Newsflash: Obama says “God bless America;” Plus: The Philly speech–Can Obama get his glow back? Update: Obama on Wright, “I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community;” Hate-filled sermons were just “snippets;” Hey, let’s point the finger at “talk show hosts and conservative commentators”
10:57am Eastern.
10:40am Eastern…Waiting for Obama…has he ever used so many American flags?
Scroll down for updates…10:22am Eastern Waiting for Obama to speak…Drudge has the speech text…Obama refuses to disown Wright and sticks to the Wright-is-a-good-man-who’s-been-cherry-picked defense…10:50am Eastern Harris Wofford introducing Obama…10:55am Eastern…Obama takes the stage…
We know how his wife and his pastor feel about America. It’s finally dawned on Barack Obama that they have been undermining his glow of HopeNChange. The
Barack Obama avoided questions on the teachings of his long-time pastor in a press conference here, promising to address racially tinged comments made by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright in a speech on race in America Obama plans to deliver Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Obama on Friday denounced as “inflammatory and appalling” comments Wright made that were circulated on video clips. Among them, Wright said blacks should sing “God damn American” instead of “God bless America.” Obama said he was not present when Wright made those comments.
But reporters at the press conference sought to probe Obama on his understanding of Wright’s views about white America and why he chose to raise his children at Trinty United Church of Christ, where Wright was pastor until recently.
Obama has had a long and close relationship with Wright, crediting the pastor with leading him to embrace Christianity and taking the title for his book “The Audacity of Hope” from one of Wright’s sermons. Obama was married by Wright and his children were baptized by Wright.
At a rally shortly before his press conference today, Obama uncharacteristically ended his remarks with the phrase “God bless America.”
Obama’s Philadelphia speech begins at 10:15am.
Michelle Obama has rearranged her schedule to be by his side. Obama says he’s going to distance himself from “stupid statements.” Does that include hers?
Democrat Barack Obama is seeking to distance himself from “stupid statements” by his longtime pastor that have aggravated racial divisions in the contentious Democratic primary battle. He is calling for both sides to tone down their rhetoric.
The Illinois senator is using a speech at a site near the nation’s birthplace to present what his campaign said would be a comprehensive take on “race, politics, and unifying our country.”
Among other things, the Illinois Democrat was seeking to calm the uproar over racially tinged sermons by his former pastor at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, remarks that have threatened to undercut Obama’s campaign theme of easing the racial divide.
Wright had been Obama’s pastor for nearly 20 years until retiring recently, and officiated at Obama’s wedding and baptized his two daughters. His inflammatory statements have been cited by Obama detractors, including comments that blacks continue to be mistreated by whites and a suggestion that U.S. “terrorism” helped bring on the Sept. 11 attacks.
“The conversation over the last couple of days has been dominated by some stupid statements that were made by Reverend Wright, but also caricatures of Reverend Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ — which, by the way, is part of a denomination that is overwhelmingly white. I think that that has distracted us from the possibilities of moving beyond some of these arguments,” Obama said in an interview with PBS.
Obama has also said he does not want to “kick him when he’s down,” given Wright’s recent retirement.
Obama was addressing supporters at the National Constitution Center, a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.
Jen Psaki, an Obama spokeswoman, said that Obama wanted to deliver the speech because “the issue of race has received an enormous amount of attention” over the past few weeks and “he thought it was an appropriate moment to discuss his thoughts on the issue.”
***
The Obama strategy for talking to whites: “No sudden moves.”
From the Drudge text of the speech:
I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed…
…Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety – the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity’s services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.
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. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions – the good and the bad – of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.
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.
These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.
Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.
But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America – to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.
ABC News isn’t buying it. They follow up today:
More From Obama’s Pastor: U.S. a Racist Superpower
…”I think the caricature that’s been painted of him is not accurate,” Obama said Monday. “And so, part of what I’ll do tomorrow is just to talk a little bit about how some of these issues are perceived from within the black church community, for example, which I think views this very differently.”
Sen. Obama last week denounced two of Rev. Wright’s sermons blaming the 9/11 attacks on “U.S. terrorism” and calling on blacks to sing “God Damn American” instead of “God Bless America.”
But Obama defended Rev. Wright’s “social gospel” and said he agreed with some of his points, including issues relating to Africa.
Other sermons reviewed by ABC News, from videotapes sold by the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, reflect Rev. Wright’s repeated attacks on the U.S. government as a “racist and arrogant superpower” that does not value its black citizens.
In one sermon in October 2005, Rev. Wright addressed the racial elements at play in the wake of Hurricane Katrina….
Ed and Allah liveblogging at HA.
10:50am Eastern. Harris Wofford introducing Obama.
10:56am Eastern. Obama begins.
11:02am Eastern.
This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either “too black” or “not black enough.” We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.
And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.
