An honest question: Why does Wright matter?

[George_Bonanza]

I'm approaching this from a purely philosophical standpoint, not a political one. I am fully aware of the political liability of Rev. Wright due to electoral White Flight when there are any reminders of harsh racial histories and realities. But when you think about it, Obama's actions throughout his life show him to proven dissident of Wright's more extreme beliefs. Has Obama EVER shown even a lapsing tendency to become a "scary black man"? To me, the only legitimate reason to fear somebody's association with a suspect figure is if we fear that the suspect figure has a dangerous amount of influence. This is why tainted political donations are red flags.

To me, I don't think most people believe that Wright has a lot of influence over Obama because you can look at Obama's life and career and see very little of Wright's extremism. What's really happening, IMHO, is that a lot of people are punishing Obama for failing to live up to what they wanted him to be: a Get Out of Jail Free card. America's had a collective guilty conscience about slavery and Jim Crow and a lot of Americans believed that they could finally find redemption without having to face some ugly truths or confrontations. They saw Obama and saw JFK with a black man's mask and thought they could skip the dreaded race talk. Or, in the event they HAD to talk about race, they could approach it from the point of view that racism in America largely ended with MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech. But then, it turned out that Obama wasn't a political version of Prozac. Turns out Obama may have a little angry black man in him after all, even if it rarely surfaces. But Obama's association with Wright seemingly proves that Obama is not completely willing to forgive-and-forget. How DARE he make us feel bad? He promised he wouldn't do that! He was supposed to be the 12-step program without all the painful apologies, confrontations, and personal soul-searchings in the middle. The deal was that we vote for him, and we get to delude ourselves into thinking that all the comforts and riches we obtain from this land are not at all tainted in some way or form.

But Rev. Wright has destroyed that dream. And Obama must pay.

[babylonsister]

1. WTF? "But Rev. Wright has destroyed that dream. And Obama must pay."

You are worthy of steering clear of imo.

[2rth2pwr]

2. If Wright was Hillarys pastor for twenty years, it would be an issue.

The guy is a lunatic.

[guyanakoolaid]

6. Is Hillary's 20+ year indulgence with a serial adulterer or her own affair with Foster an issue?

I'd LOOOOVE to get an explanation from a Clinton supporter on why these wouldn't be issues but Wright would.

[Rageneau]

14. I'll give you your explanation: You're full of crap!

Hillary's 20-year indulgence with a serial adulterer is called a marriage and it wasn't her (or Jackie Kennedy or LadyBird Johnson) who was doing the adultering. Why should her marriage be your business?

As for Vince Foster and Hillary having an affair, that's a filty lie that is only repeated by filthy liars!

[guyanakoolaid]

18. "Why should her marriage be your business?" - Why should Obama's preacher be yours?

I'm trying to point out the hypocrisy that everybody but die-hard Clinton supporters can plainly see.

[still_one]

24. Bull. She stayed with bill because she thought his political clout would

help her career.

She voted for the IWR, the Kyle/Lieberman bill, the use of cluster bombs in civillian areas, and just recently the use of nuclear weapons against Iran if they attacked Israel, because politically she thinks it makes her look tough

Not much different when she said four different times she was under sniper fire in Bosnia

She thinks it makes her look tough. What a bunch of nonesense and what a poor way to make decisions

[MonkeyFunk]

16. because we already know them

and you're a troll, but that's beside the point.

[guyanakoolaid]

19. But they will be used against Hillary in the GE, isn't that the logic used?

And trolls are people who post racist right-wing smear campaigns on DU, I eat those fuckers

[MonkeyFunk]

21. nah

you eat right-wing shit that's fed to you daily. Then you shit it out here.

I'm just enjoying this race immensely. If Clinton wins, you guys will explode. If Obama wins, I'm fine with it. I have no downside.

[guyanakoolaid]

22. "Fed to me daily" by Hillary trolls posting racist bullshit at DU

Seriously - at least admit Hillary and her supporters are using Rethug tactics. That's their justification, that the Rethugs are going to do it!

I'm far from the right-wing, and seeing how Clinton so sinisterly straddles its line, I want to move away even further.

