Worried about Wright

I know this is a minority opinion here today, but I am pretty darn upset with Jeremiah Wright. If you look at my comments from the past weeks, I have been Wright's most ardent defender. I will continue to defend his words, but I no longer defend his actions. He seems like a very bad friend.

I wrote a diary that was on the rec list, on Thursday, about how great he was on Bill Moyers. It had almost a thousand comments, by the end, and I read every single one. I felt (and still feel) that Wright had been treated badly by the press who completely distorted him. I put that interview in my signature and have encouraged everyone I know to watch it.  Many HAVE watched it and given me glowing feedback. He was a decent man and that much was clear.

Then he gave a speech at the NAACP. I thought it was great, as did other people. I was less than thrilled with some of the things he said (he said stuff about education that is pretty bogus) but my attitude was that he is an old guy, and has some pretty kooky ideas and he has the right to speak out for himself.

And today...Jeremiah Wright: The Sequel! Watching his appearance earlier I had one sinking thought: this dude isn't thinking about Barack for one second.

In other words, he isn't interested in the fact that his actions can hurt Barack who is, after all, running for president. He is out there, talking to the press, and clearly enjoying all the attention, without being mindful that every word he says is stapled to Obama's back. However he feels about injustice and racial inequality, he seems completely unmoved that a very great man, (his very own friend) has a really good chance to become the first black President.

I am very angry with him, not because of anything he has said, but because he isn't a very good friend and I think his ego is greater than his love for Barack Obama. He is a private citizen and he has every right to do what he wants. But what he SHOULD do is stop this "media tour", stop acting like the world revolves around him, and be mindful for just ONE second about what his actions have the peril of doing.

I am just really bummed out. I hope Wright will take some time away from the cameras. After November, I don't care if he gets his own. But until then, he needs to stop sabotaging Barack's chances.

•  its my opinion that open hand wringing

  is just as damaging. Just sayin'.

  by ablington on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:45:32 AM PDT

•  No, the people need to quit

  sabatoging Barack's chances.

  If you treat Wright as though he were a legitimate issue, he becomes one. Stop supporting the traditional media and their war by proxy on Obama's campaign.

  Geez!

  by jiordan on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:46:28 AM PDT

  •  This Site Is Dedicated To

    Making a big deal out of bullshit non-issues.  Are you new?

    by TooFolkGR on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:47:12 AM PDT

•  In Before "Thanks for your 'concern'..." n/t

  by TooFolkGR on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:46:29 AM PDT

•  It wouldn't be a big deal...

  ...if the media could do its damn job properly.

  The fact that they're fixated on it - and therefore all of you are - makes me concerned about what it says not only about the narrative, but about the reactive nature of the blogosphere to that narrative.

  Make the narrative, don't follow it.

  by PsiFighter37 on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:46:51 AM PDT

  •  problem is Obama isn't reacting infact he's doing

    nothing to control the narrative. No new endorsements that were supposedly coming ect.....UNLESS he has been assured by people that he has the nomination no matter what happens in Indiana he had better start defining the end game or he will have this thing taken from him.

    by nevadadem on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:51:18 AM PDT

•  Oh crap now I have to take another shot!

  Please for the sake of my abused liver stop posting Wright diaries.

  by Gator1980 on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:47:13 AM PDT

  •  Make mine morphine *nt*

    by crazyshirley2100 on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:52:49 AM PDT

•  I think we let it play out.

  We can have some interesting conversations here about race and religion.  The media is going to do what the media wants to do.  I think we have to recognize, though, that race was bound to come up during this campaign.  Maybe there are worse ways it could be discussed than through a religious lens.

  by tjb22 on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:49:04 AM PDT

•  I will vouch for

  jenontheshore's cred.  She has often scorched me for having unkind things to say about The Good Reverend.

  by bugscuffle on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:49:41 AM PDT

  •  lol!

    Yes I have! Ha!

