Gingrich Criticizes Obama for Mentioning Grandmother in Speech

One of the most emotional and powerful passages of Barack Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech was the anecdote about his white grandmother who occasionally "uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes."

I can no more disown [former Trinity United Church of Christ pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright] than I can my white grandmother -- a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

That passage—and the Obama's perceived disrespect to his own grandmother—is being attacked by the left and the right. FOX News—the same network that has been broadcasting snippets of Rev. Wright's sermons for the past year—quickly jumped on the bandwagon. Media Matters reports serial adulterer and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) appeared on Fox News' Your World and blasted the speech on race and politics as "intellectually, fundamentally dishonest. ... To reduce a 20-year relationship with a public figure to his grandmother is just wrong. It's emotionally powerful, but it's just wrong."

By invoking the image of a well-meaning and loving "white grandmother" who occasionally uttered racial sterotypes in front of her biracial grandson, Obama perfectly crystallized the inherent and latent racism that is intertwined in our social and cultural DNA. Maybe Gingrich listened to a different speech and tuned out the part on family and integrity. Wouldn't be the first time—this is the same guy who divorced one wife when she was recovering from cancer and his second wife when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Talk about being "emotionally powerful" and "just wrong."

From Rod 2.0 reader Andy in Seattle: "Surely it must be a different Newt Gingrich, as the person portrayed above is hardly someone I'd go to for lessons on sensitivity about anything, much less on the delicacies of race relations in the United States."

Gingrich, Hume Criticize Obama [Media Matters]

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Comments

[Andy Niable]

Okay--is this the same Newt Gingrich who divorced his FIRST wife of 19 years while she was in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment?

Is this the same Newt Gingrich who divorced his SECOND wife after only eight months when he found out she had Multiple Sclerosis--and asked for the divorce by phone on Mother's Day?

Surely it must be a different Newt Gingrich, as the person portrayed above is hardly someone I'd go to for lessons on sensitivity about anything, much less on the delicacies of race relations in the United States.

[Greg G]

OMG. Andy you are sooo "wright" it's "wrong."

[Duwayne]

Well I found it odd that Obama made that reference to his grandmother. My grandmother says crazy things too but I wouldn't talk about her like that in front of a national audience when defending a racist pastor. I don't think he used his best judgement comparing the two.

[Rod Mc]

Andy, as you left your comment, the page was being updated Newt's antics. I added your tag from comments. Thanks!

[Brad W]

Hi, I just heard you on Signorile discussing Obama, Rev. Wright and black gay men. Thanks for speaking out on this! Rev. Wright has done much good, I'm sorry he's being demonized by all this!

[Andy Niable]

Luther, with all due respect: this race will be over when the people of all the states have voted in the primary. The way the system was designed. It might be boring, it might be unpleasant because of negative attacks or because it exposes the diseases of racism, classism, and sexism endemic in the American political D.N.A. But it's the system we have and I prefer it to monarchical ascension or corrupt usurption by bloody coup. Democracy isn't easy, but it's what we have. Let us suffer through and work hard toward victory for whomever carries our ideas and issues into the fall election.

[Eye of the Storm]

Andy is right, let this play out. This has beena helluva week for Obama and the ride will only get worse. (sp?) If he will be the nominee, he will need all the help he can get from the Hillary supporters and many "Democrats" that he railed against, being allo post-partisan and all. If it's Hillary, hey, at least the old girl knows how to fight the Repubs. Barack and his campaign didn't see this coming, and I don't know why they fumbled this so badly.

[49th and 9th]

It's rather presumptous of Mr. Gingrich to talk abnout family, no?

[sundaydinner]

This is not the first year in American history that race has been "toyed" with to sway an election. Every citizen in this country is aware that white people from all avenues continually cultivate this idea of race superiority. There is absolutely no such thing as a "color-blind" liberal--Hill, Bill, or Gerri; or a moderately racist conservative the likes of Sen. John Mc Cain. This will only diminish when "white" people vacate the idea that pale skin is some sort of dominant genetic trait. Moreover, this is perhaps the reason Newt Gingrich found it doubly offensive; the idea that a black man with mixed ancestry can equate his "white" racially superior grandmother to likes of an ill-tempered "black" racially inferior pastor. What then would Mr. Gingrich's comments have been if Sen. Obama had referenced a racist episode derived from his African grandmother?

[Rod McCullom]

this is perhaps the reason Newt Gingrich found it doubly offensive; the idea that a black man with mixed ancestry can equate his "white" racially superior grandmother to likes of an ill-tempered "black" racially inferior pastor.

You're absolutely correct. Never even thought of that angle.

[Andy Niable]

Good point, Sundaydinner.

The Republicans can addresse racial sensitivity when their presumed nominee McCain is willing to repudiate his past--and continuing--use of the term "gooks" to describe the Vietnamese.