Will there be a backlash in the black community? Curious what black DUers on both sides think.

[democrattotheend]

I think Obama did what he unfortunately had to do, and I am mad as hell a) that Reverend Wright did what he did yesterday after Obama risked his political career by refusing to denounce him, and b) that the media decided to make yet another shitstorm out of nothing. But I am curious if my perspective as a white person is different, and if some African Americans might feel betrayed by Obama's statement. Curious what African American supporters of both candidates think...other people who have an opinion on this feel free to weigh in too.

[jasmine621]

1. Get it right: Obama was not risking his political career by refusing

to denounce Rev. Wright. Obama was pandering to his main political base...African Americans...who holds Rev Wright as a truth-teller, unbowed and unafraid of "the man." It was not until his handlers and he determined that this base would stick with him no matter what and that it was safe and necessary to toss Wright under the bus. The "I could no more denounce this man..." rhetoric dropped like a lead balloon. Of course, Wright made it easier for him to do this with his performance the the NPC.

[ellacott]

3. What are you talking about?

You are so off base.

Some will be upset with what Obama did but will look at the bigger picture and understand what's at stake.

[Zodiak]

16. Do you have any evidence at all for this wild speculation?

Get this right: you cannot see into anyone's head, so stating as fact what a person is thinking is in itself a logical fallacy.

[woolldog]

35. you make some of the dumbest posts.

[Doityourself]

61. Drugs are bad. They make you dizzy and disoriented.

[ej510]

72. Shut the fuck up! Jeremiah Wright even though he told the

truth 90% of the time. But a few of his comments were way out there. Sort of like people that believe in aliens. That and his mannerisms took away from his geat performance.

[oviedodem]

2. I am black and as I said before most AA's don't follow this liberation theology. Also

the idea of an AA in high office FAR FAR outweighs religion.

[knixphan]

4. black, and ditto!

[oviedodem]

22. I am knicks fan as well (closet one that is)

[knixphan]

48. welcome to my world of shame :)

[ellacott]

5. Very true

Many feel it's important not to get distracted and to keep our eyes on the prize.

[SeaLyons]

6. The problem is

his AA base is not enough to win him the White House.

[ellacott]

8. That wasn't even the question

The problem actually is that the AA base is crucial for any Dem. win. Obama may not win with them but the Dem. nominee would find it very hard to win without them.

[uponit7771]

12. ...it's enough to keep Hillary from winning it though. She's threw Wright under the bus before he...

...deserved it so fuck her on the real.

[SeaLyons]

24. so you're going to vote for McCain??

and how in the hell did Hillary throw Wright under the bus...I think it was Obama who just got done with that a little while ago.

[NorthCarolina]

75. Yeah, afterall Hillary is FRIENDLY to Wright

and her and Bill even went as far as to invite him to the White House to help them through their marital discourse. They obviously HAD to think highly of him for them to seek his counsel. So you are correct in pointing out that Hillary certainly did not throw the Reverend "under the bus".

[Doityourself]

63. Dang! "On the Real!" Lmao..ain't heard that in a minute..

[Barack_America]

14. But its enough to lose it for Hillary.

Do try to remember that.

[cali]

31. His base isn't just AA;. duh. if it were he wouldn't have

one Vermont by 21 pts Or Maine or Iowa or Co, etc.

[Danger Mouse]

49. let's see Clinton with the White House WITHOUT them.

[July]

55. If his entire base were AA, then he would have a poor chance to win the WH.

But the AA base is only a part of his entire base. Demographics alone would tell you that he could not have any chance of winning if his entire base were AA, just because of the percentage that AAs make up in the population as a whole.

[Doityourself]

64. Hillary ain't gonna get there without it either...so she needs to start acting like it..and stop

with her smears like trying to tie Obama to Farrakhan, and she needs to control the Big Dog too.

[cyndensco]

83. It is true - his AA base is not enough to win him the white house

Thank God Obama has support people of all races, genders and religions. THAT is why he is the front-runner....

Go Obama!!!

