After weeks of silence, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright gave his first media interview on the firestorm over his controversial sermons and their impact on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. The pastor says those who show inflammatory snippets of his sermons out of context have distorted his message.
“I think they wanted to communicate that I am unpatriotic, that I am un-American, that I am filled with hate speech, that I have a cult at Trinity United Church of Christ,” he told PBS’ Bill Moyers in an interview that will be aired tonight. “And, ‘by the way, guess who goes to his church, hint, hint, hint?’” he said, referring to Obama.
How did it feel to be portrayed that way? “I felt it was unfair,” he said. “I felt it was unjust. I felt it was untrue. I felt for those who were doing that, were doing it for some very devious reasons.”
Many media pundits are saying that Wright’s interview can only hurt Obama by reviving the controversy.
I disagree. If the excerpts released so far are any indication, many fair-minded people will come away from the interview with a far more sympathetic view of Wright.
-
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in. -
Contact us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- Franklin on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- Franklin on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- Regular on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- cosmos_originally on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- BlueJay on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- Pedant on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- Franklin on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- Pedant on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- Regular on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
- Pedant on Palin’s record a ‘mixed bag’
82 Comments
Thank you and congratulations to Bill Moyers for having the insight and courage and journalistic integrity to invite him. Fox and the right wing radio nuts have done their best to demonize Rev. Wright. I think they’re race baiting. Unfortunately, I have heard the N word in recent months much too often. We still have a long way to go in Kansas to overcome racism.
What a brave manRev Wright is! Daring to be interviewed by Bill Moyers! I can hear the hard hitting, probing questions now!
Randy, could you possibly be any more in the tank for Obama?
Rev. Wright = media created controversy.
I’ll have to aggree with you kansasdem. I too have heard the ‘N’ word too often recently. Unfortunately i’s the ‘N’ people using it!
I find it telling that the establishment media give so little attention to statements by right-wing pastors about America deserving 9/11 or Katrina while they have beaten the Wright story to death. Also interesting that the establishment media gives so little attention to Mcgee (sp?) and his comments about the Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon.
I wonder whether or not Fox news is going to interview John Hagee. You know, just to make sure the “liberal, biased media” doesn’t spin his story about the Whore of Babylon. If you want to find out his “explanation” just go to his website. For those of you (like me) who can’t stand the sound of his voice, just mute it, a written explanation is below the video feed. Interesting, he never seems to come right out and deny his whore of babylon comment.
John Hagee. Talk about a nut. And probably on the payroll of Israel. He makes the Rev. Wright sound like Joel Osteen. Yeah, what’s with that? I haven’t heard, read or seen one reporter, one station, one news medium question McCain and Brownback’s solicitation of this anti-Catholic war mongering bigot.
Thanks LLTVET - I had the name wrong. Not my day for typing, spelling, arithmetic …
Need more coffee …
I’m just afraid that Pennsylvania Catholic Democrats will not vote for Obama. They might become bitter and cling to John Hagee.
Pastor Wright is a nut.
Obama went to Wright’s church for over 20 years.
Obama gave Wright’s Church $22,500.00 in 2006 alone.
Obama was married in Wright’s church.
Obama’s kids were baptised in Wright’s church.
Wright went to our Enemy, Khadaffi in Libya, with Nation of Islam CULT leader Louis Farrakhan.
Nope, you can not make Wright look any better, no matter what you do.
You can only remind the voters as to why Chicago politics is a very bad thing to transplant, into Washington D.C.!
This has been the most blatant example of how the media does not report the truth, more interested in the exciting rather then the truth or facts. THE FACT is that Wright did not damn or wish that God Damn America. No more then Pat Robertson did when he said that 9-11 was America’s fault and God’s punishment. He said that with all that the Government has done and is still doing that God will not Bless America. God Damn’s America and we need to change.
I was going to address this to Nathan but Hank also is familiar with the man. There is another Rev. Wright, Rev. Joe Wright and is it actuate to judge him from what has been seen on TV? Is it reason to condemn him because of his close association with Terry Fox? Gay hating, moral elitists, from the news and what he is quoted as saying. He sure sounds to be using the word of God to further his own hated of Gays and porno!
