Obama, Not Wright, Is Obama's Worst Enemy
Whoever on Team Obama keeps feeding into Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's seeming compulsive need to speak out on the Reverend Jeremiah Wright should get the swift boot. When Wright went on his latest public and media tear, Obama should have simply issued a statement saying this: Wright is no longer my pastor. And as I have said repeatedly, his views do not reflect mine, and then move on.
But no, Obama's Wright compulsion drove him to deliver a defensive and apologetic so-called race speech in which Wright was the centerpiece. Next, he denounced Wright's views in an interview. Now he holds a halting, stumbling, anguished voice press conference to denounce Wright again. Here's the effect of all this. He's given a slew of gossipy, media talking heads more salacious grist for the gossip and rumor mill about Wright, the church and Obama's long term relationship with both.
He's elevated Wright from a relatively obscure, local preacher to a nationally known polarizing figure. He's deepened the suspicions of those who all along felt that he was a closet radical and race panderer. This hurt him with white voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and almost certainly it will hurt him in Indiana. It has pecked away at the razor thin lead he had over Clinton among Democrats, and dropped him behind McCain in the general election. (Hillary beats McCain by ten points).
He created clouds of doubt among some of his non-rabid, and non-true believer supporters that maybe it's time to take a second look at him and his candidacy. He's given political analysts and pundits boundless ammunition to fire the jibe that maybe he is unelectable. After all, if he bombs with blue collar, rural, and less educated white voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania who are Democrats, what chance does he have of getting a big swatch of the must win independents who fit that same vote demographic in the South, the Midwest and the West to back him in a head to head showdown with McCain? He's gotten so bogged down with the obsessive need to slam Wright that he's managed to self-derail his campaign from the issues that should matter to debating Wright on of all things as to whether Wright and the black church as Wright claims are one and the same.
Finally, and worst of all, no matter how much he protests that Wright doesn't represent him or his thinking, the fact is he sat in his church for nearly two decades, called him a spiritual mentor and family confidant, appointed him to an advisory post in his campaign, and in his so-called race speech refused to disown his two decade experience and relationship with him. This instantly makes his Wright protest sound like the wail of a politician running scared, and who sees the long, arduous, time consuming and patient work he put into building up public trust in him as the nation's great political hope fast washing down the drain.
But Obama is no different than other inexperienced politicians who get blind-sided by damaging and hurtful allegations and associations. They panic, do their public mea culpas, and hope and pray that it all blows over. It never does. The clouds of doubt remain transfixed in the air of the voter's minds, and that doubt will always be there with whispers, wisecracks, and raised eyebrows that maybe the politician with a taint who so many put their fervent faith and hope in is not all that he's cracked up to be.
The more optimistic Obama backers point to Bill Clinton as the best example of a much admired, effective political leader who rebounded from a scandal and attacks and whose popularity ratings soared to the stars. That's true but there are some big differences. Clinton was a battle tested, second term president, the economy was booming, there were no major foreign policy crises, and millions of supporters including many Republicans saw the GOP assaults on him as nothing more than vindictive partisan politics. That was more than enough for him to ride out the tide.
Obama is hardly Clinton. And the issue that dogged Clinton was sex. The issue that dogs Obama is race. That in any season is perennially for a politician, especially a black politician, their worst nightmare. That's even truer for Obama who has worked tirelessly to sell white voters on his non-racial message of unity, harmony, and hope.
Obama then must understand two things. Wright isn't going away. His ego and a press insatiable for any inflammatory Wright quip will insure that. If that's so then Obama should button it up on Wright. Anything else he says on him will further insure that Obama not Wright is Obama's worst enemy.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House (Middle Passage Press, February 2008).
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Inexperience sum this whole issue up. What we as Hillary Clinton supporters have been saying all along. I don't blame Obama for running it is good experience. I blame the media with is love fest and self importance promotion of a not ready to be President candidate. I blame the Democratic Party leadership for letting this happen. in 2007 you ask anyone who the next President was going to be and it was always Hillary Clinton for 8 and then Obama for 8. That was what the country was so ready for after Bush. You said it so well as to what now is going to happen and why.
But Obama is no different than other inexperienced politicians who get blind-sided by damaging and hurtful allegations and associations. They panic, do their public mea culpas, and hope and pray that it all blows over. It never does. The clouds of doubt remain transfixed in the air of the voter's minds, and that doubt will always be there with whispers, wisecracks, and raised eyebrows that maybe the politician with a taint who so many put their fervent faith and hope in is not all that he's cracked up to be
This is what we as Hillary Clinton supporters have been saying all along
If Hillary is such a saint why oh why has she been out campaigned by this inexperienced upstart? How can she be ready to lead the country when she has dissed half of the population by campaigning only in the typically "Blue" states? Just how is that going to unite the country to get something done? She ran a shoddy campaign and she's getting the pant suit beat off of her. Obama is no more responsible for Wright than all the catholics including Pat Buchanan and Chris Matthews are for staying in the Catholic church during pedophilegate. I'm a 61 year old white woman who will be forced to vote for Nader for President if the nomination is taken away from the better candidate. Changing the rules by saying Michigan and Florida should count after she agreed that they wouldn't is so typical of old time lie steal and cheat politics.
because Obama has a Hollywood marketing team
If Hillary had so much better experience then she should have wrapped this up by New Hampshire. She has the Democratic establishment, the DLC, an ex-President husband who HAD a high approval rating; prominent friends;
She had EXPERENCE with two Presidential campaign not more Presidential or executive experience.
