There is no other explanation. Somewhere along the line I bought into Obama's message and from my point of view he has done no wrong.
There has been a lot of discussion about comments made by Senator Obama's pastor and spiritual adviser, Jeremiah Wright. Obviously the remarks were incendiary and divisive. But as I watch pundits and commentators weigh in on the issue I am struck by a palpable irony and condescension.
Perhaps the most controversial and damaging statements made by Reverend Wright are those concerning the September 11, attacks. The truth is, many pastors, preachers, and clergy alike made similar claims that God was punishing the United States for any number of reasons. Others, not religiously affiliated, labeled a U.S. foreign policy highly dependent on imperialism and hegemony the culprit. Are these claims dubious? Most probably. Are they extreme in their tone? Absolutely. But are they monstrous and irregular? No. In a very fundamental way, religion is often rooted in guilt. From the fall of Adam to the redemption promised by Jesus Christ, Christianity in particular has held central to its tenets a need to overcome our sins and wash away our guilt. So I am struck by the religious furor raised over these comments, and am left wondering where it was that I read something about "he who is without sin cast the first..."
Irony.
While Reverend Wright's most controversial statements concerned September 11, his most astute were those made about white America. In the not-so-distant past the United States required Blacks and Whites to use separate drinking fountains. In an even-more-recent past, the United States chose to intervene in opposition to genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but chose to turn a blind-eye to the atrocities in Rwanda. Currently African Americans make up thirteen percent of the United States population but comprise forty-nine percent of the prison population. It doesn't take much sleuthing to notice that most of those in positions of power in the United States, are white. The disparities between the two groups are pervasive, and one might venture, define much of the African American experience. Rich white people do tend to run things in this nation, and they often overlook the experiences and difficulties of those in the minority.
In watching the talking heads on cable television discuss the issue of the day, one couldn't help notice how clever and smart they all thought they were. "How does Obama square his 'Politics of Hope' with this clearly divisive and inflammatory rhetoric? This was his pastor for twenty-years, how does he distance himself?" And therein lies the punch-line. How does he distance himself? If he is going to be president, one of us that is, he must discard part of his experience and who he is. He must denounce.
Condescension.
I may be in the minority, but I was very impressed with Senator Obama. While he was clear in his opposition to the sentiment, he did not shy away from saying he understood where it came from. He rejected the rhetoric, but still embraces his mentor. What is remarkable about Obama's candidacy is not the fact that he is black. But the fact that he is poised to take the United States to better places. To confront our darkest past and overcome it.