When Obama gets pissed – The Carpetbagger Report

Ask the family in Baghdad burying half their members as the result of a “miss” by some hotshot frat-rat fighter jock in his F-16 dropping 500-lb bombs on inhabited neighborhoods who the “terrorists” are….

I really believe this will be a blessing in disguise: Obama is putting the distance between the two of them that is needed. But I wonder if Wright is crazy like a fox by forcing this reaction–surely this deflate the Repub 527’s. If he is, then maybe he and Barak can have the last laugh.

Predictions: The Talevan will leap all over Obama for attacking a minister. And Faux News will revive the Obama is a Stealth Jihadist smear in 5…4…3…

I dunno. My first emotional reaction was “You two guys, SHUT UP! Wright, keep your freaking mouth shut so Obama can campaign without you in the middle of everything.”

As I say, I dunno what it’ll do.”

Interesting, this whole Wright redemption tour was organized by Axelrod’s PR firm. Thumbs up, boys. Great job. I think a big problem for Obama will be that Wright is the same man he met 20 years ago. There is nothing in Wright’s speeches or actions that suggest any different.

I agree with Neil on this.

““But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS; when he suggests that Minister Farrakhan somehow represents one of the greatest voices of the 20th and 21st century; when he equates the U.S. wartime efforts with terrorism — then there are no excuses.”

Following up on the post in my previous thread, in which I said that Wright’s speech to the National Press Club was “enlightening”, I must have brushed over the AIDS and “greatest voices” parts. I honestly don’t remember hearing him say or imply those things (in the Q&A, Wright highlighted the fact that nobody else could get a million people to show up anywhere, and that because of his influence, Farrakhan deserves to be listened to…made sense to me). To be honest, I don’t know the first thing about government/AIDS and Farrakhan is certainly not one of our “greatest voices”.

On the other hand, I clearly remember Wright responding to a question about 9/11 by saying something to the effect that if we commit terrorism, then we should expect to have terrorism committed against us. Obviously, applying our limited definition of terrorism, America doesn’t commit terrorist acts. However, if we expand the definition of terrorism (as I believe Wright intended) to include disregard for “collateral damage” (the term itself confirms such disregard) or disregard for indirect consequences of our actions (e.g. Pinochet and soccer stadiums), then he might have a point.

Obama did what he had to do. But as an electorate, we still have a lot of growing to do.

I suppose it’s churlish and unpatriotic to point out that one of the reasons for a wall between church and state is so that obscure pastors don’t become “major” campaign issues. If you’re going to have your clergymen speak for the nation, then you wind up having to vet their beliefs, and making sure they are acceptable. With churches outnumbering 7-11s in this country, do we really have that kind of time?

#3 DebbyeOh: If he is, then maybe he and Barak can have the last laugh.

yes, i sort of get the impression of redford & newman in blackface puttin’ a good old fashioned Sting on all the Lonnegans out there. both of them are willing to play their parts to achieve the greater good — folks who are only lookin’ for pride will surely miss the beauty of this lila.

Ugh. I don’t know what to think. After hearing Sharpton’s remarks about Obama, too, I get the sinking feeling that the old guard, this time the black version, would rather destroy Obama than allow him to succeed. He’s always toed a thin line, embracing his heritage while trying to chart a new way for both his race and the American people. But the old guard fears losing its relevancy. I bet were Wright not Obama’s preacher, he would’ve endorsed Hillary a year ago. Obama’s struggle isn’t just against whites.

Hey, Tom C-
As I know that you are a writer, your comments here confuse me. This is the perfect example of “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”
Have you seen “Why We Fight”?
Until we move away from Empire & militarism, a more stealthy approach is needed to get the votes. Calling our military terrorists pushes the feeble minded to come out and vote Republican. (“These aren’t the robots you want.”)
It’s sad, but I believe it’s true, just like your comment.

So that’s Obama angry?

Really?

But I did like his push back on the “he’s just saying that because he’s a politician” meme.

I think Wright must be an idiot, but then if Johnny (#6) is right about Axelrod’s firm setting this up, so is Obama.

This is win-win for Obama, I think.

If Wright doesn’t respond, then things work out well — the media sees the distance between the two now, and voters hopefully will too. If Wright comes back, that distance will only be accentuated more.

Again, this is Obama’s Sister Souljah moment, and one that should help him with independents and white voters.

It would be best if Wright disappeared from public view, but if he doesn’t it might be better to have Wright attack Obama. Fortunately this is happening now and not in October. By November hopefully the average voter will see Wright as someone opposed to Obama and not someone connected to him, limiting any harm to Obama.

You must be in error. Everything I’ve been saying for months clearly paints the picture of two men inseparably tied at the hip. If there was any question about that, we would have interviewed Wright during one of our many 100s of hours of discussion on this issue to ask him.

Mike said:
Following up on the post in my previous thread, in which I said that Wright’s speech to the National Press Club was “enlightening”, I must have brushed over the AIDS and “greatest voices” parts.

Me too, Mike. I watched as much of Wright’s speech as I could (being an atheist I couldn’t stomach much of it) and i didn’t notice anything egregious in his remarks. I must have missed where he dissed Obama too.

That’s right. Sen. Obama made it quite clear that there’s only room for one vainglorious narcissist here.

But I fear it might be too little, too late. Barack Obama has costantly sought to appear above the political fray, and the Rev. Wright has gently but firmly pulled him off that pedastal and back down to ground level with the rest of us. Obama has become exposed as all meringue and no filling, which of course is a risk any politician runs when his or her campaign chooses to emphasize style and imagery, speaks to issues on an appealing but still very generic level, and seeks to avoid substantive discussion with opponents.

Again, this is Obama’s Sister Souljah moment, and one that should help him with independents and white voters.

“Tonight! An Extra Exclusive on Hardball! Timmy the Trained Monkey asks Jackson, Sharpton and Wright The Most Important Question – Is Obama Black Enough to be the First Black President?!?!?”

Every attack that’s old is new again.

Obviously, applying our limited definition of terrorism, America doesn’t commit terrorist acts.

Which limited definition would that be? The one that explicitly exempt any acts committed by the US?

I think this actually may be a big deal for Obama, especially in upcoming North Carolina (& Indiana). I suspect many in the black community there will be more offended by Obama’s comments against Wright than Wright’s on Obama. No way to win here for Obama. Either castigate Wright and suffer black primary fallout, or don’t, and get clobbered by the non-blacks.