[Nedsdag]

95. Oh, you mean the same AA base Hillary needs to win?

The same base she won't get in November?

OK, fine!

[butterfly77]

7. I don't see why this would be a problem and why..

is it because you think that he threw him under the bus. He wonderful,honest and very presidental. We know what game they are TRYING to play but it won't work because the people can see who he really is...

[uponit7771]

9. The back lash will be more establishment of how racist the MsM is in our country. White pastors dont

...have to go through HALF of the scrutinization Wright has gone through or the 6 degrees of separation Obama has gone through with Wright.

Hagee and Parsley are flame throwing racist and haven't had 1/4 of the time Wright has in the media.

[ellacott]

11. Very true

[Kaylee]

66. Amen!

That is the take away message from this whole episode....

[frickaline]

10. I'm white but I agreed with Obama's assessment on Wright - maybe I havent the right to comment but

I can't help it :)

I *don't* believe any of Obama's comments were 'what a politician had to do' as Wright had said. I believe Obama was sincere and he doesn't agree with Wright's politics.

Because of the sincerity I don't expect any backlash other than from Wright himself (because he can't shut up).

[ej510]

17. But if Hillary gets the nomination by this bullshit. Blacks will stay home in november.

Right now Hillary is not very popular with the black community. That is not a good situation to be in for a democratic canidate.

[NJObamaWoman]

39. Yeah cause I and neither are my family members willing to support

or vote for her. That money we pumped in and planned on giving to Obama wont be there anymore. This is the first time my family ever gave and it will be the last time if that happens

[July]

56. White woman here; I'll vote for her if I have to, but my money will stay in my purse.

Actually, I'll give to state and local Dem candidates rather than Hillary.

I've defended Hillary for years, and I am sickened by her campaign. Bill's "stealing cars" comment sealed the deal for me.

From another NJ Obama Woman.

[knixphan]

50. ditto from me

[NYDem Observer]

13. I will always be an Obama supporter but

One statement that had me taken aback was when Obama stated

"when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions...when he suggests that Louis Farrakhan represents one of the greatest voices of the 21st century...then there are no excuses"


While I'll be the first to admit that Farrakhan is conttroversial and much maligned, as someone who attended the Million Man March, and recognize that he is one of only a handful of people in the history of this country who could bring a million plus black men together for a peaceful, uplifting and spiritual day of atonement in Wash D.C., I would be foolish to think Farrakhan is not one of the greatest voices of the 21st Century.

I also understand why Barack had to say it but unfortunately its not going to sit well with alot of black people.

[uponit7771]

18. Right, me & all the black folk I come in contact with have a pastor or uncle JUST like Wright.

[woolldog]

46. "one of the greatest voices of the 21st century"?

Hardly.

[Doityourself]

65. "I also understand why Barack had to say it but unfortunately its not going to sit well with

with alot of black people"

I know a lot of black people and they disagree with you, oh and I'm black and I disagree.

Yes, Farrakhan summoned 1 million men to Washington it was peaceful, etc., but he represents for me a step backward. Within his organization, I as a black woman would be required to be what my spirit will not allow..two steps behind my man.

[graycem]

15. I believe that they

like everybody else, can see what's at stake, and will stand behind Obama on this, regardless of how they feel about Rev. Wright.

[uponit7771]

19. This angry black man would've liked to hear Obama's opening words to be ".....fuck all yaw....:"

[austinboy]

34. ROFLMAO

:-) Hell yeah!

[graycem]

36. Mine too, but

that won't get him elected. I'd rather him be President than one second of "feel good." They sure deserve it by dragging his religion into politics, and they suck for that, but the best revenge he can have will be winning in spite of all of this.

[AspenRose]

41. You sound like my brother

:rofl:

[Doityourself]

67. LMBAO!!!!

:rofl: :spray: Could you even imagine that..lawd!

