Obama to Confront Racial Issues
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - 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.
Full Story Here:
Obama to Confront Racial Issues
Many say that racism is alive and well in America, and they are correct, it is, and people like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and now Jeremiah Wright make us all painfully aware of that fact as they keep radical racial issues and all around hatred inflamed simply because it serves their purposes, even if the continued hatred destroys America, as long as individuals like them can make a few dollars off of their hatred, that hatred will continue, and ALL Americans will suffer from that hatred, black and white, as long as hatred and racism is preached, regardless of who is doing the preaching, hatred and racism will remain alive and well in this nation…
EDIT TO ADD:
I am sitting here listening to Barack Hussein Obama give his ‘I gotta cover my ass’ speech and all I hear is pure BS, he addresses racial issues NOW simply because Rev. Wright has put him in a position where he, Obama, can very easily become an also ran in the ‘08 race for the White House, it has been my personal experience that very few people actually regret their actions and true beliefs, what they regret is having those actions and beliefs outed, and nothing brings out that regret like politics… Trackback URL:http://texasfred.net/archives/1025/trackback/
March 18th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I read his speech off Drudge, and IMHO it was exceedingly well crafted. I think he may have even been able to forge a way to position his wifes “I can now be proud” comment. He may have even managed to give the warmth and fuzzies to the illegal immigrant vote.
He is doing something that neither McCain or Hiltlary could do at this point, actually get people to stop and read/listen to his speech, and in my thinking that is pretty impressive.
About half way through the speech I almost started to wonder if this was engineered to give him the platform which he very haply used today; time will tell.
I just wish he was start telling us how he will actually accomplish all of these lofty goals. And of course, it would be interesting to see Bill Cosby’s reactions to all of this.
cheers,
Tom
March 18th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Politics, plain and simple…
Tom, I know you’re not a gullible fool, can you honestly say that he was a devout member of Wright’s church and listened to all that BS for 20 years and not believe it?? I can’t…
Obama hasn’t had an epiphany, he’s been forced to cover his ass or lose…
And yeah, it was a hell of an eloquent speech, he does that, but a good speech maker isn’t necessarily a good leader…
March 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Just watched the speech..he is a socialist..no doubt about it. He let it slip when he blamed business for moving off shore just to make a profit…god forbid, huh? At no time did he address the reasons that business is forced to move off shore to make a profit by such things as affirmative action, government regulation that favors labor over business, taxes, and enviro regs.
I know from experience..it cost me about sixteen dollars an hour to pay an employee 10 bucks an hour and this was some years ago when ten bucks was above local average wage..and all this because of government mandates..
March 18th, 2008 at 11:03 am
I’ve got to agree with you on this one Fred.
At first I thought, anyone judgeing him on what his Pastor said needs to get a life but he kept going back. For 20 years he kept going back, there’s something there.
As a kid I had to attend private school, I didn’t have a say in the matter. The teachers would say things that I couldn’t believe and didn’t agree and I questioned. I questioned the Hell out of everyword and when it was over I bailed, never to look back.
To this day I have nothing to do with that school or anyone I met there.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
“Obama hasn’t had an epiphany, he’s been forced to cover his ass or lose…”
And that is the simple truth.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I think what makes me more ashamed of him on this matter is I lived that life, my hubby and I were members of a church for many years that had a minister that visited from time to time, he eventually got to coming pretty often and he began to preach things in a manner he shouldn’t have (long story), the church members didn’t see fit to do anything to silence him so my husband (who was an ordained minister in that church) and I decided to disassociate ourselves from that church.
God will let each and every Christian know what is right and wrong in doing His works or listening to someone ‘preach’ His word, we shouldn’t have to be as the blind following blind. It’s all about standing up for what we know as Christians know is right in Gods eyes and not just blindly following someone that has “Reverend” before their name.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Fred,
In the truck during lunch I caught a bit of Rush’s impression of the speech, and for the most part I agree. The drive-bys/MSM love the speech, which is what I figured.
At this point, I believe, in his definition I am rich (make over $70K), I more or less believe in the notion “more guns, less crime” and “teach a man to fish …”, so in general, Obama scares me. Let alone the notion that he is complete naive in world politics, which is yet another topic of conversation.
On the current point, this speech in question has bolstered the fear that if he wins, and he get Congress to give him the bills to sign, there will be a new round of hidden affirmative action. Just not in that name, I can see new accountability standards, which will only wind up costing companies millions, and thus incentivising out-sourcing.
BTW, just finished watching the movie “Animal”, starring Ving Rhames, got to watch something when I am on the tread mill, I digress; the message behind the movie is that the black community is still suffering from the indoctrination from I believe Lynch, to have an obedient slave, you need them to trust you more than the other slaves. Thus you need to create infighting, old vs. young, east vs. west and so forth.
So after all of my babble, yes Fred, I agree with you.
cheers,
Tom
March 18th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Hi Fred,
Newt Gingrich just gave an interview on Neil Cavuto’s segment that mirrored your thoughts.
