I rarely link to conservative websites, but since The Daily Caller has video from a campaign speech Obama gave for a Democrat, Representative-to-be Patrick Murphy, in 2006, I don't have a problem doing that.
The Daily Caller is making a big deal out of how Obama admitted "stealing" the line, "The Audacity of Hope," from Rev. Jeremiah Wright. To me, that's nothing,a throaway.
The key, instead, is that, at this time, he says he rarely goes to church there. Now, in my blogging in 2008 about how Obama struggled to distance himself from Wright's politically incendiary, but sometimes perceptive, heated sermonizing, I said I suspected that's why Obama hadn't done "oppo research" on Wright -- he'd been such a rare churchgoer he'd missed most of this.
Where we actually are is confirmation of hypocrisy. Before Wright became a problem, but when Obama's middle name and alleged non-Christianity WERE problems, he repeatedly talked about making a commitment to Jesus and praising him, etc., all via the church and leadership of Wright.
Now, 15 years ago, maybe that was true. But, by 2006, or even 2004, it seems that commitment had ... faded.
At the same time, you have a president more liberal than Bush, at least, who has "doubled down" on faith-based initiatives. All trying to play the "religiosity card" in today's America, even if he forgot that during his Thanksgiving Tweets.
Showing posts with label Wright (Jeremiah). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wright (Jeremiah). Show all posts
November 29, 2011
December 26, 2008
Happy Boxing Day, White House style-to-be
In honor of the role-reversal part of Boxing Day, I nominate Rev. Jeremiah Wright to take Rick Warren’s place as deliverer of the inauguration invocation.
Or, more realistically, have Rev. Joseph Lowry and Warren switch places.
More seriously, can we drop the “Amerca’s pastor” bullshit? Both for Warren AND Billy Graham?
First, last I checked, we were a secular nation. We don’t HAVE an office called “America’s pastor.” Related to that, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc., as well as sociologically irreligious and nonmetaphysician types, don’t have a need for any “America’s pastor.”
Second, we know what Graham once thought of Jews ethnically as well as religiously. We know what Warren still thinks of them, and by extension, those Muslims, Hindus, etc., as well we metaphysically, or even “just” sociologically, irreligious.
Third, last I checked, we were a secular nation. Screw civic religion and get rid of the inaugural invocation entirely.
Or, more realistically, have Rev. Joseph Lowry and Warren switch places.
More seriously, can we drop the “Amerca’s pastor” bullshit? Both for Warren AND Billy Graham?
First, last I checked, we were a secular nation. We don’t HAVE an office called “America’s pastor.” Related to that, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc., as well as sociologically irreligious and nonmetaphysician types, don’t have a need for any “America’s pastor.”
Second, we know what Graham once thought of Jews ethnically as well as religiously. We know what Warren still thinks of them, and by extension, those Muslims, Hindus, etc., as well we metaphysically, or even “just” sociologically, irreligious.
Third, last I checked, we were a secular nation. Screw civic religion and get rid of the inaugural invocation entirely.
December 23, 2008
Rich Cohen weighs in on Obama
Which means that mainstream liberal bloggers will soon weigh in on Cohen, and his “party’s off,” column, where Cohen starts with his gay sister cancelling a pre-inauguration party because of Obama picking Rick Warren for his invocation.
Here’s what will get the MSLBers howling:
(Italics added.)
Indeed. As I’ve noted elsewhere, “outreach” and “dialogue” are NOT political platform planks, let alone elements of a serious political philosophy. They may be words in some extra stanzas added to “Kumbaya,” but that’s a whole different critter.
Of course, there were plenty of Kool-Aid drinkers who were told this six months ago.
Here’s what will get the MSLBers howling:
The conventional thing to say is that Obama has a preacher problem -- first the volcanic Jeremiah Wright and now the transparently anti-gay Warren. But the real problem has nothing to do with ministers and everything to do with Obama's inability or unwillingness to be a moral leader. Sooner or later, he just might have to stand for something.
(Italics added.)
Indeed. As I’ve noted elsewhere, “outreach” and “dialogue” are NOT political platform planks, let alone elements of a serious political philosophy. They may be words in some extra stanzas added to “Kumbaya,” but that’s a whole different critter.
Of course, there were plenty of Kool-Aid drinkers who were told this six months ago.
December 17, 2008
Obama sellout NO. 344 - Rick Warren at inaugural
Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church will deilver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration, despite the two disagreeing on a whole raft of social issues.
First, let this be a sign to you Obamiacs that he was serious when he said he wanted to EXPAND Bush's faith-based programs.
Second, it's yet another argument for electing a non-religious president.
Whom we REALLY need at the inaugural is the Revvv. Jeremiah Wright, saying, “God damn pseudoliberal Barack Obama!”
More posts on this issue coming soon; click the Rick Warren or gay rights tags.
First, let this be a sign to you Obamiacs that he was serious when he said he wanted to EXPAND Bush's faith-based programs.
Second, it's yet another argument for electing a non-religious president.
Whom we REALLY need at the inaugural is the Revvv. Jeremiah Wright, saying, “God damn pseudoliberal Barack Obama!”
More posts on this issue coming soon; click the Rick Warren or gay rights tags.
November 13, 2008
Obama ‘faulty memory’ on Wright explored
I thought that, during the campaign, Obama said he “praised Jesus” at Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ every Sunday. Well, via Beliefnet, a 2004 interview in the Chicago Sun-Times confirms that.
That is followed by this:
In an earlier post, I offered these five possibilities for the Obama-Wright relationship and how Obama claims he had never heard anything like “God damn America” out of Wright’s mouth.
• A massive liar about hearing difficulty, or
• A similar liar about his comprehension level, or
• A whopper-teller about his memory skills, or
• Ditto on the frequency of church attendance, or
• A champion-level Sunday morning pew sleeper.
Well, unless he was stretching the truth on No. 4 well before running for president, we can rule out the non-attendance excuse.
FALSANI
Do you still attend Trinity?
OBAMA:
Yep. Every week. 11 o’clock service.
That is followed by this:
OBAMA:
Well, my pastor [Jeremiah Wright] is certainly someone who I have an enormous amount of respect for.
In an earlier post, I offered these five possibilities for the Obama-Wright relationship and how Obama claims he had never heard anything like “God damn America” out of Wright’s mouth.
• A massive liar about hearing difficulty, or
• A similar liar about his comprehension level, or
• A whopper-teller about his memory skills, or
• Ditto on the frequency of church attendance, or
• A champion-level Sunday morning pew sleeper.
Well, unless he was stretching the truth on No. 4 well before running for president, we can rule out the non-attendance excuse.
April 29, 2008
Did David Axelrod fail Obama on self-oppo research?
Many progressive bloggers have been calling Hillary Clinton pollster and all-around eminence grisé Mark Penn an idiot who has major responsibility for costing her what could have been a Democratic nomination she had wrapped up by now.
That said, shouldn’t we hold Barack Obama campaign manager David Axelrod under the klieg lights of scrutiny now, too, with Rev. Jeremiah Wright threatening to become the lead anchor on his own bid?