[MonkeyFunk]

30. No, not racism

you just like to use the word in place of an actual argument.

And don't tell me about using rethug tactics when your side is STILL digging up the corpse of Vince Foster and reporting what Bill's dick smells like.

You guys are pathetic.

[guyanakoolaid]

31. Fine, keep screaming "scary black preacher"...

I have been quite clear about bringing up Hillary's sordid past: it is only to point out the hypocrisy, that the exact same logic she is using against Obama, that "the ruthugs will use it", is much more damaging to her if Obama were slimy enough to use it.

Apart from message board nastiness, as far as the candidates go, I don't think people are having a hard time figuring out which one is using Rethug tactics.

[2rth2pwr]

25. Both of those items have been issues, I have challenged you to try and breathe life back into them,

knock yourself out.

[guyanakoolaid]

26. I don't choose to breathe life in them, merely hold them up as proof of the disgusting hypocrisy

but if you don't think the Republicans will fill those sails with plenty of hot air again, think twice.

[2rth2pwr]

27. What hypocisy? You keep yelling that at me, where do you see it?

[guyanakoolaid]

28. Let me spell it out for you one more time:

It's hypocritical to attack Obama about Wright to superdelegates, using the logic that "it's what the republicans will use, therefor it's a valid thing to be attacked on now," without expecting SDs to take the NUMEROUS Clinton controversies into the same account.

[2rth2pwr]

29. Well then you can't be talking about me. I fully expect the SD's to take all of that into

consideration. Hillary and Bill have proven their mettle on those issues and Hillary won a Senate seat while dealing with those who would bring that up.

Obama hasn't shown jack.

[indimuse]

33. YOU are a FREEPER!

Only a FREEPER would give a shit and make disturbing comments re: subject...puke.

[guyanakoolaid]

39. Funny, that's what Obama supporters have been saying about Clinton supporters' Wright posts at DU...

also, I'm clearly not pushing those points other than to point out the hypocrisy of Hillary's pushing the Wright "issue", i.e. Republican tactics.

[PseudoIntellect]

7. He's also a brilliant lunatic.

[cliffordu]

11. Why do you think he's a lunatic?

I think the chickens came home to roost on 9/11

Farrakhan (SP) has cleaned up more neighborhoods and cleaned up more junkies than any fucking governmental program, and his success rates are basically unequaled. I am a fucking expert on drug addicts.

He is a racist anti-semite, but in the ghetto, sometimes you gotta sleep with who's available. It doesn't excuse anything else, I'm just sayin'.

I don't think the Government created AIDS to kill anyone. After the Tuskeegee "experiment" I completely understand why people would believe that. I DO know that the government was EXTREMELY slow to respond to the crisis as long as it wasn't an epidemic in the white heterosexual community. I worked in A&D treatment at the time trying to get needle exchange programs off the ground. The government let hundreds of thousands die,

Fucking Reagan couldn't even say the word for five years or so.

SO: Where is Wright a lunatic?

[lligrd]

3. Because They Couldn't Find Any Real Dirt

so they bloodied up a preacher instead.

[FrenchieCat]

4. At this point, I'm Wrighted out.......

I don't think that Wright matters at all.

And those who do are either out of their minds, easily led my our mediacracy, or simply too blind to see what they themselves really are.

[McCamy Taylor]

5. More important question: does Obama matter?

To me, he is just one more corporate Democrat, no better or worse than Clinton. He just has a better box office and a younger, more prosperous and better educated fan base.

Rev. Wright, on the other hand, has devoted himself to the cause of human liberation in the country which has the worst reputation for imperialism, officially sanctioned terrorism, war crimes and corporate greed of any place on earth. This is the country that killed Brother Malcolm when he dared to stop being divisive (which fits nicely into the corporate masters' divide and conquer schemes) and returned from Mecca with a message of solidarity. This is the country that killed Dr. King when he dared to broaden his African-American civil rights movement to become a movement for economic justice, which made it a threat to the David Rockefellers of the world.

Rev. Wright puts his life on the line everyday when he talks of reconciliation. He matters.

[guyanakoolaid]

9. Thanks for the Clinton-esque definition of "matter"... But why does he matter here at DU? Why is he

an issue for Democrats at all?