You gotta believe Clinton’s chances of pulling this away have not been brighter in weeks/months.

Johnny and Lance,

The PR firm didn’t know anything about this. Wright’s friend who is a Clinton supporter invited him to speak at the National Press Club. For more details see Politico.

Will this be the week when Democrats look back and say “that’s when we lost the election?”

The trick of the smear is that you can never get far enough away. The entire Q&A after Obama’s remarks was about nuances of Obama’s distancing. It won’t end today. Meanwhile Clinton gets ready to appear on O’Reilly, and the media makes the ability of the candidates to win over “Reagan Democrats” the key measure of electability. Of course, its Republicans who do the best with those old enough to have switched parties in 1980 and their offspring who have been GOP all their lives. McCain can play to that base better than either Obama and Clinton.

This is more a function of the current political logic than of the deadlocked democratic race. The GOP would have found Hillary’s minister by now if she was ahead. As Kerry showed in 2004 it’s not what they say, it’s how you fight back. Will today’s repudiation work for Obama? Based on past experience, no. The narrative is that he waited too long, and wasn’t tough enough, and is, in the end, still guilty by association.

This was the danger back in January when Edwards lost New Hampshire by big margins and was put on life support thereafter. In rejecting Edwards for being too combative and too anti-conservative, Democrats split over two candidates who each promised to be in the center, albeit in different ways. Now that they are in the center they apparently need to go to the right.

Nixon’s adage for Republicans was to run to party’s extreme right in the primary and move towards the middle in the general. For Democrats it’s run right, then run right some more. To get a sense for how little good outreach to the right does, check Fox News to see if Chris Wallace, overcome with new respect for Obama after Sunday’s Fox interview, avoids sensationalizing the Wright controversy.

We have seen this movie every year since at least 1976. Will it ever end?

At the risk of sounding like one of those “Obama can do no wrong” folks, I’d have to say I agree with Debby @ #3 (and others since). This doesn’t hurt either of them, and has the potential to help both. Wright’s not going to gain any converts among those who think he’s an anti-American force for evil; but to those who might be sympathetic to his message he got to yell it much more loudly. At the same time, Obama got a do-over: some (mostly people who probably wouldn’t vote for him anyway, but undoubtedly some in the middle) have been insisting that he needed to more firmly denounce Wright, and he gets to do that. Win-win.

This is nothing but bad news for Obama, unfortunately.

I don’t think the narrative is “he’s totally independent of Wright.”

It’ll be “see, Wright is totally crazy and Obama was full of crap before when he tried to say otherwise.” No matter how much Obama distances himself from Wright, this hurts more than it helps.

I don’t know how Obama puts this issue to rest. I don’t see how that works.

This sucks.

Which limited definition would that be?

How about the one that defines terrorism as being acts committed by a stateless entity?

NHCt: “I bet were Wright not Obama’s preacher, he would’ve endorsed Hillary a year ago.”

I see. That explains the Rev. Wright’s comment from last December, that “Hillary ain’t never been called a nigger.”

You know, the nice thing about being the parent of teenagers during an election year is that teens have yet to learn or master the fine adult art of situational rationalization. Because of that lack of “skill”, teens still retain an innate and highly attuned sensitivity to political hypocrisy, and if you observe them they can be a very good barometer for gauging what Steven Colbert calls “truthiness”. Both of my daughters saw Obama’s comments today for what they were, and because they are also two of his more youthful supporters, they’re understandably deflated right now.

You gotta believe Clinton’s chances of pulling this away have not been brighter in weeks/months.

Brighter, sure. Bright enough? I don’t think so, but that’s just IMHO.

Wright sacrificed himself for our sins. Praise Jesus.

Seriously though a cynical observer might note that Wright as an issue wasn’t going away and that it was awesome that he stepped up and said some things that allowed Obama to tell him to piss off but didn’t allow people to say that Obama threw him under the bus.

Either good politics or good fortune. It’s all good either way.

Well, maybe he’s pissed, and technically he did denounce Wright, but did he reject, repudiate, disown, disavow, denigrate, deny, disclaim, renounce, and shun him?

Both of my daughters saw Obama’s comments today for what they were, and because they are also two of his more youthful supporters, they’re understandably deflated right now.

But will they still vote for him in November even tho they’re disappointed in him? If so they’re better democrats than you. You’ve announced that youll only vote for the dem if it’s Hillary.

Actually this was well handled. Obama essentially evolved a position. Now he can disown him while looking human and classy.

The next question is how he’ll deal with this. If he goes on, ignores it – then hits hard, I think he can come out ahead.

A cynical part of me also realizes this could be win-win for him – if he suddenly becomes “the safe ethnic guy” again he might just woo a few potential McCain voters who tended to be on the fence. That’d more than make up for any losses of voters.

After watching his interview on Bill Moyers’ show on PBS, I concluded that Jeremiah Wright is a very intelligent man who rightly is affronted by the ignorance and arrogance of people who deigned to judge him on the basis of some out-takes from his sermons. He had a number of extremely interesting things to say in that interview. [John Stewart showed a clip and quipped, “Oh, PBS, must you remove the flavor from everything?”] But, apparently some of his actions and comments during his appearance at the National Press Club provided fodder for his critics and the ringmasters of the corporate media.

I agree that Reverend Wright has made some valid observations regarding American foreign policy; however, some of those observations touch a “third rail” of American politics – decry it if you want to, but reality bites. If one messes with the bull (no pun intended) of American mythology, one can expect to deal with the horns. So, Tom Cleaver, I do not doubt the truth of your observation that those on the receiving end of American fire power in Baghdad will view the American military as the moral equivalent of a terrorist. Dead people are just as dead, and the grief family members feel is the same. But, I daresay you would get nowhere running for a statewide, let alone national, elective office by delivering that message – particularly with your characterization of “frat-rat” fighter pilots. Voters need to trust Obama in order to give him their vote. If the actions and words of Reverend Wright frighten them away or keep them from taking him seriously, that is a problem.

It’s not a good thing for Obama to dis Wright, and he can’t pay homage to his heritage here because he is Kenyan and Caucasian, not the descendant of slaves. He had no history period in the “African American” community and Wright was his entry into it. So now he wants to denounce him, and claim that he’s not the same man that he met 20 years ago – to appease middle class white male voters? He is playing a dicey game in my opinion because I don’t know if he can get that demographic at any cost; but with his denouncement of Wright and by turning his back on Tavis Smiley he may make a signifigant piece of the black electorate re-think their support of him.