It’s axiomatic that any major political campaign, and definitely a presidential campaign, does self-oppo research early, early on.
That is, the campaign manager plays devil’s advocate with his own candidate. He or she starts digging into his or her candidate’s own background, to see if they can dig up material that an opposing campaign might use against their own candidate.
Due to the length, micropolling and microadvertising of the modern presidential campaign, all fine-tuned for the GOP by Karl Rove, it’s mandatory you do something like this.
Obama campaign manager David Axelrod, though not of Christian background, is a Chicago native. He knows bare-knuckle politics without any tutoring from Rove.
Even giving Obama 50 percent of the doubt on his “I didn’t know” speech this afternoon, he had to have known something.
(For more on my take on Wright in general, here’s my Jeremiah Wright tag on my blog.)
But, that’s beside the point. Even if he told Axelrod that, as far as he knew, he had no skeletons in his closet beyond the youthful drug experimentation he mentioned in his book, Axelrod shouldn’t have accepted that as his final answer. And, being from Chicago, Axelrod had to hear something about Wright, I would think. (I am assuming Obama is being disingenuous about not knowing anything about this, given that 9/11 and Wright’s post-9/11 Sept. 16, 2001 sermon is nearly seven years old by now.)
I hate agreeing with Hillary Clinton on this, but she is right that this shows Obama hasn’t been thoroughly “vetted.”
This is the result of Jack Ryan imploding as Obama’s 2004 Senate opponent, followed by the eventual fill-in of the clownish Alan Keyes.
People who know Obama’s biography knows that, after killing opponents’ ballot petition drives, he had an unopposed initial election to the Illinois State Senate. In short, the only “vetting” he has ever had in a political campaign was his 2000 U.S. House primary run against Bobby Rush. And, Jeremiah Wright wouldn’t have been a factor in that election anyway.
That said, shouldn’t we hold Barack Obama campaign manager David Axelrod under the klieg lights of scrutiny now, too, with Rev. Jeremiah Wright threatening to become the lead anchor on his own bid?
It’s axiomatic that any major political campaign, and definitely a presidential campaign, does self-oppo research early, early on.
That is, the campaign manager plays devil’s advocate with his own candidate. He or she starts digging into his or her candidate’s own background, to see if they can dig up material that an opposing campaign might use against their own candidate.
Due to the length, micropolling and microadvertising of the modern presidential campaign, all fine-tuned for the GOP by Karl Rove, it’s mandatory you do something like this.
Obama campaign manager David Axelrod, though not of Christian background, is a Chicago native. He knows bare-knuckle politics without any tutoring from Rove.
Even giving Obama 50 percent of the doubt on his “I didn’t know” speech this afternoon, he had to have known something.
(For more on my take on Wright in general, here’s my Jeremiah Wright tag on my blog.)
But, that’s beside the point. Even if he told Axelrod that, as far as he knew, he had no skeletons in his closet beyond the youthful drug experimentation he mentioned in his book, Axelrod shouldn’t have accepted that as his final answer. And, being from Chicago, Axelrod had to hear something about Wright, I would think. (I am assuming Obama is being disingenuous about not knowing anything about this, given that 9/11 and Wright’s post-9/11 Sept. 16, 2001 sermon is nearly seven years old by now.)
I hate agreeing with Hillary Clinton on this, but she is right that this shows Obama hasn’t been thoroughly “vetted.”
This is the result of Jack Ryan imploding as Obama’s 2004 Senate opponent, followed by the eventual fill-in of the clownish Alan Keyes.
People who know Obama’s biography knows that, after killing opponents’ ballot petition drives, he had an unopposed initial election to the Illinois State Senate. In short, the only “vetting” he has ever had in a political campaign was his 2000 U.S. House primary run against Bobby Rush. And, Jeremiah Wright wouldn’t have been a factor in that election anyway.
Hypocrisy alert – Obama‘disavows’ Wright
Here’s the transcript, here’s the opening statement video and here’s the question-and-answer video.
Here’s Hypocrisy Alert Point No. 1:
I doubt that Wright has changed that much in 20 years. Wright may be kind enough not to pull Obama under the bus with him, but some member of Trinity may decide to call Obama to account.
I’m not saying Obama should know everything about what Wright said. He was honest later on when he said he’s not a theologian.
But, I can’t believe Obama missed this much of Wright’s message unless Obama is a “Christmas and Easter Christian” or close to it.
Hypocrisy Alert No. 2:
So, that would reinforce Wright’s comment yesterday that you’re not that regular a churchgoer, Sen. Obama? And that gets back to your “praising Jesus” comments a few months back.
And, while we’re at it, let’s get some Irony Alert points in here too. Obama, on saying he had not read a transcript or seen a tape of Wright’s comments yesterday afternoon, when asked about Wright’s statements on AIDS:
Well, I’m sure Wright is saying the same about you. See your own “political posturing” comment above, too.
Obama then was asked how this would affect his campaign. Good question.
Obviously, he felt he had to do this as a longer-term strategy.
BUT, but … will black voters in North Carolina’s primary turn their backs on him? Will they think he is a “sellout”?
Back to hypocrisy alerts, though, with Point No. 3, when asked if he would continue to attend Trinity United Church of Christ:
I believe Moss has already defended Wright, and from Trinity’s pulpit.
That said, Obama had some good points.
One is that, even if Obama had some performance today, Wright had more. As Obama put it, Wright “caricatured himself,” something Obama said “made me angry but also made me sad.”
Second was that, contra Wright, and tied with the point above, the media attacks on Wright were and are not attacks on “the black church.”
And, I think Wright has done serious damage to his relationship with Obama. If I were any political candidate, and I had a minister go out of the way like that, it would strain, strongly strain, my feelings.
Final thought — why isn’t the mainstream media pushing more on John Hagee?
First, what Hagee has said has been bad enough, but not that bad.
Second, he hasn’t gone on an out-of-his-way press tour.
Third, despite the first two points, the MSM has been, if not asleep at wheel, driving on Schmuck Talk Express™ cruise control.
The Post also notes Obama’s claim that his campaign offered Wright public relations help.
That’s a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t on whether or not the two are coordinating.
Here’s Hypocrisy Alert Point No. 1:
The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church. They certainly don't portray accurately my values and beliefs. And if Rev. Wright thinks that that's political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn't know me very well. And based on his remarks yesterday, well I might not know him as well as I thought, either.
I doubt that Wright has changed that much in 20 years. Wright may be kind enough not to pull Obama under the bus with him, but some member of Trinity may decide to call Obama to account.
I’m not saying Obama should know everything about what Wright said. He was honest later on when he said he’s not a theologian.
But, I can’t believe Obama missed this much of Wright’s message unless Obama is a “Christmas and Easter Christian” or close to it.
Hypocrisy Alert No. 2:
Now, I've already denounced the comments that had appeared in these previous sermons. As I said, I had not heard them before.
So, that would reinforce Wright’s comment yesterday that you’re not that regular a churchgoer, Sen. Obama? And that gets back to your “praising Jesus” comments a few months back.
