This morning, Fox News aired a speech of Obama from 2007, where he discusses how the federal government did not waive a Stafford Law to send aid to Katrina victims, suggesting racism in the federal government, and later gives praise to Rev. Wright, Obama’s controversial pastor that Obama later denounced and resigned from Wright’s church. Is this a way for the Romney administration to steer the public eye away from his “47 percent” video right before a debate?
During the speech, Obama discusses how the government waived the Stafford Law to help the victims of 9/11 and other hurricane survivors, but were hesitant when it came to Katrina victims. He also gives praise to Reverend Wright, his former pastor. In 2008, when Wright’s sermons became extremely skewed and backwards, Obama denounced his Reverend and chose to resign from Wright’s congregation.
This same video was spotlighted back in 2008 by conservatives, but it never received much air time. However, there are portions of the speech that were not previously released but this fuller version covers the speech in its entirety, and is doesn’t seem to uncover and new information. With this video just now surfacing, it seems to be a last ditch effort to draw attention away from Romney’s “47 percent” speech that was uncovered a few weeks ago.
On the Fox talk show, Hannity, they dissect many different elements of the speech that are upsetting to him and viewers. Elements such as the way Obama’s voice changes when he is talking to a predominately black audience. Hannity describes this change in the cadence of his voice and the words he chooses are racially aggressive and are used to whip up race hatred.
The Obama administration came forward, stating that this video was extensively covered by the media, but the Daily Caller released the video this morning with portions that were not previously aired. Obama’s spokesman Ben LaBolt stated, “In a transparent attempt to change the subject from his comments attacking half of the American people, Mitt Romney’s allies recirculated video of a 2007 event that was open to and extensively covered by the press at the time. The only thing shocking about this is that they apparently think it’s wrong to suggest that we should help returning veterans, children leaving foster care and other members of Mitt Romney’s 47 percent get training that will allow them to find the best available jobs. If the Romney campaign believes that Americans will accept these desperate attacks tonight in place of specific plans for the middle class, it’s they who are in for a surprise.”
Question:
What do you guys think of the video? Do you think that this video is damaging to his reelection and how so?
