Richard Cohen Suggests Obama Has A 'Farrakhan Test,' Obama Responds

Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have vowed to make nice and heal the racial rift that has lately erupted in the race for the Democratic nomination. But Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen must not have gotten the memo, because today, he offered his own flailing, inane take on the matter in an article titled, "Obama's Farrakhan Test."

Displaying the same sort of reasoning that made "Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon" such a popular concept for six, even seven, minutes back in the late 1990s, here's how Cohen arrives at the standpoint that Obama has a "Farrakhan test" to take. Obama worships at the Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. That church's minister, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., also publishes a magazine. That magazine gave Louis Farrakhan an award once. So, ergo, Barack Obama totally hates the Jews.

Cohen notes that "nothing in Obama's record suggests he harbors anti-Semitic views or agrees with Wright when it comes to Farrakhan." He also notes that David Axelrod has averred that Obama and Wright "sometimes disagree." He goes on to confirm that the Farrakhan award is "one of those instances." He finally concludes: "I don't for a moment think that Obama shares Wright's views on Farrakhan." Uhm...okay! Case closed? Naturally, there's a "but."

"But the rap on Obama is that he is a fog of a man. We know little about him, and, for all my admiration of him, I wonder about his mettle." This would be a fair point in macro, but on the matter of Obama's opinion of Farrakhan, Cohen himself has duly recorded the candidate's unfogging!

Larded with a thoroughly pedantic recital of Martin Luther King and multiple violations of Godwin's Law, the whole piece is an identity politics cheap shot masquerading as high-minded outrage. It's a masterwork of tortured logic, to boot, seeing as the available facts suggest that it's Wright who has explaining to do, not the candidate. Having received confirmation that he doesn't agree with Wright's stance on Farrakhan, what more does Cohen expect Obama to do to make his position clear? Will this statement suffice?

I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan. I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decisions with which I agree.

So there you go, Mr. Cohen! But hey, since we're talking about allegiances and the six-degrees-of-separation concept, maybe you could take up the matter of Clinton surrogate Robert Johnson and his history of providing minority veneer to all sorts of bad Bush administration policies. Because that seems to still be a little foggy.

Comments

[independentrepublicrat]

Quote from the AP: [Obama's] campaign manager, David Plouffe, was far more pointed in a written statement that accused the Clinton campaign of "an entire week's worth of false, divisive attacks designed to mislead caucus-goers and discredit the caucus itself."Whatever the hard feelings, Clinton told supporters they would fade by the fall general election campaign. "We will all be united in November," she said, as the crowd chanted "HRC, HRC." [end quote] ----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­-- I have said this time and again. The Clintons believe that no matter what lies, dirty politics, race-baiting, xenophobia inciting, lying, misreprensenting, amoral campaign they run, that Democrats in general---and Blacks specifically---will have no choice but to support them in November if they are successful in stealing this nomination. I beg to differ. I hope all intelligent Democrats of good conscience will vote for a change in the political party by NOT supporting her if she robs the public of a chance at an honest debate and a substantive choice for president. Don't vote for Billary in the fall under any circumstance; make a stand about your morals and your values as a party. Blacks more than others should always stand up for right because they, since inception, have been the true moral conscience of this nation; FACT!

[fourex]

Th Kenyan Test.
Today the Kenyan government let lose a barrage of tear gas on protesting youth. Barrack Hussein Obama has never denied his African or Muslim linkage through his father. Yet in spite of his close personal connection, Obama remains silent on the subject. Wouldn't Obama be better served to come out forcefully now, and condemn the continued tribal violence in his father's African homeland?
Today the Kenyan government let lose a barrage of tear gas on protesting youth. Barrack Hussein Obama has never denied his African or Muslim linkage through his father. Yet in spite of his close personal connection, Obama remains silent on the subject. Wouldn't Obama be better served to come out forcefully now, and condemn the continued tribal violence in his father's African homeland?

Richard Cohen

Tomorrow the Muslim Test.
Friday the Fidelity Test.