What we have to ponder is that Obama said he wasn’t present when those particular hate filled speeches were given by his hate filled pastor, and that if he was he would have distanced himself from the pastor.
Well…..he hears them now but wont distance himself but defends the pastor over and over again. Words or actions. This is hurting him in the polls and will continue and the airbrushing of his website won’t help him according to the political pundits.
Hillary and Bill must be having a toast to his HUGE blunder with this whole can of worms.
‘Nuff said
March 18th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
BTW,
I read today the Texas Christian University was going to honor his pastor very soon…sup with that?
March 18th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
TCU must be populated by a bunch of racists then… Damn shame to know that…
March 18th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I think everything’s basically been said here.
Obama’s a liar - he knows the sheep who follow him will believe anything…
I’m sick of hearing about “black America” and “white America”.. how about just plain AMERICA???
March 18th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I don’t have the same views on every subject as my pastor. We have reasonable differences that in no way invalidate the quality of the message from the pulpit. If I had irreconcilable differences I would be attending a different church.
According to this speech Obama has irreconcilable differences with his pastor but apparently didn’t have personal fortitude to leave. To make matters even more outrageous we were earlier told that he and his pastor our close friends. We were even told at one point that Obama didn’t know his pastors views were that extreme.
Could you imagine a man who preaches with the passion of Wright somehow hiding his view from Obama? How about the question of these views ever coming forward in personal interaction?
If Obama is incapable of questioning this close personal friend and reconciling these views, how will he deal with dictators and warlords? He keeps telling us how we need to directly talk with Iran. Is this how he demonstrates leadership and communication with those of opposing views?
Reality is that todays speech was nothing more then a collection of lies to assuage the public and maintain his political aspirations. He used his speech to tie everything up in a blanket of racism so that no one can challenge the issue further. Wrapping the blanket of racism around a subject will generally squash all criticism. Jackson and Sharpton are masters at this maneuver. The next step is usually to reach deep into the pocket of who ever challenges this maneuver.
As blind as his following is, they probably still don’t get it.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
C’mon, Barack Hussein Obama is a liar, plain and simple. And a racist as well. How could he know that man for 20 years, have the man marry him, and NOT know his thoughts? That church SELLS Wright’s DVDs for ____’s sake — they make MONEY on his racist, nation-hating vehemence. Obama ISN’T stupid, so he’s obviously a LIAR. In addition, his “speechification” today obfuscated the central point: he will NOT completely distance himself from this RACIST nutball — a man who is in the same damned camp as FRED PHELPS, another religious nutbag. You, as a presidential candidate, don’t TOTALLY distance yourself from Wright? That makes YOU, Obama, a racist AND a liar because, clearly, you are NOT stupid.
BZ
March 18th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Bit of intel….From Fox News.
“Barack Obama had been a presidential candidate for more than a year before he outright repudiated his long-time pastor for racially charged, anti-U.S. sermons. But when talk show host Don Imus was in hot water 11 months ago for racially insensitive comments, Obama was the first candidate to call for his firing.”
Why would he not stand by Imus? Imus did a lot of good for charity, he helped out in his community like his pastor did? how could that be the same Obama? LMAO
Oh that’s right, he’s black, well part black and therefore is entitled to two faces in the race issue. Screw him, I never bought into his “Change” Ideals, Now I know why, he wants the change to be More Racism in time we are moving away from it.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I personally think Obama did more to hurt himself today than Hillary or any of us conservatives or the Repubs could have done, today Obama showed his true colors, and they were the flag of racism, he would not repudiate Wright for the racist he is, but as Rob points out, Obama was one of the very 1st to call for the head of Don Imus to be hosted on his petard…
I do believe that qualifies as sheer hypocrisy, from the half-a-brother that would be POTUS…
If Obama is a hypocrite and a liar, what other little skeletons do you suppose are going to turn up now??
March 18th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
You, of course, know there are already making excuses for the speech. pfft! Actually kind of hard to speak from the heart when your reading off a teleprompter. Wonder who wrote it for him?
March 18th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
April 11, 2007 - Barack Hussein Obama calls for Don Imus’ firing - apparently, he thinks nappy headed ho is worse than being an America-hating, Nation of Islam supporting nutcase
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=59319
Oh, yeah, The Black Panthers have officially endorsed Obama - it doesn’t get any better than this…
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=59326
March 19th, 2008 at 5:49 am
A man said over 100 years ago that “There’s a sucker born everyday.” Obama is playing the country for suckers and about half the public is sucking.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Getting yourself pastored for 20 years by a radical hater shows bad judgment. Lying about it when asked by the media shows dishonesty. Now we know the real reason why you refused to wear a flag lapel pin and why your wife has never before been proud of America. If we take you at your word, you spent 20 years in the company of a man, and never once figured out that he was a virulent racist. A president of the United states cannot afford to be that obtuse. Request for presidency denied.
-klqtzz
March 19th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
This speech, from the flags stacked behind him, to the phraseology used, was propaganda / indoctrination period. I have no use for that creep at all, much less as POTUS!