Obama's 'Sister Souljah Moment'
Harken back to June, 1992. Bill Clinton was having trouble with Reagan democrats. Then Sister Souljah, an outspoken rapper and political activist, made some very incendiary comments in a Washington Post interview regarding the horrific LA riots. "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" Clinton used a speech before Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to take on both Souljah and Jackson, who had put her on the program the night before Clinton's address.
Clinton, speaking to a predominately black audience, said, "If you took the words 'white' and 'black' and you reversed them, you might think David Duke was giving that speech." Souljah reacted with great vehemence, saying that Clinton "chose to comment without any investigation whatsoever based on an interview in an ultraconservative newspaper, the Washington Post, which is about as familiar with the experiences of Africans in America, inner city youth, and hip-hop, as Bill Clinton is." Then she engaged in a withering assault on Clinton's candidacy, concluding that "Clinton lacks integrity at painting himself as a staunch patriot, a people's servant, a compassionate liberal, a family man, a pro-woman candidate and a coherent scholar. Sister Souljah was used as a vehicle, like Willie Horton and various other Black victims. A poor excuse for an agenda-less candidate". Rev. Jackson added that Clinton's comments were "designed to set off a dynamic to compete with Dan Quayle on the cultural elite issue and the family value issue." The press had a field day.
Inside the Clinton campaign, there was fear about alienating an important constituency. But certain advisors suggested that it could be a good political move to show toughness against this traditional base. This was clearly an opportunity to gain support from blue collar and suburban white democrats while also appealing to independents and moderate Republicans.
Clinton could legitimately argue, as he did, that his position was not manufactured, but instead, entirely consistent with his campaign message. As he told reporters at the time, he didn't "say anything that I hadn't been saying since I first started running. I called for an end to division, which I've been calling for since I first began this race."
Now fast-forward to the Obama-Wright flap. Obama has made unity and reconciliation a theme of his campaign from its inception. No commentators have expressed any sincere belief that he actually shares the more extreme views of Rev. Wright. They simply call for him to make a clean break from a man more interested in bolstering his own ego and selling an upcoming book than supporting a parishioner and the first black candidate to have a real shot at the presidency of the United States.
Obama made a clear distinction in his speech on race between the views of certain older African-Americans who lived through the Jim Crow and civil rights battles and his generation. While recognizing the shoulders he now stands on, he made it clear he is of the future, not the past. He showed personal integrity by not 'throwing Wright under a bus', but is now a victim of that very maneuver. His bona fides established, he should recognize the opportunity Wright has given him. This is Obama's Sister Souljah moment. He would be foolish not to take it.
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My Problem with this post is that it begs the question " What exactly should he say?" I think that Obama shoudn't talk about Wright any more and talk about the issues. If he talks about Wright he keeps the Wright issue alive. If a reporter asks him about Wright he should say what he has said which is Wright is representing Wright and that I represent myself and then bring up the high price of gas, Iraq etc. We've got to move on.
As usual the White liberal misses the point. Sister Souljah's joke was an observational comment on the fact that when the violence was Black-on-Black it hardly registered in the national media. However, when one White trucker (Reginald Denny) got himself nearly killed on TV by a couple of thugs, it was suddenly -- "Oh, my God! There are Savages among us!"
Sister Souljah was communicating that mainstream media was racist because dead Blacks only rate coverage when they get killed by Whites, but dead Whites get coverage whether they get killed by Blacks or Whites.
This article is really part of the beginning of those who defended Wright to now subtely start throwing him under the bus. Within the next few days we'll see more and more people trying to extricate Obama from the Reverend Nutjob by tossing the good reverend overboard. It seems to me the the second Obama heard the racist, anti-American ranting of Wright he should have left that church. There are, after all, other Christian churches he could have attended.
The so called self appointed liberals on talk radio are becoming just as racist and nasty toward Wright as flathead Hannity.
When you scratch the surface all the talking heads are cut from the same cloth.
Yeah, and as soon as Catholics heard that perverted, pedophile priests were molesting innocent and trusting young children (for decades no less) they should have left the enabling Catholic church. After all, there are other Christian denominations they could have joined, right? Unless of course child molestation is acceptable compared to "racist, anti-American rantings".
Wright's coming out with a book in the fall. I'm betting he defends himself and the black church in that book.
He needs to shut the f*** up about himself and the church OR come to Obama's defense instead of throwing him to the dogs with his "He's a politician doing what politicians do" statement.
Grandstanding, egotistical man.
Unfortunately, I agree. If Wright had stayed out of the spotlight, this MIGHT have diminished. That time has come and gone. He is obviously out of his mind at the moment, either not realizing what he is doing or not caring, wanting his 15 minutes of fame.
Wright did stay out of the spotlight and the issue did not die down or go away. Senator Obama, for example, was questioned about Rev. Wright during the so-called debate on ABC on the eve of the Pennsylvania primary. Supporters of Senator Obama need to stop wringing their hands and biting their foreheads about Rev. Wright. Obama does not need to throw the reverend under the proverbial bus, explain, interpret or provide any rationalizations for minister's comments.
Rev. Wright is not Senator Obama's cross to bear and folks who claim to support Obama's candidacy need to stop sweating him and his campaign about this issue. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that Obama can do at this point (or even prior to this point) to stop the Clinton campaign and the right-wing noise machine from raising the specter of Rev. Wright at every available opportunity. The sky is not falling simply because some people don't like what a black minister said from the pulpit of his own church.
Catherine Crier's piece is wrong. Nothing that Obama has said or will say will make the Wright controversy go away. Nothing.
