Obama’s Pastor
People need to get over this. I guess since we don’t have another primary until late in April, we need a good news story.
The Christendom in this country is a very diverse association. People are going to say things that not everybody, or even most people, believes (e.g. “God hates fags”). Even within individual sects, there is still a considerable amount of diversity. Take this very blog. All three of us attend churches of Christ, yet how fundamentally different do we interpret the religious, political, and social landscape?
If you want to keep going with Obama, you might want to include the Wahabi school he attended while his family lived in Indonesia. Some of you might know that Osama bin Laden is a strict adherent to the teachings of al-Wahab. So does this mean that Barack Hussein Obama is out to collaborate with al Qaeda? No!
This story needs to find its way out of the news. It is not in any way constructive to the presidential election.
I don’t know. You might be right. I can only say that it was very hard for me to watch Mr. Obama as he was interviewed last night about this story. He really looked shaken.
The difference, don’t you think, between the Westboro Baptist Church (”God Hates F*gs”) and Mr. Obama’s church, is that no presidential candidate attends the Westboro church. Mr. Obama attended the church in question for 20 years; he signed its statement of faith in order to secure membership and he still brings his children there. The title of his book, The Audacity of Hope, comes from his pastor. And there is much more, too.
Religion matters. I think Mitt Romney’s religion (a belated example, I admit) is important to analyze vis-á-vis his political stances regarding, let’s say, Israel and the Palestinian conflict (Mormons believe they are a lost tribe of Israel). When someone claims to derive profound moral and spiritual guidance from an ism or a faith, I think the source of their inspiration is worth scrutinizing.
I am guessing that this story is only going to get bigger and worse. If Mr. Obama is shown to be present when ANY of the sort of things Mr. Wright said were indeed said, then Mr. Obama is done. His denial of being present — that he never once heard Mr. Wright say such things EVEN in private — strains credulity.
Sadly, I think this finally gives the Clinton Machine what they needed to rip the nomination away from Mr. Obama via the super-delegates. This association with Mr. Wright is nearly impossible to shake off.
If you get a chance, read Shelby Steele’s two related books, White Guilt and A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Barack Obama and Why He Can’t Win. Steele, who is a black man born of a white mother, argues that white support for Mr. Obama is born in white guilt; but whites will not give their support to the angry black man, they will only give it to a “bargainer.” A bargainer is someone who talks about moving beyond race; a bargainer absolves whites of their culpability and restores their moral authority.
Alas, I believe Steele would now say that Mr. Obama, the bargainer par excellence, is too closely related to one of the most venomous angry black men many whites have ever heard. The relationship is nearly stigmatic, and it may be too great for Obama to overcome.
Does that make sense?
Peace, and thanks for hoping that goodness would reign in all of this.
BG
Bill Gnade
15 Mar 08 at 9:10 pm
Bill,
You made great points. Religion absolutely matters. I for one make political judgements regularly based on my religious beliefs. Analyzing the religious beliefs of someone is crucial to understanding their political philosophies, whether you want it to be that way or not.
I guess the point I want to get across is that if we are going to get passed racism, zealous nationalism, zephobia and so on, we need to avoid classifying groups or associations of people monolithically. We need to understand that one person in an association of believers does not represent the whole of believers.
People are going to make assumptions about Obama based on this one pastor. I believe this is nothing more than a lazy analysis.
Unfortunately I believe significant number of people will view Obama less positively than before because of this. I’m only asking those who read the Cartel to not.
Chris McNeal
15 Mar 08 at 9:35 pm
I am so sick of this story dominating the news. Chris is right - if it weren’t for this huge gap in the primary season, this would be a 24-hour story and then it would be over.
Really, I fail to see why Wright’s comments are any different from all the other examples of supporters who went too far in their support. They have all had inappropriate comments come from the ranks of their supporters, but this incident has unfortunately come out during an otherwise quiet time.
What we need is a good bit of real news to happen to give CNN something better to show than the youtube video of Wright’s rant over and over and over.
David M Manes
15 Mar 08 at 10:16 pm
Like it or not, fair or not, this story (as I’ve been saying for months) is a big one and is not going away. I’ll leave the substance of his comments alone, though I must say that I find self pitying African American theology as annoying as the faux moralism of the Christianists.
As Bill said above, Wright’s statements are a problem for Obama precisely because this is a man not generally identified with politics but identified with Obama himself. It has the potential to undermine every appeal that Obama has. There is too much material from Obama himself talking about the influence that Wright has had on his life for it to be dismissed as ancillary to his way of thinking.
The strident and angry Afrocentrism undermines his post-racial appeal, as well as his promise to unite. Obama has handled this story poorly, and his response reeks of (Clintonian?) inauthenticity. That gets at his truthy reputation. The “God Damn America” bit also dovetails nicely with the emerging narrative that he (and his wife) may not be patriotic enough.
