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My Friend, the Radical |
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When Reverend Wright’s comments first surfaced in March, I was watching Joe Scarborough’s program on MSNBC, and didn’t think it was much more than a two-day story that would have any real impact aside from maybe dispelling some of the lingering notions that the senator was a follower of Islam. Yes, the nature of the clips they played seemed a little outlandish, but I was willing to suspect that they were probably out of context, and to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t totally in disagreement with the concept that the terrorist attacks of 11-September-2001 were in response to abrasive American foreign policy. It wasn’t the entire motivator, sure, and they were by no means justified, but our actions in Africa and in the Middle East were a contributing factor in antagonizing al-Qaeda. Our presence there irritates them still. I don’t think that’s a secret.
Would I have used the words of Reverend Wright? Probably not. They seem sensationalist, and they too easily lose the meaning of the idea that he was trying to convey. But again, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that the comments were birthed out of an atmosphere of an oppressed people that I, as a European-American, will never understand.
But a month and a half later, after Bittergate and Pennsylvania, and on the doorstep of the Indiana primary, the reverend has surfaced again and presented what is, in my opinion, the greatest obstacle to Obama’s candidacy that he will face. Perhaps what is most frustrating, is that it’s not as if this was drug back out into the daylight by Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh (ever eager as they may seem)–but that this becoming a news story again is the sole responsibility of Reverend Wright.
Furthering the damage, Wright has compounded the problem by blowing the roof off the justifications that people like me had made. Statements that accuse the American government of implementing HIV/AIDS and suggesting that somehow we’re involved in some fascist/racist conspiracy are done in such a fashion that I can no longer give him that benefit of the doubt. I can’t try to find the root of reason in his comments, because they’re no longer leveled on some sort of coherent sociological plane, but instead have sunk to the level of 9/11 conspiracies and maniacal ravings.
When Reverend Wright mocks President Kennedy in order to make a statement on linguistic racism, he leaves the realm of the wise-but-misunderstood and enters the realm of the idiotic and ignorant. Regardless of whether or not there is a true or honorable point buried deep within his words, his profound inability to communicate makes any semblance of truth irrelevant. You don’t include–you don’t repair relations–by driving people apart. He’s spoken on a semi-public level before. He should just know better.
I do, to an extent, understand the dynamic in which Senator Obama has been placed. I have plenty of close, personal friends who espouse outlandish ideas (you know who you are), be they theological, political, or otherwise. I still even turn to these individuals for insight or their thoughts on life situations, maybe not for use in my own political opinion, but in knowing that just because one part of their philosophy may be influenced by certain experiences, merit is not stripped from everything they have to say.
That being said, I have little tolerance for those who don’t respect my ideas and opinions in return. Wright has dismissed how Obama has handled this situation, and by way of discounting the greatest statement on race of this generation, he may have singlehandedly set back the progress that this campaign has brought.
If any friend had written off my fair opposition to their thoughts as pandering or weakness, I would be upset. I would be publicly upset.
I believe Wright has struck a blow to Obama’s chances for election. Getting into a public spat with a bigot preacher does not convey Presidential material to voters. If Obama can get jacked like that by Jeremiah Wright what’s he going to do with the Ahmadinejad’s and Jong-Il’s of the world? Obama’s wheels are coming off.
Wow, from Fox News’ mouth straight to our ears. Love it.
You might want to examine your obsession with Fox News. Personally, I don’t ever watch it so I’m not sure what you mean. Best regards.
The line, verbatim on Fox, was if Obama can’t handle the Wright controversy, how would he ever be able to handle Al-Qaeda or Ahmadinejad.
Jacked? Did you watch the press conference? I thought he conveyed the fact that he was frustrated, but maintained a pretty reserved demeanor. He’s no Howard Dean.
Alright, so I submitted this before events went down yesterday. He DID respond, which satisfied me. I hope now that things are somewhat subdued.
There’s no real problem here. Rev. Wright is not on the ticket. He will not hold any office. He will not make any decision of significance to the nation. He will send no soldiers to war on false pretenses. He won’t order a single waterboarding. He won’t tap a single phone or read a single email without a warrant. He will never waste a surplus or extend a tax cut that goes to the wealthy. He won’t put phony ex-generals on TV to shill for an unwinnable war.
George W. Bush has done all these things, and more. McCain helped Bush get elected and promises more of what we have seen for the past 8 years.
This is a media story, and it reflects a double standard as McCain has his own Wright (2 of them really–Parsley and Hagee), though we rarely hear about them and people don’t know their names. There’s no need to spend time worrying about what Wright means. The only thing that matters is ending the media’s obsession with this distraction.
Huh? I thought the point about language was made very well, and using JFK and LBJ as the examples was an example of very good communication (two contrasting examples, one northeast and one deep south). He used examples which were obviously memorable in his life, and fairly well known to others. And what’s the point he made? Nobody speaks proper English, not JFK, and not the black kid who says “Axe you a question.” It’s just different. That’s not mocking.
There was nothing wrong with the NAACP speech. The Press Club speech might be a different story, though.
But check out the internet lately. Everyone’s spouting 9/11, AIDS, and other conspiracy theories, from celebrities to former government officials.
I’m not saying I agree, but when Wright says these things to his congregation, the underlying message is “White people and the government aren’t going to do anything good for you, black people, you need to do good for yourself, and you need to work to change things for the better.” Evangelicals make up ridiculous stories about Satanists eating babies and teenagers being ordered to commit suicide by rock music as a way of trying to convince their congregants that evil is real in the world.
Nothing new under the sun.