On one end of the spectrum, we’ve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it’s based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.
11:05am Eastern. Here we go again with the minimizing of Wright’s theological demagoguery as mere “snippets.”
Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way
But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God’s work here on Earth – by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
11:10am Eastern. Obama just delivered this line:
“These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.”
It was delivered rather perfunctorily.
The crowd claps for the first time for this:
“And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.”
11:19am Eastern. Here we go with the moral equivalence card and pointing the finger at “conservative commentators…”
The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.
In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.
Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.
Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.
This is where we are right now.
11:23am Eastern. Obama goes for the glow. Audience applause:
The profound mistake of Reverend Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It’s that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country – a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old — is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know — what we have seen – is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope – the audacity to hope – for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
11:28 Eastern.
We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
We can do that. But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.
11:31am Eastern. Obama invokes Ashley Baia.
There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.
And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.
She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.
She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.
Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother’s problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn’t. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.
Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.”
The wrap-up:
“I’m here because of Ashley.” By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.
But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.
Obama’s bottom line: Everyone’s a victim. You’re part of the problem if you keep talking about Jeremiah Wright. Everyone’s churches have crazy demagogues. Schools need more money. Leave illegal aliens alone. Never mind all the black grievance-mongers who have built careers sowing seeds of divisions. Look at all the talk show hosts and conservative commentators! Elect Obama. Fixer of souls.
***
Best takedown of Obamessiah of the day: Right here.
Another good one: Ace rips Obama’s hemming and hawing.
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Trackbacks
- Sister Toldjah
- What Obama will say
- Obama’s “Yeah, But That’s Just Cherry Picking Wright’s Sermons” Speech; Updated : The American Pundit
- Hyscience
- Don Surber » Blog Archive » Obama’s speech
- Stop The ACLU » Blog Archive » Obama Refuses To Disown His Racist Pastor
- Confederate Yankee
- Flopping Aces » Blog Archive » » The Obama Excuses With Some Class Warfare Thrown In
- The Philadelphia Story: Will Obama’s Speech Get Him Out of Hot Water? - Shallow Nation
- Obama’s Speech On Race Does Not Answer Questions On His Judgement « An Angeleno’s View of the World
- Obama speech reactions | Infidels Are Cool
- Reformed Hippie
- This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here » Blog Archive » “A fish don’t know he’s wet…”
- Oblogatory Anecdotes - Obama's Speech
- PAXALLES
- Poll: Will Obama Overcome his Pastor’s Negative Publicity?
- Right Angles » Blog Archive » Don’t think the speech will help Obama
- Reverse_Vampyr >> Obama's whirling dervish speech
- AmericanPapist
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- BigMouthFrog
- The Leg Feels Thrill Again as Obama Throws Dead Grandma Under the Bus « Chris Matthew’s Leg
- THE AUDACITY OF OBAMA « Texas Hold ‘Em Blogger
- The Obama Racial Division Speech: Success Or Failure? (With Reaction Roundup)
- Oblogatory Anecdotes - Battered Flag Syndrome
- Leaning Straight Up
- Stuck On Stupid
- More On Obama From Michelle Malkin « Thoughts Of A Conservative Christian
- Michelle Malkin » The Philly Showdown: Barocky vs. Hillarocky; Update: Hillary spanks Obama: People “don’t cling to religion when Washington isn’t listening to them;” Update: Obama grilled on Wright (”I’ve disowne
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“Extra” credit…
Toranto of the WSJ provides this quote about Rev. Wright’s mentor Proffessor Cones.
Cone’s description of black liberation theology:
Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community. . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love.
Since all THIS race trouble started long after America had begun a real healing process, and SOCIALISTS took some false religions and came up with a combo to distort and pervert a lot of emotional trash that should have been cleaned up a long time ago, if they hadn’t been using it to capitalize on for personal aggrandizement, and deliberately stirring up a wicked brew of bitterness and stupidity – this doesn’t leave a way to have a healthy discussion of race relations.
Jeremiah 15:
Jer 15:15 ¶ O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.
Jer 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
Jer 15:17 I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.
Jer 15:18 Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, [which] refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, [and as] waters [that] fail?
Jer 15:19 ¶ Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, [and] thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
Jer 15:20 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I [am] with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
Jer 15:21 And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
You’ll notice that God didn’t say anything to Jeremiah about God needing to answer for Jeremiah’s attitudes of being ill-treated, by God or anyone else – God told Jeremiah to CLEANSE HIS OWN HEART of vile and WRONG emotional garbage.
Each person is responsible for investigating the true source of their own bitterness of heart, and doing the research and discovery it takes to get rid of it with Truth!
You can talk to them all day long every day, til you are blue in the face – but until THEY want an answer, regardless of the internal price required to get it, and they want a TRUE answer – which brings a clean conscience and peace…
NOBODY can do that for them.