And, while we’re at it, let’s get some Irony Alert points in here too. Obama, on saying he had not read a transcript or seen a tape of Wright’s comments yesterday afternoon, when asked about Wright’s statements on AIDS:
What I had heard was that he had given a performance.
Well, I’m sure Wright is saying the same about you. See your own “political posturing” comment above, too.
Obama then was asked how this would affect his campaign. Good question.
Obviously, he felt he had to do this as a longer-term strategy.
BUT, but … will black voters in North Carolina’s primary turn their backs on him? Will they think he is a “sellout”?
Back to hypocrisy alerts, though, with Point No. 3, when asked if he would continue to attend Trinity United Church of Christ:
Well, you know, the new pastor — the young pastor, Rev. Otis Moss, is a wonderful young pastor. And as I said, I still very much value the Trinity community. This — I’ll be honest, this obviously has put strains on that relationship, not because of the members or because of Reverend Moss but because this has become such a spectacle.
I believe Moss has already defended Wright, and from Trinity’s pulpit.
That said, Obama had some good points.
One is that, even if Obama had some performance today, Wright had more. As Obama put it, Wright “caricatured himself,” something Obama said “made me angry but also made me sad.”
Second was that, contra Wright, and tied with the point above, the media attacks on Wright were and are not attacks on “the black church.”
And, I think Wright has done serious damage to his relationship with Obama. If I were any political candidate, and I had a minister go out of the way like that, it would strain, strongly strain, my feelings.
Final thought — why isn’t the mainstream media pushing more on John Hagee?
First, what Hagee has said has been bad enough, but not that bad.
Second, he hasn’t gone on an out-of-his-way press tour.
Third, despite the first two points, the MSM has been, if not asleep at wheel, driving on Schmuck Talk Express™ cruise control.
The Post also notes Obama’s claim that his campaign offered Wright public relations help.
That’s a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t on whether or not the two are coordinating.
April 28, 2008
Just what of Jeremiah Wright is Obama distancing himself from?
Well, possibly all sorts of things, if you look at the complete text of what Wright said to the National Press Club. Not that Obama needs to distance himself, let alone be offended by Wright, as he said he was earlier today, after hearing about Wright’s NPC speech.
Again, that speech. Here’s some highlights to which Obama might have, rightly or wrongly, objected.
1. Noting that the “chickens coming home to roost” of his Sept. 16, 2001 sermon was a quote of Iraq’s Ambassador to the U.S.? Or for continuing to defend its use and context?
2. For claiming Farrakhan was attacking Zionism, not Judaism? Or refusing to throw him under the bus?
3. For telling Obama himself that, if he got elected, Wright’s standard for him as the agent of the government would be no less than for previous presidents?
4. For noting that Obama doesn’t go to church that often, or as Wright told a reporter, “About as much as you do.”
5. For indulging in AIDS conspiracy theories? (Which is one area, Rev. Wright, where you ARE “wackadoodle.”)
But, let’s look at the rest.
No. 1 — without saying we “deserved” 9/11, which Wright didn’t either, he nonetheless has a lot of truth here.
No. 2 —Louis Farrakhan. Is he really anti-Semitic? Well, at the least, he is not as anti-Semitic as he has been made out to be. Despite mainstream media claims, he did NOT say “Judaism is a gutter religion.” Yes, he did warn people making threats against Jesse Jackson after his 1984 “Hymietown” comment that if anything happened, he would fight fire with fire.
And, in that case, some prominent Jews, including Net Hentoff, were perfectly happy pouring some gasoline on the fire.
That said, is Farrakhan anti-Semitic to some degree? Yes, but no more than he is anti-gay. Whether Jews or gays should feel more problem with that is an open question.
No. 3 — Maybe Obama is afraid Wright will indeed hold him to that standard.
No. 4 — I guess Obama doesn’t “praise Jesus” as much as he would like us to believe. Maybe less than Hillary Clinton, though I’m sure more than John McCain.
Of course, when your “bodyguard” includes Marion Berry you have opened yourself indeed to “wackadoodle” comments, Rev. Wright. (At the same time, Dana Milbank showed himself as a mainstream media hack with this piece.)
Doorknob, why can’t we have an atheist president?
Again, that speech. Here’s some highlights to which Obama might have, rightly or wrongly, objected.
1. Noting that the “chickens coming home to roost” of his Sept. 16, 2001 sermon was a quote of Iraq’s Ambassador to the U.S.? Or for continuing to defend its use and context?
2. For claiming Farrakhan was attacking Zionism, not Judaism? Or refusing to throw him under the bus?
3. For telling Obama himself that, if he got elected, Wright’s standard for him as the agent of the government would be no less than for previous presidents?
4. For noting that Obama doesn’t go to church that often, or as Wright told a reporter, “About as much as you do.”
5. For indulging in AIDS conspiracy theories? (Which is one area, Rev. Wright, where you ARE “wackadoodle.”)
But, let’s look at the rest.
No. 1 — without saying we “deserved” 9/11, which Wright didn’t either, he nonetheless has a lot of truth here.
No. 2 —Louis Farrakhan. Is he really anti-Semitic? Well, at the least, he is not as anti-Semitic as he has been made out to be. Despite mainstream media claims, he did NOT say “Judaism is a gutter religion.” Yes, he did warn people making threats against Jesse Jackson after his 1984 “Hymietown” comment that if anything happened, he would fight fire with fire.
And, in that case, some prominent Jews, including Net Hentoff, were perfectly happy pouring some gasoline on the fire.
That said, is Farrakhan anti-Semitic to some degree? Yes, but no more than he is anti-gay. Whether Jews or gays should feel more problem with that is an open question.
No. 3 — Maybe Obama is afraid Wright will indeed hold him to that standard.
No. 4 — I guess Obama doesn’t “praise Jesus” as much as he would like us to believe. Maybe less than Hillary Clinton, though I’m sure more than John McCain.
Of course, when your “bodyguard” includes Marion Berry you have opened yourself indeed to “wackadoodle” comments, Rev. Wright. (At the same time, Dana Milbank showed himself as a mainstream media hack with this piece.)
Doorknob, why can’t we have an atheist president?
Democrats could learn from Jeremiah Wright
At the National Press Club today, when a reporter asked the stimulating and controversial Rev. Wright about his “America’s chickens are coming home to roost” and “(it) supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans” comments, among others, he made in his sermon the Sunday after 9/11, and asked if he thought that was divisive, he challenged her if she had seen the whole sermon. When she shook her head “no,” he said …
“That nullifies that question.”
Why can’t Democratic politicians get the hang of that?
“That nullifies that question.”
Why can’t Democratic politicians get the hang of that?
April 25, 2008
Jeremiah Wright on Bill Moyers – my analysis
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s pastor and the focus of right-wing inflamed controversy smears, including death threats, was on Bill Moyers’ Journal tonight in what will surely be Moyers’ top-rated show for some time. (See the Moyers blog for more.)
Wright overall was pretty good, and especially with the “God Damn America” sermon, Moyers did a nice segue/setup.