How about the one that defines terrorism as being acts committed by a stateless entity?

…or a state entity deemed by George Bush to be evil. Exactly what I said, that definition is an arbitrary and explicit exemption allowing the US to commit acts otherwise indistinguishable from terrorism while claiming it’s not terrorism.

“I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia, explaining that he has done enormous good in the church,” he said. “But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS; when he suggests that Minister Farrakhan somehow represents one of the greatest voices of the 20th and 21st century; when he equates the U.S. wartime efforts with terrorism — then there are no excuses. They offend me. They rightly offend all Americans. And they should be denounced, and that’s what I’m doing very clearly and unequivocally here today.”

It’s funny, I heard Rev. Wright on Bill Moyers and watched his NAACP speech on CNN, and saw snippets of his press conference on CNN as well. I didn’t see him say the things Sen. Obama attributes to him. On AIDS he said sarcastically at the press conference that he would not put anything by the U.S. govt. after its history, including the Tuskeegee experiment in the 1940s. Rev. Wright was very clear that he did not agree with Farrakhan but said you have to acknowledge that a lot of people listen to him. He didn’t refer to Farrakhan as great, just influential, and did note that his influence was great.

The NAACP speech was entertaining and informative, but raised some questions for me about Rev. Wright’s views on education, for example he claims African Americans learn differently, with a left brain, “subjective” oral learning tradition as opposed to a right brain, “objective” tradition (learning from words on paper). He noted the first books of the Bible originated in Africa and were passed on orally before being transcribed. He was quoting books concerning educational studies to support his claim, but it left open the issue of whether he really thinks there is a cultural (or genetic?) difference so deep that African Americans can’t perform as well in traditional western school settings.

If he argued that urban schools are underfunded no one would disagree. In fact you can make a strong argument that flight to the suburbs, the way district lines are drawn and the way school districts are funded with local property taxes all explain the inequality in educational opportunities in this country.

When he tries to make a broad argument that learning to read and write and use language (in our information age) is something that one race or the other has an inherent advandage in, it’s a bit too much to swallow.

His best line at the press conference was when someone asked if he was a patriot. He said I served my country for six years. How long did Dick Cheney serve?

I think we are seeing political theater in action.

After Pennsylvanis, Obama saw the Wright issue was still hurting him.

So he and Wright conspired for Wright to say something totally outrageous so Obama could denounce him and pretend it was because of something new- implying that Wright had never been like this before.

Anyone who watched the sermoms of Wright though realized that yesterday is very typical of how Wright has acted for the last twenty years. As Obama well knew.

What I can’t believe is that you guys fall for it and still can’t see Obama for what he is-
A shameless phony politician who has no real substance and is only interested in his own self-advancement.

This anger is BS and poll driven and not authentic at all..

Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.

– Peter Ustinov

“The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago…”

Right, Wright Magically changed over the past few days…sure he did. BTW, Obama, read your Dreams from My Father again…

21 NWTRNR said:

I think this actually may be a big deal for Obama, especially in upcoming North Carolina (& Indiana). I suspect many in the black community there will be more offended by Obama’s comments against Wright than Wright’s on Obama. No way to win here for Obama.

Not just wrong. But dumb wrong.

The whole premise presupposes that black folk don’t get the subtleties of national politics and posturing. You are an idiot NWTRNR… not an anthropologist. The good folk understand “Kabuki theater.” They’ve seen instances of it used against them for decades. They are smart enough to know when it is being used for them and against them. Clinton is going down the drain in N. Carolina. And nothing can be done to stop the plumbing.

Micheline said: “The PR firm didn’t know anything about this. Wright’s friend who is a Clinton supporter invited him to speak at the National Press Club. For more details see Politico.”

I had a hard time believing that the Obama Campaign were quite that dumb. Thanks for the link.

Clinton may be going down the drain in North Caolina because of those who decided to back an unknown quantity like obama but if you can’t see that the democrats will go down the drain in November if Obama is the nominee then you ain’t looking at this mess through objective eyes.

Looks like Obama’s “denunciantion” of Wright today was based on the fact that he got bad poll numbers last night. See below. His campaign is going from inspiration to disillusionment in record time.

Someone Was Doing Wright-Polling in N.C.
Posted by: Mary Katharine Ham at 2:50 PM
Gee, I wonder why Obama, the anti-political posturer, disowned Wright today. My dad got a call last night that might explain.

I got some more information about that call.

It was a live call last night around 7 p.m., not a robocall. The woman on the phone identified herself as with a polling firm of some sort, but did not indicate that she was working at the behest of either campaign.

The call was 6 or 7 minutes long and started with “Are you a registered Democrat?”

After that question, the caller asked, “How closely have you been following the Rev. Wright story,” to which the voter could answer “Very closely,” “Somewhat Closely,” and “Not Closely at all.”

The next question was, “How has your view of Obama been affected by this story,” to which the voter could answer along the lines of, “It’s the same,” “It’s somewhat more negative,” “It’s somewhat more positive.”

The caller read two statements from Hillary and Obama from the trail and asked which the voter agreed with.

The last question was, “Are you leaning toward voting for Obama or Hillary on Tuesday.”

All of these questions are best approximations based on talking to one person who got the call last night.

I watched the entire interview with Bill Moyers and his speech to the Press Club, and I agree with those who watched it as well. The Reverend is a very bright and well informed person with a frame of reference that is his own, and part of his black experience. I didn’t hear anything that inflammatory unless some remark is taken out of context and turned into a sound bite. I wish we could all move on; it is not the good reverend who is running for public office, after all.

For a minute I was scared that he will mention his typical white grandma again. I have to admit that his better sense prevailed this time.

Lance,

According to Marc Ambinder, since this whole controversy Wright and Obama only one conversation. It wasn’t pleasant.

As for the Obama campaign being stupid, I have been wondering that myself because for the past few months he and his campaign have made too many unforced errors. I mean at times HRC have made dumb mistakes but they have been along the lines of oversight rather than inexperience.

I am sorry about but the post should read:

Lance,

According to Marc Ambinder, since this whole controversy [erupted] Wright and Obama [had] only one conversation. I And it wasn’t pleasant.

As for the Obama campaign being stupid, I have been wondering that myself because for the past few months he and his campaign have made too many unforced errors. I mean at times HRC have made dumb mistakes but they have been along the lines of oversight rather than inexperience.