The structural realities of the way campaigns must deal with the press mean that this story won’t go away. Obama has a set of enemies in the media that operate without the need for bipartisan credibility (Fox, talk radio) and they can beat this drum with impunity. It crossed over into the mainstream press when the audio/video component came into play. John McCain’s endorsements by and relationships with hateful, warmongering Christianists are every bit as troublesome as this, but there is not a liberal counterpoint to the conservative media apparatus.
If you can’t make Obama into an angry black man, the picture of him learning at the knee of one is the next best thing. Democrats have to think long and hard about this before picking a nominee. Its a bad situation for Obama, and lying about it will only make it worse.
jkkuwitzky
15 Mar 08 at 11:24 pm
Dear David,
I appreciate your passion immensely. I really do.
When I first heard Barack Obama more than a year ago, I was deeply skeptical. Later, I found myself beginning to really like him, despite the fact that he and I have conflicting answers to the questions we hear. Recently, however, I found myself losing interest because of what struck me as the messianic dimensions of his campaign.
I have no person I am endorsing or supporting. I may even exercise my right; I might NOT vote in November.
All this to say that I think this issue is going to haunt Mr. Obama — and HALF of the Democratic Party is going to exploit it. You know which half: the Clinton half (well, it’s almost half the party). And I don’t think this has anything to do with the respite between primaries, though I think the Clintons are glad to get at least five weeks of play on this.
What sets this all apart from the crazy things OTHER supporters have said about their respective candidates is that Mr. Obama willingly and enthusiastically supported Mr. Wright’s ministry for nearly 20 years. I can’t verify this on the fly, but I believe Mr. Obama donated as much as $22,500 to Wright’s ministry (and I heard that was in 2006 alone…again, hearsay perhaps).
My wife and I are stumped how it is that this whole thing is only coming out now. Its release might have to do with something I heard on the radio … that Mr. Wright’s church has only recently begun selling the DVD of Mr. Wright’s sermons on which one finds the offensive clips. Maybe the church itself accidentally prompted this whole thing.
Of course, none of this has anything to do with Fox News or talk radio; this was going to be played by ANYONE who was politically astute. Clearly Mr. Obama’s greatest competitor benefits from this immensely. If Mr. Wright had ONLY been an Obama supporter, this might be long gone. But he was a spiritual (and political) adviser working in the heart of the campaign team, and Mr. Obama has repeatedly told us how important Mr. Wright has been in his life. (Re: media, CNN has certainly focused on this, though I don’t know if MSNBC has.)
Again, I would recommend Steele’s books. There is so much sense in them, I am close to calling him a prophet. I referred to White Guilt at my own blog as “transformative.” That may be overwrought, but I don’t think it is.
I don’t know anyone’s age here, but I am 46. I am afraid that my younger peers’ ideals — many represented by Mr. Obama — are about to be shattered before their eyes. And it will not be the Republicans who do the shattering (at least not yet).
Peace to you,
BG
Bill Gnade
16 Mar 08 at 1:49 am
It has to do with Fox News and talk radio in that they give Obama’s opponents essentially free reign to pump what would otherwise be no more than a (quite legitimate) 72 hour story. Sean Hannity has been talking about this on both mediums for months. Outlets with a clear ideological edge and purpose will continue to harp on it for the specific purpose of damaging his candidacy. John McCain has some similar (though perhaps not as close) connections to offensive religious leaders, and they have been 3 day stories. That’s because the mainstream press is not on an explicit mission to destroy John McCain. I’m quite pleased about this coming to light (obviously). I’m not sure why TeamHillary didn’t drop it earlier.
jkkuwitzky
16 Mar 08 at 2:17 am
Hey Bill, it’s good to have you around a bit. I’ve always enjoyed your witty insight into all sorts of issues, and I genuinely enjoy reading your writings.
I suppose the question here is whether or not the comments made by Pastor Wright are somehow representative of Senator Obama’s real character, or whether the comments by the Pastor were indeed brash and uncalled for, but simply personal comments made by an overzealous pastor that do not necessary reflect those views held by Senator Obama?
If the statement made by Kuwtizky that “this is a man not generally identified with politics but identified with Obama himself” is true, and the people as a whole buy into statements like this, then I must say Obama is indeed in deep political trouble, quite possibly a complete loss in momentum. I know this frustrates people like David (and quite surprisingly Chris) that the media, the Right, and the (other)Left have made this a point of conversational concentration. Be it as asinine and overblown as it may possible be, this is politics and political strategy knows little to no boundaries — truism.