They have swallowed the lies of Socialism. We cannot force them to regurgitate those lies and accept Truth, instead.
Davy Crockett: “Not Yours To Give” is a nice starting place, but it requires one to suspend the teachings of Socialism.
They cannot get the Truth out of that priceless nugget while their craw is stuffed with the lies of Karl Marx and Joseph Stalin.
We should start up a game of who said it, Al kayda or trinity united? Sort of like name that tune only with genocidal racists instead of milkmen or accountants. I suppose given trinitys version of the facts that Job was black too, who knew? Trinity believes that blacks are the real Jews, well that makes Hitler look pretty darn stupid. Or stupider, if that is possible.
This new clip just posted on YouTube is pretty well done.
First, I am reminded of a biblical statement where we Christians are to protect and defend Israel (A friend of Israel is a friend of mine; sorry, don’t have the exact quote. Obamarama has already said he would be willing to work with Palestinian terrorists. So, I just don’t get the “faithful preacher of the gospel” Obama is reiterating to the press about the right Rev Wright. I read the entire speech and none of it rang true. I’m praying Obamarama drops out of the Presidential race.
DR_Remulak, actually it is July 2nd. But, anyway, it was Independence, but not the formation of the country, we know as the USA. It was the formation of 13 loosely connected former colonies only. You know, come to think of it, those Articles of Confederation look appealing more and more as each year goes by. The states insisted on a federal government; now we have a national government. The Articles would certainly solve a lot of our problems right away.
What the hell are you talking about?
On March 18th, 2008 at 11:30 am, lgm said:
“You look for the bad in Wright while Obama looks for the good.”
So – spewing racial garbage is ok as long as you’re a Pastor and your church does good work?
Kinda like the “Tookie Williams is a good guy, despite having murdered a few people, because he now writes children’s books” argument.
If that’s the case, LGM, why don’t liberals – including Barack – give credit where credit is due to the Bush administration, instead of always looking for the negatives?
Why can’t the Rev. Wright give our country its due for all the positive steps that have been taken and all the progress ‘White America’ has made over the years – instead of talking about issues that for a good portion of the citizenry – don’t exist anymore – or never have?
Oh that’s right – because THEY’RE liberals and those they hate are not.
I wanted to see if Ms. Malkin would respond to this section of the speech.
I see that there is no response.
I would like to ask Ms. Malkin to address this paraticular portion of the speech where Sen. Obama brings to light “legitimate discussions of racial injustice.”
I have read quite a bit on this blog about bogus claims of racism, but I have not seen Ms. Malkin respond to “legitimate instances” of racism and intimidation.
Reminder
Another reminder
Yet another
or…
We’ve seen an update on the Columbia incident. How about an update on the Coast Guard Noose Probe? I’m sure that there are people who are committed to getting to the root of the incident. I hope Ms. Malkin is one of them.
At any rate, I’m saddened to see that some of the comments on this thread have completely glossed over a prime opportunity to address a glaring problem of racial divide in our country.
Emjem24 in particular, I would really like to know if you think there are any racial problems in this country and what exactly do you propose to discuss the problem? Additionally, what say you about the noose incidents that I posted above?
There are some noose incidents that people may not have even heard of.
To clarify, I’m sure that Ms. Malkin is interested in getting to the bottom of that particular noose incident. I’m just saying that it would be nice for her to bring attention to the issue where racial tension may possibly have reared its head.
Um… What are you clarifying? Did you mean to post this on this thread?
This is the TRUTH! Obama sat under that tripe for 20 years and was thrilled with it, while it was EXPEDIENT for him, where he was living at that time.
Up til last week.
And now, if WE are not racist, WE will move on and ignore all this?
I should smile.
Question:
Will ANYONE in the media, conservative or otherwise, have the guts to actually go ahead and say out loud what is now painfully obvious-B. Hussein Obama is a racist who hates America?
jrlingreenbay said:
Obama is the most depolarizing figure running for president. You should concentrate on him, not all the people he met along the way.
Tell me what good things Bush has done. I have only one: fitness. I’m glad the President is conspicuous about physical fitness.
Two things so far have been proved true during this race for Presidency.
One, it takes a Democrat to be racist and two, as the Iowa primary has shown, inherent racism for all intents and purposes, is dead, at least so far as American white people are concerned.
We have seen that some people prefer to plant nooses for themselves and then call the authorities, er school administration, er leftwing freaks. It’s an attention thing, I for one never knew that a noose frightened anyone unless of course the sheriff was escorting them up a particular set of stairs.
