You know all this stuff about Obama and his preacher. I could have told you so. I could have, but I didn't. And why didn't I? Because when it comes down to it, I'm a party loyalist. But it's out now...
Man, this stuff has been shunting around conservative web sites for ages, if you'd bother to read it. Which I don't. But my husband does. He's been telling me all about it - for months.
And it's amazing that Obama has been getting away with it for so long. And I've been thinking, goodness - the GOP and the press are gonna tear this guy up if he gets the nomination. But all we hear about it Hillary Clinton and her divisive nature. Well, guess what. All that stuff about Hillary is old news. Old, old, old news. We've heard it all before. Ho hum. Yawn.
Now I will say that Barack Obama has a fine turn of phrase. He is a kick-ass speaker. He is good. Almost as good as Bill Clinton, but with a better voice. So maybe he's going to turn this around for himself.
But you know who else is an arresting speaker? Obama's pastor. Jeremiah Wright. So when Obama says he doesn't remember hearing anything offensive, I gotta think that's not quite right. And that's coming from a gal who's tuned out on a lot of sermons. Audacity of hope? Audacity of thinking he was gonna get away with being associated with a kooky, woman-hating, racist preacher. The press might give him an easy ride on it now, but you know who won't give him an easy ride in the fall.
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8 comments:
"Hillary Clinton and her divisive nature"
In a Democracy politics is *supposed* to be divisive. Deligitimising of dissent is the mark of a tyranny.
This may not get her any support here, but it seems clear to me that Clinton is by far the most conservative of the three available candidates. Obama is a radical Marxist black nationalist, to put it mildly. McCain is insane, and a fanatic global Democratic transformationalist with the flimsiest grasp of reality. I'd rather have an Obama presidency than a McCain one, but Clinton is by far the best of the bunch.
I was completely surprised when this "broke." I found out about six months ago and have had a lot of conversations about it with other conservatives.
I wonder if the media tide is starting to turn on Obama. They've torn down Hillary for the past few months, maybe it's Obama's turn.
It's fun to watch the Democrats claw at each other. I'm just surprised that so many on the left live in a news vaccuum. YouTube videos of this guy have been around for a while.
VIL, do you really think Obama is a Marxist? Why? I really want to know. Your MIL
MiL - you could read Obama's autobiography, 'Dreams from my father: A Story of Race and Inheritance', which apart from the turgid prose is apparently very frank. BTW saying he's a Marxist is the least of it; most of my & the Vol's co-workers are Marxists. There are Marxists I like, like the Spiked! people, self-described libertarian Marxists:
http://www.spiked-online.com/
I agree with about 90% of what they write, I think you'd like them too.
Okay. I haven't read the book and I've not watched or read any of the Wright sermons beyond what I've seen on TV, but here's my take on this situation. Obama started attending Wright's church and wrote Dreams from My Father in his twenties, just as he was emerging from an all-white upbringing, and completely on track for an identity crisis/exploration. I completely understand his need to connect with his black heritage, and his attraction to someone as large and charismatic as Wright at this time. He hadn't decided yet to go into politics, but by the time he did, the attachment was made, the book was published (I haven't previously heard that there was anything outlandish in it), and I think it would be far worse for him to dismiss pre-political ideas and relationships in order to make himself more palatable to voters. Maybe Obama's own views did soften, maybe they never were as extreme as Wright's seem to be. But Wright brought something important to his life exactly when he needed it.
I'm not an Obama fanatic. I'm still on the fence vis a vis Clinton vs. Obama, so I'm glad my state's primary is far in the past. But I don't like the compulsion we have in American politics for making candidates answer for the actions and statements of their every acquaintance, no matter how close or distant. Relationships are complicated, they do have multi-layered foundations. Sometimes they don't seem to make sense to others. That's a human thing. I like it when politicians are human.
Sorry for the long comment.
furrow:
"Maybe Obama's own views did soften"
Obama has given no indication that his youthful views have changed. He's been remarkably consistent, even though his language is guarded.
I'm somewhat in two minds about this. That Obama is racist isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world. I think he's less dangerous than McCain. Being an anti-white racist is not a good way to get most whites to vote for you though, even if it might actually be in their interest to do so (compared to voting for McCain). And the disgust Obama feels towards his white family makes me queasy.
At least there's no chance of a 'call me Harold' campaign against Obama, though.
I guess I'm less disgusted by Obama's attitude than I am of the attitude of Camp Obama in saying that they had the candidate who was less damaged or divisive than Hillary Clinton.
Even though I disapprove of the message of Jeremiah Wright, I, too have associated with some people with some pretty unpleasant views who were fun/good/interesting/useful in other ways. Maybe if challenged I'd say something like "I never heard X say so" - but that would be a pretty lame excuse if I'd been going to that person's church for years and years.
But I'm also of the opinion that we need to hold the press to account on this kinda crap. They gave George W a free pass in his first run for the White House, they wanted to give Obama a free pass, and the long and the short of it is that McCain might get a free pass. And he shouldn't, 'cause that guy is nuts and in terms of power-appetite makes Hillary and Barack look like light weights.
VIL, you are suffering some serious delusions. I don't know who you hang out with, or which version of the book you read, but you need to take a powder and chill.
And stop sounding like Jerry Falwell.
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