Obama should go on 60 minutes, but he might not have that much time. Either way, he needs to stand with the new pastor of Trinity Church (don't know the name of the new pastor who took over for Wright) and say strongly that he (Obama) belongs to a church, not a pastor. He needs to let the new pastor speak and distance the CHURCH from Wright- maybe even severe whatever ties remain. Then Obama can agree to that move and speak more broadly about his relationship with God. He should do this on the steps of a prominent black church in Indianapolis. Finally, he needs to come out and say "I tried to be loyal to a man who brought me to God, but this is not the same man who I knew and who I heard breach."
That's a good idea.
The new pastor's name is Otis Moss, III and he is one hell of a guy.
So I have to choose between a man whose pastor is a Clinton surrogate and bent on his destruction or a woman who can't seem to tell the truth and whose husband's appitite for sexual adventure led this country through impeachment and disgrace? I'll take the man with the precher problem.
I aggree with this point. Biil Clinton' actions had a direct effect on the election of George Bush. Now look at where we are at. I really don't think he has learned from his past mistakes. We don't need more of him.
How do you figure? President Clinton left office, I think, with an 86% approval rating. It was Gore who decided ( puritanically , I think), that didn't want Bill to campaign for him, and that was a big mistake!
Yes, the decision should based on what is the candidate's own character. The noise of a pastor is irrelevant. The media should have stopped it in its tract already. His 15 minutes of fame passed yesterday.
I agree but at the least if the media must interrogate the statements of candidate's pastors let us take a look at the anti Catholic, post Katrina comments of John McCain's supporter, John Hagee or McCain's honorary degree from segregationist tinted Bob Jones University. What angers, I think, so many Af-Ams is the rank hypocrisy. I said it before and I will say it again, Barack Obama is paying the Black Tax, just like HRC would be paying the women tax if Obama were not a candidate.
you forget that little ole Obama lied over and over again
OBAMA SAT IN THE PEW an never heard those things , HA no one can believe that!!!!!
He lied about that Nafta thing , he said for days it never happened then that memo came and he was like OHHHHHH THAT MEETING!!
Dude he is a joke and he is weak
You are mistaken it was HRC's campaign that had consulted with the Canadian government over NAFTA (though the media did not follow up on that narrative line) and Wright himself declared that Obama had not been in attendance when the "offensive" statements were made.
you know, it is customary to provide proof when you accuse someone of lying. Like when Hillary lied about Bosnia and CBS provided the video to prove that she lied, not once, but three times about Bosnia.
Or the lie about Ireland when the Nobel Peace Prize winner came back and described her as being "a wee bit silly".
Or when she claimed that she was not for NAFTA only to have several youtube recording of her singing the praises of NAFTA working, and her WhiteHouse schedules proving that she promoted and supported NAFTA.
Or that she and Slick Willie received 800,000 smackaroos from the Colombia govt and that jobs that belonging to Americans will be shipped to Colombia after Mark Penn lobbyed successfully on behalf of Colombia to send said jobs away.
so please, pray tell who is the liar and the joke seems to be on you, as Hilliary does not have a chance in hades of winning even with all of the lies you spread against Obama
The Democratically controlled Congress is about to pass another $180 billion dollars for war and we're still talking about Rev. Wright, why? Peace
Imhotep,
I agree. All we are saying is give peace a chance or $180 million dollars, either way it's good.
This is an opportunity for growth in this country. I think Obama gets it. He has already expressed it in all his responses to the Wright issue. His communication skills are being put to the test with this situation. However, I really think he gets it.
My concern is more in regard to white America. Will they get it? Can the white American population, as a whole, resolve their racial issues. Will the news media address the issues more objectively and be less antagonistic? Perhaps the media could be a little more willing to listen and be more accepting of our differences.
Again.....
Rev Wright could be just a catalyst to assist us all. He has his weaknesses and has the ability to offend. But.....so do we all.....in
I will continue to support Obama, because, He gets it. This country will be a better place when we deal with these issues directly without the attack. It is hard to listen and hear each other during an attack.
According to hillary supporters she has the key demographics to win this thing so that tells they don't value or need the AA vote so I say, "fine, win it with the important people and the AA should just sit this election out"......
Two things wrong with this post:
1. Hillary has had a string of "Willie Horton" moments that are far more serious and repellent. (Obama only has a speech, just like Jesse Jackson, etc, etc.) She needs to denounce and reject her attacks on the AA base. It still won't be enough, but she can try to begin her path away from the dark side.
2. The only problem with Wright is that he doesn't know when to stop clowning. If he had just restrained himself in the q&a at the press club, he would have been brilliant! Anyone who's seen the Moyers interview, or seen the whole sermons and not the fox loops would see that Wright is extremely intelligent and inspiring. If I were ever to go to church, that's where I'd go. Talk about being non-elitist, he's really got his feet on the ground. I don't know about you, Catherine, you sound like you've never been outside of the loop in Chicago.
When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
there will be an answer. let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....
And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me,
shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....
Best post so far.
If, if, if just don't do it. He blew it. The people who needed to see Wright on Moyers are not apt to be the ones who did. Instead, they were more apt to see his addresses to NCAAP and NPC. Better (or worse) yet, clips of it and idiot wanks on Fox.....th
Hillary knows she doesn't have to do anything to win back the AA base.....s
Sadly, you're correct. If only doesn't cut it when the stakes are this high. Wright did blow it. First step is humbly apologizing for his naivety. If that's what it was. If it was anger, then that's a mitigating factor. But if he has crossed the line with a personal agenda, then he's through. Whatever the AA spokespeople have to do to shuffle him off, it has to be done.
Your point about Hillary not needing the AA base is way off though. She's not gonna get the bitter white vote, McCain will. Who's gonna vote for her, is what I wanna know. Old white women?
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