That said, while Moyers was certainly a sympathetic, and knowledgeable, interviewer, he didn't give Wright a 100 percent pass on his relations with Farrakhan or what he noted Wright mentor Martin Marty called Wright's “rough edges” and “abrasiveness.”
Here are some other observations of mine.
First, I now know more about where Wright gets his “black Jesus” ideas from. Early in the show, a clip from Wright’s church showed him claiming almost all the Bible takes place in Africa.
WRONG.
The Fertile Crescent/Middle East are in Asia. Indeed, “erev” and “assu” or similar are old words in Hebrew and related Semitic languages, and are of course the roots of “Europe” and “Asia.” (The Greek myth of Zeus and Europa was lifted from the Fertile Crescent.)
Wright was right, in many ways, about the “prophetic voice.” I’ve heard preachers both white and black have a voice like that for this-world prophetic justice. Beyond that, as for the church’s slogan, “Unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian,” Wright had the quote of embracing Christianity without abandoning Africanity. That said, the motto was adopted under the pastor before Wright.
“Bad,” and more seriously from my small American minority point of view, came back, though.
Wright, as with Arianna Huffington, whom I blogged about earlier this week, though not so explicitly, seemed to indicate religious belief was necessary to find meaning in and give meaning to life.
WRONG.
And, that’s not just a white atheist guy saying that.
Meet The Infidel Guy, Reginald Finley, arguably America’s top black atheist. I know he would have the same condemnation.
Anyway, Wright then spoke in more detail about the “God damn America” book. First, getting back to that prophetic voice, the voice of people like Amos and Hosea, or the blessings and curses (or conDE/AMNnations, if you will) of Deuteronomy, he said religious leaders are supposed to, per their tradition, challenge government.
Of course, politically and socially conservative white evangelical churches are clueless about that in the pews, in large part from preachers who refuse to engage in such condemnations, unless it’s the hot-button issue of abortion or gays.
But, Wright spelled out the results of that.
The sermon clip was complete enough to show Wright explaining how the Roman government of Jesus’ time and the British Empire of a century ago both failed, then making a segue to the failures of American foreign policy before coming to the “God damn America” line.
I have a linguistic hair to split, though. Wright would have been better saying “God damnS America” to make that point clear.
Moyers also had Wright talk through the sermon he gave the Sunday after 9/11, where he used Psalm 137 as his text, the famous “By the waters of Babylon” psalm, for those of a Judeo-Christian background. It is called that from its opening line, which sets the words of the psalm on the lips of Jewish exiles in the Babylonian captivity under its King Nebuchadrezzer (the actual name of the biblically misrendered “Nebuchadnezzar”).
Anyway, here’s the last line of that psalm, Wright’s sermonic cornerstone:
Wright told Moyers he was speaking to the people of his church who, like many other Americans, wanted revenge after 9/11. He said the psalm showed they had biblical precedent for feeling that way, but that the Bible called people beyond that to growth.
But, one problem, not just of Wright, but of about any Christian minister or Jewish rabbi. The psalm itself ends with that as the last verse. Before a “bible,” or an Old Testament/Tanakh, or even a book called “Psalms,” or even one its five original separate books, was assembled, that psalm was read alone.
As a cry for vengeance.
Later on, Wright mentioned racism in all sorts of holy books, not just the Bible, but also places like the Babylonian Talmud and the Hindu Vedas. (And he’s right.) He also mentioned problematic passages, like the Levite of Judges 19 who has a concubine then abandons her to be gang-raped to death.
But, he ignored something like the holocaust Yahweh himself expressly commanded in I Samuel 15, in talking about Psalm 137.
No, Rev. Wright (and 99 percent of other preachers), your God was originally understood and embraced as a God who wanted vengeance. The author of that psalm understood that.
So, Wright did a pretty good job of selling his theology. And, by that, I mean Christian theology, not just black Christian theology. But, that “prophetic voice” has some devil’s tritone clarion calls.
Wright overall was pretty good, and especially with the “God Damn America” sermon, Moyers did a nice segue/setup.
That said, while Moyers was certainly a sympathetic, and knowledgeable, interviewer, he didn't give Wright a 100 percent pass on his relations with Farrakhan or what he noted Wright mentor Martin Marty called Wright's “rough edges” and “abrasiveness.”
Here are some other observations of mine.
First, I now know more about where Wright gets his “black Jesus” ideas from. Early in the show, a clip from Wright’s church showed him claiming almost all the Bible takes place in Africa.
WRONG.
The Fertile Crescent/Middle East are in Asia. Indeed, “erev” and “assu” or similar are old words in Hebrew and related Semitic languages, and are of course the roots of “Europe” and “Asia.” (The Greek myth of Zeus and Europa was lifted from the Fertile Crescent.)
Wright was right, in many ways, about the “prophetic voice.” I’ve heard preachers both white and black have a voice like that for this-world prophetic justice. Beyond that, as for the church’s slogan, “Unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian,” Wright had the quote of embracing Christianity without abandoning Africanity. That said, the motto was adopted under the pastor before Wright.
“Bad,” and more seriously from my small American minority point of view, came back, though.
Wright, as with Arianna Huffington, whom I blogged about earlier this week, though not so explicitly, seemed to indicate religious belief was necessary to find meaning in and give meaning to life.
WRONG.
And, that’s not just a white atheist guy saying that.
Meet The Infidel Guy, Reginald Finley, arguably America’s top black atheist. I know he would have the same condemnation.
Anyway, Wright then spoke in more detail about the “God damn America” book. First, getting back to that prophetic voice, the voice of people like Amos and Hosea, or the blessings and curses (or conDE/AMNnations, if you will) of Deuteronomy, he said religious leaders are supposed to, per their tradition, challenge government.
Of course, politically and socially conservative white evangelical churches are clueless about that in the pews, in large part from preachers who refuse to engage in such condemnations, unless it’s the hot-button issue of abortion or gays.
But, Wright spelled out the results of that.
When you start confusing God and government … you’re in serious trouble. (It’s like), ‘My government, right or wrong.’
The sermon clip was complete enough to show Wright explaining how the Roman government of Jesus’ time and the British Empire of a century ago both failed, then making a segue to the failures of American foreign policy before coming to the “God damn America” line.
I have a linguistic hair to split, though. Wright would have been better saying “God damnS America” to make that point clear.
Moyers also had Wright talk through the sermon he gave the Sunday after 9/11, where he used Psalm 137 as his text, the famous “By the waters of Babylon” psalm, for those of a Judeo-Christian background. It is called that from its opening line, which sets the words of the psalm on the lips of Jewish exiles in the Babylonian captivity under its King Nebuchadrezzer (the actual name of the biblically misrendered “Nebuchadnezzar”).
Anyway, here’s the last line of that psalm, Wright’s sermonic cornerstone:
O daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is he who repays you
for what you have done to us —
he who seizes your infants
and dashes them against a rock.
Wright told Moyers he was speaking to the people of his church who, like many other Americans, wanted revenge after 9/11. He said the psalm showed they had biblical precedent for feeling that way, but that the Bible called people beyond that to growth.