If Obama’s poll numbers are so bad then how come a new poll in Indiana has him ahead?

No Obama responded because Wright said he was acting just likea politician last month, you don’t diss a guy who defended you like that

This Wright stuff is interesting and, with regard to whether or not we should support Obama vs. Clinton, totally irrelevant.

Obama is our nominee, and I’m looking forward to having him represent us in the White House!

My opinion regarding Obama’s “repudiation” of Wright: political necessity.

In order for Obama to put this story behind him he needed to do this. I don’t like it, but I see the logic and wisdom of the move. But even more, I see that it was a tormented decision on Obama’s part. He clearly did not want to do it or he would have done so weeks ago, but since the MSM and the Clinton campaign have driven this Wright narrative into a frenzy, he had to make a decisive break.

Politically, it is the right move. Obama is still by far the best person to be the next POTUS.

I watched the entire interview with Bill Moyers and his speech to the Press Club, and I agree with those who watched it as well. The Reverend is a very bright and well informed person with a frame of reference that is his own, and part of his black experience. I didn’t hear anything that inflammatory unless some remark is taken out of context and turned into a sound bite. I wish we could all move on; it is not the good reverend who is running for public office, after all.

I agree. However, given how this has played out, given that the media treats Democratic candidates by a different set of rules than Republican candidates, and given how poisonous this entire Wright-Obama BS-controversy has become (I mean… why in f*ck’s name are people attacking a pastor of a respected church as a way to attack a political candidate, a pastor who, btw, has not called on God to wipe out New Orleans or any other part of America. It is political McCarthyism of the worst sort.)… given how poisonous this has become, in retrospect the best thing Wright could have done was to apologize for the sound bites and then shut up about it.

axt113

They look at trends not one isolated outlier poll. And if you look at how his numbers in North Carolina have gone down- because of a shift in the white vote- and how Clinton has taken the lead in the Gallup Daily tracking poll- it was clear that he decided it was time for him to pretend to get angry at Wright so he could try to recapture some of those indepedents he was losing. Notably, he denounced the same guy he listened to for twenty years spouting the exact same stuff and considered like family- now he “rejects” him without even a phone call.
But clearly Obama could be caught on tape admitting he was just playing politics- and you would refuse to believe it.

The key to the whole thing: caricature.

As long as Obama could say to himself that there was some greater context which ’rounded the edges’ of Wright, he could dismiss the raging MSM.

But when Wright created a caricature of himself, and a caricature of blacks and whites, religion, etc., this was one of the steps too far.

Meanwhile, the McCain-Hagee Armageddon Watch is now at 62 days.

It’s been 62 days since John McCain said he was “very proud” and “honored” to have Pastor John Hagee’s endorsement. But McCain still has not answered – or even been asked – the question: Does John McCain agree with Pastor Hagee that war with Iran is the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy of Armageddon?

For the details, see:
“The McCain-Hagee Armageddon Watch.”

Nellie/Mary, you’re quoting Mary Katharine Ham? From Townhall.com and the Heritage Foundation? Do you have any dignity left at all?

As long as Obama could say to himself that there was some greater context which ’rounded the edges’ of Wright, he could dismiss the raging MSM.

But therein lies the high-wire act Obama has always been engaged in.

I have said this several times, but it rarely fits better than today. The really uphill part of Obama’s effort is that by so strongly selling a fundamental type of change, he is betting that he can make it happen, that the entrenched and interested will let it happen, and that a majority of people really want it to happen badly enough to be motivated to help. Sure, candidates always say “change,” but in a lot of ways, Obama has made the stakes higher than usual. For him to be successful he has to be right that he can precipiate the change of which he speaks. If he can’t, his apparent governing philosphy is likely doomed to fail; the purpose, the motivation for his appeal and much of his support falls away.

It is a bit of an all or nothing bet. but to come back to how tomj set it up in 53, the real issue is that it is not entirely in his control whether he “could dismiss the raging MSM.”

A month ago, Obama gave a great speech where he essentially said “we need to have a long mature dialogue about race, but until we have the time and the maturity, we need to talk about immediate problems and issues in this election other than race.” He challenged the media (and his rivals and the electorate) to move on beyond identity issues in the election.

He has now learned what happens when his rivals, the media, and to some degree the electorate, don’t rise to his challenge.

It may speak ill of all of us if I’m right and the media can get away with what I am about to suggest, but the reality is that if Obama tries to “change the rules of ‘politics as usual'” and the media decides it would rather not change (and the people will not rise up with their eyeballs and dollars to side with Obama), the media will fight him for leadership and will grind him up and hand this thing to McCain on the shiniest silver platter.

I wish him success, I hope it can be done, I hope we prove ourselves ready for that better politics — but for now I remain very, very skeptical.

I’ve read through the comments and am amazed at the cynicism. I believe Senator Obama is angry and saddened. It was clear he felt betrayed by his former pastor. Reverend Wright did insult Senator Obama by dismissing the Philadelphia speech as a response of a politician. Rev. Wright implied that being a pastor made him more of teller of the truth. I think most people know that simply being a leader of a church (no matter the religion) doesn’t make that person the authority on truth. I actually am impressed by Rev. Wright’s intellect and wit. I also probably agree with some of his assertions (mostly on the point of getting what we give to others). I see Senator Obama being able to see the sides of most arguments and tries not to dismiss or offend people. He seems to have the ability to respect differing points of view whether he agrees or not. Out of McCain, Clinton and Obama, Obama seems the least artificial. When he does smiles, it seems to reach his eyes. He either is a better actor than the other two or he is able to be himself more readily. In the big scheme of it all, I just know that either Senators Obama or Clinton will more likely be for the people of America than Senator McCain.

Rev. Wright speaks the truth and Obama has to distance himself from the Rev.

Now, what does that tell us about politics in this country, the electorate (us), and our government?

@Nellie:

I can give you another poll that has Obama going up, you’re judging only by polls that support your view its called confimration bias, Rasmussen, Obama is moving up, Zogby Obama is moving up, only Gallup has him dropping,

As a secularist this debate about Wright is offensive. I feel like we’re back in the late 1800’s when many Americans believed that a Roman Catholic politician would get directions from the Pope. I think we should see if Obama’s RECORD matches with Wright’s greatest hits. So far from what I see that is not the case. People can associate with people without holding the same views.

