The Reverend Wright controversy is not going away...

[kentuck]

until Obama addresses it more adequately. The right-wing and the media will not turn it loose. The "historic" speech should have quelled the uproar, but we will not know for sure until after the PA and NC primaries. By then, it may be too late.

In my opinion, Barack Obama needs to directly challenge his detractors. What exactly are they charging him with? Are they saying that he agreed with the words of the Reverend? Are they saying he is a racist? Are they saying he should have gotten up and walked out when those words were said? Are they calling the other 8000 congregants "racists" also, because they did not walk out? But they were not running for President. they say? Neither was Obama at that time. What exactly is Obama guilty of doing or not doing?

Obama needs to flush out the charges more fully before he can respond properly to them. To simply say his Reverend said some nasty things about our country and white people is not enough to condemn Barack Obama. Unless, of course, you believe there is guilt by association, and Barack Obama is a racist? He needs to ask his detractors, what is your major complaint against me? If they cannot answer, they are only tools of the right-wing media machine.

[babylonsister]

1. Maybe the m$m needs to focus on what's important. Obama has

addressed this numerous times. I think it's getting old. The more he brings it up, the more the m$m will. Vicious circle.

[Zueda]

3. agreed.

[splat]

4. If it's what people are talking about, they'll continue to focus on it

[kentuck]

6. It would be naive to think that the Repubs...

will not run it over and over in the general election.

[babylonsister]

7. So let Obama change the dialogue to the economy, or the illegal

occupation. He's tried, but neither of those problems are going away either, and McCain falls short in both areas.

[splat]

8. He can't change people's fear of a hiphop presidency; not going away

[babylonsister]

11. Fears of a hip hop presidency? What does that even mean? I see

Obama must really frighten you. :eyes:

[splat]

19. Not me, but he's not who he wants you to think he is

[babylonsister]

23. Link? nt

[Cheap_Trick]

27. oh please enlighten us as to who he really is

splat......hmm the sound my shit makes when it hits the bowl.

[BeyondGeography]

14. Define that term for us, won't you?

[splat]

20. It's something like the ineluctable modality of the visible

[BeyondGeography]

22. An unreadable book for most people

[splat]

2. They're saying he's acting one way for white voters and another at home

[Liberal Gramma]

5. Your last sentence says it all

They are already tools of the RW media machine, and do not want to change.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. people aren't going to buy from their advertisers if MSM carries on being racist

this is the only thing they think they can nail Obama with and it's not working judging by Obama's poll results.

[jody]

10. IMO the Wright affair has cost BO enough independent votes to lose the election. Everything he says

in way of explanation sounds false when contrasted with twenty years attendance at TUCC, his marriage there, his children's baptism there, his donations there, and his choice of Wright's phrase "Audacity Of Hope" for his book.

[Texas Hill Country]

36. BINGO, and wait till they start getting into James Cone, Wrights inspiration...

White = satan? seriously?


Plus, IF McCain takes Lieberman as Veep, Obama is dead.

[TooBigaTent]

12. Can the corporate media keep the story going for seven-and-a-half MORE months?

Probably.

[BeyondGeography]

13. Time for a video clip of Granny

Send a film crew to Hawaii, do a brief, charming interview, have her talk about all the fears she had about her daughter marrying and having a child with a black man, how much joy has come out of it through Barack, and be as done with this stupidity as we can be, understanding that the media will always opt for the scary-black-man angle anyway, whenever it has the slightest excuse.

Then he can say (without saying a word), see, I'm half white and my white grandmother can handle me acknowledging her common problem of pre-judging people and we can still love each other. Now STFU.

I know you hate that kind of shit, Barack, but it needs to be done.

[kid a]

15. Once he is the nominee he can attack this issue with full force

Any mention or focus on it now - by speech, press conference, meeting, etc. - will be used by Penn, et al, to try to sink him in the remaining primaries.

It is settling now, except for the RW rags and "win by any means necessary" Clinton supporters.

Once he is the nominee he can take on the RW and MSM head-on and bury it.

Now is too dangerous - he has FIERCE enemies - DEM and GOP.

