It now seems that Senator Obama's bid for the White House has suffered a significant set back due to his association with the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.
Some of Rev. Wright's sermons have been called "revolutionary" and "unAmerican." Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, shown here with his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, March 10, 2005. Obama on Friday March 14, 2008 denounced inflammatory remarks from his pastor, who has railed against the United States and accused the country of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism.(AP Photo/Trinity United Church of Christ)
Rev. Wright, former pastor at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, married the Senator and his wife, baptized his children and preached to him on Sundays for more than 17 years. Senator Obama told Major Garrett of the Fox News Network that he frequently made donations to the church and hired Rev. Wright to assist as a campaign adviror. Senator Obama also prayed with Rev. Wright before the Senator announced his run for the presidency.
In a sermon on the Sunday after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Wright suggested the United States brought on the attacks.
"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," Wright said. "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."
In a 2003 sermon, he said blacks should condemn the United States.
"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
He also gave a sermon in December comparing Obama to Jesus, promoting his candidacy and criticizing his rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"Barack knows what it means to be a black man to be living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people," Wright told a cheering congregation. "Hillary can never know that. Hillary ain't never been called a nigger."
The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. performed Barack Obama’s wedding ceremony and held a largely ceremonial role on a campaign committee. (By E. Jason Wambsgans — Chicago Tribune)
Leaders of the Black American community appeared on several TV talk shows last night and this morning to say that White people don't understand the Black church or Black culture.
The problem is: people do understand that when one hints or implies that America caused a justifiable 9/11 attack upon the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon the accusation is unfounded an inflamatory.
Senator Obama has denounced the preacher and removed him from his team of advisors.
Senator Obama has said that he was not present in the church during Rev. Wrights most disconcerting sermons -- but people are asking how the Senator could have participated in that church for so long and been so close to Rev. Wright without realizing that the preacher's rhetoric was going to cause him problems down the road someday.
The problem is: the road is here now. And the video tapes of Rev. Wright's sermons will likely hurt a steamrolling Obama campaign.
This is another non-issue that can only serve to distract us from the realities we face today.We are deeply involved in at least two wars, our economy is in shambles and we’ve lost respect throughout the world.On the domestic front, millions of us are suffering from a lack of affordable health care, reasonably priced higher education and real career opportunities.The failed policies of the last 30 plus years have brought us to this point.The Democrats and Republicans can share, more or less, equally in the blame.
It will take real courage and hard work to turn this around.It will also take new ideas and new leadership to be effective against the lobbyists and the power brokers who control our government.
Guilt by association tactics and “Swift Boat” half-truths won’t fly this time around.People are fed up with these theatrics and are demanding more from their journalist and politicians.This is the same brand of intellectual laziness that helped usher in the Iraq war.We need to get past this non-sense and move forward to begin solving the real problems.Articles like this only serve to distract and maintain the status quo.The time to break this cycle is long overdue.
I have been inspired by Senator Obama’s message and his campaign for positive change in America.I am 100% in support of his policies and his ideals.I am absolutely certain that he is the best candidate for the job in 2008 and I will proudly cast my vote for him.
I am not so bold as to tell anyone else how to vote.I only ask that my fellow Americans look beyond the rhetoric and the divisive politics being asserted in this election and focus on the facts and issues at hand.Look closely at the candidates; examine their records and their platforms, listen to what they have to say and make an intelligent and informed choice.Our nation's future is riding on your decision.Please cast your vote for REAL CHANGE this election.
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Allen T (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments)
on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 11:46:59 PM
I agree with the above post. Also, I would like to know who or how these videos were leaked to the media. Personally, I would not put anything past other candidates. I do feel, however, that Barack must sever his ties to this man. I don't know how this will play out, but too much press coverage of this issue, just may make a marytr out of Barack, which would greatly upset Mr. Hannity and the Fox gang. Barack needs to be strong and stay in there. I don't feel he needs to dwell on this, as he has stated clearly how he feels about that man's statements. And, how do we know that this man was not paid off to make those statements???
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Linda Bailey (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 18 comments)
on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 6:54:21 AM
Everything Wright said about America is true so the man should be praised for speaking the truth. The only thing he wrong's about is his support of Obama and comparing him to Jesus. Obama is an establishment bum who supports maintaining the status quo. Jesus was anti-establishment and a revolutionary. Jesus was a champion of the poor and society's outcasts.
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Ty (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 691 comments)
on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 11:26:42 AM
That's right. There have been implications that Wright was buying into some sort of conspiracy theory about 9/11. He wasn't. He was pointing out the long chain of American governmental misdeeds which have resulted in much anger against America, and for a relatively small number of people has been a factor in them turning to terrorism. This is really pretty unexceptional factual analysis.
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Bill Samuel (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 227 comments)
on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 7:39:24 PM
It has been argued and settled in the U.S. courts that everything was created by GOD so anything is open for preaching by the nuts in the pulpit.
The political speech is sought to influence the churches members and has admittedly influenced Obama to the extent that he has referred to his preacher as his lifelong mentor. Only now that the true views were published and seen by the world that Obama now claims he does not believe or support what was said by his mentor.
No one really knows what is going on in Obama’s head or his true beliefs. His lifelong mentoring from a racist bigot that blames whitey for everything speaks volumes to Obamas influanced character.
I would vote for the idiot Bush to stay in office over Obama.
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Gallaher (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 530 comments)
on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 5:55:50 AM
While I would not go so far as to say I would vote for that idiot Bush again, I certainly would entertain the thought of John McCain. I believe many Americans who are not as "yellow dog" as I am will vote for McCain if Obama becomes the nominee. Obama will not win any of the southern states of MS, FL, AL, NC, SC, AR, TX, TN, LA, or GA, even if he won some of them in the Democratic primary. I want to win. That's why I support Hillary Clinton---I am not about giving the Repugs 4 more years.
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Merylr (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 18 comments)
on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 11:40:10 PM