But, one problem, not just of Wright, but of about any Christian minister or Jewish rabbi. The psalm itself ends with that as the last verse. Before a “bible,” or an Old Testament/Tanakh, or even a book called “Psalms,” or even one its five original separate books, was assembled, that psalm was read alone.
As a cry for vengeance.
Later on, Wright mentioned racism in all sorts of holy books, not just the Bible, but also places like the Babylonian Talmud and the Hindu Vedas. (And he’s right.) He also mentioned problematic passages, like the Levite of Judges 19 who has a concubine then abandons her to be gang-raped to death.
But, he ignored something like the holocaust Yahweh himself expressly commanded in I Samuel 15, in talking about Psalm 137.
No, Rev. Wright (and 99 percent of other preachers), your God was originally understood and embraced as a God who wanted vengeance. The author of that psalm understood that.
So, Wright did a pretty good job of selling his theology. And, by that, I mean Christian theology, not just black Christian theology. But, that “prophetic voice” has some devil’s tritone clarion calls.
March 28, 2008
The audacity of lying – Obama and the Wright stuff
After being a member of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ for more than 20 years, after having listened to audiotapes of Wright when at Harvard Law, having sought out Wright and his church when he moved to Chicago, Barack Obama has the audacity of something besides hope to tell this whopper:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
I actually agree with a fair amount of Wright’s non-race driven, and non-AIDS, comments. Our foreign policy has brought a lot of our issues on ourselves. (That’s not to say we “deserved” anything.)
But, you can find those comments among certain libertarians, including ones not racist unlike Ron Paul, and you can find them among plenty of left-liberals like me.
I actually don’t see anything to apologize for there.
But, on some of the other stuff, it is offensive. And, no, Sen. Obama, this didn’t just come up overnight, and you know it. And, your tax returns show you made enough contributions to Trinity to be more than just an occasional, uninvolved member.
I guess, with polls showing a favorable take by the public on his speech last week, but a significant minority still having questions, Shtick Talk Express™ decided he hadn’t yet said enough on the issue.
“Had the reverend not retired, and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying at the church,” Obama said Thursday during a taping of the ABC talk show, “The View.” The interview will be broadcast Friday.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
I actually agree with a fair amount of Wright’s non-race driven, and non-AIDS, comments. Our foreign policy has brought a lot of our issues on ourselves. (That’s not to say we “deserved” anything.)
But, you can find those comments among certain libertarians, including ones not racist unlike Ron Paul, and you can find them among plenty of left-liberals like me.
I actually don’t see anything to apologize for there.
But, on some of the other stuff, it is offensive. And, no, Sen. Obama, this didn’t just come up overnight, and you know it. And, your tax returns show you made enough contributions to Trinity to be more than just an occasional, uninvolved member.
I guess, with polls showing a favorable take by the public on his speech last week, but a significant minority still having questions, Shtick Talk Express™ decided he hadn’t yet said enough on the issue.
March 27, 2008
Clinton pushes Obama-Wright issue with wingers
Clinton, of course, says Rev. Jeremiah Wright would “would not have been my pastor” if she were a member at Barack Obama’s home church and Wright said some of the things attributed to him.
First, note the source. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, mouthpiece of billionaire (at least, until his divorce is finalized) wingnut Richard Mellon Scaife.
And, here is the picture that should get every Democratic superdelegate to vote for Obama instead of her: Hillary Clinton talking to the oozing sore of winger finance himself:
We know, from the Tribune-Review story, that at least three editorial staff interviewed Clinton for 90 minutes or more. AND, we know that she met with Scaife himself.
That's obvious not only from the picture, but Raw Story has video of this wondrous meet-up, or hook-up, or whatever.
This was the billionaire thorn in Bill and Hillary’s side from early in the days of their administration. This is the man who called Vince Foster’s death the “Rosetta stone” for his conspiracy theories. This is the many who funded the American Spectator to investigate the pseudo-issue of “Troopergate.”
I know politicians in general stereotypically have few principles.
But, this is at a whole different level of infinity, to deliberately get in bed with one of the ringleaders in the effort to try to destroy your husband’s presidency.
And, who initiated this meeting — Scaife or Clinton?
That’s the $64K question in my mind right now. It’s essentially a question of exactly what layer of Dante’s Inferno Hillary Clinton has selected for herself.
As I said above, seeing Hillary Clinton in bed with Dick Scaife should make every Democratic superdelegate, even the ones already committed to Clinton, vote for Obama — and announce right now they will vote for Obama.
Oh, and which comments should Obama disavow? Just the ones that push race issues or AIDS conspiracies too far, or the allegedly (but not actually) anti-American ones?
Or, anything that is “liberal,” since your campaign is sinking so low that you r next trick out of the GOP playbook is to try to label Obama with the “l-word”?
And, speaking of disavowals, all that’s fine, Hillary, but when are you going to disavow the Fellowship?
And, if we’re going to get into the disavowal game, are you going to disavow your ownmisstatements lies about your trip to Tuzla? That was not just a “misstatement” and you know it.
But, back to the religion issue. I do believe valid questions about the Obama-Wright relationship still exist, but I also believe you, Hillary Clinton aren’t anywhere near the first person to be in good standing to raise those questions.
As for needing a “spiritual advisor” in general, Martin Luther said he would rather be ruled by a good (governmentally speaking) Turk than a bad Catholic. ALL the remaining major party candidates should reflect on that, though none will.
Wouldn’t you, religious people, rather be ruled by a good atheist who doesn’t need a spiritual advisory?
Needed: single, orphaned, childless atheist to run the country.
First, note the source. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, mouthpiece of billionaire (at least, until his divorce is finalized) wingnut Richard Mellon Scaife.
And, here is the picture that should get every Democratic superdelegate to vote for Obama instead of her: Hillary Clinton talking to the oozing sore of winger finance himself:
We know, from the Tribune-Review story, that at least three editorial staff interviewed Clinton for 90 minutes or more. AND, we know that she met with Scaife himself.
That's obvious not only from the picture, but Raw Story has video of this wondrous meet-up, or hook-up, or whatever.
This was the billionaire thorn in Bill and Hillary’s side from early in the days of their administration. This is the man who called Vince Foster’s death the “Rosetta stone” for his conspiracy theories. This is the many who funded the American Spectator to investigate the pseudo-issue of “Troopergate.”
I know politicians in general stereotypically have few principles.
But, this is at a whole different level of infinity, to deliberately get in bed with one of the ringleaders in the effort to try to destroy your husband’s presidency.
And, who initiated this meeting — Scaife or Clinton?
That’s the $64K question in my mind right now. It’s essentially a question of exactly what layer of Dante’s Inferno Hillary Clinton has selected for herself.
As I said above, seeing Hillary Clinton in bed with Dick Scaife should make every Democratic superdelegate, even the ones already committed to Clinton, vote for Obama — and announce right now they will vote for Obama.
Oh, and which comments should Obama disavow? Just the ones that push race issues or AIDS conspiracies too far, or the allegedly (but not actually) anti-American ones?
