Obama and the "Joshua Generation"

[Perky]

Ok this is really meant for those who ACTUALLY LISTENED TO THE WHOLE SELMA SPEECH.

In that speech, Obama referenced MLK as "having seen the promised land", but noted that like Moses (an as King himself noted in Memphis) that King did not lead them into what was promised. That it would take a new Generation.

It was almost as if Obama was taking on the mantle of a Joshua-type nearly 40 years after the death of Moses. Lot of symbolism to be sure but here is the question:

Was it presumptive? Is he right?

It seems to me that he was telling the current generation (from John Lewis to Andy Young to Jesse to Sharpton i) with a velvet sledgehammer: to step aside and let him lead the next stage of the struggle.

A pretty audacious thing to do considering the place and who all was in the audience.

[sandnsea]

1. I didn't think so

I thought he was telling them their work was honored and they could rest peaceful knowing "the Joshua Generation" was going to pick up the cause and march on. I thought it was an amazing speech, respectful of the giants of history and inspirational for the next generation.

[Perky]

2. What also struck me was that John Lewis

Who, more than any other other living american, carries the burdens and the scars of the Civil Rights Struggle invited Obama to Keynote at Brown AME and while not officiallly doing so ye,t has all but endorsed his candidacy while Sharpton has been been saying "He is not black like us" (not a Plantation Black...does not share our burdens).

Is there a divide in the black community regarding looking towards the past rather than looking towards the future?

Seems to me that this is a brillaint political finesse by Obama. By appealinf to black america to look to the future (and thus picking a fight with some of the old heroes) He is also making an appeal to white moderate-onservative voters in the south that he is also of a new generation and that he is able to speak as the embodiement of the "I have a dream" speech.

[Perky]

3. kicking this dead horse one last time