fine job of getting back on the high road. The question remains: will this road lead to the White House or back to the United States Senate? There's a path for Barack Obama still to the White House. Given his background, given that there's pieces of America residing in him, he must now show the people of Pennsylvania that he cares about their future and it's not just about race. They want to know that he's going to fight for their jobs, and on the economy.
Jamal Simmons
Unaffiliated Democratic strategist
Wow. It was a speech that was not partisan. It was political with a small p and it was also philosophical. It was the most profound speech about race that I could recall in my lifetime.
Here's somebody with an extraordinary amount of credibility on this topic from who he is genetically, to how he was raised to who he is politically. At the same time placing in context who Jeremiah Wright is. This speech is not out of the political playbook. A bunch of consultants did not dream this up. He denounced Wright but stood by him and compared him to his grandmother, that is politically risky. Especially on both sides.
I hear African Americans who were upset that he even denounced Jeremiah Wright's words. And there'll be people on the right that think that standing by his mentor is the wrong thing to do. There's a lot of African Americans who feel that it was gratuitous — talking about the pain or blame that white Americans feel over pressure for jobs. But that too is the message that will help in Pennsylvania and beyond. That he can express to white Americans what makes them uneasy, that it's the competition and that blacks and whites can sit and point fingers at each other and blaming each other but the reality is they need to put those differences aside to work together and fix some of these problems. Will it resound across the board? Maybe not, but we have seen examples of it already in Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Idaho. It was an incredibly honest speech: either you hear me or you don't, either you agree with me or you don't. That's a brave thing to do politically that you don't often see.
Stephen Schneck
Professor of Political Science
Catholic University of America
Senator Obama's charm has always been about more than personal charisma and inspiring oratory. Both symbolically and practically his touted "audacity of hope" was thought to signal transcending the old divisions of American politics and even that some new era was possible. Obama had to give this speech in Philly today because his campaign's basic message was being undercut.
It was Obama himself who depicted Reverend Wright as inspiring his candidacy. The "audacity of hope" was Wright's very language. To the extent that these snippets from Wright were seen to contradict Obama's "transcending" language then the emotional heart of his campaign is compromised.
The Philly speech was strong, but one wonders if it is enough. It's greatest moments were those conveying self-identity, conveying that he is a new era kind of American who will not subscribe to the old divisions. But, nothing in American politics is more divisive or more volatile than race: not political parties, not ideology, not abortion, not gun rights, not war and peace. Neither the candidate nor the Democratic party can be pleased to see today's Quinnipiac Pennsylvania poll showing sharpening African-American support for Obama and sharpening white support for Senator Clinton.