Or, anything that is “liberal,” since your campaign is sinking so low that you r next trick out of the GOP playbook is to try to label Obama with the “l-word”?
And, speaking of disavowals, all that’s fine, Hillary, but when are you going to disavow the Fellowship?
And, if we’re going to get into the disavowal game, are you going to disavow your own
But, back to the religion issue. I do believe valid questions about the Obama-Wright relationship still exist, but I also believe you, Hillary Clinton aren’t anywhere near the first person to be in good standing to raise those questions.
As for needing a “spiritual advisor” in general, Martin Luther said he would rather be ruled by a good (governmentally speaking) Turk than a bad Catholic. ALL the remaining major party candidates should reflect on that, though none will.
Wouldn’t you, religious people, rather be ruled by a good atheist who doesn’t need a spiritual advisory?
Needed: single, orphaned, childless atheist to run the country.
March 20, 2008
Amy Sullivan an equal-opportunity peddler of Dem stereotypes on religion
Amy Sullivan talks about why Obama opted for a black church like Jeremiah Wright’s:
Between there and her second most recent, and second most recent, Washington Monthly posts, she perpetuates stereotypes about Democrats, white Christians and black Christians all at the same time, from claiming, “many Democrats find religion offensive,” on.
I’m going to do another takedown on Amy here. There are true multi-ethnic churches led by black pastors who also question Rev. Jeremiah Wright. And, as for understanding “black Christianity” in sociological terms, and the call for black and white Christians to understand each other, end “the most segregated hour in America,” etc... well, that understanding and reaching out need to go both ways. Amy, if you can show me examples of Rev. Wright “reaching out,” I’m ready to listen.
Hey, if not, if he wants to run a shtick called “black Christianity,” that’s fine. And, yes, Mitt Romney should have gotten drilled about the long racist history of Mormonism. Neither religious view would be considered “orthodox Christianity” by most laypeople or scholars, ignoring that “orthodox Christianity” itself was a four-century accretion, at least.
Now, a personal anecdote to all of this, Amy.
When I was still religious, I played the organ semi-regularly at a Lutheran, mainline Protestant church in Flint, Mich. The church was about 50-50 white black. The white pastor had what would certainly be considered for the conservative wing of Lutheranism a pretty “black” preaching style, and somewhat, a style of worship in general. And, he was married to a black wife.
He commented on real world daily social issues, etc. But, he was never bombastic, let alone a bomb-thrower.
In short, Amy Sullivan, beyond the stereotypes you perpetuate about “many Democrats,” aren't you perpetuating another one about “black Christianity”?
Oh, if you think Amy’s a twit on her guilt-the-Democratic-Party religious writing, or in general, show her a little “love” at her e-mail address.
In his books, Obama says he might not have become a Christian — his mother was a skeptical secularist and his absent father an atheist — if not for the special character of the black church. “Out of necessity, the black church had to minister to the whole person. Out of necessity, the black church rarely had the luxury of separating individual salvation from collective salvation,” he writes in “The Audacity of Hope.” It also matched his intellectual curiosity. “Perhaps it was out of this ... grounding of faith in struggle that the historically black church offered me a second insight: that faith doesn’t mean that you don't have doubts.”
Between there and her second most recent, and second most recent, Washington Monthly posts, she perpetuates stereotypes about Democrats, white Christians and black Christians all at the same time, from claiming, “many Democrats find religion offensive,” on.
I’m going to do another takedown on Amy here. There are true multi-ethnic churches led by black pastors who also question Rev. Jeremiah Wright. And, as for understanding “black Christianity” in sociological terms, and the call for black and white Christians to understand each other, end “the most segregated hour in America,” etc... well, that understanding and reaching out need to go both ways. Amy, if you can show me examples of Rev. Wright “reaching out,” I’m ready to listen.
Hey, if not, if he wants to run a shtick called “black Christianity,” that’s fine. And, yes, Mitt Romney should have gotten drilled about the long racist history of Mormonism. Neither religious view would be considered “orthodox Christianity” by most laypeople or scholars, ignoring that “orthodox Christianity” itself was a four-century accretion, at least.
Now, a personal anecdote to all of this, Amy.
When I was still religious, I played the organ semi-regularly at a Lutheran, mainline Protestant church in Flint, Mich. The church was about 50-50 white black. The white pastor had what would certainly be considered for the conservative wing of Lutheranism a pretty “black” preaching style, and somewhat, a style of worship in general. And, he was married to a black wife.
He commented on real world daily social issues, etc. But, he was never bombastic, let alone a bomb-thrower.
In short, Amy Sullivan, beyond the stereotypes you perpetuate about “many Democrats,” aren't you perpetuating another one about “black Christianity”?
Oh, if you think Amy’s a twit on her guilt-the-Democratic-Party religious writing, or in general, show her a little “love” at her e-mail address.
Wright is an AIDS conspiracy theorist
Yes, I’m aware of the Tuskegee medical experiments our government conducted on blacks from 1932-72. But, that doesn’t make two wrongs a right, or a Wright.
Slate has this direct quote, that Wright said the government “invent(ed) the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color,” in an article about AIDS conspiracy theories.
The Washington Post confirms the full quote, “The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color,” as coming from a 2003 sermon.
(The “genocide against people of color” plus “Jeremiah Wright” gets 45 Google News hits.
“Inventing” is the key word. Rev. Wright is, sadly, an AIDS conspiracy theorist.
Beyond that, it is true, as a generalization, that the black church has been hostile to gays, which means that gay blacks in a church like Wright’s face a double stigma if they test HIV-positive.
They’re stigmatized as gay, and now, the conspiracy theorists probably think they’re contagious, too.
And, while Barack Obama tackled some other of Wright’s comments in Obama’s much-ballyhooed March 18 speech, he didn’t even reference this one. He probably doesn’t want to touch it with a 10-foot pole.
Re Obama’s relations with Wright, Bloomberg unearths a tidbit about Obama’s financial support for Wright and Trinity UCC.
Obama gave the church $22,500 in 2006, according to tax returns. That certainly doesn’t sound like someone unaware of what his pastor was saying.
Slate has this direct quote, that Wright said the government “invent(ed) the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color,” in an article about AIDS conspiracy theories.
The Washington Post confirms the full quote, “The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color,” as coming from a 2003 sermon.
(The “genocide against people of color” plus “Jeremiah Wright” gets 45 Google News hits.
“Inventing” is the key word. Rev. Wright is, sadly, an AIDS conspiracy theorist.
Beyond that, it is true, as a generalization, that the black church has been hostile to gays, which means that gay blacks in a church like Wright’s face a double stigma if they test HIV-positive.
They’re stigmatized as gay, and now, the conspiracy theorists probably think they’re contagious, too.
And, while Barack Obama tackled some other of Wright’s comments in Obama’s much-ballyhooed March 18 speech, he didn’t even reference this one. He probably doesn’t want to touch it with a 10-foot pole.
Re Obama’s relations with Wright, Bloomberg unearths a tidbit about Obama’s financial support for Wright and Trinity UCC.
Obama gave the church $22,500 in 2006, according to tax returns. That certainly doesn’t sound like someone unaware of what his pastor was saying.