40. ROTFLMLiberalAO said:

…You are an idiot NWTRNR… not an anthropologist. The good folk understand “Kabuki theater.”…. Clinton is going down the drain in N. Carolina. And nothing can be done to stop the plumbing….

We’ll see soon enough who the real idiot is. With Governor Easly’s endorsement and Obama’s Wright problems, don’t count Clinton out of this in NC.

To everyone in this thread:

If you do not go to Bill Moyers Journal to watch the interview, then go to the National Press Club to watch the speech and Q&A, then you really have no clue what Wright said. The newspaper articles I’m reading are grabbing crap from Wright’s very long career and are not in any way providing accurate meaningful quotes from these last couple of public appearances.

Simply put, Wright is not saying what people think he’s saying. (Except the AIDS thing which is old, and needs to be put in the context of a broader school of thought that existed at that time.)

Right now I’d rather have President Wright than President Obama.

NWTRNR @ 61 – “…don’t count Clinton out of this in NC.”

SurveyUSA: Obama, who has led in the survey by roughly 10 points for most of the last two months, now leads by just 5 points, 49% to 44%.

Please. I, too, agree at some level with the sentiment of much of what Wright is saying. And I saw almost all of the NAACP speech in Detroit and a fair amount of the Press Club appearance (unlike some above, I happened to think the Q & A was his best part).

But many in this thread are letting Wright off way too easy because they agree with his content. The content is not the entire message, and Wright likely knows that better than anyone because he makes a living delivering messages.

Anyone that listens to Wright and does not think he makes calculated use of shock value is willfully ignorant. That is no less a tool in his shed than it is for Madonna, or Mappelthorpe, or Pat Robertson. But when you choose words for the added power they obtain from shock, you really can’t then cry foul when people have a strong reaction. Shock has a well known way of begetting outrage. When you say “God damn America!” – no matter what context, no matter how defensible, anyone but an imbicile – and Wright clearly is not – knows they are playing with fire. When you are a preacher in a single church that no one has heard of and you are quite literally preaching to your own choir, you likely can do that and no one gets burned.

In Detroit, Wright early in his comments did an extended riff on how his “words are not divisive, they are descriptive” — this of course clearly throws down the gauntlet to all who have said otherwise since his greatest hits first hit You Tube. Think they aren’t going to take that bait? (And yes, he knew he was baiting.) When you are already on the national stage, you are already an issue in a Presidential race, there is no way other than sheer arrogance to think you can still play with that fire and have no one get burned: in this case, one of his own flock who just happens to be running for President.

What Wright did this week was willfully, blatantly, confrontationally, and – as to Obama – disrespectfully impolitic. He seems a bright enough man to know that; he doesn’t deserve the free pass he is getting from many Obama supporters for it.

@Mark Gisleson

Mark Wright said he was being just a politicina with his comments, that was disrespecting the guy who defended you, that is not something that everyone can tolerate

unfortunately, wright’s 15 minutes will probably last till november.

of course, as a devout atheist, my biggest problem with barack obama’s pastor is that he has one!

Axt113

As you should know, Rasmussen shows Obama’s numbers significantly down in North Carolina as well. As I quote from their site
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of North Carolina’s Presidential Primary finds Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton 51% to 37%. Earlier this month, Obama led by twenty-three percentage points.

You are similarly wrong on the other polls. The trend is downward.

Also the link about the polling on Obama and Wright in North Carolina came from Mark Ambinder- in my opinion, a reliable source.

The cynicism towards Obama is deserved. If he had any principles about this issue he would have either rejected Wright when his shocking comments first appeared or stood strongly by him.

Instead Obama first lied and pretended that he never heard the comments.

His own book “Dreams of my Father’ showed he was lying on that point as did his year old decision to disinvite Wright from the kickoff of the campaign.

After he was caught in that lie, he didn’t apologize. Instead, he tried the “big speech” in which he admitted he heard the outrageous statements but tried to explain them and said he wouldn’t denounce Wright because he was like family.

Now all of a sudden Obama has no problem denouncing his “family member” even though the present statements of Wright are nothing new. Why does Obama do it? For the simple reason that his poll numbers were hurting. The proof of that is the call from the Obama campaign for all its supporters to drop everything and head down to NC.

Worse- the man Obama tried to liken as an uncle and father figure that he was close to for twenty years when it suited his purposes in the Speech in Philadelphia- Obama now claims that he never really knew him at all.
So I guess that was a lie as well- or else his judgment pretty much sucks.

The flip-flopping on this issue just highlights that Obama is a sham.

If I can’t have Elizabeth Edwards- I’ll take Hillary over this junk which is a sure loser in November. At least Hillary is an experienced fighter and our best chance in the fall since Fla, Ohio and Pa are going to count. The fairy tale that Obama was somehow going to change the electoral map so he could lose these states and still win has been blown to pieces. (Except for those who won’t face reality).

[ding]

Another contribution from me to Obama.

Nellie

Hillary’s as much a warmonger as Bush. I assume you must like war.

If this is the worst thing that Obama has to do to get elected then I consider him pretty lucky.

Our stupid state of pollyanna politics not only requires shameless flag-hugging but it also demands that candidates not have a critical eye when they view America’s ugly past—otherwise they’re called anti-American and cannot get elected. As a country we continue to confuse nationalism and patriotism. It’s just a political reality. Reaching for a better, more enlightened politics doesn’t mean that you ignore current political realities to your own detriment—otherwise Obama would just be another Dennis Kucinich.

I think he’ll pull out of this just fine and will have loudly and publicly distanced himself from Wright, possibly blunting its power as a future attack ad.

So what else do they have to throw it Obama that isn’t his crazy Rev. Wright? Flag pins? Don’t say Rezko, I read that he might have some nice Karl Rove ties.

68. On April 29th, 2008 at 7:04 pm, short fuse said:
[ding]

Another contribution from me to Obama.
—————————————————————–
me too, baby, me too!

[ding]

Another contribution from me to Obama.

Make it three. I just kicked him another $50.

There’s only one thing the media and, by extension, the superdelegates understand — money. If Obama can have a big April for fundraising, he can announce that before the primary and get some buzz.

Dale said:
Me too, Mike. I watched as much of Wright’s speech as I could (being an atheist I couldn’t stomach much of it) and i didn’t notice anything egregious in his remarks. I must have missed where he dissed Obama too.

