Obama turns pastor hate controversy into race speech

Perhaps if you could provide specifics on the voting record you find troubling, we can talk.

He opposed the war early on, even before taking his senate seat, citing it as an ill-conceived venture. I believe he was right. From where I stand, the kind of Wilsonian, messianic view of this Administration is woefully shortsighted when it comes to international politics in general, and this region in particular. Once in, Obama wasn't willing to leave our troops hanging for decisions made by the administration to commit them. That said, he seeks a responsible drawdown, and a concomitant increase on the part of the Iraqi regime's responsibility. All of this is in line with the findings of the Iraq Study Group.

 

I brought this up earlier in the thread, but of course my reich-wing nutjob amigos refused to answer what they are either too ignorant or ashamed about to face up to.

The difference between Jeremiah Wright and radical, white evangelical ministers
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/03/17/wright/index.html

Oh, the so-called "America First" crowd, commonly known as the Nixon Gang love to accuse others of Anti-Americanism, and of being terrorist sympathizers.

But what about the hatred of America from McCain's close friend and spiritual advisor John Hagee? What about the blaming of America for 9/11 by Guiliani endorser, Pat Robertson?

Why the double standard?

It's anyone who speaks out against the war.

 

Why does he not take a clear stand in many issues ? If you look through the voting records you will see many NV's [Not Voting, Excused, Absent, or Present]. Is he playing safe ?
[Evasive, sneaky .... you know ]

Also
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/02/the_everpresent_obama.html
Take note of bill's SB 759 and HB 854 for example, what would you do in those ?

 

I’d usually repulse from these types of talks, but I find it entertaining, it won’t earn me a cent, but I find it entertaining. His pastor is really obnoxious, end of story there. Just look at his obnoxious behavior, he was unprofessional in his respected niche; he supposed to be a “pastor”. I’ll not speak about Obama, I’ll leave it to you guys, but since his pastor is involved, I think I could say this. I guess the pastor is very flattered of Obama’s momentum streak. This looks very bad for Obama. Maybe his pastor should shut up like they all cried for Bill Clinton to do? This is a bad position for Obama and his pastor probably is too flattered to notice he is putting the man in a bad situation, guess you should choose your pastor wisely, one that knows when to STFU? Instead of really helping Obama, he is putting him in a position where it is like it’s the church or America, does the retarded (excuse me, this is personal) pastor doesn’t know Obama is running for the president of America, and they are trying to force him to be petty with the church? C’mon, the pastor should stop destroying him, its like being in a toxic friendship, you want to tell off your friend but you can’t, he’s hurting Obama.

 

The always interesting Phillip Weiss chimes in on Obama's speech...

Obama's Speech Wasn't About Race. It Was About Leadership
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/03/obamas-speech-1.html

 

I accept obama is good, but come on. What'd he do to inspire such diehard loyalty from some people.

Oh, ron paul you say. Ok.

 

I read MondoWeiss, and I saw this. Phillip is a very smart guy, so obviously he likes what he is hearing from Obama.

I get that Obama sings a good song. Again, my problem is that his votes don't back up his rhetoric. I don't care if his preacher hates America or not, or if he is Muslim or not, or if he is black or not. I just want to know if he will do what he says.

Because at this point, I might be willing to sell my free market capitalist soul in the short term to end the war.

 

I thought the speech was one of the most important speeches of his political career so far. The Rev. Wright issue was starting to get out of hand and Obama addressed the issue head-on. It seems that some of the posters in this thread have deliberately taken parts of the speech out of context to make it seem inflammatory. I thought the speech as a whole was anything but inflammatory. He denounced the comments made by his former pastor, but at the same time he explained where those comments came from. He understands that the civil rights movement did not cure all problems with race relations, and that some people still carry a chip on their shoulder from a time when the government sanctioned racist attitudes. Then, perhaps just as importantly, he noted that white Americans might also carry a chip on their shoulder from the times they've been passed over for a job or admission to an elite university because of affirmative action. He showed that this shouldn't be white vs. black, and he isn't "taking a side." By making note of his own mixed-race heritage, I hope people will realize that he does not consider himself to be exclusively black, especially when he sees black, white, and mixed race children at family gatherings.