Hillary doesn't have more EXPERIENCE; she just has had more EXPOSURE to national politics.
That is a BIG difference.
If EXPERIENCE was the measurement then Bill Richardson should be the nominee.
Remember Bill Clinton started off as the Governor of one of Hillary's Little States and he didn't do to bad. Abe Lincoln had 2 terms as a U.S. Congressmen; he didn't do to bad either (except for the assassination part )
I have been a fervent supporter of Obama, but I've listened closely to what Rev. Wright has been saying in his recent interviews, and I simply cannot believe that Obama spent 20 years in that man's church. Rev. Wright is a racist, plain and simple, and his comments are self-righteous, judgmental, and extremely damaging, not only to Obama, but to the nation as a whole. Not only that, but he's a publicity seeker and a disturbingly obnoxious man who is using Obama's candidacy to thrust his face and his racist monologues onto a national stage, and to hell with Obama. Obama's candidacy, in fact, indicates that Wright's racist beliefs are long out of date, and rather than fade into obscurity as he so richly deserves, Wright is setting the clock back 40 years so he doesn't have to. He's so obviously an evil man that Obama's relationship with him calls Obama's judgment into question. I simply cannot imagine a man so ugly and evil that on the Sunday after 9/11, with the nation frightened and in mourning, having lost 3,000 innocent countrymen, Wright would get onto a Christian podium and start ranting about "chickens coming home to roost." That's disgusting and obnoxious, and doesn't represent any kind of Christianity I practice. Obama spent twenty years in that man's church? I am having serious second thoughts. A Hillary candidacy is looking a lot better to me right now.
Obama specifically addressed the issues brought up by Wright today. He said, in no uncertain terms, that he thought his statements were "ridiculous". Even other members of his church are saying that the Wright in recent interviews is different than the Wright they knew as pastor. I haven't had a problem with Wright, partly because I am an atheist and I view all political religious leaders with skepticism. I don't see Wright as any worse than the legion of conservative religious leaders out there.
Do you know where the interviews with other members of the church are to be found?
pastgone you are typical. you cannot be black, if you are you hate yourself and have no knowledge of your history.
you love that the media gave you Rev. Wright as a scapegoat and the reason you are not voting for Sen. Obama. When in your heart of hearts you knew you never would vote for a black man anyway.
The Black church is much much more than the pastor.. People typically go for the fellowship and a cresendoed performance by a pastor or two and joyous music sung by a good harmonious gospel choir..
In the church I went to in my hometown there was a feud going on between the pastor and a large minority of the congregation that went on for around 10 years. Attrition was low to normal ...
The Black Church belongs to the congregation not the Pastor.. So it was never 'that man's church'.
I don't care how outrageous the pastor gets in his sermons; you don't leave your brothers and sisters in the congregation because the reverend said something. Now if his/her actions are suspect like Reverend So-n-So knocked boots with Deacon Somethin-Somethin's wife , you would get rid of the pastor; but you don't leave.
I will never understand why (even liberals) are outraged that people were pointing out that there were root causes for 9/11 that could be found in American foreign policy. The sun hadn't even gone down on September 11 and people were screaming for blood, revenge, war. And yet the ones who said, "can the seeds of this tragedy can be found in US foreign policy" were the tasteless, disgusting, obnoxious ones. Perhaps if more attention had been paid to the 'disgusting and obnoxious' ones America wouldn't have waited until after it threw itself into the clusterf@#k that is Iraq before wondering about these questions.
When exactly is the polite time to ask why your country wants to rush into war?
The problem with this is Obama has not addressed an important question. Does he agree with the radical ideas Rev. Wright mentioned in his sermons over the past 20 years?
He addressed this question today, calling Wright's statements ridiculous and offensive. Are you asking him to go through every statement Wright said over the last 20 years and renounce them as well? Does this actually seem reasonable to you?
This is a swiftboating!!! The only "problem" is that these people are black. Obama has put himself out there for all to know about and to see. With all that we know about Sen. Clinton and Bubba, people would still rather have them back in the WH over a black man. Or maybe this is all about the "establish
In case you didn't realize the person who wed the Obamas and baptized their children said that Obama was playing politics.
WTF is this the megalomaniac who thinks he speaks for the entire black church and perpetuates the self important victimhood?
Of course Obama had to distance himself from this sort of paranoia.
By proxy, by disowning his pastor he disowned the black community and his white grandmother. He did say it in Phila, did he not?
You are kidding me right? He can't ignore this - I agree that he needs to stand up and fight. Otherwise he will lose.