[ProSense]

16. They were not Wright's words so people need to stop pushing the media's distortion.

Even though I understand what the words meant and agree with them, Wright was quoting a former U.S. ambassador.

What purpose does it serve for Democrats who know the truth to continue playing the media's game?

[kentuck]

17. Still talking in circles?

What did Obama do wrong? Speak it out.

[anamandujano]

33. Think of it this way. If the police enter a room where a group of

people are planning a bank robbery and you are there, maybe just to bring chips and beer, you will also be busted. That's the way it goes.

Having said that, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Obama's mind was not engaged during 20 years of listening to Wright's philosophy (unless he went to church for naps.)

He took his children there. They have ratings for movies unsuitable for children. I doubt he would take his kids to one of them.

[Tatiana]

18. IMO, that is not Obama's job at this juncture. That is a task for his surrogates.

He's made his statement and needs to move on. It is up to his surrogates and supporters to confront this issue. He cannot get wrapped up in this right-wing promoted faux controversy. He needs to be talking about a return to Constitutional government, the economy, the war on Iraq and how we will get out of it, health care, the environment... basically HIS AGENDA. THAT is what the people want to hear.

For example, there was a particularly nasty AP hit piece in the early edition of my local paper. My entire graduate cohort wrote letters to the editor of the paper including phone calls to the editorial and news desk departments. By the morning run, I noticed the hit piece was gone. When we see injustice being done, we need to take the initiative sometimes to confront it ourselves.

[thereismore]

21. You are so Igged now. nt

[DemGa]

24. I don't know, can you *fix* pervasive distrust? I don't think so.....nt

[kid a]

28. Exactly Hillary's problem - Thank you for pointing that out. nt

[Rob Gregory Browne]

25. With all due respect...

...I can't see how Obama could possibly address the matter more adequately and eloquently than he already has. If it didn't work for some, it probably never will. And once the general comes around, those who still "blame" him for Wright (at least enough not to vote for him), will mostly likely be those who would never have voted for him anyway.

[babylonsister]

30. Agreed! And welcome to DU, Rob Gregory Browne. nt

[anamandujano]

34. You are so nice to people with

low post counts. I wonder what you would have said if he spoke against Obama.

[Rob Gregory Browne]

35. Call me crazy, but I try to be nice to everyone.

I don't look at post counts. I respond to the posts as I see fit.

And for the record, I have nothing against those who support Clinton except that we disagree on who is the better candidate. Obama and Clinton both have their plus and minuses, but in the end -- since their policy stances are so similar -- I think Obama's ability to communicate, his charisma, his eloquence and charm, and his willingness to speak about complex, normally taboo, issues are what we need to help bring us together and help rehabilitate this country around the world.

[babylonsister]

37. I only welcome new people to DU because they have low

post counts, thus 'new'. And I've been doing it since I've been here and was encouraged by newyawker99. You have a problem with that, too?

[Patchuli]

26. Maybe we should counter with

bringing up McCrazy's pastor who blamed Katrina on the gays, etc? I wish the media would at least show the entire clip of Rev. Wright saying that he heard a white politician (whose name just escaped me) say what has been shown over and over and that it did not originate from the good pastor. What a lie to perpetuate that the Rev. said that!

[williesgirl]

29. I think he's said enough and needs to move back to issues.

[demokatgurrl]

31. Funny thing is,

the only place I read about it any more is here. Of course, I do not watch TV news or read right-wing internet sources or listen to Limpdick and Cuntler on the radio.

[BadgerKid]

32. MSM likes the drama. n/t

[ClassWarrior]

38. Obama said as much himself on Countdown two Fridays ago.

:shrug:

The rabid RW is going to attack our candidate?? Wow!! What a revelation!!

:eyes:

NGU.

[jaxx]

39. As long as the GOP has the HC democrats shilling for them, it won't go away soon,

but it'll go away. Why? Because there are only so many of each, and the rest of the country is ready to move on. What does a democrat get out of being the mouthpiece for the rightwing?

[Life Long Dem]

40. What Obama needs to do is win delegates.