[thoughtcrime1984]

8. When, oh when will they discuss Hillary's church?

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/09/hillarys-prayer.html

Let's "inject faith into policy". Huckabee? Nope. HILLARY.

[guyanakoolaid]

10. Yeah, I'm surprised we're not hearing more about how Hillary prays with the neocon Stepford Wives

most Obama supporters have too much class to bring these things up. But some us us need to learn the lesson Kerry learned in '04: if you don't throw some of their very own shit back at them, they'll keep throwing it until you're buried in it. The fact that we're still having anti-Obama Wright rants here at DU is proof enough of that.

[thoughtcrime1984]

13. I guess I don't have enough class....

Oh well, it is time to gut the DLC and take our Party back!

[guyanakoolaid]

17. Here! Here!

I was tired of holding my pinky finger out at pantsuit tea parties anyways :beer:

[BooScout]

12. Wright matters because....

1. Obama associated with him for over 20 years.
2. Obama has so far 'defined' himself in his books....and Wright gave him the title to one of them.
3. Wright has been a mentor who helped to shape Obama's spiritual and moral character.
4. Obama has 'claimed' he never knew Wright was like this. BS, if your friend and pastor of 20 years is a racist (and Wright is) then you know it and you need to answer why you continued your association with him regardless of knowing it. AND if for some strange reason you didn't know it......then you are a fool. And frankly, the US has had a fool running it for 8 years....I don't want another one running it for the next go-round.


Look, ya'll can crow about it not mattering about Wright from now until the cows come home, but that doesn't make it so, as much as you would like it to. Wright does matter.

[krispos42]

15. Because only white presidential candidates are allowed to have loony pastors!

And those pastors ALSO have to be white! Then it's okay to weave a conspiracy by liberals to abort 40 million fetuses for the express purpose of attracting more minorities into the country to bolster Democratic ranks!!!!!!

:tinfoilhat:

[ShortnFiery]

23. Yes, angry Black Pastors tend to frighten MANY of the tame (vice savage) White Folk...

Look at the FEAR and LOATHING in Pat Buchanan's face when he gets on a tear about Rev. Wright?

I bet ole Pat's also afraid of ...

Do you hear it? It's a funny squeaky sound!?! ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdiXSsFp29s :rofl:

IMO being all "hot and bothered" about Rev. Wright is as INANE as these folks reaction to this mischief making menace. :crazy:

[Cali_Democrat]

20. Wright doesn't matter at all

He is not Obama and Obama is not Wright. This is one of the biggest distractions in years. This election season is going to get even uglier. We are gonna see some of the most outrageous media spin ever.

Democrats are registering in record numbers and the media knows that the rethugs will lose if the election is based on serious issues.

The corporate-media will be determined to bring distraction after distraction.

It's gonna get ugly. I just hope Americans will be able to separate the issues from the bullshit.

[Yossariant]

32. Wright matters because he has exposed Obama.

[jimshoes]

34. Why did the Dean scream matter

Why did Edwards haircut matter, this is the same distraction technique that the karl rove types in the gop know will keep most people occupied in arguing back and forth while the issues of war and peace and health care and home values and gas prices and food prices are barely mentioned. Some scam huh? It's a manufactured tempest in a teapot to keep people arguing about trival matters.

[Life Long Dem]

35. You are joking right?

"Turns out Obama may have a little angry black man in him after all, even if it rarely surfaces."

Rev. Wright threw Obama under the bus, Obama didn't throw Rev Wright under the bus. And don't forget that.

Obama's anger wasn't in his press conference yesterday, but was how Rev. Wright made him feel the day before. I'm sure Obama was still upset, but would you of even known about the anger if Obama didn't even mention it?

[Orsino]

36. Because people will watch it on TV.

That's it.

[Rosemary2205]

37. White fears.

there are just enough whites in this country who are either outright racists or still suffer from prejudice they are just not ready to address. If the RW media can get to just enough of them it will tilt the election to grandpa.

[Yossariant]

38. Wright matters because, for 20 years, Obama chose for him to matter.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children...

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe...
March 18, 2008