While I’m at it I will give these haters a history lesson, the imperial Japanese bayoneted and beheaded allied prisoners as a rule the only exception were those who were kept as slaves to be worked to death. They transferred prisoners to slave labor camps on the mainland in hellships. They murdered raped and pillaged the Philippines’. They dropped plague infested rats on unsuspecting Chinese cities (unit 731). As we approached the Jap mainland they began telling Japanese civilian’s that Americans were monsters who would eat them! And no they didn’t say it would taste like chicken. Both sides stood to lose in a mainland invasion a million of our own and a million of theirs. But that’s not counting the post war years when most of Japan starved to death on account of embracing kamikazeism.Something I thank them for doing to this day it made it easier to win in the long run. The entire set of islands would have been destroyed and along with that the entire Japanese people. Even highly respected Japanese citizens acknowledge that. So I guess that the cult leaders speech pretty much tells us that he don’t care about no other po people if they aint black. Disgusting. Put a fork in BHO he is done.
His work on behalf of Africa is unmatched by any President in history. The greeting the man received during his African trip was heroic. I’d like to hear what Wright thinks about that.
How about providing massive increases in funding for fighting AIDS in Africa? This is one of liberals favorite causes. Bush’s efforts has been recoginized and thanked by Africans. Not liberals.
There are legitimate instances of racism that do not find themselves discussed as they should. This only serves to make the chasm between races in this country even deeper.
Though it may be hard to admit to some, there were some very true words spoken today. I fear that there may be too many who are reacting to the messenger, rather than the message.
For the record, I watched and liked the speach.
Out here black neighborhoods are being ethnically cleansed by, well you know who. It is really a shame, I was just getting ready to write my congressman and complain. But then I realized that, oh yeah! I was a racist so I guess I will go hit some golf balls and drink a beer instead. Maybe some other time, if I don’t completely forget, racists are not known for their razor sharp memories you know.
Any “chasm” between the races that exists in America is solely the responsibility of blacks. America has bent over backwards to even and then tilt the playing field in favor of blacks. The result? 90%+ vote for a party that promises….free gifts! Great. Look, if you cannot succeed in America it is your own responsibility. Period. But to live a life of privilege, ala the Obama’s, and then turn around and declare your shame of and disgust for, the same country that made that life possible, AND declare a raving racist your spiritual inspiration, is pathetic.
So there are no parts of the country that are still racist against blacks?
Re; lgm, “Tell me what good things Bush has done.”
Well how about freeing 50 million people in Iraq & Afghanistan? Wadda you say lgm? girls in Afghanistan learning to read & write… that’s not good?
The speech Jeremiah Wright gave has something in common with speeches and writings of another Jeremiah over 2000 years ago. Both were saying God would damn their native country because of sins that country had committed. Both were called unpatriotic.
Pat Robertson said God was angry with America for tolerating gay marriage and had sent the 9/11 bombers as punishment. Is that worse than Wright? Is it less patriotic? Wright was a Marine. Did Robertson serve?
And, modern Jews condemn the Catholic church today for the expulsion from Spain in 1492. I’ve heard it over and over.
On March 18th, 2008 at 7:06 pm, lgm said:
NCLB: Love it or hate it, the program gets results!
By setting real performance standards and requirements for school systems, NCLB is making readers out of many of the “at-risk” kids in our school system, while also instilling in them a measurable level of math competency and understanding of number concepts that they would never have realized without it!
Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the consequences mandated by NCLB for schools and educators who fail to meet their stated performance goals are very motivational at getting some teachers to actually do their jobs and teach!
Re; Mookie “So there are no parts of the country that are still racist against blacks?”
Yes, there are… and Hillary is doing quite well there.
lgm makes an interesting point. Robertson, Falwell and even Pat Buchanan made varying comments as to the root cause of 9/11. Robertson and Falwell blamed it on gays, abortion and feminists while Buchanan blamed it on our foreign policy.
Heh heh. The idea that any racial divide that remains in the country is solely the fault of blacks is insane. We’ve come a long, long way but still have a ways to go. It’s not as awful as Wright portrays it and it’s not as perfect as some here are portraying it.
lgm, your right 2 wrongs do make a right, sheesh… now back to the good that Bush has done… or don’t you
think those little girls in Afghanistan count?
Gen 12:1 ¶ Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Zec 2:6 ¶ Ho, ho, [come forth], and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.
Zec 2:7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest [with] the daughter of Babylon.
Zec 2:8 ¶ For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
Zec 2:9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
Psalm 122
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper who love you [the Holy City]!
Romans 9-11
4For they are Israelites, and to them belong God’s adoption [as a nation] and the glorious Presence (Shekinah). With them were the special covenants made, to them was the Law given. To them [the temple] worship was revealed and [God's own] promises announced.(B)
5To them belong the patriarchs, and as far as His natural descent was concerned, from them is the Christ, Who is exalted and supreme over all, God, blessed forever! Amen (so let it be).
Funny how those who have decided to try to STEAL THE INHERITANCE OF THE LORD FROM THE JEWS always decide the JEWS ARE ~~~EVIL~~~!