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. Obama should have denounced him long ago

[FrenchieCat]

30. I believe that Obama was giving Wright the benefit of the doubt.....

but I believe that now was the time......because the divorce happened not based on snippets that we saw (which were made over time, 15 seconds here, and 10 seconds there), but based on Wright showing himself within the last couple of days in a manner that would make even his staunchest admirers cringe. I cringed, because I realized that in Wright's NAACP speech, he was emphasizing our differences, which is counter to Obama's view that we are more alike than we are different.

Stating that Different is not deficient is fine, as long as different doesn't become the entire premise. Yesterday, Rev. Wright has decided to further go in the direction of the different, and that message by itself cannot help to arrive at a more perfected union.

[Connie_Corleone]

21. No. There are many black people who have the same conclusions as you.

Including myself. I defended Wright until I saw that Q&A session yesterday. His ego is getting in the way of his common sense.

I think most of us know that Obama had to do this.

[ellacott]

23. I agree

I was with him until the Q&A also.

[woolldog]

47. It's why Sharpton has kept his mouth shut this entire campaign

and claims he's neutral. He's checked his ego for a greater good. Too bad Wright didn't show the same type of leadership.

[FrenchieCat]

25. I believe that Obama made the correct assessment of Rev. Wright.....

And most Black Folks, such as myself, will see it that way. Obama attempted not to initially have to denounce the good pastor, but then the pastor crossed the line; by using his moment in the sun to emphasize our differences which is counter to Obama's belief that we need to emphasize our similarities in order to make a more perfect union.

Here are my bonafides as to why I believe that many Black Church goers such as myself will agree that Obama called it quite correctly, and that Pastor Wright outdid his own self.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5730040&mesg_id=5730040

I believe that today, we witnessed an unplanned Sista Souljah moment for Obama based on the cards that he was handed. It is not anything that he wanted to do, but Rev. Wright's performance over the last couple of days left him no choice. Black folks will understand that completely....except for the ones that support Hillary Clinton, because they too actually understand that Obama actually helped himself, and his message today. They won't like it, and so they will attempt to sell you otherwise. Don't believe it. I'm very hooked into the exact demographic that you are inquiring about.

As I note in that link that I posted, even I, who has heard it all, cringed with Rev. Wright words starting at that NAACP dinner....which is where he took the opportunity to only dwell on our differences. It is not that there was any wrong with what he said on its face, but in reality it showed that he sees the glass as 1/2 empty, while Obama sees it as 1/2 full.

[woolldog]

32. Yet you disagreed with me yesterday when I was saying this?

[FrenchieCat]

33. Point me to this post of mine, and I will look at this disagreement.

ou mention. Thank you.

[woolldog]

38. Your response to my thread that Wright was seriously jeopardizing

Obama's campaign with his performance at the NPC.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5720591

[FrenchieCat]

45. As I thought!

I was calling you out on your shaky support of Obama based on the media salivating non stop pastorbaiting, rather than anything about Wright and Obama. In fact, I do not even mention Wright's name in my response to you (as linked below).

My issue in that response was more with the idea that the media was focusing on Obama's pastor, which I still believe was wrong on the media's part. That post speaks of the double standard that was and is at work for Obama.

What I have said today in this thread in no way discount what I said in your thread yesterday. In fact, it goes without saying that the media should never have focused on Wright to this extent.....notwithstanding this post that has me clearly stating that Wright did not do Obama any great service by promoting messages that run counter to everything that Obama is running on.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5720591&mesg_id=5720987

[woolldog]

70. you threw me to the wolves, frenchie.

Nevertheless, I refuse to reject or denounce you. ;-)

[FrenchieCat]

81. Naw....you got frustrated is all.

I've been there, and done that.....so I know.

[indimuse]

26. He could no more disown ...

Some are disappointed. Obama LACKS a "resolute" and unshakable faith... His message is different from his speech. MUCH.

[yardwork]

27. I'm seeing a backlash in the white community.

Some of us have decided to start pointing out - in unvarnished words - what we see happening here. It's racism. Pure and simple.