Money hungry praying off the bigotry of people. Why from what has been on the news about him, he sure sounds to be no better then Fred “Hurray for the death of American soldiers” Phelps! Would that be an actuate portrait of Joe Wright? I mean I have on more then one occasion met Terry Fox, to be fair I even went to a Sunday sermon at Immanuel. Because others were telling me I could not truly judge Fox from what was on the TV. So I went and met him, listen to him in person as he preached to his church.
I have done the same with the other Wright in a sense, I watched the sermons where the statements that the media have been pushing. IN short the one where he said the Chickens had came home to roost he was quoting someone else. But the main lesson was that we should not respond with blind anger and should check our own relationship with God. I have covered the GD America above, the minor ones are in deed about race relations. He take? People should turn to God for guidance and understanding, now that does not sound like something a man of God would say huh?
Now there is someone that God should be afflicting with suffering. The Media for distorting this into an issue.
My my, what a pair to draw to…Moyers and the Preacher. Two old line commies from the 60’s. Still spreading utter nonsense.
The preacher is just your old line run of the mill Black Liberation Theology crapshoot. Seems to have worked out well in Detroit, D.C., East St. Louis, Oakland, Cinicinatti , Zimbabwe, South Africa etc…heh.
Wright is a religious nut. So is Hagee. There seem to be many of them involved in politics. When is McCain going to denounce Hagee’s comments as Obama denounced Wright’s?
Writerdog,
If you are so interested in the truth then perhaps you should start telling it as well?
Wright’s quote was ONLY on the chickens coming home to roost part. The rest of his rant was his words.
It appears as if your only defense of what the man said is to highlight what someone else said as just as bad.
There is no defense for what Wright said. He was mad (maybe bitter) and what he said was wrong. What Hagee said was wrong. Again I ask, when is McCain going to denounce Hagee?
It’s too bad Wright felt he had to bring this back up now when Obama had just crossed the bridge on this topic.
Experts are saying this will hurt him again.
Look, we all have one of those crazy uncles in the closet, Obama just happens to have a good number of them.
This is going to cost him, big time.
With friends like Wright…who needs enemies?
LLTVET - McCain doesn’t dare denounce Hagee. That would alienate the right-wing that McCain loves so much.
For the Reverend Jeremiah Wright…
“The chickens have come home………………………………………………………………………………………………………….to to roost.”
I don’t think this interview will make one bit of difference in people’s opinions. They’ve already made up their minds. This will just reinforce their preconceptions.
NO Nathan I see no need for defense of something that was not an offense to begin with. But let go with that shall we. The chicken coming home to roost, true I have not found a link, video or mention on Fox that Peck was even on their show that day. But then I understand they do not keep things from over seven years ago. So maybe the expending was or was not on Wright’s part, but he was making a point that was being stated by not just Peck those days. U.S. policy and what was named “Blow-Back”.
But Wright stated that was a foot note to the main question, “what we should do?” and how to handle such a horror-able thing as 9-11. He pointed to the Bible and lessons from it, he said that first it is a time to seek out and check your own personal relationship with God. Would I have put things differently? Yes, but the point was valid. the first thought would be the blinding force of blood lust, it was not the entire Moslem faith that was attacking us. It was not everyone in Afghanistan whom attacked us so for the natural tendency to blow the Hell out of the entire country would not have ended it.
But why other then Obama happen to attend that church has not there been as much righteous indignation about the others whom have said the same thing and worst? My motivation is not so much to defend Obama or Wright. It is to defend the truth, something you felt obligated to do when people were attacking Joe Wright and Terry Fox. People taking selected words from them and judge their entire being with them.
If Wright was actually saying that he wanted 9-11 to happen, I would not defend that. If he was expressing a wish that God would Damn America I would not stand silent over that. But he said neither and nor was that his intent from the rest of what he had said back then. But this is a distortion for the sole purpose of fooling the American people. There are legitimate reasons to either vote for or against all three of the candidates.
But in the process those are the reasons and not made up intentional deceptions. They are playing the American people for fools and it is up to us to not let them get away with it. GMC said the other day that this is nothing new and we have always been mislead by the media. It is up to us to filter out the crap from the reality. But where is the reality being exposed? Certainly not on any of the news organizations! In this case there are in league with Fox News. It may have been Fox who in the beginning edited this all down to a couple of minutes sound bites. But the rest are as guilty for allowing the deception to continue! OMG they have been making hay out of Wright saying Obama is a politician! Implying it means he had to lie about it all. I half expect Hillary to jump on the band wagon and use Obama being called a politician as a sign he is a liar. “Well he is a “POLITICIAN” you know you can not trust a Politician! I on the other hand am a “public servant” you can trust me!”
