Clinton Backer "Organized" Wright's Press Club Event

New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis writes:

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright couldn't have done more damage to Barack Obama's campaign if he had tried. And you have to wonder if that's just what one friend of Wright wanted.

Shortly before he rose to deliver his rambling, angry, sarcastic remarks at the National Press Club Monday, Wright sat next to, and chatted with, Barbara Reynolds.

A former editorial board member at USA Today, she runs something called Reynolds News Services and teaches ministry at the Howard University School of Divinity. (She is an ordained minister).

It also turns out that Reynolds - introduced Monday as a member of the National Press Club "who organized" the event - is an enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter. ...

I don't know if Reynolds' eagerness to help Wright stage a disastrous news conference with the national media was a way of trying to help Clinton - my queries to Reynolds by phone and e-mail weren't returned yesterday - but it's safe to say she didn't see any conflict between promoting Wright and supporting Clinton.

Read Louis's full column here.

UPDATE: From Politico's Michael Calderone:

National Press Club president Sylvia Smith responded today to a Daily News article reporting that club member Barbara Reynolds, a Hillary Clinton supporter, organized yesterday's breakfast talk with Dr. Jeremiah Wright Jr.

Smith said by phone this morning that she still doesn't know if Reynolds supports Clinton, and doesn't care either way.

"Reverend Wright is newsworthy, period," Smith said.

But Wright wasn't as newsworthy two years ago when Reynolds first pitched Barack Obama's controversial pastor as a potential speaker for the press club, according to Smith.

At that time, the speaker's committee--of which Reynolds is now a part of, but wasn't at the time--didn't move forward with selecting Wright.

"He wasn't newsworthy then in the broader context," Smith said.

Comments

[qwr]

I still think it is wrong to demonize Rev. Wright because of all the good works he has done, but after watching his press conference, I have to say that this man is insufferable. In his attitude (but not in his political views, which I largely agree with) he is no different than the white evangelicals. What happened to clergymen showing a little humility? It's all in-your-face. Sad, but true: those who we expect to be the most humble turn out to be the biggest egotists.

[SickOfSpin]

qwr--I agree wholeheartedly!! To say Rev. Wright is insufferable is an understatement though! Wright's reemergence into the political forefront is ALL ABOUT his ego. While I am incensed that one of Mrs. Clinton's supporters seems to have 'encouraged' Rev. Wright's resurfacing again, I guess my own naivete regarding the basic goodness of others continues to routinely hit me up alongside the head! Will Mrs. Clinton's supporters stoop to nothing?!?

[Nardwilly]

Barbara Reynolds is a minister. As a prominent Minister and journalist (She once wrote editorials for USA Today) she probably is personally acquainted with Jeremiah Wright. Jeremiah Wright is a known quantity among the most successful Black clergy. He and his church have been around for a long time as a major denomination in a major city. Reynolds did not invite him because of Clinton; she is not that kind of partisan. She invited him because she believes he has something important to say.

I believe if people would listen to his words and try to understand his speeches, they could learn about America and themselves. I listened to the Moyer’s program, the NAACP speech, and I have listened to him preach on television. There is nothing particularly new or radical in his statements. When he says Obama is a politician that is a true statement and speaks to Obama's purpose. It is not negative unless you believe politics is negative.

I can see how the non religious are troubled by preaching, it sounds arrogant. But the nature of preaching is arrogance, preachers and believers view the sermon as a message from God through the preacher. Preachers ask God to shrink them and let the Word from God come out of "my mouth". There is no humility in the sermon. That is why a pastor can seem humble on Moyer’s and arrogant in the pulpit and in a speech. From my years in church, this is absolutely normal and expected.

[ApolloniaCreed]

I have, and I agree with him on a lot of things... it's the timing I question. I just don't know what to think. He must know he didn't do BO any favors...

[Hophog]

Which just goes to show that maybe they're not as close as the MSM has been pushing.

Obama 08

[Aywaller]

I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Clinton campaign used such an underhanded tactic, but this article certainly doesn't provide any evidence of that. It does nothing but raise unanswered questions. I find it irresponsible to say that because they were seen at the conference speaking to each other--dare I say it? even "whispering"--that Reynolds somehow had Rev. Wright make his comments for the express purpose of hurting Obama's campaign. As I said, given the levels to which Clinton has sunk already, if true I wouldn't be surprised. But this column doesn't even reasonably raise that inference.

[amber09]

Quilt by association is wrong! No-one should be judged by another persons behavior! Obama is a man of ethics, morals and honor! A rare person in the world of politics! Shame on the Clintons for setting up Wright with the Nat'l press. Shame on the media for giving Wright a platform! Obama will rise above this witch hunt slander and I predict will become one of the best Preidents we have ever had! How refreshing will it be to have a leader that is honest! I pray every day that people will see through all the hurtful spin against Obama and see a truely great man!

[Cyndee1113]

It is wrong what the Clinton supporter has done. We cannot blame all of it on the Clintons. Rev. Wright moved his mouth.

[shel3364]

yeah, I'm sure Hillary had no knowledge of this..... as far as I know.

[victoriajubilee]

lets see if the MSM will pick up on this story. Keith Olbermann where are you we need you.

[Hophog]

If this is true, then all the media need to report it, not just Olbermann because he preaches to the choir. I'd like to see it on all the MSNBC shows and CNN too.

