It's on, Obama makes his announcement
It was cold, first of all, very cold, but not in the hotel where the Obama family were staying.
At about 9:45 a.m., only moments before his announcement event was scheduled to begin, Obama, his wife Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 7, and Sasha, 6, surrounded by a troop of surly looking security guards and police, walked out to the motorcade which would take them to two blocks to the Old Capitol, and into the history books.
Full text of Obama's announcement speech here.
Video of the announcement speech here.
Please click on pictures to enlarge.
A few moments later, in the holding area inside the Old Capitol,
Obama, asked his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to lead them in prayer before he went on stage. Everyone joined hands.
It was quiet.
Then Obama said, “Let’s go.”
posted by The Inside Dope @ 2/10/2007
8 comments
8 Comments:
If anybody is worried about voting for a Black Man, no need to to fear. A columnist for Salon.com says that Barack is not really black.
She explains her theory on the Colbert Report.
link to video:
http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=9698
I think it's a diversion to argue about anyone's "blackness" but
I don't think it's particularly mysterious what Obama's ethnic heritage is. His mother was a white woman from Kansas, his father a black man from Kenya. End of story.
It is interesting that he's consistently and unquestioningly refered to as being a black candidate for president, in that he's obviously just as must white as he is black.
Or is is just the fact that there's some black in there at all? It shows how certain ethnic groups get people all freaked out.
I imagine that if a candidate had one Mexican parent and one American, they'd make the same big deal of them being supposedly "Mexican".
If a candidate had say, one British and one American parent, wouldn't it be odd if everyone routinely referred to them as a British candidate every time they spoke about them?
But in a case where they had two parents from different European or even Oriental backgrounds, no one would try to pin a particular ethic label on them.
I should add that I just got done watching hours of a conference sponsored by Tavis Smiley and featuring about a dozen very prominent blacks and the subject of Obama came up.
To my surprise, the crowd nearly booed him, and Cornell West was openly dismissive of Obama for both choosing to associate himself with Lincoln as well as the fact that he scheduled his announcement the same day as this major function for black activists.
Tavis Smiley noted that Obama had called him personally that morning to express his regrets at not being able to attend, but when Smiley related this, the crowd still was hostile.
There's definitely a lot of misgivings in the black community, at least among the elites.
A female who authored the book "The End of Blackness" appeared on The Colbert Show" last night and pointed out that to be "black", a person has to be descended from West African slaves, which Obama is not. Colbert tripped her up completely with questions designed to complicate the chore of labeling all the variations in racial make up that is possible, but the author said that Obama wasn't black or white, but rather an "African African-American"
Colbert also got the line of the night in his introduction to the interview by saying that Obama wasn't the first black candidate for president, but he's the first to have a prayer, which is ironic because both Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were ministers. Ha!
So apparently the fact that Obama didn't live through the american experience of many blacks, growing up in urban ghettos or housing projects or otherwise exposed to and forced to cope with living in an underclass, many blacks now see him as trying to claim the benefits of identifying himself as black, but without paying the cost and is therefore, not "black enough".
A very interesting sociological phenomena.
I guess we're going the way of sarcasm...? Ok, then, in light of the debate whether Obama is a "real" black, I'd say that at least the trucks were black.
Take down these inappropriate photos of Barack's children. What kind of wack job are you anyway? Leave his kids alone!
What kind of perv thinks there's anything wrong with those pictures? You better have a little look at your inner instincts.
And while you're at it, you better start your bitching at Obama's own campaign. They feature pictures of his children on his campaign site as well.
Guess they're "whack-jobs" too, eh?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom
Get a life.
Blocking Obam's exit and shooting photos of his children is highy unacceptable.
It's one thing ask someone to pose for a family photo, but it is another to focuse undue attention on someone elses children. That eye have to explain this to you makes is sad. It makes me question your level of maturity.
A "real" photographer would not push his or her way into a subjects life. Nor would a "real" reporter cross the ethical and personal lines that YOU have. Only an anonymass slime bucket would do what you have done. If you had a brain in your thick head, you would be ashamed of yourself.
Take down these photos as right now they tell us more about you and your desires than they do about the candidate.
You are not a papparrazzee! You work for us. Grow some class!
And you're a semi-literate crank who doesn't know what they're talking about in the slightest.
I don't know what your hang-up is, whether you're trying to throw your weight around somehow in a pathetic way, or if you're just pissed that I was able to get some great pictures, or what weird resaon you feel the need to attack me for this. I guess I'll leave that to your shrink and your conscience, if you have one.
And the fact you think a mere picture of a young girl is somehow perverted or suggestive says something about your little demons. To everyone else, it's just a cute picture.
For starters, I didn't "push" my "way into a subjects life".
Since you're obviously spouting your ignorant views without the slightest idea of the situation, let me help you out.
There were probably 200 people in the hotel lobby when the Obama family left for the event. EVERY ONE OF THEM taking pictures like mad.
The lobby was cordoned off with many police and security guards there because they EXPECTED A CROWD. There was a wide clear path for the Obama's to exit, no one was in anyone's way in the slightest. Do the pictures look like I was in front of them? Then how could I be "blocking Obama's exit", you freaking moron?
The time it took the Obamas to exit the elevator and exit the door took all of perhaps one minute. During that time I was pushed and jostled and trying to even get a clear shot over the crowd which had crammed into the lobby to see him.
I simply started shooting pictures of what I could see. The only clear spot was directly in front of me, and when they passed in front of me, I took some pictures. For most of the way from the elevator to the door there were people in my way, so I had even less time to get some shots. I took about 10 pictures in about a half minute, or one every few seconds. I was just pointing and shooting as fast as I could and didn't even know what I'd gotten pictures of until I got home and saw how they turned out. The whole thing was over in an instant.
If you think there's something wrong with that, I don't know what to tell you, except to shut up and butt out.
So with hundreds of cameras going off and people crowding the ropes to shake his hand, and with both Barack and Michelle pausing to smile and greet people, the suggestion that I "focused undue attention" on them or their kids is the stupidest and most ridiculous notion imaginable. I don't know how you suggest it without being embarassed.
You better get ragging on the Obama campaign for placing "undue attention" on their children as well since they posted shots of them on the campaign site. And no, the shots weren't "posed" either.
Hang it up, you dimwitted jerk. If you're pissed that I got some great pictures, keep it to yourself as no one else on the planet shares your twisted view. All I've gotten is compliments on them from everyone else.
And by the way, I do NOT work for people like you. If you think you can dictate what I do or how I do it, or if you even think I somehow have an obligation to you, you are very sadly mistaken. Why should I ever feel like doing you a favor? What have you done for me? Other than fire off your little hissy fits over and over?
If anyone with the campaign or of any importance had any problems with those pictures, they could have very easily gotten in touch with me by e-mail, not send idiotic anonymous comments. I haven't heard a thing.
As a matter of fact, I hope to send the shots I took to the campaign. I'm sure the Obamas would appreciate them. It was part of an historic moment and one I'm sure they'd enjoy muchless find anything objectionable about them.
You really are thinking too hard. Take a break. Find someone else to push around to feed your sense of self-importance.
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