    Well, that's over with. I won't be defending him any more. I am (as you know) very willing to forgive anything he has said.

    But now he is basically fucking with Barack's chances! That is not character assasination by the media... that's him being a jerk, all by himself!

    I am really, really steamed over this.

    by jenontheshore on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:52:42 AM PDT

    •  He kinda

      came across as smug, imho.  In an ugly, ugly way.

      by bugscuffle on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:58:21 AM PDT

    •  I have to agree.

      I realize that he got trashed by the media, but if he felt a need to speak out, do so briefly.  Bill Moyers was fine.  But the NAACP and now Press Club is way over the top.  Repeating the stuff about AIDS, however strongly he feels it, is just counterproductive to the nth degree.  Even the joke about being VIce-President I can see going awry.  Not caring enough to censor yourself at this point in Obama's campaign is truly no sign of friendship.  Now Barack will have to field questions all over again with McCain now piling on.  I hate to say this, but I wonder if he realizes the irony that it could be him keeping Obama from being President.  I can only wonder what is going on in Obama's mind.

      by choochmac on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:36:37 AM PDT

•  The guy strikes me as egotistical.

  I get the sense he's milking his fifteen minutes outside the church.

  by Dartagnan on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:51:09 AM PDT

  •  Lokk for the book!

    Larry King!  Oprah!  Or maybe not Oprah!

    by bugscuffle on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:54:56 AM PDT

    •  I mean, LOOK!

      by bugscuffle on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:55:46 AM PDT

•  Thank you for your concern

  by GW Chimpzilla on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:52:29 AM PDT

  •  Are you crazy?

    Why don't you look at my history??

    by jenontheshore on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:54:26 AM PDT

    •  Wright has the right

      to defend himself against the smears of TeeVee. The continual error is allowing TeeVee to push their guilt-by-association crap. No, I'm not afraid that Wright or TeeVee will destroy Obama because of the people he knows.

      by GW Chimpzilla on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:02:58 AM PDT

•  The 2 sides of Wright

  If he had continued being the Wright that was on Moyers on Friday, then it would have been a bonus.  But I wonder if the juxtaposition of Obama against him will make a stark contrast for people, that Obama is really not like this guy.

  I don't care if hand wringing is considered bad form or not.  He is not doing himself any favors and the media is just continuing to soundbite him.

  The only one positive is that it seems that Wright is throwing Obama under the bus.  So that makes Obama look good?

  by debrazza on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:52:39 AM PDT

  •  there is something to that

    I thought some of what he said in the questioning period was clear criticism of Obama.  This is a good thing, since it separates them.   I also thought this appearance filled out who he is in some ways that again differentiate him from Obama.  

    by indybend on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:06:29 AM PDT

•  I couldn't agree with you more

  This National Press Club coverage is devastating.  Obama's VULNERABLE now, down in the polls, one week away from a close vote in Indiana...this is not good.

  Why did Wright ever consider the National Press Club appearance, except that he is hellbent on going after those who went after him.  He is most definitely not thinking of Obama, not for a New York minute.

  by Dana99 on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:53:16 AM PDT

  •  No, Obama is not vulnerable

    I strongly disagree with your suggestion that the timing of this is bad for Obama.  The nomination race is effectively over.  Whether he clinches it with wins in NC & IN or whether it lasts through June 3 (if he loses IN) is relatively immaterial.  Obama is already transitioning into general election mode, and the writing on the wall is becoming increasingly obvious to the media (who will start to ignore Clinton even more).  This is a great time to get the Wright issue out in the open.  I didn't see his appearance today, but the speech last night was very well received.  Whatever effect Wright will have, letting the broader public get a view of Wright as a complex but clearly not America-hating person is valuable.  He is not just a collection of sound bites, and he is making that case now.

    Whatever the impact of Wright's words, then, I'm very glad that they are coming out now, and not in October.  This issue will be so tired by the time the election rolls around, that most voters will have stopped caring about it.

    by Sedi on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:01:25 AM PDT

    •  Very well said, Sedi.