Any white person who is wringing their hands about Reverend Wright and saying, "I support Obama but I don't know how I can support him now that I've heard what his minister said..." is a wimp, a bigot, a racist, and a coward. In my opinion.

[July]

62. I think Wright is an excuse for people who want one.

That would include people who really don't want to vote for a Democrat, really don't want to vote for a black candidate, people who are too lazy to think through the question of whether what one guy who ISN'T Obama says is enough to disqualify Obama himself, people who have the brainpower of a gnat, etc.

Also people who make a living on TV trying to create controversy, a.k.a., the traditional media.

[sniffa]

73. Word

:thumbsup:

[ampad]

28. Why is ignore always the first one

to respond to this type of threads? What makes it so bad is that even though I cannot read the ignore crap it always seems that they get their asses handed to them by some savvy DU'er.

I think most black people will understand why Obama did what he did. I understand that Obama needed to address this situation once again because it is obvious the rules are not the same for a black candidate. You got McCain running around with several crazy pastors, pastors that he asked to be endorsed by and there is no response from the media. African Americans know that it was not going to be easy for Obama, we understood this. From surfing around the AA message boards I frequent it seems that most AA are relieved that Obama spoke up on this issue. It does seem that some people are disappointed and there will be some disappointment in the black community particularly from the deeply religious section of the community. I think the disappointment will pass.

[L0oniX]

98. It's obvious that the M$M wants to stir this up because of race. The M$M is our enemy.

McCain running around with several crazy pastors, pastors that he asked to be endorsed by and there is no response from the media it all you need to see what they are trying to do. :mad:

[woolldog]

29. Yeah, there will be a backlash...

against Rev Wright for harming the chances of the first AA with a legitimate shot at winning the presidency. Not against Obama.

[Coexist]

40. woolldog

are you feeling better now?


I was actually on the phone, calling the DC area to recruit people to volunteer in NC this weekend, and there was a lot of relief in his presser. The Obama supporters were glad he distanced himself because of the Press Club event.

[woolldog]

44. Yeah I do. Thanks.

I was more pissed at Wright than Obama. I couldn't understand why you guys didn't see yesterday that Wright had thrown Obama under the bus, and that that could not stand. It was frustrating. :grr:

[Kber]

60. I read something that pointed out that this was less about black / white

than it is about old / young. Maybe Wright resents this younger man advancing farther and faster in the larger community and, consciously or not, needed to bring him down a peg or two?

When it's done by an older woman to a younger one (i.e. there's only ONE seat for a chick in the board room and you haven't paid your dues they way "I" had to), I call it the "Queen Bee" syndrome. My 30 t0 45 year old colleagues definitely see this kind of behavior among women in the business world. Is there a parallel?

[AspenRose]

37. Nope.

Not for Senator Obama. For Rev. Wright, maybe. Especially if it costs Obama the election.

[NYDem Observer]

42. been checking out a couple of black message boards

many are irked that he threw Minister Farrakhan under the bus with Wright. Unfortunately it could be a problem.

[crankychatter]

43. The only question worth asking

you'll have to sift through shit to find it though

I see "ignored" has a lot to say

[knixphan]

51. we tend to separate the pulpit from the pavement

We're ok with a former pastor being pissed at the candidate.

Many of my friends have at LEAST one pastor pissed at them for something. :) It's normal.

[TragedyandHope]

52. What struck me

was that Obama did exactly what the MSM pundits and Hillary supporters wanted him to do. I don't recall seeing him do that so specifically before in this campaign and I don't know how it's going to work out.

I don't think this move spoke to 90% of Obama's core supporters. We were and are still behind him and saw this as a mere distraction with slimy racial undertones.

Maybe he will prevent a handful of wavering supporters from jumping ship or he may win over an handful of undecided voters with this speech. Maybe that will be the margin that makes a difference in "momentum" for his campaign.

Otherwise, I only see it as an effort to tell the MSM exactly want they want to hear. Some of what came out of his mouth sounded exactly like what was coming out of the mouths of pundits last night. The goal of this is obviously to put a stop to 24-7 looping of Wright clips for the remaining days before the next Primaries.

