Obama's Credit to Selma Marchers Off By Four Years

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 07:14:26 PM EST
Tags: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton (all tags)

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Politicans have to choose their words carefully these days. Check out the latest critism of Barack Obama's Selma, Al. speech yesterday where he credited the 1965 marchers with empowering his black father and white mother to marry.

Turns out he was born in 1961.

....he credited the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights marchers of 1965 with the fact that his parents -- a black African father and white Kansas mother -- were empowered to fall in love and got married.

"They looked at each other and they decided, 'We know that in the world, as it has been, it might not be possible for us to get together and have a child, but something is stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, Ala., because some folks are willing to march across the bridge.' And so they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born. So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Ala.!"

Obama was born in 1961; the Selma march was four years later. Obama said later that he meant to credit the entire civil rights movement with his parents' union, not just the Bloody Sunday marchers.

More...

Meanwhile, Hillary is getting criticized for speaking in a southern accent.

Raised in Illinois and representing New York, Clinton effected a sporadic but curious Southern drawl in her speech. "I" became "Ahhh," "far" morphed into "fahhhr," and "mayor" suddenly sounded like "mare."

As Media Matters points out don't her 17 years in Arkansas count?

Related: Eric Boehlert has more on the press treatment of Hillary in the conxtext of her Iraq war stances.

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Obama's Credit to Selma Marchers Off By Four Years | 14 comments (14 topical)

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Delta House (none / 0) (#1)
by Quaker in a Basement on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 11:15:41 PM EST

As the boys at Delta House said: "Let it go. He's on a roll."

I Agree (none / 0) (#2)
by Jeralyn on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 11:30:26 PM EST

There's no need to go negative at all in this race. We have three great contenders. Playing favorites is fine. But one of them may end up being the VP candidate, or a candidate again in the future.

It's the press that bashed both of them.

Hillary's Southern Accent (none / 0) (#3)
by Dulcinea on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 07:26:16 AM EST

Here's the true story on Senator Clinton's "southern accent." Of course, the false story has already done the dirty work.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/horsesmouth/2007/03/yet_another_win.php

Need to remember that it's Jake Tapper writing... (none / 0) (#4)
by rhbrandon on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 07:42:44 AM EST

from the Joe Klein and Mickey Kaus schools of political writing: with one eye shut, invariably the left one.

I give Obama a pass (none / 0) (#5)
by jimakaPPJ on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 07:49:06 AM EST

although someone is going to criticize his speech writers for not knowing their history.

Hillary made a huge mistake. She was pandering, pure and simple, just as Kerry was in his purchase of a hunting license in Ohio.

I can't wait to hear her Brooklyn accent, Hispainish, etc.

Jim (none / 0) (#7)
by scarshapedstar on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 09:25:53 AM EST

Did you actually listen to the context of her remarks, when she stated pretty clearly that she was quoting a southern Gospel singer?

Or did you just listen to the edited wingnut version? Do you buy into the fantasy that she simply walked in and adopted a Southern accent for no apparent reason (kind of like how our President began talking like a Texan at age 40, but I digress) and pretended that nobody noticed?

I wonder.


scar (none / 0) (#10)
by jimakaPPJ on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 07:06:10 PM EST

She could have quoted without trying out her talent.


Not about Hillary (none / 0) (#11)
by squeaky on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 08:07:31 PM EST

As much as you have so much to say about Hillary, take it to an open thread.

This one is about Obama.


Evidently you can't read... (none / 0) (#12)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 08:07:07 AM EST

Let me help you.

More...
Meanwhile, Hillary is getting criticized for speaking in a southern accent.
Raised in Illinois and representing New York,

: My, Apologies ppj (none / 0) (#14)
by squeaky on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 12:04:15 PM EST

I am so used to you diverting threads to the Clinton's that I missed that this was on topic.
My bad

Hillary's accent (none / 0) (#6)
by lonestar on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 09:23:30 AM EST

I'm not here to necessarily defend Hillary. But I'm a Texas native, and although I haven't lived there since 1964, to this day I can't be in Texas 10 minutes without regaining my twang. Seventeen years in Arkansas has got to leave an imprint. Just sayin'...

Two pretty trivial ... (none / 0) (#8)
by Deconstructionist on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 09:29:48 AM EST

things in any objective sense but I think Obama has more to worry about than Clinton from these type of things.

Clinton is a known commodity with a deep and broad record. This type of thing is unlikely to change anyone's opinion of her or even cause anyone to more carefully scrutinize her for "clues" as to what she is as a person or how she would govern. Obama on the other hand has almost no record and will necessarily be judged to a greater extent by what he says.

I've decided, it's Obama for America (none / 0) (#9)
by Aaron on Tue Mar 06, 2007 at 10:56:39 AM EST

I thought it was a fantastic speech, perhaps the first time I've seen Baraka Obama looked genuinely presidential.

I know who I'll be voting for in the Democratic primary, I've made my decision.

I'm one of those who has had his doubts about America's readiness to accept a Black man as president, but I realize now that we must take a stand, the time has come. It took the Bush administration to make me realize this. If democracy is to survive we must take the big step forward and throw off the chains of the past which were restraining us in the last century.

Obama is capable and qualified, and he's got that spark which so many Democratic candidates have been lacking in recent years. If the Democratic Party is going to grow beyond its pathetic image and modern edifice as Republican lite, and move our country in the progressive direction it must go, Obama is our choice, and the time is now.

It's Jack Kennedy and the freeing spirit of the 60s all over again, so get on the boat folks or be swept aside with the deadwood.

Obama! Obama! He's our man, if he can't do it no one can! :-)

Gotta say (none / 0) (#15)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 12:48:51 PM EST

this is a pretty funny story. "Oops, did I say the Selma march? Sorry, I meant, cough, er, uh, when's lunch anyway?"

He's as much of a country club BSer as the rest of them. Kinda disappointing really.

As an aside, he was born in '61. I was born in '62. Soon, I suppose, I'll be seeing Pres candidates younger than me. Weird.