On March 18th, 2008 at 7:50 pm, brooklyn red said:
Sad but true, Brooklyn Red. I live in E. KY, which is almost exclusively Democrat in voter registration, and Hillary is very strong here.
Stats show less than 10% for
A lot against, and most unaffected at all.
To be a healing thing, it must be warmly received by more than “less than 10%”.
Besides, Socialism never healed anything.
For the record.
Mookie, who said any thing about a racial divide, or even denied one existed? Are you are confusing me for another poster… I just said that Hillary is doing well in those places.
In fact, I suggest that any area that voted HRC over BHO might just be racist against blacks.
In that case, does McCain’s recruiting Tim LaHaye’s support bother you?
No, I’m sorry for the confusion. I was laughing in response to what you said and then expanding on what JWS said about the racial divide.
Mookie, stay focused. Now back to that racial divide stuff… McCain never played that card. But SHE did.
Obama all weekend: I was not in church when the “reverend” made controversial statements.
Obama today: I was in church when the “reverend” made controversial statements.
She definitely did. I think McCain is above that and would be surprised to see him go there if he’s up against Obama in the general.
Mookie,
Whites go out of their way to prove that they are not racists. Many times to comical and sad extremes. A perfect example is supporting a racist like B. Hussein.
Blacks do not and have never seen that as a reason to celebrate. They see it as a sign of weakness to exploit. They march, demand, riot, threaten, engineer stunts like the one in Jena, etc. But to what end? A black caller to a talk radio show said it perfectly today: the only chickens coming home to roost are black chickens as White America is finally waking up to the fact that blacks have been crying “victim” for no reason for too long and they are starting to not care anymore. It’s 2008. Try, just try, for a change, to behave, get an education, marry the baby momma and raise a family, It really isn’t all that hard.
Do you not realize that you hold the power in your own hands to do whatever you want in this great country?
Sure there are areas of racism, to name a few, LA, Dearborn, Manhattan and apparently parts of Chicago. The rest of us just want to be left alone. Conservative whites have been growing better seeking to be better for hundreds of years that’s one reason we are successful we understand what works and what doesn’t it has been passed down from generation to generation. Are we perfect, no, no one on Earth is but name one country that is better. From what I hear blacks have a ton of catching up to do, therapy would be what I would suggest if one of my white friends showed up and started talking to me like that. As soon as he left I would wipe my forehead in relief and double bolt the door as well. Here’s a way to stay out of hell, judge not or be prepared to be judged (harshly) yourself.
Why don’t you tell it like it is LGM McGreevy is the epitome of a homo most of them care about nothing but corn so why get married? Hey if you want to see them in action come to the beach on Friday or Saturday night. But watch where you walk the condoms are everywhere. Awhile back my son and I were harassed by the rangers they thought from a distance because we were two guys together we were homos getting ready to go in the bushes so they raced over and confronted us. At first we all had a good laugh but later I became embarrassed and insulted and finally enraged. Turned out that recently one of them was found murdered, pants down to the ankles. Nice crowd. I could care less what homos or heteros do as long as they don’t do it at the beach in public restrooms or anywhere else about town. I always say that if we are going to marry two guys why not two male dogs too? Can you give me an argument against that? What about this separation of church and state lefties muse about, the church was marrying man and woman centuries before the USA existed. Oh and don’t try to tell me the guvment marries people they will preside over a civil union that is true. They are selling Jesus b@^* plugs in San Fransicko, is that who you would force the church to deal with? No the homosexuals better watch out for the islamists we whites are nothing compared to them as far as homosexualism goes. Oh and which president or presidential candidate attended those churches? Which one took 20 years of advise from them as their mentor? And 1492 why do you omit the muslim role in that, no nevermind I already know the answer.
Maybe Obama is just the warm-up act, and for those who are really into white guilt, and a lot of white people are, they should be throwing their support to none other than the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
No question, he is the real deal. None of this wishy-washy, panty-waist, heal us brother bull jive that we get from Obama, but a get-down and in-your-face genuine hater, telling us like it is going to be. Someone who would put white people down once and for all. And if that isn’t social justice, I don’t know what is.
Friends, your guilt will be cured, and the good Reverend knows exactly how to do it. Indeed, with Wright’s version of Christianity, who needs Islam? Alternatively, why not just change his church into a mosque? We could solve so many social problems at once.
Where Obama never has a plan or specifics, the reverend would only be too happy to lay out his ideas for white people in exquisite detail.
So democrats everywhere, and guilty RINOs, write in Wright. His moral authority is absolute. And while he is not a war-hero, he did serve in two branches of the military, and he hates Republicans too. So take that McCain.
This year, a vote for Wright can never be Wrong.
So you’re saying there are no white racists left? That’s crazy!
Obama is now TOAST
White racists left? White racists is a politically incorrect offensive term… please refer to these individuals as super delegates.
Thank you.
