When Barack Obama first burst onto the national stage, commentators claimed that he was somehow different. They said Obama was fresh and could unite this country unlike any other politician.
Today, Barack Obama looks like a typical politician, saying anything to be elected. At this point, does anyone really believe Barack Obama anymore? Yesterday, in an incredible speech, Obama claimed that his former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, was “divisive and destructive” in his comments to the National Press Club.
This denunciation reeks of political necessity as opposed to a true change of heart about Wright because the only thing that has changed is Obama. Wright has been remarkably consistent. The hatred and egotistical malarkey he was spouting at the National Press Club on Monday was the same type of nonsense he has been preaching for years. The Reverend Wright the country saw this week is the same one we saw on You Tube.
It is not believable that Obama just realized that Wright was “divisive” after his National Press Club appearance. Obama has spent 20 years in the pews of Wright’s ChicagoChurch. This is a man he knows well and clearly respects. Wright baptized Obama’s children and he married Barack and Michelle Obama. The presidential candidate also used Wright’s sermon as inspiration for his book “Audacity of Hope,” which was an important book, his introduction to the American people
Obama is just acting like a typical politician and is throwing Wright under the bus because his poll numbers are dropping and he sees his presidential aspirations slipping away. Wright is the anchor killing the Obama campaign. Wright has embraced the Nation of Islam, has denounced this country and White people. He has compared our troops to terrorists and has actually stated that he thinks it is plausible that this country started the Aids virus to eliminate black people. Such views are not just ridiculous, they are dangerous.
Will anyone believe that Obama just now discovered how nasty Wright is? I don’t think the voters of America are that stupid. The 20 year association between Wright and Obama should tell voters all they need to know about the Illinois Senator. It is clear that Obama is a radical just like Wright, but he is desperately trying to hide that fact from the American people. Time will tell whether this latest bit of deception will work.
Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.
I think that Rev Wright's thoughts and comments are his feelings and belief and that the American people should look at Mr. Obama's record, I think that it speaks for itself and that your Pastor's belief and teachings don't have to be the way that you look at things, everyone is entilted to their own opinions, Mr. Obama is not even a member of Rev. Wright's Church anymore. Has any of the other candidates religious belief been brought into view?????????????????? Written by sherlene
on 5/1/2008
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Uhhhh,,,, Richard P.... when you ask "Who's offering a solution as regards health care? Who's offering a solution to bringing the Iraq war episode to a close? Who's offering a solution to south Louisiana flood and hurricane protection?" those things are always written about and........ Written by .Well, ,,Uhh,,,, ME... since way before this date:
on 5/1/2008
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Hear, hear, Baton Rouge Native!! Add to your list the devastating injustice of the Electoral College system, and we have disaster. No electoral process will be perfect, and as Justice Brandeis observed about a century ago, it is difficult to govern a continent-wide country from one capital city. Still, we can constitutionally modify our electoral process so that it more closely reflects the judgments of ALL the people, not just the corporations and the wealthy Written by Robert Desmarais Sullivan
on 5/1/2008
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The US Presidential electoral system itself is the reason that we become wrapped up in trivial matters. The fact that we are stuck with three lemons at this point, with no ability to add/remove any of them is disheartning. This system was created more than 200 years ago, in order to compensate for our phisical and technical inability to have an open, ongoing debate up until the time we vote. It worked okay then, but we now have these capabilities and the electoral system is holding us captive by retarding any evolutionary, positive development of issue oriented politics. Written by BR Native BB
on 5/1/2008
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I'm glad to see that someone is talking about whether solutions are being offered to the real issues. Harping on Rev. Wright's comments is definitely not a solution to anything. We already know that McCain's solutions to the issues are to continue with most of the current set of the Bush policies, policies which are proving, unfortunately, to be a dismal failure for the country and while Bush seems to be a nice enough guy and someone you would not minding sharing, say, a Lone Star beer with but as a president he has been about as solid as he was as a businessperson, i.e. not successful at all. All this other foolishness about whose pastor is saying what is purely tangential. Who's offering a solution as regards health care? Who's offering a solution to bringing the Iraq war episode to a close? Who's offering a solution to south Louisiana flood and hurricane protection? The Republicans? No...they want unending war and could not care less about health care and hurricane and flood protection but what they can do is harp about some pastor's comments when heaven knows how many crazy preachers and self-righteous moralizers there have been among the right wing contingent. Written by Richard P.
on 4/30/2008
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I appreciate how RDS feels, however, it is just as wrong to point a finger at "white America" as it is to point a finger at "Black America". These Americas do not exist but in the minds of racist, ignorant, fear mongering people haters like David Duke and Rev. Wright. They are both wrong. There are still people who would be Klan members if it were still politically acceptable. I know this to be true. Maybe Obama's nosedive will be a wakeup call for those intelligent free thinking blacks to realize that they cannot support people like Rev. Wright without alienating a large group of people. I can understand that there are a lot of people who would sympathize with Rev. Wright's point of view, but IT IS STILL WRONG. Why is it that white america is picking on Rev. Wright? Well, I can't speak for all whites in America but I will say this: Stupidity and Ignorace are not bigots, they infect those of all races colors and creeds. If we as individuals refuse to think it can affect us, or those like us because of our own color, then we are truly lost. Written by BR Native BB
on 4/30/2008
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Dick - It's not the GOP keeping the Obama news in the headlines, it's Hillary's campaign doing that. You're such a paranoid radical that you want to blame everything on Republicans. If the Hagee issue had momentum, you'd be harping on it. Obama is where he is because of black racist politics. Admit it. And the democrats are being bitten on the A$$ by the monster that they've created. Obama can talk about hope and he can complain about problems, but he can't offer any solutions. He doesn't need to. His racist constituents are putting him over the top without any real answers. Written by the seer
on 4/30/2008
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Obama's association with this preacher (and how is it that different than McCain's association with Rev. Hagee who's as much of an extremist as Rev. Wright?) is somehow more meaningful than Hillary Clinton's association with her controversial husband or, most important of all, McCain's association with Bush whose policies he still strongly supports even as the president's popularity plunges to new depths and it's fairly well assured that the judgment of history is going to be that Bush will rank of one of the worst presidents ever? How? Written by Richard P.