      And Jen, I've said this before, but Relax!  Obama will win the nomination.  It's a matter of time.  When we get to the General, the message will be much easier to manage.
          The worst thing Obama can do right now is spend all his time defending himself against the 'Wright controversy'.  It may cost him Indiana, but it can only cost him a few delegates.  Wright gave him great distance - which I think was his intent.  Wright isn't stupid-far from it.  But he is 'other-directed', and his first responsibility is his church.
          That doesn't mean he doesn't want Obama to be elected.  This stuff was bound to happen - now is the best time, when Obama has the least exposure in terms of what matters - the delegates.  It may delay, but won't change the final outcome.
          Remember - Old bull and young bull, darlin'.

      by haremoor on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:33:41 AM PDT

  •  Clinton Narrative

    Indiana Indiana Indiana. I'm tired of following the Clinton Narrative, where only the states her campaign makes worthy is what everyone talks about. There is another state that votes the same day, will be receptive to this news, and has more delegates than Indiana. First two guesses don't count.

    by ArcXIX on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:05:11 AM PDT

•  Well he does have the right to defend himself

  after that loop of him was played over and over for weeks.

  And props for calling out chickenhawk fuck Cheney in the response about his military service.

  by RokkiBlueboa on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:55:01 AM PDT

  •  Sure

    He does have that right.

    But he has taken it too far. Way too far.

    by jenontheshore on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:56:12 AM PDT

    •  Has it ever occurred to you?

      That he might not be having to come out to defend himself (and his church and a lifetime of service) if Obama had dealt with this up front instead of splitting the baby.

      Obama understands what Wright is saying (and his influence on BO is apparent to any thinking person). Instead of coming out and explaining what these positive influences were and where he differed from Wright, he dissembled and acted like a politician. Wright was right!

      by Psyche on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:47:48 AM PDT

      •  I kind of agree

        I kind of agree with you but have a different take. I think Obama showed great regard for Wright's feelings and dignity in his speech, even as Obama condemned the man's often hate-filled and divisive sermons. But rather than show any appreciation for Obama's kindness, Rev. Wright got offended and now wants to punish Obama. How else to explain Wright's decision to reappear and do it in such a public way on the eve of the critical IN primary? And look at the nonsense Wright is spewing about blacks and whites having different brains, defending Farrakhan, again with the AIDS plot conspiacies and claiming that an attack on his sermons is an attack on all black churches. Wright is an intelligent man. He knew that this would get huge coverage and he knew that it would injure Obama. I can't see any other way to interpret this.

        by YoGo on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:59:18 AM PDT

        •  We come from different perspectives I think

          First I think you've bought into the meme that his sermons are hate-filled and divisive. I don't know how many full sermons you've listened to but I recommend it. It might make a difference. Obama has heard him and he knows.

          If you watched Moyer's interview of Wright and saw the respect with which he treated him (it's online if you missed) that's telling as well. And Moyers knows him.

          He is also well-respected in his largely white denomination (in which I grew up) for his preaching and the outstanding work he did in his community: services for youth, the elderly, AIDS patients and prisoners. He built a church from 80+ to 8,000. Thomas, the head of the UCC went to Chicago to lead a service in his honor.

          He is bright and was well-educated in an excellent seminary. He's getting older but he's not somebody's crazy uncle -- which is essentially how Obama talked about him, making rather insulting comments about his grandmother in the process.

          I am an Obama supporter but I think he still has some maturing to do. But then I've been around almost as long as Wright and understand the history that necessitated his speaking out with honesty. He's still honest but it seems to have gone out of style. I fully realize that he's causing difficulties for Obama but his 40 years of service is being torn to shreds. If he wants to do what he can to set the record straight, can't blame him.