Heh heh. Oh man, there’s just so much irony in this whole thing, isn’t there?
Wright is a racist.
Obama is a liar.
Do your want Fries with that to go with
4 ugly years if America votes stupid?
You know mookie, most of the racist now seem to be blacks. The race hustlers are blaming all the ills of the black community on racism……Bull Sh*t.
How much more proof do we need than J Wright and how many other churches are ther like this?
Blacks always bring up the KKK to shut down a argument. I don’t remember the last time any
democratKKK was actually involved in racist activity.That’s not what was said and you know it. Face the responsibility and quit making excuses based on the color of your skin.
Hey it’s me the white racist open up the door I got the stuff.
Who?
Me, the white racist open the door I think the cops followed me.
The white racist isn’t here.
NO NO it me the white racist open the dam door I got the stuff.
Who?
THE WHITE RACIST!
The white racist isn’t here.
Arrgghh!
I’m starting to get it, ok so im a little slow, I’d probably be faster if I was a racist. They can’t tolerate that we don’t have the time or inclination to be racists. Dang it, this is not the way it was supposed to go! I think the democrats need a racial pow wow where they can all get together and put aside their racism sexism and every other ism they suffer from once and for all. John Edwards is a modern day Nostradamus there really is two Americas and I for one am glad im not stuck in theirs. Hey, if you don’t stay in school and you don’t study hard you might just get stuck in democrat America!
It’s the race hustlers that are doing a huge, huge disservice to the black community. When you make everything into an issue of race, the things that are truly a race issue get swept under the rug or are met with skepticism because we’ve heard it all before. Jackson, Sharpton and now Wright have hurt their community more than they have helped.
Really? The most liberal of senators is a depolarizing figure?
Wright is not just one of the “people he met along the way”, lgm. He has been his friend, father figure, and spiritual advisor for over 20 years.
This is what JWS said:
“Any “chasm” between the races that exists in America is solely the responsibility of blacks.”
That implies that any racism is solely the fault of blacks.
#305 lgm said:
Which speech? The one where Wright accuses the US “KKK” Government of infecting “people of color” with the AIDS virus? The one where Wright accuses the US “KKK” Government of importing illegal narcotics into “black” neighborhoods?” The one where Wright accuses Bill Clinton of riding black people “durty?”
#305 lgm said:
Actually, the Biblical Jeremiah spent his time begging his people to turn to the Lord. The un-Biblical Jeremiah (Barack Obama’s friend, mentor and spiritual advisor of 23 years) seems to spend his time shucking and jiving (an Andrew Cuomo term, not mine) about how black people are good and white people are bad.
???
#305 lgm said:
In addition to the entire MSM writing Pat Robertson off as an non-credible figure, can you name any republican leader who has agreed, defended, or believed that Robertson was “taken out of context” and therefore, maligned for his comment? Has any republican presidential candidate, post this 2001 comment, refused to distance himself from Robertson’s remark, or take seven years to repudiate?
???
#305 lgm said:
So was Lee Harvey Oswald.
Yes, according to Wikipedia, he served as a Marine Lieutenant and was awarded three battle stars during the Korean War.
#305 lgm said:
I don’t quite get this one, but I’ll bite – which modern Jews?
Did Giuliani accept Robertson’s endorsement?
#336 Mookie said:
Good point. If Rudy didn’t accept it, I don’t remember him rejecting it.
The added element of Obama claiming to “transcend racial issues” aside, I do wonder if Robertson’s 9/11 comments would have been as heavy a political burden for Giuliani as the cumulation of Wright’s sermons are for Barack.
It is telling that leftists howl about the non existent separation of church and state clause. But when one of their boys does it it’s A ok not a word. These leftists are beyond irresponsible they are a hazard to anyone who is around them. There is no separation of cult and state in BHO’s case. The lesson remains the same, the leftists are liars only saying things to undermine other people they don’t agree with. Liberal fascism, I guess I really need to buy the book. Listen to the msm it will tell you all you need to know. BHO tosses his gramma under the bus the leftists will toss all of us under the bus in a heartbeat. Gutless, spineless, soulless, perverse and oppressive to the core. I also am fed up with dems bringing us to their racist party as I said leave us alone sort your own problems out. Don’t behave like a lying rat kid (bad seed) who does something and then tries to blame it on his classmate.
I couldn’t either and did some Googling. Apparently, both Rudy and Romney actively sought Robertson’s endorsement. That’s pretty shameful on Rudy’s part, not only for Robertson’s 9/11 comments but for his comments on gays. Rudy moved in with his gay best friend and his partner when Donna threw him out and lived there for quite some time. I know he was living there on 9/11.
Wow. Mookie and BrianNY are having a conversation trying to explain their position.
Then tgusa just comes along with a rant that makes no sense by not providing any reason for his/her positions.