Ok I have to go
When people like Dog try to deflect the attention on Obama by putting in strawman arguments about ‘others’ who do it too he is leaving out a very real truth. No one from either Fox’s or Wright’s flock are running for the POTUS. The attitudes and ideas of the man who wins that position will influence the future of our country. Truth.
By ignoring this the libs hope to deflect the blight that has fallen on Obama. The American people haven’t been fooled. He is dropping like a rock in several polls.
I watched parts of the Wright interview. What a fake. It was apparent that it had been stressed to him to be low keyed and laid back. Don’t let your real demeanor show. He did it well. It still didn’t pass the sniff test.
Well, anybody with a pulse knows that the Republics are obviously ready to bet the election on Obama’s connection to Wright. Clearly the activists believe this is a deal breaker for Obama.
So you know where the swift-boat reflex — the reflex inherent in all the “College Republic”-wannabe Republics — will take this, right? You can already see it in Franklin’s stuff above. Namely, it’ll be embellished all to hell and back, with the (unstated) demand that Obama step in and stop the fire somehow (and they’ll try like hell to light a BIG fire). If the Republics who believe in this stuff can reignite that ol’ black magic of the “Swift Boat Liars for T Boone Pickens” crapola from 2004, then like John Kerry Obama will get deny figuratively that he still beats his wife.
Here’s the difference between this year and 2004: Obama understands all of the above, and he tends to gather street cred like who laid the chunk whenever he opens his mouth. I believe that boy’s able to talk well enough to expose your standard College Republic hijinks for the unbelievably lame and knee-jerk attack that they tend to repeat year in and year out.
In other words, the Republics stand to be hoisted on the 2008 version of Pickens’ 2004 crapola.
I believe this’ll backfire big time on at least one Texan with more money than brains. Not only will it backfire on McCain, but it’ll further stink up the “legacy” of one GW Bush. By extension, he’ll follow the swift boaters into the footnotes of American history.
Sure couldn’t happen to a nicer group of people, doncha think?
Pendant Obama’s relationship with Bill Ayers is much more troubling to me than what his minister has said. I do think it has influenced the Obama family because of some things his wife has said.
That said if he has an Achilles heel it will be Bill Ayers.
“No one from either Fox’s or Wright’s flock are running for the POTUS.”
Perhaps not; but that guy embracing “Catholics are Whores of Babylon” Hagee sure is.
Yeah, I did forget that it’ll be a moving target (from Wright to Ayers to…whoever and whatever is available).
It’s ok. I believe that one very underappreciated “gift” from Hillary to Obama is the gift to shoot down the ducks as soon as they appear. He don’t LIKE shooting down the ducks (he’s above all that), but he’s a pretty damn good shot you gotta admit.
So who comes after Ayers, does anybody know yet?
“They were purged from the group in the mid-1970s, and turned themselves in to the authorities in 1981. All charges against him were dropped”
Apparently there are those here who believe that a person can never put his past behind him, even if there were never any proven charges against that person.
“Senator Obama strongly condemns the violent actions of the Weathermen group, as he does all acts of violence. But he was an eight-year-old child when Ayers and the Weathermen were active, and any attempt to connect Obama with events of almost forty years ago is ridiculous.”
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_weatherman_connection.html
I guess the Republicans really want to run against Hillary.
With the Republican attack machine going full force to bring Obama down, Hillary can now point at the Republican “swiftboating”of Obama.
If Blacks lose their candidate, the Republicans will be blamed.
Hillary will consolidate her supporters and bring Obama’s along as well.
The attack plans and commercials awaiting the fall campaign will make the “swiftboating” the Republicans have done look like a rubber duck race.
They have so much stuff on McCain, it will even make the Republicans vomit.
McCain hasn’t even begun to be vetted.
I hope the Dems are fully prepared to deal with “Keating 5″ McCain - in every way imaginable.
Ben I really don’t want a dirty fight and McCain would be next to the last person I would want to elect.
