Obama's Speech

[TeresaNJ]

Why do they get a free pass???...hate is hate!

Because THEY are not running for President, that's why. So now you're going to say, "but Wright is not running for President, Obama is". Then you'll give the million other excuses as to why Obama is not responsible for his pastor/mentor/friend/advisor's horrendously racist/dividist/anti-American comments. So fine, go ahead and defend it. Would you also defend Obama if he was white and David Duke was his pastor/mentor/friend/advisor????? How you can not see the difference is another example of "there are none so blind as those who can not see".

 

[charlie,nj]

You mean the conservatives who loved Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson who blamed 911 on the gays and women libbers?

Or all the politicians who embraced Billy Graham even after the tapes came out with anti-semetic statements being spewed by Graham?

Those politicians got raked over the coals for their associations with Robertson, Falwell, and Graham for years and still do.

Should Obama get a free pass on his association?



.

 

[HakunaMatata2]

While I understand your sentiments, it really isn't the same. For decades we have been telling the black community that they need to get off the welfare and pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Several centuries of enslavement, followed by decades of segregation and crappy attempts at righting a wrong (through quotas etc). I sincerely cannot fault this church for trying to bring a community together that has systematically been beaten down. Do I think their efforts are perfect? No. Far from perfect ? Yes. Perhaps the church will change focus because of being under a miroscope, I don't know. I hope so.

Yes, for years our country has been working to eliminate the racial divide in this country. While things may not be 'perfect', progress has been made on both sides and our country has come a long way from only a few decades ago, while we continue to work on more issues that need to be addressed.

Unfortunately, Pastor Wright was not promoting a positive message of 'hope', to show his parishoners how we could all move forward, but instead, was promoting greater divide. If the racial divide is to be fixed, messages from inciters like Wright and others must be stopped. They are not helping the problem, but are working to sustain a riff with the races in this country.

 

[luvmy3]

Yes, for years our country has been working to eliminate the racial divide in this country. While things may not be 'perfect', progress has been made on both sides and our country has come a long way from only a few decades ago, while we continue to work on more issues that need to be addressed.

Unfortunately, Pastor Wright was not promoting a positive message of 'hope', to show his parishoners how we could all move forward, but instead, was promoting greater divide. If the racial divide is to be fixed, messages from inciters like Wright and others must be stopped. They are not helping the problem, but are working to sustain a riff with the races in this country.

I think that you should have written Obama's speech. This is exactly what he should have said

 

[WildernessBride]

Because THEY are not running for President, that's why. So now you're going to say, "but Wright is not running for President, Obama is". Then you'll give the million other excuses as to why Obama is not responsible for his pastor/mentor/friend/advisor's horrendously racist/dividist/anti-American comments. So fine, go ahead and defend it. Would you also defend Obama if he was white and David Duke was his pastor/mentor/friend/advisor????? How you can not see the difference is another example of "there are none so blind as those who can not see".

No, I wouldn't but I just wondered why wasn't there all this type of outrage in the media and in the public when white and more "mainstream" figures said racist, homophobic or rude remarks in the past. I want people to have the same indignance for those others who say things which are out of hand across the board, not just against the ones you don't personally like. To me it seems those who don't care for Obama in the first place are really jumping on this issue, but I am just wondering would they jump on Wright so fervently if he was not tied to Obama? I remember hearing what Falwell said after 9/11, it's not like that put an end to his career people wrote him off but no one seemed to call for his head or anything.. Some people can say over the top things and get away with it, if you can't see that then you're kidding yourself.

 

[djm99]

What a double standard.......... Why isn't McCain held to the same standard?

Rev. John Hagee's anti-gay remarks (curiously unremarked upon by anyone in the McCain campaign -- is the McCain campaign afraid to repudiate anti-gay remarks?), his anti-Catholic remarks (once condemned by McCain, but now McCain wants to give Hagee the benefit of the doubt)?, his millennialism (which means, as some honest McCain adviser must have explained to the candidate by now, the death of millions of innocent Muslims)... also: Jerry Falwell, and his casual association of 9/11 with the sins of homosexuality, and Rod Parsley, a man who McCain has called a "spiritual guide," a man who has also called Islam a "false religion" and has advocated war against it and various other bad things.

Why are these folks entitled to these opinions and Wright isn't entitled to his?

Both McCain and Obama are running for President, why so much pressure on Obama, but none of McCain.

I believe I know why, but I'll allow those hate filled ones to justify McCain's association, but condem Obama.

Even McCain himself during a Hannity interview a few nights ago stated that not only did he decline to join the attacks, but he personally vouched for Obama, saying that he, McCain, knews Senator Obama and knew he didn't share Wright's views. McCain himself brought up Hagee and pointed out that just because someone supporter him that didn't mean he shared all of that person's positions. Why is that so hard for many of you to let it go. OR

Is it so hard to let go of this situation, because you just got to have a reason to hate this guy.

 

[va32h]

Perhaps not-but the American attention span is notoriously short. A crisis in March may very well be a footnote by October. So much can happen between now and then to change anything.

I think the real issue that will drive November is the economy. Sure, those of us who are interested in politics will be talking about the day to day events on all sides, but when the average voter heads into that booth-they're thinking about their own household and how well or how poorly they are doing now as opposed to 4 or 8 years ago.