I sure hope that you aren’t one of those posters who says something and then leaves because I’d like some clarification to your post. Is it your belief that racism is located according to your political affiliation???
If not, what are you saying?
I should have included this in my previous post. McCain seeking Tim LaHaye’s support concerns me. He’s virulently anti-Catholic and anti-semetic.
Yes. It is obvious to all but those who refuse to see it. Oh by the way that was not a rant. Sensitive? Did I hurt your feelings with the truth?
tgusa, well hello there. I read your post and re-read your post and I’m trying to understand statements like this.
Alright. Let’s decipher this statement. There is nowhere in the Constitution that explicitly states “separation of church and state.” OK, but what do you mean when you said “one of their boys does it it’s A ok.” I don’t understand exactly what you mean. Because Sen. Obama responded to accusations about his pastor- and made a speech that discussed race and politics, that’s a reason to be angry? I think clarification is necessary.
The fact that he referenced things that his grandmother said years ago that he disagreed with is a bad thing? I think you missed his broader point about his speech that there are issues that are rooted in the past that we are still dealing with today.
Do you disagree?
Mookie said:
And equally perplexing on Robertson’s part. Many Googled articles on the subject cast Robertson-minded voters as “perplexed” by this endorsement.
I believe it was a “national security trumps all other issues” explanation. I daresay, Robertson must not have liked McCain.
I don’t want to fight but I’m not wasting my time answering questions of anyone who is a sympathizer for what I have heard lately. The fact is I had no idea that this was being taught at black churches. But I am glad I have found out the truth. Why don’t you explain Africa to me or is it whiteys fault there too? Maybe you are the type to smear your gramma in public but not me not for anything. Why didn’t he blame his daddy for abandoning him that is probably where the anger comes from just ask any competent psychiatrist. Besides at this point I have zero reasons to believe anything that he says it probably never even happened and she is not around to defend herself. How convenient don’t you think? If this is the way that these people feel they deserve whatever God decides to give them for it.
Ace said:
and he was right.
Hey 30, I missed hearing from you today.
Ok, everyone stop. No more analyzing. B. Hussein Obama is a racist.
This should not stop his political career, nor, as Al Sharpton has shown, his ability to appear on Hannity and Colmes.
He will continue to proclaim that he is, in fact, the agent of CHANGE-NOW!
He will just not be able to be our CIC. Aw. Poor Michelle. She was so proud…..
An auburn U young white girl is gun downed in a senseless hateful crime by a black man; a UNC class president white girl is gunned down by a couple of black punks with criminal records as long as Chris Matthews tingling leg. Where would all this hate and senseless violence from inner city youths come from? Oh I forgot, its the Rev Wrights, and its a black thing you all wouldn’t understand…so just vote me in and we’ll strike a deal to move beyond all this! Trust me, I have a handle on this thing…Oh Grandma, now don’t be afraid of those boys with the cornrows in their hair holding a gun, they’re just looking for some transportation.
As one person put it, Rosa Parks got to ride the bus, Obama’s grandma got thrown under it.
No, it doesn’t. There will always be racists on both sides.
It implies that when a certain group of people whose prolonged, unnecessary and destructive self-victimization prevents the dialogue from advancing, the “chasm” will remain or grow larger. The power to change that collective victim mindset doesn’t rest with whites and it never will. In this regard, JSM is correct. Black people are their own worst enemies and that is a pill that many blacks -refuse- to swallow. Whether it is race hustlers who thrive on black victimization under the guise of “Black Leadership” (Sharpton, Jackson, Wright et al) or widespread ignorance on the part of the black community, there is plenty of blame to go around. These so-called “Black Leaders” are quick to point out “white racism” as the root of all problems in the black community and as long as that erroneous yet convenient belief is propagated, black people will never have the impetus to take a good, hard look in the mirror and change themselves in large enough numbers to narrow or eliminate that “chasm”.
People like DK and, unfortunately, you appear unable to comprehend the fact that in 2008, “white folks” don’t hold the keys to the salvation of the black community. The power to effect real change (oooh, “Change”) from within, take responsibility and eliminate that “chasm” is in the hands of black people and black people only.
This freak and his wife should be done. We will see.
Correction, JWS.
Umm…they shouldn’t have been. The relationship between BO and Wright goes far beyond that between Giuliani and Robertson. The MSM may not ultimately have played the two endorsements any differently, but the fact is that Wright has been a formative person in BO’s life. They have an actual relationship, not just a political one. There’s a big difference between accepting an endorsement and choosing a mentor.
I never said they did. Not once. But denying that racism against blacks still exists in America is naive at best and willfully ignorant at worst.
It is impossible to fathom a White “leader” speaking for us, er, Whites; someone who could “rally” tens of thousands of us Whites to “march”, er, anywhere. Are blacks really this stupid? Do they really “rally” and “march” behind a “leader” who “directs” their “anger” and “pain”? Good God. This is like some “B” movie where the natives run from the forest to confront….what?? The only answer is – themselves.