Bill Ayers keep talking about what he wishes he had done. He lived undercover for 20 years. No innocent man would do that. I understand there was a problem with the way the FBI obtained the evidence against him and his wife/girlfriend. Because of this he couldn’t be prosecuted.
An unrepentent terrorist being a close friend of the prez just isn’t something I want to see.
As for Wright. I’m not sure what his goal is. He comes out and stirs up the discussion after he had finally died down. Go figure.
“An unrepentent terrorist being a close friend of the prez”
What a crock of shit - Billy Ayers was/is not a close friend of Barack Obama.
Damn.
And try using facts, next time.
“He lived undercover for 20 years.”
Ayers went “underground” in 1970 and turned himself in in 1981.
Do the math.
ksgrm - what proof do you have that (a) he is unrepentant and (b) he is a terrorist?
Not only is Obama sufficiently prepared to deal with the Republican Swiftboating, WE THE PEOPLE are much wiser this time too. Even the media can’t make this more than it truly is except for those who choose to believe the worst. They weren’t going to vote for a Democratic Party nominee anyway and they make themselves look very small with their irrational attacks.
I have no respect for Ayers and those who hired him.
However, I think the contact and influence on Obama is dicey.
There just isn’t anything there.
The next relationship they’ll attempt to exploit is Resko. There is nothing there either but they will build something and there will be the same ones who currently think Obama is responsible for the actions of another who will believe their inventions.
Resko is an interesting case lindainks.
The land which Obama’s house sits upon was through a Resko deal and the land next to Obama’s house was a Resko deal, which was purchased a price and sold at a much higher price.
Don’t know much other details, but Resko is dirty.
I agree Resko is dirty. I agree Ayers has a really horrible past too. I just don’t agree that Obama has anything to do with the actions of others. I know you as a fellow blogger, Regular, and I’m not responsible for your words or your actions. I am totally responsible for what I say and do. As I’ve explained before, I went to high school with Dennis Rader, was in classes with him, worked on a report with him. I’m not responsible for his actions. I think it’s been proven he kept that part of “him” well hidden from everyone.
Ben I have heard him when he was intervied on the night of 9/11 and he was asked if “he regretted anything he had done in the past” and he said “no I regret that we didn’t do more”.
There is a lot out there and fairly easy to find.
WS sorry I was off by 9 years. The fact was he lived undercover because he knew he was guilty and didn’t want to pay the price for that guilt is the important part.
Not sure how much damage he will do to Obama but there are a lot of voters who lived through the Weathermen and they have long memories. I especially remember him saying in speaches on campus’s telling kids “go home and kill your parents”.
The following was from another weatherman:
“Dynamite! Of all the good stuff, that is the stuff! Stuff several pounds of this sublime stuff into an inch pipe…plug up both ends, insert a cap with a fuse attached, place this in the immediate vicinity of a lot of rich loafers who live by the sweat of other people’s brows, and light the fuse. A most cheerful and gratifying result will follow. In giving dynamite to the downtrodden millions of the globe, science has done its best work.”
This sounds so much like some left wing poster here it is scary. This was not a good organization. If you want to read more about them here is a link.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=63512670-BF7C-42A0-B41D-5D0FB9E09C09
This is a very telling and revealing article into the Bill Ayers people of my age remember.
icky story lindainks55 (re: Rader)
I can’t imagine how you feel towards Rader, but I imagine your intuitions you had back then suddenly came to life when his true murderous actions were revealed.
I knew a guy that went to jail for murder. He was a rage-aholic. I knew some day that he would be his own undoing. It’s a sorrowful event my prediction came true.
I agree, circumstantial proximity by social contact or in real time physical presence, does not mean guilt by association.
Guilt by association is the purview of mothers to tell their children who not to hang around with.
“WS sorry I was off by 9 years. The fact was he lived undercover because he knew he was guilty and didn’t want to pay the price for that guilt is the important part.”
You missed the point - Barack Obama is NOT Billy Ayers.
When Barack Obama says that he loves and supports everything that Ayers did in the Sixties and Seventies, then it would be an issue.
Obama hasn’t, so attempting to make this an issue is just more right wing bullshit.
