The Last Straw

[Bad Thoughts]

Obama's Indoctrination:

Until I heard the racist and anti-American tirades of Barack Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, it hadn't occurred to me that the murderous fires in the black community were being stoked from the pulpits inside black churches.

This association of Clinton with Richard Mellon-Scaife has wrought this piece of filth. Ron Paul's screeds were more tame. This is literally the last straw for me. How could I vote for a party that would dis-empower an historically aggrieved minority, but empower rhetoric like this? If this stands unchallenged, can I believe the Democratic Party stand for the things I believe?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. This has nothing to do with Clinton.

The Tribune Review publishes shit like that all the time. And Reiland has had an Obama fixation for quite a while.

[Bad Thoughts]

2. Shew actively and publicly sought the papers endorsement

If she claims she would have walked out on Wright's sermons, she would never have set foot in the editorial room of the paper.

[leftofcool]

3. I woulld have walked out on his damn sermons too

so would most of America, so your argument is pure horseshit!

[Bad Thoughts]

4. It's her argument, not mine eom.

[EmilyAnne]

7. Illogical.

[UALRBSofL]

6. Wedll if you have these strong beliefs

Then you should consider Gravel. He is much more progressive then Obama or Clinton wirh out the baggage of these two.

[Bad Thoughts]

8. Should I not be concerned how campaign rhetoric changes the party?

Indeed, why should I have ever been suspicious that Democrats would empower those that attack minority politics? It's not like it is obviously a line that I ever thought would be crossed. I always thought that the party represented social justice and equality, not hate mongering. And these are hardly radical ideals.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. So what?

Democrats seek the endorsement of conservative newspapers for the Democratic nomination in every election. Do you really think Scafie is going to endorse her in the general? (Well, maybe if he hates McCain that much. But somehow I doubt it.) The only difference here is that Scafie is more of an asshole than most of them. This isn't some existential threat to the Democratic party or the primary process. And Wright has nothing to do with this.

[EmilyAnne]

5. Wow. I'm almost speechless. I live in Pittsburgh, by the way. This is so disgusting.

[babylonsister]

9. So there's the payback from Scaife; we knew there'd be one. Disgusting. nt

[K Gardner]

14. Exactly... I'd been waiting for the tat. Here it is, the ugliest of back room deals with the devil.

[Bonobo]

10. Hillary's "Faustian" moment. I can still smell the brimstone.

[readmoreoften]

11. Explain how this idiot's article is connected to Clinton again?

[IndyHatedByBothSides]

12. One also has to keep in mind history

1 - For a long time blacks were prohibited from organizing their own social groups, events, organizations, etc. The one exception was church. Thus the church became the center of the African-American community, fulfilling all the other social and political functions as well. Thus the pulpit became the means through which the African-American community addressed controversy.

2 - One of the reasons Obama's race speech was a hit is that he realized the reality with which most of us live. That is, most older folks with racist views are not bad people, they are simply from another era. Thus we're better off embracing them where they are and bringing them along on the issue, then condemning them. It's the carrot and the stick approach. Obama transcends race because he makes older white people feel comfortable about how far we have come on race, before urging them to go a little further.

I can understand exactly how Obama feels. My own grandmother was as WASP as they came, and her views initially reflected the era in which she was raised. My cousin fell in love with and married an African-American. My cousin's spouse is a wonderful addition to our family, and this allowed my grandmother to progress on the issue, because my cousin's spouse put a face on the issue. However, Gramma still makes an uncomfortable remark on occasion. However, these moments are of the "I bought you this outfit dear because I thought it would look nice with your dark colour" variety.

They are not motivated by intentional prejudice, but by Gramma trying to make cousin's spouse feel welcome in the family. Which is why cousin's spouse, who always responds gracefully and takes Gramma for where she is at, is so beloved of the family. I have heard older white voters describe Obama in much the same way.

[Orsino]

15. Can't wait for the next last straw. n/t

[Bake]

16. Don't most major papers endorse a candidate of each party during the primaries?

I don't see this as any big deal. Of course any candidate with a brain wants the endorsement of a major newspaper.

Bake

[knixphan]

17. Gotta get past this crap.

The Clintons are cutting off the national nose to spite the electoral face.