David says that “I fail to see why Wright’s comments are any different from all the other examples of supporters who went too far in their support.” Because Barack Obama is black, Mr. Wright is a pastor, this is a critical election year that is going to go to the bitter end for the Democrats, and it’s the Democrats year to lose. With that said, who amongst the list who are running against Obama, wouldn’t exploit this piece of imbecile rhetoric to its fullest potential? I suppose if I was a cold hard political adviser, I would too. What is being done isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a surprise.
There is a certain truth to the “the messianic dimensions of [Obama's] campaign,” as Mr. Gnade points out (I know Bill has a great piece entitled Hossana Politics over at contratimes; it is worth a read). Obama’s, and Michelle Obama’s, constant “hope” rhetoric is built upon the plight of the undermined, the poverty stricken, and the politically frustrated. The question is then, he is truthful in this, or is it empty rhetoric used only to garner the political support necessary to win? Well, you be the judge.
____
In my opinion, I tend to roughly agree with both Chris and David. However, I understand the statements made by both Bill and Kuwitzky that it may not be all it’s made out to be. I don’t think Obama is the political messiah. I don’t think he’s capable of solving all our inequities and completely restoring American preeminence. I do, however, think he’s the best choice of three. I think he’s got refreshing qualities that made me believe he’ll bring some sort of change to a debauched presidency. I hope that this whole incident’s media coverage subsides, and its popular capital expires so we can move on to more important things.
S.C. Denney
16 Mar 08 at 2:32 am
“cold hard political advisor”? Is there any other kind (worth hiring)?
jkkuwitzky
16 Mar 08 at 2:41 am
Don’t you think that one in the political advising realm must be a cold hard calculator, judging things by a cost-benefit analysis? This, of course, doesn’t imply this advisers are immoral, unethical, or sinister. It does, however, imply that the hard core political advisers must be able to judge objectively. I wouldn’t want a flamboyant idealist on my campaign team, would you?
Perhaps “objective political adviser” would have been less offensive.
I would hire you, kolby. And I would hire me.
S.C. Denney
16 Mar 08 at 6:41 am
This might be really damaging. It might not be. On the one hand, it seems implausible that mainstream America will go for anyone so strongly associated with black nationalism.
On the other hand, it seemed equally implausible in 1992 that some skeezy, philandering, draft-dodging, might-have-inhaled, long-haired-radical-looking-in-the-60s could be president. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone mutter, “This country’s going to hell” during that time…
You just never know sometimes.
JH
16 Mar 08 at 10:48 am
No offense was taken by the original phrasing. You’re absolutely right. Idealism has no place in the world of campaign tactics. There is nothing less helpful that a true believer.
jkkuwitzky
16 Mar 08 at 3:25 pm
I find myself going both ways on this issue.
First, I have to say I personally don’t find the bent of Wright’s theology all that terribly disturbing, aside from the way they can be exploited politically. One problem here is that because the rhetoric is so hot, it makes it hard for anybody to be caught in the open say, well, actually some of the comments make sense. Especially when they’re interpreted in light of the general bent of black liberation theology, I think the position is at least worth taking a second look at outside of the sound bites of the sermon that FOX plays so relentlessly. I’d have to really look at the undercurrent of the theology…I am suspicious that liberation theology in the vein of JAmes Cone might be more at play here than is being recognized (or is capable of being realized) by the national media. I mean, who’s prepared for theology (not just religious affiliation) to really matter for the political process?
On the other side, if the issue is that what Obama might believe theologically is different than what the rest of the nation might believe, I’m okay with that reality. What is more troubling may be the church genereally seems to want its theology to match up with the folk religion of the US, to not really be all that different. That’s a disturbing idea to me. Perhaps all of our churches would be better off if we ever found ourselves saying something that had the power to keep one of our brothers from being electable.
steven hovater
19 Mar 08 at 8:57 am
i would argue that most of the mainstream news coverage with regards to the presidential race has been constructive,
the only man to talk about the economy with any emphasis wwas totally given the cold shoulder and laughs. now the debates are over and mccain is the “nominee” (though not technically)
the economy is all over the news now….how convenient.
i find it interesting how the MSM (mainstream media) picks and chooses what it wants to report on
regarding wright’s comments….what gets discussed primarily?
race. wonderful.
perpetuatin of old ideas, while real agendas are pushed forward behind the curtain,
what about the “drug war”, terrorism and foreign policy?
just evidence to prove what you mean about the lack of constructive debate.
some of what wright says concerning these issues holds real weight.
this isn’t to say race isn’t an issue for people, but tying agendas to the race issue is a lot more difficult and tedious than talking about agendas that promote specific policies on the books. we need to move forward while being mindful of the lessons of the past, not relive them.
Jesse
21 Mar 08 at 1:40 pm
oops, i meant non constructive. (in reference to the presidential race)
the MSM has been so superficial its disgusting.
so much is just entertainment….corporate media at its best.
Jesse
21 Mar 08 at 1:43 pm