As for myself, a core Obama supporter, in addition to the reasons listed above, I understand that Obama had to do this because Wright just had incredibly poor judgment and timing or was almost maliciously trying to damage Obama.

Some of Obama's repudiations I felt were just paying lip service and telling the MSM what they wanted to hear. In that way, it smacks of the old politics that McCain and Hillary don't even bat an eye at. I can't see that Obama actually disagrees with a lot of the message or the provocative style of that type of black church, but it's what the other side wanted to hear. So, Obama is hoping to reassure people that he's "one of them" or "just like you," while Wright is squarely defined as "one of them" and "not like us."

From my point of view, he's trying to walk the tightrope and play both sides for both audiences, as he has throughout the campaign, but it has never been put into such stark relief as today.

So, it left me with mixed feelings. He's obviously playing to an audience, but that audience he speaks to is not his core supporters, but his current adversaries, the MSM and Hillary's Democrats. Of course, he will need to woo most of those Hillary supporters after he wins the nomination, so maybe he was laying the groundwork to start reaching out to them.

It was a bit unexpected, but I get the sense that "he did what he had to." So, he may gain a slight reprieve from the MSM and be able to get his real message out for the remaining few days before the Primary.

On the flip side, by telling the MSM pundits and the supporters of his opponents exactly what they said they wanted to hear, now Obama also has to deal with the fallout of how that conflicts with what he has previously said on Wright.

Maybe the tradeoff will be worth it. It's too early to guess.

[democrattotheend]

53. I think he does genuinely find some of Wright's statements outrageous

I genuinely think that Wright's views about race relations are at odds with his own and that he was genuinely upset about some of the things Wright said. So I don't see how he was just saying what the media wanted to hear.

[TragedyandHope]

54. Some yes, certainly

others not so much, IMHO

[woolldog]

74. Pffft

Obama is a completely different generation from Wright and Wright's struggles are not Obama's. I don't believe for a second that Obama shares the kind of deep skepticism of American institutions that informs all of Wright's views. Those views are a product of the pain of segregation and marginalization, which Obama doesn't share..

[Doityourself]

82. I have older relatives that are of Wright's school..and they have suffered more racism in their

youth than I have in my entire adult life. Yet, they can see the big picture.

They understand where Wright is coming from, they've lived through many of the things he speaks of, yet they feel its time to move forward, to start healing the wounds and uniting the country, and Barack Obama is a step forward in that direction.

I have a 89 year old uncle, who was beaten for winking at a white woman, when all he was doing was trying to get a lash out his eye..even he says Obama is the next move on the chess board to checkmate the bullshit (his words, not mine). lol

[TragedyandHope]

86. I don't know what your background is

But I have family that spans generations from older than Wright to much younger than Obama. There is sympathy and understanding of these issues that flows across generations, even to those younger who didn't have exactly the same first-hand experiences.

There are also many issues that are still a part of our everyday lives today. I know that Obama has a broad enough experience and relationships with a range of people that he must have a personal appreciation for these issues.

So with that in mind, some of what he said must have been more politics than personal. He was speaking to the crowd that doesn't already believe Wright is just a distraction. By definition, most of those people are not Obama's core supporters.

Honestly, people with a similar background who live and work across different groups in American culture have to walk this line every day. So, what he is doing seems clear and very familiar.

[woolldog]

87. Sympathy and understanding for Wright's views

is very different from the idea that Obama shares those views. You do the candidate no favor by pushing that line.

[TragedyandHope]

88. It's not a line

and I know full well that my statements are not cheerleading for Obama. I think he has plenty of supporters who appreciate that he is a complicated and imperfect human being. That is a much stronger and deeper support than an automatic 100% agreement with every move he makes. This race is taking place within a nearly absurdist media and political environment. From my personal experience, which overlaps with Obama's own in many ways, I'm simply explaining the way I see the situation within the context of this discussion.

I apologize for having an honest discussion of my opinion that you disagree with.

