March 21, 2008
Posted: March 21st, 2008 01:20 PM ET
Obama is looking to quell controversy over a remark he made about his grandmother.
Obama is looking to quell controversy over a remark he made about his grandmother.

(CNN) – At the tail end of a week spent addressing the thorny issue of race in America, Barack Obama is responding to fresh criticism for using the words “typical white person” in reference to his grandmother during a radio interview.

Thursday night, Obama told CNN’s Larry King that “what I meant really was that some of the fears of street crime and some of the stereotypes that go along with that, you know, were responses that I think many people feel. She's not extraordinary in that regard. She's somebody who I love as much as anybody. I mean, she has literally helped to raise me. …

“And so the point I made is that good people, people who are not in any way racist, are still subject to some of these images and stereotypes and that it's very hard to escape from them,’’ Obama said.

Obama, who mentioned his grandmother during a speech on race he delivered in Philadelphia Tuesday, had told the hosts of a sports radio show in that city that his grandmother was not a racist, “…but she is a typical white person who, you know, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know, there is a reaction that has been bred into our experiences that don’t go away and sometimes come out in the wrong way…”

He added that that was the “nature of race in our society, and we have to break through it,” saying that he saw each generation “feeling a little less like that.”

Conservative critics immediately reacted, saying his use of the phrase “typical white person” was a racist characterization.

When King asked if the comment might hurt his campaign, Obama responded: “I think that my campaign has always been built on a confidence in the American people, that we can talk honestly about issues, that we can acknowledge that they're complicated, that we can disagree without being disagreeable…”

Race has come to the forefront in the Democratic race recently, with comments by Clinton supporter Geraldine Ferraro that Obama would not be a major presidential candidate if he were white, and a new focus on the controversial remarks about 9/11 and other issues by the Illinois senator’s former minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

Watch Obama explain his comments on Larry King Live here.

Filed under: Barack Obama


Sly   March 21st, 2008 6:18 pm ET

goodness gracious.. CNN is looking for anything they can pick at. tell me, who had objection to his words? was there some big up-roar with voters somewhere?

or did CNN decide, "hey, this looks like a good thing to pick at! let's turn it into an issue and SAY that there is fresh criticism"

get real...

OBAMA 08!

Comments have been closed for this article

subscribe RSS Icon
About The Ticker

The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team, with campaign coverage, 24-7. Sign up for our twice daily Ticker emails. Got a news tip or feedback? For complete political coverage, bookmark CNNPolitics.com.

CNN=Politics Screensaver

CNN=Politics ScreensaverTap into the power of The Situation Room. Download this powerful new tool that keeps you posted on the latest political news from the campaign trail.
Download (4.1 MB, PC only)

twitter
hambypCNN: @AP_Ken_Thomas excellent duane spencer reference. let's try to work in lee scruggs, too, before the season ends.
Updated: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:14:50 -0800
@wolfblitzercnn: Shocking - what's happening in Baghdad. Five terror attacks. More than 100 killed and 400 injured amid fears the violence will increase.
Updated: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:08:29 -0800
hambypCNN: Kaine vs. Steele on Situation Room today in 6P hour.
Updated: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:55:02 -0800
@edhenrycnn: My colleague Dan Lothian and I show what's it's like on the road with the President - http://bit.ly/7XSU53 #cnn
Updated: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:09:21 -0800
hambypCNN: Big game for the Hoyas tonight against Butler @ 7PM. @moelleithee, @mikemadden and @karentravers will be watching, and you should too.
Updated: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:04:26 -0800
Categories
Powered by WordPress.com VIP