Linda if you had been a guest in Raders house, allowed him to host a fund raiser in his home so you could run for public office and set on a board with him, invited him to your home for a back yard BBQ then I probably would question your ability to judge the true character of the people you meet. I would wonder how discerning you would be in meeting world leaders. Would you look in their eye and see their true character?
WS what Obama has said is that what he (Ayers) did he did when he (Obama) was eight years old. He didn’t denounce what Ayers did and had the perfect chance during the debate. That is the point. Just pointing out the obvious.
“I would wonder how discerning you would be in meeting world leaders.”
Do you mean like looking into Putin’s eyes and “seeing his soul?”
“I would wonder how discerning you would be in meeting world leaders.”
Do you mean like meeting with Saddam Hussein in the Eighties and selling him WMD?
Exactly my point WS - you are quick on the uptake tonight. At the top of your game.
“I would wonder how discerning you would be in meeting world leaders.”
Do you mean like arming and financing the Taliban and Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in their resistance to the Soviets?
Isn’t it a good thing GWB isn’t running this election. He probably wouldn’t win.
You don’t think his wife, children, members of his church, neighbors, coworkers shared all those activities with Rader? So in mind you must question each of their abilities to judge “true character.” I know lots of people and don’t know many of them out of the context of one of the following examples: maybe as a neighbor, a fellow member of Curves, a person I’ve sat next to for years at the neighborhood bar and shared conversation with over a beer, worked at school with, participated in a neighborhood night out event or clean-up event, I taught for the Wichita Literacy Group and knew people in that context. I could go onandon. You obviously have your mind made up and I don’t even want any part of delving into that process.
“He didn’t denounce what Ayers did and had the perfect chance during the debate.”
Well, thank you for clarifying that - Barack Obama is CLEARLY a terrorist with designs on destroying America - fit with his “secret Muslim” persona.
It is amazing that it took a right winger to finally see through his charade.
“He probably wouldn’t win.”
With a 28% approval rating - probably not.
His policies, as forwarded by John McCain, won’t win either.
Must be really something to be so perfect that each person you’ve ever had contact with is also perfect.
Rumor has it that our CURRENT president used to hang out with a close friend that was a drunken frat boy, bankrupt businessman with shady dealings, cokehead and alcoholic that went AWOL during that Viet Nam War.
Now we’re talking about a very close relationship! I doubt bush was aware of what bush was doing… I mean that sincerely! He still seems unaware.
Mike Huckabee is right. John McCain should not be held accountable for every word that John Hagee uttered. Most parishioners probably don’t agree with every statement and every sermon their pastors have made, yet they wouldn’t disown them. What kind of demagog would ask them to? Who starts these lines of b.s anyway?
Mike Huckabee is right. John McCain should not be held accountable for every word that John Hagee uttered. Most parishioners probably don’t agree with every statement and every sermon their pastors have made, yet they wouldn’t disown them. What kind of demagog would ask them to? Who starts these lines of b.s anyway?
Linda why do you insist on bringing every post to a personal level. I am far from perfect but will never be POTUS. We are bombarded every day as to how ill equiped GWB was to be prez. Do we want to make that same mistake again. I hope not.
Obama isn’t ready for the big time IMOHO. As far as I am concerned he has been very naive is picking his acquaintances. That is my only point and I have no personal barbs to throw your way.
Also I would venture a guess that Raders wife would be the first to tell you that she was very deceived about his true character.
Anybody Watching Moyers and Dr. Wright?? This is an Excellent interview!!
Sigh here it is again.
Our resident politcal wonk mrcontroversy has spoken to this.
The ineptness of the Obama campaign.
What in the hell is this guy doing going on a speaking tour?
If Obama’s movers and shakers had had any CLUE as to how politics works, they should have gotten Obama out of that church and away from Wright a year ago. NOW Wright is out speaking?
He should be in a box on a slow boat to Borneo.
Clueless!
Chas, Moyers isn’t on here until 9 p.m.
Where is it on Chas?
Linda, I am watching the interview at this moment… I think that time was 9E/8C
Blue Jay — PBS KPTS in Wichita
BlueJay, far as I’ve heard it is an effort by Pastor Wright to let people hear more from him than the sound bites the media played repeatedly and out of context. I think a person should have the right to defend their own reputation.
