How Sen. Obama Should Distance Himself from Rev. Jeremiah Wright
I was happy to see that two of my favorite columnists, Eugene Robinson and Bob Herbert, have agreed with my post yesterday that Rev. Jeremiah Wright is exploiting his 15 minutes of fame. Sen. Obama needs to make a sharper break with Rev. Wright, and here are some ways to do it that will also serve the wider public good.
1.) Admit that some of Wright's views are just as ignorant and un-scientific as those of religious leaders on the Right (including Rev. Hagee and other McCain supporters). The US government did not invent AIDS to spread to black Americans--that's idiotic. Yes, I know all about the tragic history of scientific experimentation on unsuspecting African Americans. The two points have nothing to do with each other. This is shoddy thinking and borders on hate speech. The UCC, in which my own children were Baptized and my wife and me married, stands for science and faith in glorious harmony. This type of garbage should not be given a voice in a UCC Church.
2.) Wright represents the Old and Obama the New vision of African American life and thought; the Old views of any cultural discourse, as Geraldine Ferraro also reminded us of old line feminists, are often clouded with anger and paranoia that really refelect more on the life history of the speaker than the historical reality of the moment.
3.) Wright does not represent the Black Church or Obama--he represents only himself. But, given the size of this man's ego, this appears to be his full time job.
4.) And, perhaps, Wright also represents an ugly, secret side of yesterday's African American thought that Obama could expose to sunlight. Conspiracy theories sometimes abound on radio call-ins and the alternative press. I used to hear some of this 20 years ago when I lived in Brooklyn, but I am not in a position to judge to what extent this type of garbage still exists below the radar. If it is there, as the Michael Savages are there on the white racist right, then Obama needs to expose it and condemn it in the strongest possible way.
1.) Admit that some of Wright's views are just as ignorant and un-scientific as those of religious leaders on the Right (including Rev. Hagee and other McCain supporters). The US government did not invent AIDS to spread to black Americans--that's idiotic. Yes, I know all about the tragic history of scientific experimentation on unsuspecting African Americans. The two points have nothing to do with each other. This is shoddy thinking and borders on hate speech. The UCC, in which my own children were Baptized and my wife and me married, stands for science and faith in glorious harmony. This type of garbage should not be given a voice in a UCC Church.
2.) Wright represents the Old and Obama the New vision of African American life and thought; the Old views of any cultural discourse, as Geraldine Ferraro also reminded us of old line feminists, are often clouded with anger and paranoia that really refelect more on the life history of the speaker than the historical reality of the moment.
3.) Wright does not represent the Black Church or Obama--he represents only himself. But, given the size of this man's ego, this appears to be his full time job.
4.) And, perhaps, Wright also represents an ugly, secret side of yesterday's African American thought that Obama could expose to sunlight. Conspiracy theories sometimes abound on radio call-ins and the alternative press. I used to hear some of this 20 years ago when I lived in Brooklyn, but I am not in a position to judge to what extent this type of garbage still exists below the radar. If it is there, as the Michael Savages are there on the white racist right, then Obama needs to expose it and condemn it in the strongest possible way.
posted by Faithful Progressive at 1:17 PM
3 Comments:
Senator Obama has already distanced himself from the teachings of Pastor Wright. Pastor Wright is not a member of Senator Obama's election team. Pastor Wright has not even publicly endorsed Senator Obama, the way John Hagee has on many occassions. Pastor Wright is merely an African American pastor with a sobering opinion of this xenophobic ruse the status quo calls the American Dream. What's more, Pastor Wright is not the only disgruntled American of any ethnicity to hold these unvarnished truths he's told to be that self-evident in American society. America was founded on terrorist hegemony and colonial xenophobia that has lasted until now. Occasionally, we need to be reminded that there is still quite a bit of unfinished business left on that Constitutional fulfillment of achieving equality and liberty for all men and women who claim citizenship in this would be great nation.
Senator Obama has done enough to denounce and repudiate the teachings of his Pastor. Your prescribed racist, crass, obtuse demands to have the Illinois Senator further humble himself to shamefully grovel to assuage Occidental fearmongering need never be met.
Obama agrees with FP:
April 29, 2008
Categories: Barack Obama
Obama denounces Wright
In Winston-Salem, Obama sharply attacks Reverend Jeremiah Wright and the substance of his remarks yesterday, a far sharper disavowal than he gave in Philadelphia last month.
The core of his message: That Wright was not only offensive, but the polar opposite of Obama's own views and politics.
"I have spent my entire adult life trying to bridge the gap between different kinds of people. That’s in my DNA, trying to promote mutual understanding to insist that we all share common hopes and common dreams as Americans and as human beings. That’s who I am, that’s what I believe, and that’s what this campaign has been about," Obama said.
"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday," he said.
Obama also distanced himself from the man in a way he has been reluctant to in the past.
"The person that I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago," he said. "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," he said.
"If Reverend Wright thinks that’s political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn’t know me very well and based on his remarks yesterday, I may not know him as well as I thought either."
"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 exuses. 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 is antithetical to my campaign. It is antithetical to what I’m about. It is not what I think America stands for," he said.
Honestly, I hope that at this point the Rev. will just lay low and not come back with a response to Barack.
Obama doesn't need to be fighting Hillary, McCain, and Wright all at the time.
On a positive, I've been canvassing here and a lot of this is going by voters. Many here are very excited about Obama.
All of this may hurt him some next week but we are still on track for the nomination and the presidency.
By the way, Barack has run an amazing campaign and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
He has taken on the pillar of the Democratic Establishment and is now only 290 delegates away from the nomination.
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