April 29, 2008
Disowning Your Grandmother (Stuart Roy)
The problem with being a politician is that you have to sometimes be, well, political. The best thing about being above the fray is that you are above the fray. The problem with being a politician who wants to be above the fray … Just read the above two sentences again.
Less than two months ago Barack Obama gave an eloquent defense of his pastor of more than 20 years. He told the nation he wants to lead that there was more to the man than the caricature that had been drawn of him. Many took that to show that Obama had political courage. The professional campaigners looked on it as a tactical error.
Obama then famously uttered these words:
"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."
But today he essentially disowned the man who performed his marriage ceremony and led the church that taught his daughters its doctrine.
“They offend me. They rightly offend all Americans and they should be denounced. And that’s what I’m doing very clearly and unequivocally today," Obama said.
"The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago."
The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder has sources who say Obama got "deeply, visibly angry" after reading about Wright’s Press Club comments.
I'm sure he did. We all get a little angry when someone is ruining our best-laid plans. Kinda like former President Clinton getting red in the face and screaming at voters when the campaign trail has gotten rocky over the last few months.
However, Obama's most telling quote wasn't about what he thinks about the Rev. Wright now. The most telling comment was why he now thinks it. In his own words, "I don't think he showed much concern for me … and what we are trying to do in this campaign." To Obama, the problem with Wright was the damage to the presidential campaign. Talk about candor.
The essential question for voters is: What did Obama hear yesterday that was more offensive than the statements he already knew about? Statements such as the United States government was behind the AIDS virus. Or the "God damn America" diatribe.
What damage this episode has done to Obama in the Democratic primary has probably already been done. But the disowning damage has not been completed for general-election voters, especially independents.
Obama's real credibility problem isn't simply what the New York Post called a "Pastor Disaster." The problem is Obama is now contradicting things he said so definitively a few weeks ago, knee-deep in the trenches and acting like a … politician.
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This post gets it.
The ratuonale behin Obama's campaign was his claim that he was some transdormational representative of a new kind of politics.
Now he has been shown to be nothing but a sham: a politician who is only out for his own advancement and will say anything to further his ambition.
If we ar going to get a crass politician s then let's go with the experienced one - Hillary- who is also the better fighter.
Comment by jammie — April 29, 2008 @ 11:48 pm
His comments at Tuesday's press conference were the most sicere statements I have seen in my lifetime. Any denegration of them is only self serving and not constructive.
This is the most admirable polititian I have seen in my lifetime.
Tearing him down is offensive.
You will not win many of the voters out there by tearing him apart. we see through your motivation and it will back fire.
mark my words - there are many out there who feel as I do.
Wise up stop trying to Knee-cap him.
You will alienate the voters you need in November
watch out.
Comment by robin m — April 30, 2008 @ 1:42 am
so many many many people are sick tired of the politics of personal distruction
we've had enough of that to last a life time
inspire people, don't turn them off
THERE IS A REASON FOR THE RECORD VOTER REGISTRATION
wake up
Comment by robin m — April 30, 2008 @ 1:45 am
Hillary supporter, Dr. Rev. Barbara Reynolds is a media consultant who has endorsed Hillary on her website: Reynoldsnews.com. Dr. Reynolds reached out to Rev. Wright and tempted him to tell his story at the Press Club to redeem his good name and Dr. Wright took the "bite." This ploy and scheme by Hillary supporter, Dr. Reynolds backfired and has helped Barack redeem his campaign!
Barack has to reiterrate all that got people interested in his campaign in the first place, the fact that he does stand for unity and for reaching out to all classes of people, which deflects that he is an elitist. That he works and stands for the working people and that he always has. That to get anything passed these days you need Change in Washington, away from Corporations and the special interest and invest in people! There comes a time in each Society for the sake of survival, they must Change and As a man of "goodwill", it was hard for Barack to see the egomaniac in Wright. However, when it became clear by the total spectacle Wright made of himself in fron of national TV, Barack was right to divorce himself from Wright for the sake of the work the and change he is trying to bring to the people. One Ego cannot get in the way of the "good" of the whole!
Barack "Investing in People!"
Comment by Angellight — April 30, 2008 @ 7:18 am
This latest Obama pastor story shows just how bad Obama's judgement really is. It would take a willing suspension of disbelief to think Obama had not listened, to his pastor, in church over a 20 year period of attendence at his church.
Comment by Charles Ellis — April 30, 2008 @ 7:25 am
Obama has shown himself to be a good politician, although inexperienced in some ways. He's good at throwing people under the bus. Look at Hillary and McCain. They do it too.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — April 30, 2008 @ 8:24 am
I think they way Rev. Wright disrespected Obama was shameful. He didn't give any consideration to the man, and he finally got what he deserved. In Obama's defense, I think the gave the Rev. the benefit of the doubt so that he could defend himself. But all he did was show that he only cared about himself, not Obama, not the country. Maybe this was the only way that Obama could have faced it. He acted more like he couldn't believe the Rev. would turn on him after he stood up for him. 'It was not my enemy who lifted his heels against me, for then I could have taken it. It was my friend and my heart is broken' Every bad thing the Rev. said about white people, he was saying about his mother. He had to let him go.