TCU still behind Wright invite but with more stealth
As I blogged earlier this week, Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity School is standing behind an already-extended invitation to controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright. Brite decided months ago to honor Rev. Wright, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
But now, they’re standing a little further behind… as in moving the March 29 event off campus. Brite is separately incorporated, but on the TCU campus. TCU’s board of trustees made the call:
As I blogged earlier, nonetheless, expect local winger Mark Davis, national winger Rush Limbaugh, or other wingers to organize protests at TCU, to call on Obama to denounce TCU, etc.
Or, as more about Rev. Wright’s AIDS comments come out, if he has any other gay comments that are less than ideal, we could see gay protestors there, too.
Unless Brite has a very private site, and announces it at the last minutes, or decides not to do so at all, the fireworks could ramp up.
But now, they’re standing a little further behind… as in moving the March 29 event off campus. Brite is separately incorporated, but on the TCU campus. TCU’s board of trustees made the call:
Luther King, chairman of the TCU board, said in the written statement that “while the university should be a place where controversial opinions are freely expressed, the safety and security of students, faculty and staff are the primary concern of the board.”
As I blogged earlier, nonetheless, expect local winger Mark Davis, national winger Rush Limbaugh, or other wingers to organize protests at TCU, to call on Obama to denounce TCU, etc.
Or, as more about Rev. Wright’s AIDS comments come out, if he has any other gay comments that are less than ideal, we could see gay protestors there, too.
Unless Brite has a very private site, and announces it at the last minutes, or decides not to do so at all, the fireworks could ramp up.
Tax returns refute Obama being unaware of Wright statements
In his much-ballyhooed speech March 18, Barack Obama again repeated the idea that he was not aware of many of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments. (For the sake of a clean thread on this post, we’ll ignore that Wright’s philosophy, beyond any individual comments, seem to be what attracted Obama to Wright when Obama was still at Harvard Divinity School.)
Well, Obama’s tax returns would seem to refute the idea that he was an unaware member of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ.
Re Obama’s relations with Wright, Bloomberg unearths a tidbit about Obama’s financial support for Wright and Trinity UCC.
Obama gave the church $22,500 in 2006, according to tax returns. That certainly doesn’t sound like someone unaware of what his pastor was saying.
Obama’s 2007 tax return is here (PDF).
Well, Obama’s tax returns would seem to refute the idea that he was an unaware member of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ.
Re Obama’s relations with Wright, Bloomberg unearths a tidbit about Obama’s financial support for Wright and Trinity UCC.
Obama gave the church $22,500 in 2006, according to tax returns. That certainly doesn’t sound like someone unaware of what his pastor was saying.
Obama’s 2007 tax return is here (PDF).
Obama had Unitarian option Amy Sullivan ignores
Amy Sullivan talks about why Obama opted for a black church like Jeremiah Wright’s:
Several comments in reply to Sullivan’s backstory, as well as Obama’s stream of thought.
First, even secularists can be, and are, contributors to social justice, Amy. I know you keep flogging the issue that the Democratic Party in general and too many white Democrats in particular are anti-religious, which is of course not true.
Second, re both Sullivan and Obama, many white preachers at white majority churches also talk about doubt and its role in faith. That goes back to the Niebuhr brothers. Hell, it goes back to Martin Luther himself.
Third, Unitarians have been multicultural for far longer, and far more in-depth, than mainline Protestant denominations that have made the effort at fully inclusive outreach.
And, political bonus points — Unitarians are often the liberal elite Starbucks drinkers that are Obama voters!
Given Sullivan’s increasing vapidness, and now her name/assignment dropping she engages in, at every post at Washington Monthly, though, none of what she says in Time should be a surprise.
Oh, if you think Amy’s a twit on her guilt-the-Democratic-Party religious writing, or in general, show her a little “love” at her e-mail address.
In his books, Obama says he might not have become a Christian — his mother was a skeptical secularist and his absent father an atheist — if not for the special character of the black church. “Out of necessity, the black church had to minister to the whole person. Out of necessity, the black church rarely had the luxury of separating individual salvation from collective salvation,” he writes in “The Audacity of Hope.” It also matched his intellectual curiosity. “Perhaps it was out of this ... grounding of faith in struggle that the historically black church offered me a second insight: that faith doesn’t mean that you don't have doubts.”
Several comments in reply to Sullivan’s backstory, as well as Obama’s stream of thought.
First, even secularists can be, and are, contributors to social justice, Amy. I know you keep flogging the issue that the Democratic Party in general and too many white Democrats in particular are anti-religious, which is of course not true.
Second, re both Sullivan and Obama, many white preachers at white majority churches also talk about doubt and its role in faith. That goes back to the Niebuhr brothers. Hell, it goes back to Martin Luther himself.
Third, Unitarians have been multicultural for far longer, and far more in-depth, than mainline Protestant denominations that have made the effort at fully inclusive outreach.
And, political bonus points — Unitarians are often the liberal elite Starbucks drinkers that are Obama voters!
Given Sullivan’s increasing vapidness, and now her name/assignment dropping she engages in, at every post at Washington Monthly, though, none of what she says in Time should be a surprise.
Oh, if you think Amy’s a twit on her guilt-the-Democratic-Party religious writing, or in general, show her a little “love” at her e-mail address.
March 19, 2008
Shtick Talk Express™ final takes
Well, after Barack Obama’s Tuesday masterpiece, I’m almost ready to say we will have the Shtick Talk Express™ vs. the Schmuck Talk Express™ in the general election.
Per Huffington Post, with numerous other links, I think Obama probably told a few lies almost in McCain territory.
The biggest? To claim that, after 20 years at Trinity United Church of Christ, all under the pastorship of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, he had no idea Wright said some of the crap he did.
Anderson Cooper noted Obama listened to tapes of Wright while he was at Harvard Law. Makes you wonder more about how much deliberation went into his decision to move to Chicago.
because he “would have quit the church” if he heard them “if I had heard them repeated.”
Please. Tell it to the Marines.
Or, here’s another take, one that lets Obama somewhat off the hook. Maybe he hasn’t been “praising Jesus” at Trinity all that often these past 20 years. (Of course, most Republicans that pander to the Religious Right from Ronald Reagan on haven’t gone to church that much themselves.)
As Rolling Stone’s Ben Wallace-Wells puts it bluntly, “He picked Jeremiah Wright.” (Emphasis in original.)
Wallace-Wells observes that Obama’s life is about a splicing of two roles.
That’s an excellent insight. What’s now happened is that one of the stools has gone rotten under him in public view. And, to continue the analogy, Obama knew for some time the stool was rotting out, at least “rotting out” in terms of him being a mainstream political candidate.
What could Obama had done differently?
Well, his election to the U.S. Senate would have given him a dodge to not go to Trinity so often. However, all the old stuff, from Anderson Cooper’s finding out Obama “targeted” Wright at Harvard Law, eventually would have come up anyway.