That is the problem with the naive kool-aid drinkers. They only hear what they want to hear. Obama is finished as a candidate this year. Even if he wins the Democratic Primary the General Election is lost even to the likes of McCain. He should have matured more before running. Unfortunately many of his supporters should have grown-up, left college, experienced life a little outside the college indoctrination camps before jumping on his bandwagon.

I don’t think Obama’s “pissed” so much as he is simply afraid.

Obama cannot have it both ways. In a country where whites expect you to look white, and blacks expect you to act black, a biracial candidate of any party faces the worst of both worlds.

Because he wanted the cake of political privilege, Obama has tried hard to both have and eat it. Though he could not look white, he could act white… and since he looked black, Obama had a head start at being accepted among blacks. But there was that whole “acting black” complication.

How to establish one’s black cultural bona fides, then? Obama decided to associate with authentically black institutions, including the black church community. Unfortunately, in supporting Jeremiah Wright’s alienating creed of black liberation theology, Obama made a terrible (perhaps fatal) error.

So this day, when Obama has to choose between defending his 20-year ties to the radical mentor who helped him climb the black power ladder, or abandoning that mentor in order to pander to dumbfounded whites who thought he was “one of us” … well, this day could have been predicted.

It’s a shame that the Democrats will almost certainly kick off the general election season with a candidate so weary, so wounded, so weighed down by his old albatrosses, that he simply doesn’t have a prayer against a unified and invigorated Republican Party.

Since this debacle is self-inflicted, it’s hard to be sympathetic to Dems, given that they should have vetted Obama with open eyes and yet did not — until now. And now is just too late.

J Cline, I’ve hardly been a big Obama defender, but I have to say that the logical (if unspoken) conclusion of your thesis is that only a white candidate can win, and that the Democrats were foolish to try to change that. If that is not what you are saying, I’d love to hear the explanation. I happen to believe that you have to try something from time to time (like run a minority or a woman candidate) for it to ever get done.

Y’know, it’s a pretty sad day when the folks in Left Blogistan get so screwed up on a distorted version of Truth—and the rabid howling banshees at FoxNoise get it right.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/28/transcript-rev-wright-at-the-national-press-club/

The link provides a transcript of the NPC speech given by Jeremiah Wright. The entire transcript; not the tantalizing tidbits fed to Obama—and the rest of us—by those that sparked this most recent “denouncing.”

Click the link, read the entire transcript—word for freaking word, if you dare—and tell me where he said what he’s being accused of saying.

I made a prediction today in my blog which confirms a prediction I made some time ago that indeed, Barack Obama will be the democratic nominee. I think his absolute denouncement of Rev. Wright which he made today definitely seals his nomination, which may have been a bit questionable even just a week ago, at least from my perspective and despite the high numbers obviously in his favor. McCain is my guy, and he’s going to be a strong opponent to beat. If Barack would have entered the race leaving any doubts as to his feelings with regard to Rev. Wright, the highly publicized and controversial racist speech Wright made before his former church, and the cantankerous speech Wright made Monday at the National Press Club, Barack’s campaign would have been finished. I think democrats might have looked to Hillary as their candidate if only because the Rev. Wright debacle would have proved distracting and frankly, would leave the democratic issues all but in the dust.

Barack still will not be president by my prediction, but he WILL be the democratic nominee for whatever its worth.

#58 ej: “Rev. Wright speaks the truth and Obama has to distance himself from the Rev.

“Now, what does that tell us about politics in this country, the electorate (us), and our government?”

Bingo. This is truly sad. I’m am impressed by Wright, though he does have some provocative things to say. But a lot of truth as well. As a preacher, one in the prophetic tradition, this is his forte. Should he have toned things down a little? Probably, for Obama’s sake. I loved his interview with Moyers. That should have not caused much of a stir and perhaps he should have left it at that. I liked his NAACP speech – he has a good sense of humor. I didn’t agree with everything, but he had good points. Still haven’t seen the Press Club speech or Q&A.

To me this whole thing is the fault of the tabloid press that has taken over the country. Demonize a man who has done much good in his lifetime. Absolutely unfair. Then when he expresses his opinions and the opinions of others, since he is a learned man, even if it’s the truth, he’s vilified. The open-minded and open-hearted understand. But it’s the talking heads and pundits who tell us what we should all believe. I don’t agree with most of them (I rarely watch them). Tell me again why these people are allowed to pollute the airwaves while making a bundle of money? They have no idea what the rest of us think. Yet they think it’s their right to tell us what we should think. So I wish they would shut the f*ck up.

If these talking heads are trying to divide us even further, they are doing a bang up job.

Sorry, I need to add that the tabloid press is shameful in that it CHOOSES what to present to the public. Deceitful. Tell me again why Wright can’t sue these people for defamation of character or slander?

#76. Just read the transcript. Didn’t see anything remotely hateful. Didn’t see anything that was too provacative – except to those ignorant of US history or those too blind to think the US of A can do no wrong.

Still a fan of Rev. Wright.

?

Did Obama truly say this: “If Wright thinks he’s going to sabotage my campaign for his own vanity, narcissism, and desire to grandstand, he’s crazy.”

Because otherwise the use of quotation marks is pretty foolish. Let us know.

Um, M, CB expressly refers to that as the subtext. I think it is clear is was meant to be, in essence, a “thought balloon,” not an actual quote that Obama spoke.

he simply doesn’t have a prayer against a unified and invigorated Republican Party.

Dood! Your adjectives! I do not think they mean what you think they mean.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/us/politics/28text-wright.html?_r=2&sq=&st=nyt&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&scp=6&adxnnlx=1209524700-8FtdUw64aCFQIPhT4O183A

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/us/politics/29text-obama.html?em&ex=1209614400&en=d2ddde5f2a0b02e0&ei=5087

Obama is way out of line when you read the two transcripts. He pisses me off by being unable to stand tall for the Rev. What would he do for us if he cavils like this? He ranks about with Clinton and McCain on the sleaze scale.

Pissed? PISSED? You call that pissed?

He’s expressed more outrage and anger toward Hillary Clinton than he did toward Jeremiah Wright. I mean, really, the guy flips-off Clinton in a speech because he is really pissed. He yowls like an angry dog at the “bitter” pushback (especially toward Hillary Clinton, but also John McCain).

This wasn’t pissed by any.stretch.of.the.imagination!

And it is FAR from over for Obama…

guy flips-off Clinton
Since that only happened in the fervent imagination of you bigoted little cranium we get dismiss you for what your are – an idiot.