[KaAp]

In response to drab I went to the website and it is afrocentric just as much as my synagogue is a celebration of the "unique" Jewish experience. It is not racist if it is afrocentric ... and your definition of racism is wrong wrong wrong ... racism implies people who have the power, historically, socially and materially ... people can be prejudiced but nothing focusing on the rights and history and special needs of a community can be construed as racist and I am flabbergasted that you can be such a reactionary ....
When I go to synagogue when we talk as Jews about the Holocaust or Passover or whatever does that mean I am being racist against Christians?
No because racism is related to power ...Concurrently when I talk about the Shoah (aka Holocaust) am I expressing hatred or prejudice? No, I am dealing with the events in history which have effected and affected my community ... solidarity is not racism or prejudiced ...
Afrocentric means centered on the African experience not the white experience what is hateful about that? The thing is that whiteness as a political formation is so normalized anything outside of it is seen as contra-white ... before you deal with African-ness or Jewish-ness or whatever-ness deal with the subjectivities that brought about the invisibility and power of white-ness ...
Yes, the division between blacks and jews is sad and problematic ... and people like Cohen do nothing at all to reach out to a dialog if possible or understanding and it is really horrible. I would use the word hegemonic and I always tell my students and my children the way hegemony operates on them is often positioning one group against the other to the benefit of the dominant group who maintains power ...

[fourex]

Mr. Cohen's personal President, GW Bush, has murdered tens of thousands of Iraqis. Mr. Cohen has offered no explanation of why he supported these murders and continues to propagandize for the murderer. Mr. Cohen should explain these horrific actions, if he wants to be taken seriously.

[drab]

Here is the link to Obamas church http://www.tucc.org/about.htm If this is what he is about than Barak Obama is a black racist.What would anybody say if your spiritual adviser that you support financially spouted the racism on the churches web site.

[Querent]

I think Richard Cohen used the term "a toxic stew of lies" in his article. That phrase perfectly describes his life.

[JonYank]

"received confirmation" - I don't think an casual comment by a campaign manager can be called "confirmation" and I think the writer of this post entirely missed the point of Cohen's piece. He is not blasting Obama in any sense, just explaining that it would make sense for him to totally disavow an award given by his PERSONAL Reverend to an intolerant, anti-white, anti-semite. That six degrees of separation parallel is inaccurate to the point of being a misleading, untruth. Again - it is Obama's PERSONAL Reverend praising a bigot and this writer tears down the messenger.

[lynnn]

I'll post -I think it is fair to say that Mr. Cohen (any relation to Roy Cohen let's ask and make him denie it) only speaks for his loathsome self.

this-http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0108/Beating_back_the_smears.html

[TommyMcCarthy]

So what's the big deal about this minister whatshisname guy anyway??

Here's some upfifting words regarding "unity" and "hope" from minister Farakahn:.........

"White men are only potential humans......they haven't evolved yet"

"..the white man is the anti-christ"

"remember that I have warned you that Allah will punish you Jews.....You are the wicked decievers of the American people.....you are not REAL Jews....You are the synoguoge of Satan..But I warn you....Allah will crucify you"

"No man can sayhe's a Jew and promote homosexuality"

"The Jews have been so bad at politics...they lost half thier population in the Holocaust"

"God don't like men coming on to men with lust in thier hearts......if you think the Kingdom is going to be filled up with that degenerate crap, you're out of your damn mind"

"A decree of death has been passed on America, the judgement of God has been rendered, and she must be destroyed"

[zull2]

Richard Cohen is a sick human being. Mentally, completely, sick.

For the Hillary supporters out there, this is roughly the equivalent of someone in a mainstream periodical accusing Hillary of having male genitals. If we're going to somehow compare sexism with racism, then this is it.

And if you're a white guy calling for a "Farrakhan Test", then you're a total piece of garbage even if you also happen to be Jewish. The insane stretch that this guy takes to try and connect Obama to Farrakhan is literally so far that it would split a Stretch Armstrong up the middle.

[Ginzaman]

Now that Gravel and Kucinich have been basically destroyed by the neocon MSM, here's another problem. How do we do that they won't now censor Obama (and to a certain degree still) Edwards? Listen and repeat. The white neocon power elite that control practically everything you see and hear will never tolerate a person of color as President. It's only going to get worse.

[AnkaDede]

The heat is on! Go Hillary! The way to go.

[dogwalker]

Wow, I never even thought of that.
What do you think of the chances of a black man being elected president of the United States without condeming Louis Farrakahn if the question seriously comes up?
I don't mean Obama's softball answer. I mean if the republican's make it a real issue he would have to to throw him totally under the bus.

[jeffepops]

As so many of the comments to this blog illustrate, there is more anti-semitism floating around in the HuffPo than in the Obama campaign. Obama should not be strapped with guilt by association, period. Cohen acts as a shill for the Clinton campaign.

Yet, how many comments go right to the cliched Jew hating conclusions about Cohen that are as bad -- and many worse -- than Cohen makes about Obama?

For the record, Obama has addressed, and been well received by AIPAC, and has had an early and strong base of support by many Jewish leaders who are also strong supporters of Israel. What does that make him?

[nellie]

I never would have heard of this story if not for this blog. Can we get back to the issues, please?