Obama Race Video: “Bombshell” or Just Old News?

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In one of the latest moves by conservative allies such as the Drudge Report, and Fox News’ Sean Hannity, a five-year-old video of Barack Obama speaking at Hampton University has been aired for its racially charged content. Yet despite what they tout it as, many have remarked that the video as tepid at best.

Sean Hannity claimed the video was a “bombshell…. that could dramatically impact the race for the White House.” He also blamed the “left-wing press” for “hiding” the speech.  Fox Commentator Tucker Carlson commented on the show that Obama used a “phony” accent.

Obama discussed the L.A. riots and government response to Hurricane Katrina, characterizing the poor as being in a state where they have a bullet in their arm that needs to be surgically removed. “People in Washington, they wake up, they’re surprised: ‘There’s poverty in our midst! Folks are frustrated! Black people angry! Then there’s gonna be some panels, and hearings, and there are commissions and there are reports, and then there’s some aid money, although we don’t always know where it’s going–it can’t seem to get to the people who need it–and nothin’ really changes, except the news coverage quiets down and Anderson Cooper is on to something else.”

  

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The Drudge characterizes the video as  “Obama describ[ing] a racist, zero-sum society.” This is far from the consensus, however, and many think the reason that it got so little air time five years ago is because it is not all that important.

Some of the most racially charged comments, on would suppose, include when Obama said “What’s happening down in in New Orleans? Where’s your dollar? Tells me that somehow that people down in New Orleans — they don’t care about as much,” which might suggest that the botched relief aid to New Orleans was based on the city having a high population of blacks.

Despite the New York Times implication that Romney’s campaign is trying to make a parallel expose to the one he received with the “47 percent” comment, Romney’s campaign denies playing any part in it.

Newsbusters, meanwhile, a conservative media watchdog, claims that media are “out in force” to insist that the video is “old news and nothing that should concern anybody.” With this link to the video, you can decide.