I would hate to have to justify the actions of all of the people I have ever been friends with. Rev. Wright made some inflammatory comments, but they were still just words. If people want to hold Barack Obama accountable for his friends words, shouldn't we hold Hillary Clinton accountable for her friends actions? This whole episode is a wake-up call to all races in America. The fact is there is still tension between races, and it's through understanding that we can move past that and get to the real issues of this election.

A few comments on various posts in this thread:
Obama did not support the war at the start. He now supports some funding measures for the war and the gradual withdrawal of troops. That is not the same as flip-flopping. They are two different issues. He was right that we should not have gone to war in Iraq, and he's right now that now we are in Iraq we cannot cut off all funding for the war and withdraw all troops.
As far as his voting record, most Senators have a bunch of no-shows and non-votes. They can't be in Washington all the time, and they make deals with people who oppose them on a particular bill so that neither of them will have to show up. They just both agree to not vote. If one person breaks the agreement and votes, they'll lose their credibility and no one will make a deal with them in the future. They don't do this on "major" bills, especially when they'd like to make a speech on the Senate floor, but it's very common on the hundreds or even thousands of pieces of legislation that will go through the Senate during their career. That's just how politics works, and frankly I don't see much wrong with that. Obama has still authored many bills; he's been far more productive in this regard than Hillary.

 

Sorry but that dog don't hunt. He's a total Flip Flopper. C'mon.

There are no maverick votes against the war from Obama. Regardless of how he spins it, he votes right along with the rest of Congress, and is a part of the sub 20% approval rating.

I'm not talking about his no-votes. I'm talking about the anti-civil rights and unconstitutional legislation he has voted on, and endorsed.

It sounds like you're trying to water down the criticism....

 

I found it to be an impressive speech. His background is unique, his experiences are unique and he dealt with the issues of race and the issues of his pastor in an honest way.

He covered a lot of ground on the race issue in a sophisticated way, acknowledging both the resentment of whites and blacks.

I'm leaning strongly toward Democrats, but was more impressed with Clinton's depth of responses on a great variety of issues than Obama's till this point.

It was a sophisticated forthright speech. It included an effort to be inclusive to all.

Very impressive, IMHO.

 

It's very scary.

 

Obama's record as a Illinois State Senator has disappeared.

New York isn't exactly the Bible Belt

 

maybe he chose not to say it. but most probably it wasn't in his mind that time. it doesn't mean he's no longer a Christian, a God-fearing one, just because he forgot or neglect to say that God-mentioning phrase. Throughout the book of Esther in the Bible (whether you're a believer or not) there was no mention of God, yet we can't say it is not talking about God. Sometimes we forget things even if they're that important or needed for survival. how about forgetting to greet your wife or husband oh his or her birthday? lol.

I am not American but I am aching to vote for Obama. He's genuine.

 

I found the speech to be very appropriate and profoundly honest especially coming from a politician. For any of you who haven't watched the entire speech I highly recommend you do. FULL SPEECH
If the speech is broken up into sound bites it can be twisted and spun as with anything but as a whole the overall message is clearly positive, unifying, and right on IMO.

 

Heh,

Idiots can't make up their minds for anything

First Obama was a Muslim trojan horse who came in from Al Queda, running to become president...

...now he's linked to Christianity, but but but... is a racist who is taught racism by a caucasian hating pastor and is plotting the downfall of all whites in this country?

WTF? Next you same mofos are gonna say that he's really a Decepticon who's gonna use the U.S. Military to defeat the Autobots so he can use the U.S. economy to build himself a trillion dollars worth of minicons

 

Sadly that's the reality. After seeing that brilliant speech (all 37 minutes of it which DID fully address his pastor & his views) his credibility shouldn't falter from this stupid smeer attempt... sadly too many people are easily swayed by these smeer tatics.

 

Needless to say, Obama's apologists will overlook anything, left wing or not, but here is an interesting take on Rev. Wright from Phil Weiss.

Rev. Wright's 'Extremism' Is Part of a Worldly Leftwing Discourse
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/03/the-talking-hea.html

Personally, I think it is part of intelligent discourse period. Asking why 19 people chose to commit suicide isn't fairly answered by "they hate us for our freedom".

 

Hey, all I know is this: you can't sit under a Black Supremacist/ Seperatist pastor for 20 years, and then deny him because it's not good for your run for President. This whole situation makes Michelle Obama's "this in the first time in a long time I've been proud of this country" remark crystal clear. I really believe that this guy is dangerous.