Obama 08

[haleywins]

Proof no spiritual leader is better than one like this.

[MrsJones]

Simply because someone supports Hillary Clinton (or really, her husband, in this case) doesn't mean they hate Obama or Rev. Wright. Let's not make the assumption that this woman was a tool of the Clinton campaign simply based on that fact. Isn't that the same thing people have been doing to Obama and Wright--taking one fact and making a huge leap to another?

[stepintothelight]

If the Clintions name is anywhere near it ... trust me .... It's dirty!!!

[ohiodem250]

Well said. I was tempted to do that. But you are right. If I did that I would be doing the same thing others have done in conflating Rev. Wright's actions for Sen. Obama's. Thank you for being a reasonable voice.

[HadEnoughCrap]

It wouldn't surprise me that she's involved. What is the one thing that she could never get from Obama? The Black vote? and she needs that. What if a well respected Black preacher (one that knows Obama well) suddenly threw Obama under the bus?
I doubt they even had to pay him. Just give him the opportunity to get in front of a camera. He's clearly a huge media and attention whore.
I wonder how long before he endorses HRC?

[Taaj]

Rev. Wright and the Clinton team are working together to hurt Obama because they knew Rev. Wright was angry about Obama's AUDACITY TO CARE ABOUT WHITE PEOPLE, and not see black folks as victims.

This comment is not for the racists among us, no matter what's your hue. It is only for the reasonable people who can see the manipulations clearly.

[lykitis]

I've read and heard Obama say he believes in the power of prayer. I choose to believe there are thousands of people in Wrights former congregation who are hurt at Wrights actions towards Obama's campaign, people who want Obama as our President. Time for Obama's church to break into Prayer Circles, bind these powers of darkness and claim the victory for Obama. Thousands of Wright's true God/American loving people showing their faith will scare the hell out of Hillary and the GOP. All things are possible!

[iPolitics]

The New McCarthyism

[ohiodem250]

Agreed. If I wasn't too busy browsing the internet or watching the news all day on my flat screen HD I would probably protest in the streets. Oh well.

[biglith]

The question is: Is the Clinton campaign somehow involved in the Rev. Wright media blitz? If it turns out that they are in fact behind this then there is another question: Is this "just politics" or a scandal?

[SamanthaJaneSalem]

Please read this imagined sentence from some future history book and ask yourself what it says about America-- and Democrats:

"In 2008 Barack Obama lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton because of comments made by his black pastor from Chicago which Clinton was able to use as a means of convincing "superdelegates" (a controversial electoral process discarded in 2009) that this historic black candidate could not win white voters in the general election."

[jupitor]

So when does the media pick this up? We write history like this! In the year 2008 Barack Obama lost the Democratic nomination because oponent Hillary Clinton used seriousely questionable tactics of useing friend (Renolds) to exploit Obama's pastor Reverend wright as a Black Man out of control of his sense's! In terms, the 2008 election was stolen from the American people, and the people suffered for years under the leadership of opposition party leader John Mccain! The millions of young new voters, Independent and black were disenfranchised by dirty politics and we will probally never for years see such a out cry of anger in America again as at this time in History!

[ohiodem250]

If it wasn't so sickening it would be incredibly funny what the media is doing to Rev. Wright. After constantly playing those sound bites over and over and over and over again they chastise him for trying to explain himself on a national stage. The New York Times, in an article that can only appropriately be described as the epitome of yellow journalism, wrote, "[Rev. Jeremiah Wright] is not out of touch with the American culture, he is the avatar of the American celebrity principle: he grabbed his 30-second spots of infamy and turned them into 15 minutes of fame." How is it that the cable news channels (the same channels who dedicated countless hours to those 30-second clips) and newspapers such as The New York Times (who spilled gallons of ink writing about those 30-second clips) deny him the chance to defend himself? The last line of this article was a quote from MSNBC's Chuck Todd, summarizing Rev. Wright's Nat'l Press Club appearance this way: "You're so vain you probably think this campaign is about you." What a load of shit! It was indeed the mainstream media who MADE the Obama campaign all about Rev. Wright in the past weeks. The message to Rev. Wright was clear: Black man, we already made an example of you for not having enough change for the fare now get to the back of the bus!

[stockton2malone]

YOU ARE 100 percent right!!!!! I cant believe people are missing the picture here, does anyone else see the new running narrative that the media is running with. If anyone has the time, go back and read the messgeboards and comments soon after the naacp speech. There was open hopefullness that the social problems and the overall conversation would begin to insert itself. There were people admitting that the media did wright a tremendous disservice and it would be interesting to see if they admit any wrongdoing. So what happened yesterday, the negative storyline took a new turn. Paid pundits carried the WRIGHT WILL HURT OBAMA theme all damn day. WRIGHT is jealous of Obama. Really? How many voters did you talk to? How did you come up with this theme? What happen to the message in wrights recent interview being discussed? What could have been the start of the "coversation about race" people clamor for, got blown off track by the MSM who seemed to watch with the mute button on....Amazing

[ohiodem250]

If I wasn't crying for the future of our country I'd be laughing. This campaign was the greatest dark comedy nobody wrote.

[biglith]

Barbara Reynold's pro-Clinton website/blog has been scrubbed clean according to Thom Hartmann. More info today on his Air America program.