          Oh, and 6 years in the military, taking care of LBJ along the way and he's being called unpatriotic?

          by Psyche on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 07:28:38 PM PDT

      •  Has it occurred to you that Obama actually

        believes what he said in the speech?  I've gone to a church where the pastor has said things very much like Wright - though in hushed Protestant tones.  There are things that I in no was agree with, and would in no way defend.  But I go for the church, not for what the pastor says in the 10 minute sermon.  I have no problem taking Obama at his word (in this instance); and given the media attention and the number of engagements Wright has accepted, it's getting easier to believe Wright's expressing himself in the media has nothing to do with what Obama said in the speech.

        by msanthrope on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 11:06:14 AM PDT

        •  The problem is

          Your analogy is flawed. Wright was not just Obama's pastor. He was Obama's mentor and a political advisor for a time. These are roles that we don't usually assign to one whose sermons we frequently disagree and would in no way defend.

          But here's the thing. Even if Obama, at one time, found Wright's sermons inspiring, it's clear that he's long since grown disillusioned with a man who, for all his obvious gifts, personal warmth, and community service, embraced an ideology of separateness and victimhood. And, at the core of Obama's speech, let's not forget, was a strong condemnation of the hateful and divisive nature of Wright's sermons. Wright's appearances this week had only one purpose - to pay back Obama for his perceived betrayal. How else to explain the decision to speak out now on the eve of the NC and IN primaries, when a double win would finally put an end to Hillary's campaign? And how else to explain Wright's use of purposefully explosive statements (blacks and whites have different types of brains, an attack on him is an attack on all black churches, more of the the nutty govt-AIDS conspiracy). Wright knew that the effect of his reappearance now would be to force Obama to address this all again when this is the last thing he wants to be focusing on now. Wright is a small petty bitter man.    

          by YoGo on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 11:24:58 AM PDT

        •  Not really

          He was being political -- which isn't a bad thing necessarily but can get you in trouble. It's also different from being diplomatic. His campaign was apparently behind the decision to leave Wright out of the his announcement of candidacy and I suspect they were also behind the way Obama explained their relationship.

          Obama likes to talk about his community organizing work in Chicago but, fresh out of Harvard - by way of a youth and a private school in Hawaii, there was no way he was ready to deal with the roughness of Chicago's inner city. Wright was essential to his practical education. Suspect he's also as close to a black father as anything Obama has had. Other than that, it was white women and a white grandfather who raised him. Wright is more than a bit pissed at this point and I have some sympathy for him.

          by Psyche on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 07:46:27 PM PDT

•  He should have left well enough alone

  with the NAACP speech.

  He had done well with the Moyers Interview and the NAACP Speech. The Press Club Q&A provided the media with the soundbites they wanted.

  by rikyrah on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:55:03 AM PDT

•  Not a good day for Obama...

  Wright is everywhere, he's down 9 in Indiana according to Survey USA, and the AP releases a poll with Hillary running 7 points better vs. McCain and the lede is that "she runs better" in the general election.

  Barack still has 8 days before Indiana and North Carolina, but I'm more concerned about whether he'll actually be the nominee than I've ever been.

  by MikeMinCT on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 09:56:19 AM PDT

  •  Huh?

    I'm more concerned about whether he'll actually be the nominee than I've ever been.

    This nomination process has been over with for months now.

    by ArcXIX on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:07:21 AM PDT

    •  I hope you're right...

      Mathematically, he's going to need 25% of uncommitted supers, and she's going to need 75%.

      On May 31st, a DNC committee with 11 Clinton supporters, 8 Obama supporters and a dozen uncommitted superdelegates will decide what to do about Florida and Michigan.

      Howard Dean is out there talking about how it'll be clear who is strongest against John McCain and that's how he expects supers to vote, on the same day she's +9 McCain, he's +2, and Jeremiah Wright is talking crazy.

      And, by the way, the most ambitious woman in American politics is still running against our guy, who seems almost completely out of gas in every public appearance.

