Obama speaks to the NAACP

Senator Barack Obama spoke to the NAACP Monday night in Cincinnati and called for Americans of all stripes to take more responsibilty in rebuilding the country.

Obama pledged that if elected he would help remove the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding in America and fight discrimination "from every corner of our country." But he also called on corporate America, government leaders and individuals to exercise more responsibility.

Speaking at the 99th Annual Convention of the nation's oldest civil rights organization, Obama said the NAAACP serves as "a powerful reminder of the debt we all owe to those who marched for us and fought for us and stood up on our behalf; of the sacrifices that were made for us by those we never knew; and of the giants whose shoulders I stand on here today." 

"It is because of them," Obama said, "that I stand before you tonight as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America."

Speaks On Responsibility

Obama was greeted warmly by a supportive audience, but his remarks on responsibility generated most of the news attention from the mainstream media. "CEOs have to recognize that they have a responsibility not just to grow their profit margins, but to be fair to their workers, and honest to their shareholders and to help strengthen our economy as a whole," Obama said

Washington has responsibilities too, he said, starting with "restoring fairness to our economy by making sure that the playing field isn't tilted to benefit the special interests at the expense of ordinary Americans."

The Democratic presidential nominee also waded into the issue of personal responsibility, a subject that prompted the Rev. Jesse Jackson last week to criticize Obama during a session he did not realize was recorded on Fox News.

"So yes, we have to demand more responsibility from Washington," Obama said. "And yes we have to demand more responsibility from Wall Street. But we also have to demand more from ourselves."

"Now, I know some say I've been too tough on folks about this responsibility stuff. But I'm not going to stop talking about it," the Illinois senator said. "Because I believe that in the end, it doesn't matter how much money we invest in our communities, or how many 10-point plans we propose, or how many government programs we launch - none of it will make any difference if we don't seize more responsibility in our own lives."

Obama encouraged parents to turn off the TV, put away their children's video games and attend parent-teacher conferences, help their kids with their homework, and not allow images on television to tell young girls what they are worth.

He also spoke of the need to reach young men by letting them know "what makes them men is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one." And the candidate said "we have to fight for all those young men standing on street corners with little hope for the future besides ending up in jail."

Promises To Keep

Citing problems with failing schools, predatory lending practices, and the rise of poverty, Obama said the nation still needs to address those issues, and ended each discussion with the phrase, "We have more work to do."

In one of the more sweeping promises of the speech, Obama promised to fix the nation's health care system. "We're not going to do it 20 years from now or 10 years from now, we're going to do it by the end of my first term as President of the United States of America," he said.

"And if people tell you that we cannot afford to invest in education or health care or fighting poverty, you just remind them that we are spending $10 billion a month in Iraq. And if we can spend that much money in Iraq, we can spend some of that money right here in Cincinnati, Ohio and in big cities and small towns in every corner of this country."

Obama ended his speech with a promise if elected. "I will come back here next year on the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, and I will stand before you as the President of the United States of America. And at that moment, you and I will truly know that a new day has come in this country we love."