The clouds of doubt remain transfixed in the air of the voter's minds, and that doubt will always be there with whispers, wisecracks,
__________
Well, I'm sure that both you and Hillary are hoping this is the case...
Pure Republican campaign tactics, Rule.
Without naming names (including those who use three names in their name), there are some people whom Obama will never please. He can't do anything right, if you ask them. And neither can his supporters-- who must think Obama's perfect. I'm not sure who their favorite candidate is, but when it comes to Obama, they are thoroughly annoyed nearly all the time.
For those who support Obama despite his imperfections, or don't support him despite his strengths, the truth isn't quite as much cause for crankiness: Obama isn't running against Perfect Candidate A or Ideal Candidate B. He is running against Clinton and McCain.
McCain is the candidate who wants to continue Bush's failed economic policies and disastrous war in Iraq, who every day reveals more inconsistencies in his record and character (so many that someday the mainstream media may actually report a few).
Clinton is a candidate who has given up on running as a competent, prepared leader (prepared for a post-Super Tuesday nomination fight, for instance) and has taken to running a Republican-style campaign. She and Obama have similar ideas for America-- he's more comfortable running on the strength of his ideas than telling us how dangerous she is.
So, President Obama won't be the ultimate unifying, spotless leader we'll spend an eternity waiting for-- but he'll be easy to listen to in his speeches, he won't owe lobbyists, he'll get our troops out of Iraq and he'll fight for the middle class. Not bad.
But Barack can just brush the Wright stuff off his shoulders, can't he?
The way he brushed the bitterness remarks off, and the 3:00 a.m. ad. What Barack Obama fails to understand is you can't just waltz into the national spotlight and change the way politics has been working for the last few centuries. People don't evolve overnight to this new breed of high minded, individual who can separate the bullshit, from the relevant stuff.
And this guy was in fact his spiritual adviser, and Barack Obama just told America how important his faith was to him. Those things need explaining.
He's run a naive campaign. He's expected everyone else to do his fighting for him. But its time Barack for you to stop suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, we don't want to hear it. We know its unfair, and the MSM has conspired against you, but now is the time to play hero, and take arms against your sea of trouble, rumoured to be filled with ravenous great white racists just awaiting your entry in the national election.
His acolytes need to start administering some tough love. "We" can't do anything about Wright, because 'we' never went to his church. Barack did. So Barack, its incumbent upon you to show us you can defeat your foes, and in this case your erstwhile friends.
"And this guy was in fact his spiritual adviser, and Barack Obama just told America how important his faith was to him. Those things need explaining
What else do you want, blood? Clinton's supporters have demanded that he denounce his pastor and he has. He addressed specifically what he disagreed with in Wrights statements. What else can he possibly do (other than go back in time and never go to that church) to convince you?
This conviction that, despite all of the evidence, Obama secretly agrees with Wright, reminds me of the conspiracy theorists convinced that Obama is a Muslim Manchurian candidate.
It isn't even that Obama secretly agrees with Wright, this incident calls into question Barack's ability to judge character.
If it came out that Hillary Clinton was going to Carrot Top or Rip Taylor for spiritual advice it would call into question her judgment of character as well. And Wright is just that over the top.
Not to mention his blatant disregard for Barack Obama's wished that this campaign be about the war, and economy. What a profound lack of respect for his parishioner's plan this blustering pastor shows. You'd think he were running for president.
Comical. And who follow such a characters teachings for two decades? Valid questions which the blindly devoted can dismiss all they want, but if the electorate want answers, withholding them will only cast a darker shadow on this candidacy than has already been cast.
Let's get a grip on reality. Obama is not Rev. Wright. Rev. Wright is not Obama, nor is he his runningmate. This guilt by association trick, when there is no evidence of Obama ascribing to Black Liberation Theology, is designed precisely to influence stupid people who don't think critically for themselves. It's easy for these people to question Obama because he doesn't have the same old cookie cutter upbringing. It's the inherent racism of it all - had he been just as eloquent and compassionate, but 100% white, he'd have been considered the second coming of JFK. No one would wonder if he wore a flag pin, or if he was a terrorist.
How very high and mighty. The truth of the matter is that until you have walked in the spotlight, especially one this intense, you don't know what you would do. It is very easy for you to sit from afar and post a blog, but you have no control over what another adult does. Should a parent be held responsible for what an adult child does? That person was raised by the parent. Grew up in the same household. If that child robs a bank, should we go and arrest the parents...
I love how we look at other people from a distance and pass such judgment. I love the fact that he has refused to play the cheap and tawdry politics of this troubled country. By the way, we all should take responsibility for that. We have allowed the media, that we support by buying the products that they peddle, to set the agenda. The republican agenda that we all have been beaten down with since Reagan. Somehow the lies and criminality of the right is less important than Wright. I think not!!!
It's Baracks job to disavow himself of his connection with Wright, not yours, if that's inclination.
You all seem to have taken this " Yes WE can " stuff a bit too far. You're not going to be moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave should he win.
And its his job to show how presidential he is, by facing down all his detractors, and supposed friends. It's not your job to show us Barack's backbone, it's Barack Obama's.
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