During his campaign for Presidency, Barack Obama was under the attack of rumors based on his name, his race, and his origins. I was only about 7 to 8 during the campaign so I never paid attention to this presidential election. But I am aware of the discrimination in our society and I'm sure it played a big role for him. In his speech in 2008 at the Constitution Center, he addressed some rumors and controversies surrounding him at the time to reconstruct his ethos and to further strengthen his presidency. A lot of people attacked him for not being an American, asking him to prove that he was born in the U.S. and claiming that he is a Muslim. Due to the effect of 911, a lot of people in U.S. had a discriminatory mindset toward Muslims and it would be beneficial for Obama to cut the connection and prove his Christianity.
In his speech, He briefly discussed his family background to prove his American status. He states that “I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas” (122). He mentions how his grandparents served in the WWI to appeal to the audience who are affiliated with the U.S. military to make the point that he is an American qualified for Presidency. Even for the audience not affiliated with the military, his claim conveys the message that his ancestors are ordinary Americans who fought for the country and thus he should be considered an American.
With regards to controversial remarks made by Reverend Wright, Obama’s pastor, Obama acknowledges them and attempts to distant himself from the radical ideas while also appreciating Reverend Wright for what he has done. He describes Reverend’s statement as “a profoundly distorted view of this country—a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America” (123). Basically, Obama claims that Wright’s word extremely exaggerates the issue of racism in America. If he does not clarify that he does not agree with his paster’s radical statements, he would lose a lot of votes from white Americans who are angered by the statements. However, by condemning Reverend Wright’s statements, he can be seen as cold-hearted by some audience because Reverend was a key figure in Obama’s life who introduced him to Christianity. Obama praises Wright by stating that “as imperfect as [Reverend Wright] may be, he has been like family to me…I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community…[these people] are part of America, this country that I love” (124). He recognizes the accomplishments of Reverend Wright to seem more affectionate. Obama is saying that Reverend Wright is a good person and his controversial remarks should not be used to define him as a person. By clarifying his relationship with Reverend Wright’s ideas but also noting that Reverend simply made a mistake by magnifying the issues in America, Obama effectively rebuilds the audience’s trust in him.
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