Dearest Laura,

If you actually believe that Obama flipped off Hillary when there are pictures of him from the side where he was using 2 FINGERS to scratch his cheek then you are a lost cause.

He yowls like an angry dog? When and where did he do that? Seriously. I could understand if you criticized him for being too calm, too detatched, but yowling like an angry dog? Obama just doesn’t do that.

You can tell the serious kool-aid addicts by the red stain on their lips, teeth and tongue. Although at this point it’s hard to tell if the GOP’s kool-aid or Hillary’s since they seem like the same conconction these days.

And they have the nerve to call Obama supporters maniacs.

Hello there! Obama knew this man! there was nothing Wright said over this past weekend that Obama has never heard before. why is it now that it seems Obama ‘s white house race is threathened that he seems annoyed? Let’s be honest Obama is a liar! period.. Now suddenly he is annoyed, had he said this the last time instead of his useless speech about race, I would have given him a pass mark on this but he simply failed !Using his Pa speech he pretended like he is the expert on such issues or only one who can address that problem. Obama believes he can fool American voters. If he did not know all these all along why did he not have this pastor grace the occassion publicly when he annoced his run for white house. Why did he have the pastor on his campaign team initially?
Obama and his wife have always spoken from thier hearts; one molded by the preaching of Rev Wright. How about his no pin after 911, how about his wife’s college thesis, these all points to one thing Obama and his wife are slick!

I think everyone in the world exaggerates on a story like hillary clinton on bosnia fire.But on the other hand Senator Barrack Obama goes to a church were the believe in Black Theology please look that word up and see what it means very racist towards the white community.He has went to this church for 20 years so come on he is lying that he never heard any of these type of comments from Rev.Wright.I think personally my self that the african american community needs to get over the racist issue in the United States.If you watch the news and you see a black man get shot by a white man they say this is racist.But when you see a white man get shot by a black man the white american people do not cry racist.I think it is about time the african american community get over this racist issue ,Life is to short to worry about what color you are.

#89 Cindy: “I think personally my self that the african american community needs to get over the racist issue in the United States.”

I can’t believe you are serious.

Our country might get “over racism” if and when all Americans are treated equally no matter their race or creed or nationality.

Trinity UCC is not a racist church. If it were, would it have white members? Hispanic members? Guess what, it does. Wright’s seminary professor Martin Marty is white and says he and his wife are warmly welcomed at Trinity. You are sadly misinformed.

BTW, Black Liberation Theology is nothing more than seeing the Bible thru the perspective of the people who are oppressed. In Biblical times the oppressed were the Jews. In our nation’s history it’s been blacks (and other races and nationalities – Native Americans, Chinese, Irish, Italians, Hispanics, etc.).

I’m pissed!!

Why does this story continue to garner any attention from the press?

Incredible how soon a legitimate story that broke in the Times regarding McSame and his cozy relationship with the lobbyist dies. But this shit lives on.

Obama has a wonderful knack for taking a stinking situation and using it to elevate the situation. This is just what he needed. Now it will be a moot subject when the Republicans load their war guns.

I just posted this on Sen. Obama’s website because I wanted to convey my unhappiness with the way the senator has handled this, even though I can understand his frustration with the attention Wright has been getting. But why should we let the tabloid media dictate what the “news” is anymore. They will be defunct soon enough. Can’t be too soon for me.

Re Jeremiah Wright: I suppose for political expediency Sen. Obama felt he had to distance himself even further from Rev. Wright. However, he should know that many of us in the liberal blogosphere and general public have become big fans of Rev. Wright. We have listened to his sermons, heard his interview with Bill Moyers, listened to the NAACP and Press Club speeches and found that he pretty much tells it like it is. There are a few oddities, but they are not out of the realm of possibility. Most of we new Jeremiah Wright fans are white, and are not familiar with black churches or black preaching style, but find it refreshingly honest. Just like Sen. Obama, who has the audacity to speak the truth.

And so we who have become fans of Jeremiah Wright are disappointed that Sen. Obama has not continued to stand up for his pastor. Or at least handled it in a nicer way. I particularly am upset because I wrote a 600-word op-ed column defending Wright that was printed in my town’s newspaper two weeks ago. I don’t even know the man, but felt he was being treated unfairly. And now I feel a little silly because a man that has known him for 20 years has “thrown him under the bus”.

And I will continue to defend Rev. Wright. After all I have seen of him, I understand why Sen. Obama was drawn to him. His intellect, his passion, his humor, his humanity.

I save most of my wrath for the sorry state of the media, which is tabloid at best. They decide what is reported, how it is reported and then the pundits tell us what we should think about it. Or tell us what we are thinking about it, without even asking. Why cannot Sen. Obama call them on it more forcefully? I know he needs good press, but he’s sure not getting it now anyway. IMO the press is the enemy of Sen. Obama, not Rev. Wright.

Our primary is next month and of course I will support Sen. Obama. However I am upset. I can understand that he is upset with Rev. Wright. But I think there was a better way to handle it than what he presented on Tuesday.

So, after months and months of campaigning on a platform that he was no ordinary politician, Obama has come out swinging to protect his integity. Why, he sounds just like …… {Wait for it] …… a politician.

What a hypocrite!

So, after months and months of campaigning on a platform that he was no ordinary politician, Obama has come out swinging to protect his integity. Why, he sounds just like …… {Wait for it] …… a politician.

What a hypocrite!
Of all the moronic comments thrown out about Obama, this has to be the absolute dumbest.

Of course he’s a politician. He’s a U.S. Senator running for President of the United States. He’s campaigning, he’s raising funds, he’s asking for votes.

He’s saying he wants to change the kind of political discussions we have, not do away with politics altogether. He’s arguing that we’ve been locked in a partisan stalemate for the past few decades and we need to find a way out of the old politics.

So, yes, he sounds like a politician. Just like you sound like an utter moron.

34. Zeke said: He is playing a dicey game in my opinion because I don’t know if he can get that demographic at any cost; but with his denouncement of Wright and by turning his back on Tavis Smiley he may make a signifigant piece of the black electorate re-think their support of him.

You mean like they did after Clinton’s campaign claimed that a dozen or more states Obama won didn’t count because there were black people there? I think that ship has sailed and there is no way for Hillary to recover that lost support.

64. Mark Pencil said: What Wright did this week was willfully, blatantly, confrontationally, and – as to Obama – disrespectfully impolitic. He seems a bright enough man to know that; he doesn’t deserve the free pass he is getting from many Obama supporters for it.