[woolldog]

90. Apology accepted.

I'd wager that my personal experience overlaps with Obama's in more ways than yours, btw. :P

No, seriously, are you suggesting Obama believes any of this garbage? If so then be specific as to what? You're just hinting ominously that he's not telling the whole truth.

[TragedyandHope]

94. Replied by message

[knixphan]

57. forest fire control is correct.

I think we all have a good idea what Barack can do if he's in the oval office. We also knew the minefield before he got this far. The media is already in GOP-friendly land.

Personally, I think JWright should have been low-key until after the primaries. Church and State have no business being conflated like this, and the electorate is still in need of some 'Afro-American Studies', if ya know what I mean... He forced O's hand by feeding the RW media...

Barack had no choice but to grab the cameras from Wright.

What's the term called when you burn some trees ahead of the forest fire, in order to stop in from going further?

[Doityourself]

58. I listened to Black Radio today..visited black message boards too and overwhelmingly

Obama gets the support of the majority of the black community..still!

There is some anger directed at Wright in the vein of "Why Now??

Obama hasn't lost a beat in the AA community..not from what I've seen or heard from those close to me and those that aren't.

[Bigleaf]

59. I think Wright took one for the team.

[knixphan]

69. that's the big question, ain't it?

Is he really dumb...
..or really smart?

[Doityourself]

77. Well it would be a brillant move, wouldn't it>?

[ecstatic]

80. It would be amazing. nt

[Doityourself]

76. You know Big Leaf..nothing would surprise me at this point..nothing at all..

[cliffordu]

68. Big honkin' fonkey honkey here just thinkin'

that Obama put it away today.

I couldn't have been happier at both Wright's appearances OR what Obama had to do today.

Anyone who thinks the chickens didn't come home to roost on 9/11 is willfully ignorant. Wright is an idiot at times, but tells many truths I know from first hand experience and observation.

Anyone who thinks that Obama didn't HAVE to do what he did today is just naive. Most sheeple think we're the good guys and BFF to the good freedom loving peoples throughout the world, and incapable of being culpable no matter what.

[Doityourself]

78. I agree. thing is..a black man can't say the chickens have come home to roost..but a white man can..

shit is fucked up in this country. Malcolm got crucified in the media for saying the same thing..

[Anexio]

71. This is too important

The eventual election of Obama to President of the United States is too important to let it get derided by a self-centered egoist like Wright.

I will ignore that kook Wright and keep on listening to Sen. Obama and working to bring in the vote.

I will not be distracted by such foolishness.

[ecstatic]

79. nevermind

My initial reaction was that Wright betrayed Obama, and based on Obama's emotional presser today, I see that he feels the same way. This reeks of "crabs in a barrel" syndrome.

[freestyle]

84. If so, not much. We realize Obama is doing what he has to do.

I just feel sad that complete bullshit has occupied the campaigns and the media for weeks on end. It would be nice to talk about issues like the war, the economy, education, civil rights, etc. If we must talk about pastors, let's talk about the views of Hagee and his supporter McCain, who actually advocate legal discrimination against large groups of Americans because of who we are and who we love.

[barack the house]

85. He did what he had to do and even Wright conceded that on 60 minutes.

[ej510]

91. My friends and family pretty much agree with Wright but were upset

because they knew that Wright knew that he was hurting Obama.

[Swamp Rat]

89. The backlash will hit Hillary upside her head so hard, she won't know what happened.

Hillary&Co. fucked up BIGTIME.

[Jed Dilligan]

92. OMG your best graphic yet!!!

[jasmine621]

96. You folks are really sick!

That's all I have to say. How you can stretch this whole thing to be the fault of Clinton is beyond belief.

[terrell9584]

93. Wright speaks for one single church in Chicago

I honestly doubt it is going to hurt Obama with black voters, and it will help him with non-black voters. He shoulda done this several months ago

[uponit7771]

97. Wright wasn't wrong in most of WHAT he said just wrong in when he told Obama about them and when he

...said them again.