on 4/30/2008
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This is a very foolish issue to be spending so much effort discussing. How about dealing with some real issues, such as health care, the economy/jobs, energy conservation/independence and whether it's best for the country to be continuing to fight an expensive war in a foreign country forever and ever and if not then what the best plan is to bring our country's involvement in this adventure to a suitable close. The GOP's only hope this year, I suppose, is to keep the country's attention riveted to the superficial nonsense and away from the real issues. Written by Richard P.
on 4/30/2008
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The good news is that if Hillary attacks Obama enough now to steal the superdelegates and nomination, she will have had to trash Obama's reputation and electability so severely that his VP chances will be dead also. Written by the seer
on 4/30/2008
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Jeff, while I agree that Obama is a politician and as we all know politicians always try to limit damage. I must say that I think that Obama is genuinely shocked by the "performance" given by Rev. Wright at the National Press Club. I wonder if Rev. Wright realizes just how he was "used" at this appearance. Rev. Wright's church is very popular amongst politicians in the Chicago area. My friends from the area said that it came as no surprise to them that Obama was a member or that he was friendly with Rev. Wright whose views are no secret. I think it is a shame that the media chose this time in the campaign to make this an issue. I know the Clinton campaign wants to stay on this sidebar. It was BTW very interesting to note that Rev. Wright was suggested by an avid Clinton supporter. The Clintons have many associates and aquaintances that are full of scandal and would not reflect well on Hillary. If Hillary cannot control what her husband says, how does she expect Obama to control Rev. Wright. If she can say that she does not or no longer agrees with her husband, why can't Obama do the same. I am more interested in the real issues that our country faces and what the candidates plan to do about it. Written by Sharon
on 4/30/2008
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That explains why blacks believe conspiracy theories and I always thought it was because huge portions of their population were ignorant and easily manipulated.
But what happened to Sullivan and TW? Did making them speak English instead of French scar them that terribly? Written by an inquiring mind
on 4/30/2008
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Jeff, you have hit the nail squarely on the head. Obama's polling numbers have shown a 7% drop among moderates nation wide and his actions are nothing more than political expediency. It is all for naught however,as most Americans have seen through this charade. Any attempt to somehow justify his association with the racist Wright at this point is laughable and pathetic. If nominated he will be soundly defeated in November. Written by poboy1
on 4/30/2008
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Finally, some intelligent responses to one of Jeff's most ignorant columns. Written by cl
on 4/30/2008
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As is often the case, I agree with RDS, but I'd like to add something to his thoughts - this notion that the US government created the HIV virus in some secret lab in order to kill African-Americans is rightly considered ludicrous by Jeff and others - but the mere fact that many African-Americans actually believe this conspiracy theory is far more interesting/revealing, for it highlights just how oppressed many of them feel, and what centuries of injustice against them have wrought. TW Written by Tee Dub
on 4/30/2008
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Jeff, I ask you to calm down a moment and look at your words on paper. You state without reserve that Wright's views are ridiculous and dangerous because he has compared our troops to terrorists and thinks it's plausible that this country started the AIDS virus to eliminate Black people and has denounced White people and has embraced the nation of Islam. I have no doubt that his views are ridiculous to you, but they are not all ridiculous to me. The AIDS virus one, yes, but the others, no.... They are not ridiculous to a lot of Americans like me for whom there are two Americas, the one that guarantees liberty and the one that seeks empire. The America that promotes liberty is adored around the world and by Americans, and the America that seeks empire is feared and hated around the world and by Americans. Many of us whose ancestors arrived in Louisiana before there even was a United States know that the empire has brought with it some highly undesirable consequences like the suppression of our language and the destruction of our environment. At the same time, constitutional liberty is a civic advancement which we all appreciate.... Rev. Wright is speaking from a perspective even angrier than mine, though I'm quite angry with the destructive side of the United States government. Black people have had to live with White privilege for centuries, and there's plenty to be angry about. The American military HAS terrorized people, and to compare many of them with terrorists is appropriate. Have you forgotten Abu Gharaib, Guantanamo, and the School of the Americas? I ask you to look at your remarks and understand their impact on someone like myself. I hear in you the outraged son of White supremacists who is angry that someone doesn't like White supremacy anymore.... Finally, in your outrage where are your equally vocal condemnations of Sen. McCain with Rev. Hagee, who calls my church the Whore of Babylon and who calls for war so Jesus will come again? If Obama isn't elected, it isn't that he's a terrorist; it's that voters will use Wright's remarks as an excuse to reject him. I understand why Obama in turn is rejecting Wright at this time. He no doubt wonders why his former pastor is trying to hurt him so much at this critical juncture. In Obama's situation, I would feel profoundly betrayed by Wright. Obama has clearly stated that his feelings are of sadness as well as anger over Wright's words.
Written by Robert Desmarais Sullivan
on 4/30/2008
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