Us intolerant crackers rendered the KKK insignificant. Would that y’all would do the same…
Speaking of naivete and ignorance, what’s your excuse? Are you ignorant or just trolling? Re-read what I wrote and note what I said about racism by blacks AND whites. Again, this isn’t the meat of the problem that I was addressing, but your attempts to distract from the issue are noted.
You have a one dimensional argument so I can understand why you would need to misrepresent what others say, but if you want serious discussion you need to try harder to defend your position.
Maybe you need to re-read what I wrote. I didn’t say you said it was just a black problem. The point I’ve been trying to make is that racism against blacks isn’t anywhere near as bad as Wright thinks is it but definitely hasn’t evolved as much as some folks here think it has.
Also, I was responding to what JWS had originally posted.
Sorry I’m late to this, and I hope I’m not repeating something already said, but doesn’t it seem that Wright’s brand of inner city “black church” is pretty damn close to a muslim madrass? Both perpetuate and foster ignorance by repeating the same lies over and over again, engendering only hate and an unescapable sense of victimhood.
That’s excellent er JWS lol. Yep you pretty much have to ram a bomb down our throats to get us moving in anger. However, whites don’t just march around in an angry protest they march to the recruiting station and get in line.
Lets be real teaching your kids this kind of stuff is the worst thing you could do. If a white were to try to raise a child like this child services would be all over them. It is completely opposite of the things we teach our kids and we seem to have established a pretty good record over time. They are being indoctrinated into a hate and blame ideology that will eventually destroy them. Any reasonable person knows that and for those that don’t take a good look.
Sounds like a radical imam palani, you got that right.
The bottom line is this: he sat there for 20 years. Didn’t make a sound. Not a peep. Never objected, never walked out.
Staying and listening is tacit approval of what the “reverend” is saying. If you go to a movie that you find offensive, you walk out and get your money back. Obama not only stayed in the audience, he paid the “reverend” $22K for the privilege of doing it!
And now he and his poor, abused-by-whitey wife have the unmitigated gall to tell us that they “disavow” his hate America screed with a highly polished, poll tested, adviser written speech meant to misdirect America with flowery eloquence that puts the likes of Chris Matthews into a state of nirvana.
Well, I am sure that the liberals are stupid enough to fall for it, but the thinking half of America needs to call this phony out.
Best line of the day was by Fred “Open Borders, Screw The Union Worker” Barnes. “He threw his (white) Grandmother under the bus”. Enough said. He is a Manchurian Candidate. A Chimera. A groveling gollum trying to wipe the white off his skin. Let us be rid of this creep.
You know, if you must be a troll, at least put a modicum of effort into being a good one.
Since you brought up the subject, how come the priests you refer to are never called what they are: pedophile homosexuals? And I would wager that, like most individuals with criminal intent of this nature, they are card carrying liberals.
So remember that when you are attacking them. And remember that this is why the Boy Scouts choose not to expose themselves to this threat.
Great article Michelle. You managed to present pretty much all of the relevant points and did it in about 100,000 words less than the speech.
Renee has a …..problem.
(It must be hard trying to think of two things at the same time.)
Yo Jim M., I way back here, in the back row applauding your #163 post. Once again, a awesome piece of work.
Have an idea after a great night’s sleep.
I do believe that “Ashley” came from the great movie, “Gone With the Wind”.
Dark Knight,
Don’t play everyone for stupid. When the pulpit becomes a political throne to speak from they should lose all tax exempt status. This is part of the separation.
As far as the idiot throwing his Granny under the bus, he is disgusting. She raised him and may have said something without any malice concerning thugs and thug like behavior that most normal people fear. When BO compares a statement from his granny being scared to the racist rants and anti-American rhetoric of J Wright, you just can’t compare the two with a straight face.
Your falling for this either shows your ignorance, or that you support J Wright and his ilk.
On March 19th, 2008 at 1:15 am, palani said:
brand of inner city “black church” is pretty damn close to a muslim madrass?
You are right palani. Look who the church gave a lifetime achievemnent to, Louis Farahkahn. In our prisons, blacks are converting to islam in huge numbers.
All over America, there are little Islamberg’s popping up with armed militant black muslims running these little enclaves.
Obama is the back bench version of robert byrd. The democratic party is full of racist.
Obama sat in the pews of that church and listened to that for over 20 years.
He lied his ass off about not hearing the types of sermons Wright is so noted for:
The following is a passage from Barak Hussein Obama’s first book, “Dreams of My Father”:
Wright is a bigoted, anti-American, radical malfeasant. These are not just his personal opinions, these are doctrinal edicts preached to a like-minded congregation.
Screw him and Barack Hussein Obama.
Barack Obama said:
Huh?