Anyone who wants to make something of this with regard to Obama is going to, and it isn’t going to die because the swift boaters won’t allow it to die. They have so little and they need to stretch what they have farther than it can be stretched.
Pastor Wright’s attempt to salvage his own reputation won’t change much. I hope it is successful for him personally. What people choose to believe is what they will believe. Facts won’t get in their way.
Did you read the email from writerdog? He is especially upset by this deception.
I have a dish, do you think that makes a difference? It says on my guide the Bill Moyers Journal is on at nine.
I would recommend at this point, a little book, (and little-known book) by Mark Twain, titled The War Prayer
A most intense work by Twain… Really gets inside his head, and the heads of people of that time!!
OK — On your Dish, it might be on your DISH PBS at 9 p.m. Be sure to check it out..
I know DirecTV and DISH Network sometimes have different time frames…
Of all the years I’ve attended church services in and around Wichita, I have never heard so much ranting from a preacher about the social ills of society. Here is a site with a collection of some of the Reverend’s sermons. Granted, most snippets are on the more extreme side but you get the feeling that the Reverend has some issues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc2FCJ7zWEQ
The Bible says, Cain killed Abel..
The Bible says, Go threfore and do likewise..
I hope O’Hannity, O’Limbaugh, O’Reilly and their followers were watching. So close to a microphone, so far from God.
I wish everyone had watched and really listened. Sure showed more than the sound bites ever have. Maybe this is the time more people will see the ugliness of politics more clearly, the games that get the likes of bush elected. Maybe these attacks will come back and bite them — karma! Pastor Wright said something good had already come from it — the inspirational speech Obama made that opened a needed dialog on race in our country. I think maybe there is a chance for more good than that.
“The fact was he lived undercover because he knew he was guilty and didn’t want to pay the price for that guilt is the important part.”
There is no evidence to support that claim ksgrm. There was a lot of (often justified) paranoia in those days. He might have thought he would be shot just for fun by the FBI.
Did you notice the judge letting those NYC cops off for filling an unarmed man with lead? What was HE guilty of? NOTHING! Well, maybe someone else who is guilty of NOTHING might fear death by police gunfire.
“no I regret that we didn’t do more”.
I was around in those days. the Weathermen had split into parts - some violent and some not. There is no evidence he was in the violent part - he was expelled! Perhaps what he regretted was that he did not do more on the non-violent side to stop that stupid war.
I regret that I could do nothing to prevent a wheelchair-bound veteran from being beaten before my eyes. That does not make me guilty of ANYTHING. Except, perhaps, not being VERY heavily armed and so able to take on the heavily armed thugs doing the beating.
Good night; Good luck;
God Bless - Whatever you conceive God to be!!
Blessings ALL!!
Rev. Wright’s comments and interview reminded me of my childhood baptist preacher who would dam* you to he**fire from the pulpit, but would be such a nice guy when he came over for Sunday dinner. With that said, Rev. Wright has a definite viewpoint on God, the Bible and their relationship to America. He had a rational biblical and theological basis for the sound bites that have been played over and over in the media.
I would definitely say that Rev. Wright is not a racist in that he hates white people, but instead was seeking to demonstrate that the long history of white supremacy in this country, while diminished, has not ended.
Personally I disagreed with most of his usages of the Bible to condemn America, just as I disagree with the Phelps’, Hagee’s and Robertson’s use of God and the Bible to condemn America. I can’t bring myself to believe in a God who condemns my country or any part of it for the alleged sins of individuals.
I was, however, convinced that Rev. Wright has not been preaching hate from his pulpit for twenty years with Barack Obama listening passively in the front pew. Whatever Rev. Wright believes, it has no more relevance to Obama’s beliefs than the Rev. Hagee does to McCain, or Rev. Jackson to Clinton, or Rev. Graham to Nixon. My view is that unless a candidate comes out and says his policies will be based on what his preacher says their religious advisers just don’t matter.
Saw the Wright interview. Yeah, the videoes showed he has some loopy ideas, but I didn’t see them on display tonight. He seemed to be a fairly thoughtful, reasonable guy. The Frontline clips from 1987 were fascinating.
I think Randy’s right on this one. Those who were permanently appalled will likely remain permanently appalled. That probably can’t be fixed. But this interview isn’t going to make it any worse, as it steps outside the cartoon that modern politics has become.
