Obama, Pastor Wright, and the Presidential Race

By Brigitte L. Nacos
I have no intention to repeat here the most inflammatory, unpatriotic and, yes, racist statements that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright made during his sermons as pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. By now, the most provocative passages have been heard and seen in the mainstream media and in the blogosphere—not because of the Reverend Wright but because of presidential candidate Barack Obama who has been a member of this church for more than 20 years. Obama has called the recently retired pastor his spiritual mentor. The title of Obama’s bestseller “The Audacity of Hope” was taken from one of Wright’s sermons. And up to last week’s furor over Wright’s divisive sermons, the pastor was a member of the Obama campaign’s “African American Religious Leadership Committee.” Claiming now that he was unaware of his pastor’s shocking statements, as the Senator has, is disingenuous, if not outright dishonest.

By denouncing the pastor’s troubling statements after the latest revelations, Senator Obama cannot erase the incendiary sermon tapes or the controversy they have sparked. These tapes will be part and parcel of the Republican Party’s, the McCain for president campaign’s, and their supporters’ most damaging ammunition against Obama, if the Senator becomes the nominee of the Democratic Party. That’s politics. If the Democrats had tapes of equally controversial content by Senator McCain’s spiritual mentor and member of his campaign, they, too, would use them as weapons in their quest for the White House.

Rightly or wrongly, the outcome of a possible McCain-Obama race in autumn may be determined in large part by the outfall from the tape controversy. As it stands, McCain runs about neck-to-neck with both potential Democratic candidates in some of the latest polls. Obviously, some voters are turned off by the intra-party hostilities on the side of the Democrats. And if Independents and some Democrats as well are so offended by the statements made by Senator Obama’s longtime pastor that they cannot cast their vote for the Democratic candidate, John McCain will have an easy ride into the White House.

Assuming that the Clinton-Obama competition will not be decided before the nominating convention and assuming furthermore that the race will be very close, the burden will be on the super-delegates to determine what candidate has the best chance to beat McCain. In politics, a few weeks and a few months are an eternity. Nobody knows whether there are more shocks and surprises in stock for either of the candidates and parties. But given the latest developments, super delegates are best advised to take a wait-and-see stance. 

Whatever Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others tell us about the role of super-candidates, in the end these party officials must make their own judgment.    

Comments

[Marques]

I totally agree with everything you have written especially about how Obama is basically being dishonest in saying that he was unaware of Wright's statements. I know this controversy will have an impact on the fall election. I can guarantee Obama will lose support in my home state of Missouri.

[mark d]

Of all people that need to worry about the past coming back to haunt them it is Hillary. You think the republicans are going to forget Whitewater? Gennifer Flowers? Paula Jones? Questionable cattle futures trades? Being the first First Lady supeonaed by the Superme Court? Bill and Monica? Peter Paul vs Clinton?

Obama's preacher made controversial statements which he denounced AND rejected. Clinton & Co. are guilty of almost every crime in the book. Hillary should simply go away. She can't ride the coattails of Bill and not expect his baggage not to follow.

Not sure if Obama's the man, but I do know that Hillary would be the Democrat version of Bush

[Tony]

While I acknowledge that certain events in Hillary's life have caused a stir, even a reading of her Wikipedia biography indicates that she has spent about 50 years in politics.She has been elected to various positions,and appointed to others.At this stage of her career,it is unlikely that there are reasons to doubt her ability to persevere. Certainly she has been vetted over and over and is still a candidate, and that fact alone should relieve her of criticism of her past. Clinton has had a long and illustrious political career, and is best qualified to lead this country. I prefer her to the Holiday Inn Express candidate she's running against for the nomination. If she is still Senator Clinton, then perhaps we should leave the past alone, and look to our future.

[reggie]

You know, I've been scanning the first feedback on the blogs as well, and I have to say, I was really quite disheartened. I can hardly even beleive people heard the speech.

It really seems like a lot of people made up their minds to oppose Obama, and so take the Pastor's comments as an opportunity to attack. The Pastor's beliefs in the moment that he made these most incendiary comments, are obviously no anywhere near Obama's.

In fact, there will always be opportunities for people to react negatively and enhance all the racial negatives in their lives.

We all live with raciscm, both overt, and subtle. I was actually really moved by Obama's speech, and for me it really turned a page in America's history.

This campaign seems to be coming down to those who welcome a positive engagement against those who beleive that America has to be forever mired in vitriol. I prefer the former.