Agreed. I don’t disagree with anything Wright actually said, but taking this opportunity to grab the spotlight and extend his 15 minutes, despite the potential damage to the candidate we assume he supports for President, was extremely narcissistic. The race shouldn’t be about Wright, there is no reason he should be nationally relevant except that he happens to fit into the media’s obsession with tearing down Democrats over trivia.

The only thing crazier than Wright is Wright 30 days from now! Republicans are simply nuts. Demoncrats are really nuts and Wright is off the scale!

The Uniter can not Unite the people who are related to him in one way or another. Our Country has bigger and more difficult issues than this family feud between Obama and Rev. Wright. Obama has not been able to put this behind. What can we expect from him about his performance when it comes to bigger issues concerning our Country??. How is he going to change our system if he can not change the disagreements and hate in his own life, specially when is so close to him. Probably CNN and MSNBC will avoid the issue as much as possible, but they can’t erase the damage. Many people wanted to know who Obama is, and during the last month we’ve seen drips of information that are undeniably giving us a draft of who he is. It’s just a matter of digging deeper.

Check this out….

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/louis/index.html
Barbara Reynolds and Clinton are behind this?

Obama said he never did hear Rev.Wright make these speeches before. Funny the whole world knows about it. Is Obama that slow in understanding what is going on?
That it took twenty years for him to say this is wrong?Then he said he is mad over the hate speech Wright made. Would some one explain to me what the difference is in Wrights hate speech and Obamas books on hating White People? Am I the only one that took time to read these books? Then he said “Wright took little regard for me.” Is this what it took to make him mad?. Wright can trash amarica and have hate speeches but God forbid he should say anything about Obama. With all my heart I can not buy into any of this . Obama is flopping like a fish out of water. Cry me a river Obama. You did this to your self.

Barack showed that he could be angry at a situation, at the actions of a dear friend, but he did not condemn the man! His calm, restrained but deliberate actions show that he is more in control of his emotions than the other two running for this highest office. Obama is the ONLY one who is qualified to be making the decisions that affect our world. Hillary has suggested that we obliterate Iran–meaning an entire country wiped off the face of the earth–beginning WWIII. What good will health care or gas prices here be if we don’t have a world to live in?

Consider that Rev. Wright had ‘gone off the deep end’ in such an abrupt turnaround that Barack could not believe the soundbites when he heard them–if you have a friend for 20 years who suddenly ‘changes,’ you would have a period of disbelief and denial before you had to face the truth–and then might you wonder where the change has come from. Could Rev Wright have been ‘gotten to’ in order to sabotage Obama’s chances? The ‘good ol boys’ who have been in power for the last 600+ years here are not going to give up their power easily–and we have already seen that lying and deceptions are not beyond them when they want something. We are minus 4000+ young men and women thanks to their recent stranglehold for power.

The church Barack joined 20 years ago was an active community service-based church/parish, most of the parishioners being from the community neighborhoods surrounding the church. Good grief! Stop the nonsense about Wright! He has changed.

No one in this world can control the actions of another–why do you think Barack should control his pastor? How many Catholics stayed with their churches and their religion during the scandals? We did not condemn them for believing in the concepts of their religion even when a small percentage of their messengers had feet of clay? What about McCain’s connections? He accepted the support of a person he knowingly knew blamed Katrina on an upcoming parade and celebration by the people.

Many families have had family members and/or friends who have ended up in poor situations due to drugs, alcohol, mental health problems, suicide, etc. How can you be judging Barack on the bizarre changes that another person has made? Have you deserted your family and friends at the first sign of a problem? Shame on you!

I have seen Barack at a rally; I have listened to his speeches, as well as reading the texts. There is nothing false about Barack Obama; he is sincere, he has better control of his temper than anyone else I know anywhere (including the other two candidates). He has not attempted to sabotage anyone else’s campaign as they have attempted to do for him. I want his honesty, not more deceptive practices that either of the other two will bring to this country.

I have deep respect for Barack. I do think he has what it takes to lead as president, however, this is a case in point where people can get involved and polarize people. My fear is that this country is really not yet ready for a black president and also fear that he would be a target of assasination. Can you imagine the tragic polarity it would cause in this country? then you might get people like the Rev. Jerimiah Wright raging and pushing enough we could find ourselves in a race war.It stinks that it is like that but we must ask ourselves is it really the time and place for a black president. Imagine if we would have racial warring going on how distracted we would be and then such an easy target for outsiders who would gleefully take advantage of the situation and really put it to us. just thoughts

To make a long story short—————-yesterday old Bill was as happy as a kid with a new toy————–’cause their bringing Wright out of the woodwork thinking this is a cinch for Hillary to win————happy as if he had good sense! But wait when this all backfires!!!!!! He will be bawling like a cry-baby when things don’t go his way. Those two bringing Wright to the DC area is only going to help Obama!!! Then see the laughter on the other side of Billy-boy’s face!! He will be ranting and raving more than Wright was first seen doing.

I have been following the campaign, I do admit that I was for Hillary in the start. Throughout the course of this time I found myself being drawn more for Obama. Now, For me this is a considerable change. My family was very “critical” on some certain “Issues” I always thought in a different manner, but when I listen to Obama I really believe him! I dont think that he is a racist! I have spent a big part of my life in a place where racism is normal. Seems like throughout school it was always an issue. I had friends of many races but you always were aware that there was a line there! I love that Obama is FOR removing those lines and moving past all of that! I was upset over this Wright mess, but it made me only choose to go out yesterday and do the One Stop Voting thing that is set up almost everywhere and I put in my Vote for Obama and I wish him all the luck there is!! Good luck!

The statements of Wright have never bothered me, they were not made by Obama. The bigger problem for me is that Obama is a member of a Black Liberation Theology Church. Trinity clearly believes Jesus was a black man, oppressed and crucified by the White Majority. And that Jesus message was not love and compassion for all, but release from oppression for the Black minority, and to destroy the White Man as oppressor. That is the core belief. The fact that his religious belief system aligns with that philosophy scares the snot out of me. How could a thinking man actually attend that church?

Here is the foundational principal out of James Cone’s Book BLACK POWER BLACK THEOLOGY, upon which Trinity United Church of Christ is based. “Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community … Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love.”

Sorry meant to give a site for the quote prior to entering it: “A Black Theology of Liberation” By James H. Cone 1990 Page 27