P.S. Some might note that I like posting political cartoons–particularly Tom Tomorrow–guilty as charged! But I have no desire to live inside one.
As always, Just My Opinion®.
Rage
Posted April 26, 2008 at 3:04 am | Permalink
I think Randy’s right on this one. Those who were permanently appalled will likely remain permanently appalled. That probably can’t be fixed. But this interview isn’t going to make it any worse, as it steps outside the cartoon that modern politics has become.
—
Agreed, pretty much.
Those who are permanently appalled aren’t coming back, no doubt. The clear choice the Democrats have this year is whether they can staunch the flow: can they limit the loss to only those who are permanently appalled, or will that number of voters grow? That’s the key.
That’s what T Boone Pickens’ useful idiots did for W in 2004, with a HUGE amount of help from one John Kerry (talk about a self-loathing liberal, I believe Kerry is the poster boy). Like the dog that actually caught the car, the not-so-swift swiftboaters did manage to attack a man who refused to defend himself (who knows why?) and the attacks actually worked. And let’s call it as it lays, since to assume irrationality is always a mistake: the swiftboaters were smart enough to know their target. Kerry really WAS an inept candidate for POTUS. As POTUS he certainly would have been an improvement on Bush (they whiffed on that, likely because like many Republics they were simply unaware how far down Bush had dragged down, and would continue to drag down, the office of POTUS), but as a candidate he was a complete dud (they hit that out of the ballpark).
Neither of the Dems in 2008 will take another Swift Boating laying down. I do believe the tables have turned this year. Not that the Republics won’t be able to resist going to the ol’ Swift Boat well one more time. They’re already greasing the skids for that now. If they are stupid enough to try and turn the election into another cheap test of character (and they are), then it will bite them in the butt big time. And drag Augustus Stupidus down with McCain, to boot.
“Chas
Posted April 25, 2008 at 9:40 pm | Permalink
The Bible says, Cain killed Abel..
The Bible says, Go threfore and do likewise..”
Why do you insist on misrepresenting scripture?
Please list you scripture references and explain how that they might possibly relate to each other?
The ignoramus Wright ought to be tied up and whipped.
No one should EVER be tied up and whipped.
But everyone would be better informed if they listened to more than the sound bites taken out of context and provided nonstop by media.
Pastor Wright may not be your choice but he is not what the media has portrayed him to be.
It is aa general offense to this Nation, with its history of Freedom, and Democracy, that a Blogger in 2008, should post a Lynch Mob mentality post in a Free Newspaper Blog Site. White Male, yours is the very mindset that Jeremiah Wright says God SHOULD Damn in America!! Racism be GONE!
KSGRM I was point out to Nathan and Hank a subject that is close that a Minster they both know and have met. Suffered the same attacks and because of their relationship knew his motives and meanings better then those of us whom only see the sound bites on TV. I was hoping that they could then relate and want to see for themselves. It was brought out up thread, I too have set through some of the most emotional and hell’s fire sermons as a child. And Wright does seem to be in that form of preaching, sometimes it is hard to take or understand. I have commented about every Sunday I would watch as everyone walked out of church. Looking like they wanted to check and see how much of their butts had been left intact.
But back to my real point is that we the voters are being let down and lead away from what we need to make an informed decision. By hiding and failing to report the entire story and the facts at hand. The MSM is leading us not informing us to the point. Just where can you become truly informed? From a candidates website? From one or all of the news media? If the available evidence is so slided as to mislead with intent.
I have to admit to being bewildered by the Obama campaign too, from viewing the extended version of these sermons. There give a reasonable doubt as to whether Wright was with out cause saying what he said or not. Yet the simplest way to counter this is not being brought forth? It is because the media is controlling us or it is easier to let is work its way out rather then to defend the reality?
But left alone or discounted as simply that is the way we want to be led would mean we are stupid. Foolish and mindless. I have faith right or wrong in the American people, it is best to think rather then we are stupid, foolish and mindless that we are asleep and need to wake up.
Watched the interview and was impressed by the man. Thought I would add this to the discussion:
Via the Chicago Tribune
By Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss
April 3, 2008
In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.
In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.)
The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy’s premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief’s medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.
What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated.
While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.
Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?
After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America’s biggest cities.
This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.