Oh, did anyone see Wright's replacement on TV this weekend putting HIS foot in his mouth?

 

Obama's 'I Didn't Inhale' Defense

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Monday, March 17, 2008 4:20 PM PT

Election 2008: Barack Obama's story that he never once heard his preacher trash whites and America in hundreds of sermons sounds like Bill Clinton claiming he never inhaled while smoking dope.

Read More: Election 2008

The mushrooming church scandal has taken the shine off the golden boy of politics, a two-decade regular at "unashamedly black" Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

With his phony defense, the Democrat front-runner has exposed himself as both a typical Beltway spinmeister and a hypocrite.

From the start of his presidential campaign, Obama has positioned himself as a straight shooter and a uniter — the very antidote to the sinister Clintonian politics of the past.

"Voters don't believe what politicians say. They get cynical," he said during the Nevada primary in response to what he described as dishonest "tricks" by both Clintons. "We have to change that politics, and that's why I'm running for president."

"You know what I'm saying is true," he reassured voters.

Yet his denial over Rev. Jeremiah Wright's vitriol does not ring true. He's suddenly shocked — shocked! — that his black nationalist church would spew anti-American venom.

"I did not hear such incendiary language myself, personally," he insisted, "either in conversations with him or when I was in the pew."

Back in February 2007, however, Obama knew Wright might be a political liability. His chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod, was so worried about his provocative statements that he urged Obama to withdraw a request that Wright deliver an invocation at his presidential campaign kickoff.

Reluctantly, Obama "uninvited" his long-time friend and mentor, according to Wright's own account at the time, telling him "it's best for you not to be out there in public."

And earlier this year, Obama had to release a statement distancing himself from a decision by Wright to honor black bigot Louis Farrakhan with a "lifetime achievement" award in Wright's name. In its November/December issue, Obama's church magazine heaped praise on Farrakhan in a cover story.

Obama seemed neither surprised nor very offended. "I assume that Trumpet magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders," he shrugged.

Only the magazine, published by Wright's daughters out of church offices, never mentioned Farrakhan's work with ex-cons.

Obama claims he never heard Wright suggest as he did in a Sept. 16, 2001, sermon that America brought the 9/11 attacks on itself.

But he said essentially the same thing, only worse, in 2005 — this time, in the same church magazine, Trumpet, that Obama and his family receive as members. There on page 7 of the August 2005 issue, Wright blames the attacks on "white America," suggesting outrageously and cold-bloodedly that the murder of nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11 was retribution for America's past racism.

Obama argues his pastor's hate speech was strung together and compiled in the media out of hundreds of sermons over the course of a lifetime. "They basically culled five or six sermons out of 30 years of preaching," he complained.

In fact, the clips shown represent Wright's bread and butter. These are just the Greatest Hits he sells as DVDs in the church bookstore. Obama, a church regular whose membership spans 1,040 sermons, expects us to believe he not only missed these particular lessons, but was unaware of such bile ever coming from the pulpit of his home church.

"If I had been in church those days, I would have objected fiercely to them and I would have told him personally," he now claims.

Really? A reporter witnessed Obama nod his head in agreement during a July 22, 2007, sermon in which Wright trashed the "United States of White America."

Here's another whopper Obama tells concerning Wright: "He hasn't been my political adviser, he's been my pastor."

Yet it turns out Wright quietly had a formal role in Obama's campaign, and was only pushed out last week as a member of his spiritual advisory committee when the tapes hit the airwaves.

Spinning harder, Obama claimed Wright's remarks are not "reflective of the church."

Yet the videos clearly show fellow members whooping and thumping in their applause of Wright's hateful rants. These weren't just a smattering of amens and hallelujahs. They were standing ovations.

Point is, these are the folks with whom the Obamas worship and socialize. Yet we're expected to believe Obama never heard the same incendiary remarks from them, either?

His plea of ignorance doesn't wash. And if he were sincere in his outrage, he would have distanced himself from these haters at the first opportunity.

He wouldn't be doing it as damage control only after the light is shone into the dark corners of his social and spiritual life.

Obama's image as a man of integrity is starting to fade along with his carefully crafted image as a refreshingly race-neutral candidate.