Indeed. Gas is over $3 a gallon and it's not even summer yet. How much higher will they go? How many more soldiers will die in Iraq between now and November?

Bush screwed up by scheduling his national bribe to go out in May. He should have waited until October.

 

[WildernessBride]

What a double standard.......... Why isn't McCain held to the same standard?

Rev. John Hagee's anti-gay remarks (curiously unremarked upon by anyone in the McCain campaign -- is the McCain campaign afraid to repudiate anti-gay remarks?), his anti-Catholic remarks (once condemned by McCain, but now McCain wants to give Hagee the benefit of the doubt)?, his millennialism (which means, as some honest McCain adviser must have explained to the candidate by now, the death of millions of innocent Muslims)... also: Jerry Falwell, and his casual association of 9/11 with the sins of homosexuality, and Rod Parsley, a man who McCain has called a "spiritual guide," a man who has also called Islam a "false religion" and has advocated war against it and various other bad things.

Why are these folks entitled to these opinions and Wright isn't entitled to his?

Both McCain and Obama are running for President, why so much pressure on Obama, but none of McCain.

I believe I know why, but I'll allow those hate filled ones to justify McCain's association, but condem Obama.

Well said

 

[Fitswimmer]

I think that you should have written Obama's speech. This is exactly what he should have said

On the other end, we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems – two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

I think he did....

 

[HakunaMatata2]

Indeed. Gas is over $3 a gallon and it's not even summer yet. How much higher will they go? How many more soldiers will die in Iraq between now and November?

Bush screwed up by scheduling his national bribe to go out in May. He should have waited until October.

Now how can Bush 'bribe' anyone with their own money? And.....weren't Pelosi and company in strong support of the refund?

 

[kribit]

Now how can Bush 'bribe' anyone with their own money? And.....weren't Pelosi and company in strong support of the refund?

I believe she was.

I wonder if people that oppose the refund will send it back to the IRS? I think they should. I certainly wouldn't take a bribe.

 

[salmoneous]

Those politicians got raked over the coals for their associations with Robertson, Falwell, and Graham for years and still do.

Folks got "raked over the coals" for their association with those guys, and still got elected President.

Most Americans will vote for the person who they think will do the best job as president, rather than vote against some guy because they don't like his pastor.

 

[okeydokey]

Thank goodness I am not running for public office. I associate myself with a lot of different people who say controversial things all the time. I wouldn't have a chance in heck of getting elected to anything.

 

[LohKee]

No matter what Obama says he'll never be able to please everyone. Those who don't believe him were never going to vote for him anyway right?

That said, I hope my sincerity won't offend anyone here because that's really not my intention at all. I believe if some are honest with themselves they would admit that they're not ready for a black man to be president which is what they really fear.

 

[luvmy3]

I think he did....

I've read the speech, what he told us all was yes that it was wrong but we need to understand where it comes from, all people need to work together to unite,etc ..... I just can't seem to find where he says the exact words "If we want to work on fixing the racial tensions between us then people like Wright must stop spewing hatred"

 

[va32h]

I believe she was.

I wonder if people that oppose the refund will send it back to the IRS? I think they should. I certainly wouldn't take a bribe.

No, I'm going to take it and vote against the Republicans anyway.

Oh and how shall I spend it? I'll probably buy my husband a flak jacket since the Army can't afford to give him one.

 

[lovetomow]

No matter what Obama says he'll never be able to please everyone. Those who don't believe him were never going to vote for him anyway right?

That said, I hope my sincerity won't offend anyone here because that's really not my intention at all. I believe if some are honest with themselves they would admit that they're not ready for a black man to be president which is what they really fear.

I'm not ready for a man to be president who chooses a blatent racist as a close advisor and then lies about his association. Has nothing to do with being a black man. Honest enough for ya!

 

[HakunaMatata2]

I've read the speech, what he told us all was yes that it was wrong but we need to understand where it comes from, all people need to work together to unite,etc ..... I just can't seem to find where he says the exact words "If we want to work on fixing the racial tensions between us then people like Wright must stop spewing hatred"

I missed that part too.

 

[djm99]

That said, I hope my sincerity won't offend anyone here because that's really not my intention at all. I believe if some are honest with themselves they would admit that they're not ready for a black man to be president which is what they really fear.

In my honest opinion, that's what this is about. McCain can have the most shady supporters, that he calls his "spiritual guide", McCain's "spiritual guide" can condem gay people, Muslims, catholics, and blame 9-11 on America for allowing homosexuality, but McCain isn't "forced" to prove his loyalty to America, or reject or denouce them. It's such a double standard. A double standard placed on Obama ONLY - WHY? What makes Obama different? HMMMMMMM?

Even McCain, whom I'll admit, has taken the high road here. Stated that you can't be judged by your supporters and refused to even comment negatively on Rev. Wright and went on to state that he knows Obama personally and knows that Obama does not share the views of Rev. Wright. Even McCain can take the high road, but many of you on this board can't - I wonder why? - many of you need a hug....

 

[lovetomow]

Ah the race card, it's might convient isn't it!