But, he certainly could have been more prepared for this moment. From Obama’s biographer David Mendell, a long-term Chicago Tribune political reporter, we have comments on Obama’s thinking he could control the press, and hasn’t liked that when it’s turned out not to be true in the past. Mendell also points out some of the same dichotomies as Wallace-Wells.
Per Huffington Post, with numerous other links, I think Obama probably told a few lies almost in McCain territory.
The biggest? To claim that, after 20 years at Trinity United Church of Christ, all under the pastorship of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, he had no idea Wright said some of the crap he did.
Anderson Cooper noted Obama listened to tapes of Wright while he was at Harvard Law. Makes you wonder more about how much deliberation went into his decision to move to Chicago.
because he “would have quit the church” if he heard them “if I had heard them repeated.”
And if I had thought that that was the tenor or tone on an ongoing basis of his sermons, then, yes, I don’t think that it would have been reflective of my values or my faith experience.
Please. Tell it to the Marines.
Or, here’s another take, one that lets Obama somewhat off the hook. Maybe he hasn’t been “praising Jesus” at Trinity all that often these past 20 years. (Of course, most Republicans that pander to the Religious Right from Ronald Reagan on haven’t gone to church that much themselves.)
As Rolling Stone’s Ben Wallace-Wells puts it bluntly, “He picked Jeremiah Wright.” (Emphasis in original.)
Wallace-Wells observes that Obama’s life is about a splicing of two roles.
Obama is at once an insider and an outsider, a bomb thrower and the class president. “I’m somebody who believes in this country and its institutions,” he tells me. “But I often think they’re broken.”
That’s an excellent insight. What’s now happened is that one of the stools has gone rotten under him in public view. And, to continue the analogy, Obama knew for some time the stool was rotting out, at least “rotting out” in terms of him being a mainstream political candidate.
What could Obama had done differently?
Well, his election to the U.S. Senate would have given him a dodge to not go to Trinity so often. However, all the old stuff, from Anderson Cooper’s finding out Obama “targeted” Wright at Harvard Law, eventually would have come up anyway.
But, he certainly could have been more prepared for this moment. From Obama’s biographer David Mendell, a long-term Chicago Tribune political reporter, we have comments on Obama’s thinking he could control the press, and hasn’t liked that when it’s turned out not to be true in the past. Mendell also points out some of the same dichotomies as Wallace-Wells.
March 18, 2008
Obama the new Dukakis after dumping Wright?
Perhaps kind of like calling pork “the other white meat,” Barack Obama as Michael Dukakis redux is Ted Rall’s take on the Illinois senator as potential Democratic presidential nominee.
He makes the comparison after an almost stereotypical take on Hillary Clinton:
Rall then explicitly connects Obama’s March 18 speech on racial issues, with what he sees as Obama throwing Rev. Jeremiah Wright under the bus, as underscoring the Dukakis factor.
That said, Rall notes that Wright is right about many things, including his accusing the U.S. of importing drugs, exporting guns and training murderers, per the lament of a Wall Street Journal editorial.
As always, Rall is thought-provoking.
I disagree that he threw Wright under the bus. I also disagree with Rall’s unspoken contention that Obama didn’t need to distance himself more.
That said, Obama could have shown himself to be a true progressive by specifically affirming his solidarity with the statements Rall noted that wingers in the Journal deplored.
He makes the comparison after an almost stereotypical take on Hillary Clinton:
Hillary Clinton has figured this out (that Republicans win elections in years when national security is a top concern). Her policy actions — voting for war twice, the Patriot Act, keeping silent about torture and Guantánamo — have been engineered to project Republicanesque hawkishness. She dresses butch and talks like a female prick--i.e., bitch. You don’t like her. She doesn’t want you to. She wants you to think that she's macho enough to deal with Them the next time They pick a fight at three in the morning.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, has already given away a store he doesn’t yet own. He’s the new century's version of Dukakis.
“I would explicitly reach out to disaffected Republicans and remind them of some of their traditions,” Obama told U.S. News & World Report. “Very rarely do you hear me talking about my opponents without giving them some credit for having good intentions and being decent people.”
“I think I can reach out to Republicans and independents more effectively than any other candidate,” he said on “Meet the Press,” citing his “ability to focus on getting the job done, as opposed to getting embroiled in ideological arguments.” No wonder Republican pundits love him! Not only will he be easier to beat in November — if McCain loses, they'll get the same love from President Obama.
Rall then explicitly connects Obama’s March 18 speech on racial issues, with what he sees as Obama throwing Rev. Jeremiah Wright under the bus, as underscoring the Dukakis factor.
First rule of politics: never apologize. It won’t satisfy your critics, and it makes you look weak. If Eliot Spitzer had followed that dictate, he’d still be governor of New York.
First rule of presidential politics: fight for those near and dear to you. Michael Dukakis lost points when he was asked what he'd do if his wife got raped. (Correct answer:
”I would kill the rapist.”) If a man won’t stand up for his own wife — or his own pastor — how can we trust him to fight the terrorists?
That said, Rall notes that Wright is right about many things, including his accusing the U.S. of importing drugs, exporting guns and training murderers, per the lament of a Wall Street Journal editorial.
As always, Rall is thought-provoking.
I disagree that he threw Wright under the bus. I also disagree with Rall’s unspoken contention that Obama didn’t need to distance himself more.
That said, Obama could have shown himself to be a true progressive by specifically affirming his solidarity with the statements Rall noted that wingers in the Journal deplored.
TCU stands by Jeremiah Wright invite
Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity School stands behind an already-extended invitation to controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright. Brite decided months ago to honor Rev. Wright, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. The pastor, whose church is Barack Obama’s home church, has been the focus of political discourse recently for his intemperate comments, which led to Obama making a speech today in part to further distance himself from those comments.
A Brite press release says:
Wright was previously the Wells Preacher for Brite’s annual Ministers Week in 2001, and supposedly the best-received minister to have that honor.
Nonetheless, expect local winger Mark Davis, national winger Rush Limbaugh, or other wingers to organize protests at TCU, to call on Obama to denounce TCU, etc.
The problem with Wright is in part what Obama said. He’s still trapped in the ’60s to some degree. No, things aren’t perfect today. But race relations are better. And, we need to look more at socioeconomic issues regardless of racial background.
Who knows? Maybe Wright will seize on this opportunity.
Sadly, though, I won’t be holding my breath on that.
A Brite press release says:
“Contrary to media claims that Wright preaches racial hatred, church leaders who have observed his ministry describe him as a faithful preacher of the gospel who has ministered in a context radically different from that of many middle class Americans.”
Wright was previously the Wells Preacher for Brite’s annual Ministers Week in 2001, and supposedly the best-received minister to have that honor.
Nonetheless, expect local winger Mark Davis, national winger Rush Limbaugh, or other wingers to organize protests at TCU, to call on Obama to denounce TCU, etc.
The problem with Wright is in part what Obama said. He’s still trapped in the ’60s to some degree. No, things aren’t perfect today. But race relations are better. And, we need to look more at socioeconomic issues regardless of racial background.
Who knows? Maybe Wright will seize on this opportunity.
Sadly, though, I won’t be holding my breath on that.
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