Comment by Yvonne — April 30, 2008 @ 8:57 am
This may all backfire on you
NY Times calls out the DOUBLE STANDARD-EDITORIAL
Today's NY Times editorial asks for an end to the double standard of only black leaders having to answer for the behavior of their comunity.
"Editorial
Mr. Obama and Rev. Wright"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/opinion/30wed1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
"This country needs a healthy and open discussion of race. Mr. Obama’s repudiation of Mr. Wright is part of that. His opponents also have a responsibility — to repudiate the race-baiting and make sure it stops."
please read this and pass it on
Comment by robin m — April 30, 2008 @ 10:00 am
Obama had no choice but to get "angry" and "upset". Good acting, Barry. He wants people to believe that in the 20 years he attend Wright's church, Wright never made those racist comments. Yeah, right! Barry's true self came out when he made the simple phrase that his grandmother was a "typical white person". Just what is a "typical white person", Barry?
Comment by John Simmons — April 30, 2008 @ 10:31 am
John Simmons. You got it right. If all the world's a stage, Obama will never get an Oscar.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — April 30, 2008 @ 2:13 pm
Obama is a professional actor. All of his political life he has played a part. He came to Chicago as an atheist partly raised in the Muslim tradition, but when he was told he needed a church base to advance in Chicago politics, he found the church that best suited his political ambitions and miraculously found his black Jesus with the help of Rev. Wright. Rev. Wright and his crazy talk were fine while they were helping Obama's rise. He heard no evil and saw no evil, ludicrously claiming he was never there for the filth, but as soon as the good reverend attacked Obama's personally, the reverend's positions, which haven't changed, became positions non grata.
His cultists who post here seem to love him as if he is a member of their family. He managed to reach them through his masterful rhetoric. Yet he is nothing but a charlatan, and a dangerous one at that. You have to believe though that he will attempt to implement his tax policies and the destruction of multiple military programs. He is likely to abandon Iraq to chaos and Iran, and do nothing against the worldwide Islamic threat. Don't give this lying radical a chance, learn from his flip-flop on his crazy "uncle" what the man is really like.
Comment by Igor R. — April 30, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
I find it funny, especially from Igor that you all would not only attack a person, not for what he said, but what another person said then get upset that said person, denounced and reject the other person. Some said that he was/is a good actor. How would you know? Have said person never had someone in their life that they had second thoughts about? I guess in the case of RR and Igor, they have never had a person that they disagreed with and cannot see when it is time to let said person go. I guess they never had to make that decision. Obama showed that sometimes we have to let go of our long time friends for the good of the country. I wish they would do the same for Bush.
Comment by Mike Coleman — April 30, 2008 @ 3:38 pm
John, let me tell you what a typical white person is. If, as a child you had to hear racial slurs coming from your grandmother and the only thing you could do was to listen to it, you would call it typical too. He is unique to this race becausehe is both black and white. He knows both sides. You don't. Neither does Hillary.
Comment by Yvonne — April 30, 2008 @ 3:47 pm
Sorry, Yvonne but the fact that Obama is white and black does not make him "unique". There are many, many people like him. Apparently, his grandmother was a racist. Is he saying that the "typical white person" is a racist? If he is, then why does he want our vote? Maybe he's a "typical black person" like his wife.
Comment by John Simmons — April 30, 2008 @ 4:13 pm
Mike, you refuse to see the difference between discovering that your friend of 20 years did something bad in secret and partying ways with him at that point on the one hand, and knowing that your friend is a bad person for 20 years and accepting him, and only turning on him when he says something hurtful to you on the other.
I will not blame Obama for what Rev. Sharpton says because there is little connection. I will not blame him for getting upset with Wright's recent behavior towards him, because indeed he was betrayed. But pretending that Wright's ideas are no good now as if Obama has just discovered them is an act. Sitting in the church of evil for 20 years is something unacceptable: either an act of callousness, stupidity, or actually believing the message.
Comment by Igor R. — April 30, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
Yvonne, to your last comment I repeat something I said before: by this logic we really need a transgendered or hermaphrodite President because "hse" would be of both genders.
Comment by Igor R. — April 30, 2008 @ 4:46 pm
Hey, Yvonne, trying to explain fact-based issues to Rosie, Igor and Simmons is a total waste of time. You see these morons have supported Dumbya, the worst President in the history of our country, throughout his reign. In other words, they are all neocon kooks, dittoheads. Try having and objective discussion with a five year old, as you will have much better success.
Comment by Lester — April 30, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
Well there's some improvement, Lester went from "voted for Dumbya" to "supported Dumbya", he must be trying to regain his honesty back. I would support this, other than the whole Dumbya argument thing is getting repetitive.
Comment by Igor R. — April 30, 2008 @ 8:30 pm