      I love the math, I was fine with his 45% in Pennsylvania, and I think he's still the favorite for the nomination, but he's not doing so well the past 72 hours.

      by MikeMinCT on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:28:21 AM PDT

      •  Don't you think

        Wright is no dummy, whatever else people might think of him. Don't you think his decision to spew all this crazy stuff now is intended to pay back Obama for dissing him in his speech. Wright had to have known what the impact would be of his reappearance now. And he chose the most public forums available - TV and the National Press Club. Now, instead of being able to discuss the issues in a tough fight with Hillary in Indiana, Obama will be forced to spend this week responding to Wright's nonsense. Obama showed Wright tremendous patience and respect in order to preserve the old man's dignity. And this is how Wright repays him? Well, the hell with Wright. Obama owes him nothing and ought to tell him now what he really thinks of this bitter fool.  

        by YoGo on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:39:57 AM PDT

        •  I didn't want Obama to completely distance

          himself at first, but now I really think it's fine by me if he wants to.  As the mother of a bi-racial child I understand the need for the black community to stick up for each other but I draw the line here.  He really does seem to be putting his own ego in front of the good of the country.  Dragging down Obama to end up with McCain does no one any good.

          by choochmac on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:50:04 AM PDT

•  The guys at

  Slate (more or less a "liberal" faction of the MSM) think this is actually good for Obama, first by showing that Wright is not just a one trick pony and also oversaturating us on the topic so that it loses some of its ability to shock in October. Apparently, Wright has been distancing himself from Obama in these interviews, which might actually be helpful as well. Opinions differ.

  by JMS on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:01:31 AM PDT

  •  Valid point of view.

    by tjb22 on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:03:30 AM PDT

•  ironically

  I had just posted a comment on one of jenontheshore's earlier diaries, where she got after me for being too pessimistic, saying I thought it was going to blow over after all.

  I haven't seen or read anything about the National Press Club appearance yet so I can't say anything about it but I do think the truth is somewhere in the middle: Wright is neither a complete good nor a complete bad for Obama.

  by lauramp on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:26:43 AM PDT

•  I almost forgot there was an election

  going on, watching Rev. Wright last night. Just for a few minutes.  And I can't tell you how much clarity I felt I regained just by that short visit outside the box.

  I also had a strong feeling that the Reverend feels called to do what he is doing now. ["That, what man meant for evil, God meant for good"]That something bigger than a mere presidential election is going on.

  The idea that Wright is on an ego trip or trying to cash in financially on his notoriety is a right wing talking point.  You are buying into it.  Resist!

  This is how I think escalating fear among supporters can hurt a candidate.  Fear is contagious.  We all know that animals sense fear in humans and react to it.  When I was a med tech I used to go out once a day to draw blood.  I discovered just by touching patients when I was tense their muscles would tense up, too (and I was likely to miss.)  On the other hand, if I touched a patient who was tense when I was very calm the arm muscles would relax.

  There was an interesting article in (I think it was) New Scientist sometime after the 2004 election about why fear influences people to vote more conservatively.  I can't find it now. Raising the fear level now will advantage Clinton.  Doing it during the GE will advantage McCain.

  So we need to do whatever we can to keep ourselves calm. Be an antidote to the hysteria rather than augmenting it.

  As my grandmother used to say, "let go and let God" or as I prefer, since I am not a theist "Take it as it comes".

  Anyway, a boogeyman who makes people laugh isn't much of a boogeyman after all.

  by houyhnhnm on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:29:17 AM PDT

•  Forget about Jeremiah Wright...

  focus on McCain's, Reverend Hagee..

  by chabuka on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:32:49 AM PDT

  •  The two are not equivalent

    Wright is a decent guy and Hagee is a pig.

    by pghred on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:35:05 AM PDT

•  Wright's role

  It is not Jeremiah Wright's job to help get Barack Obama elected. He is a pastor -- or was. Many pastors in this country are professional liars, and when they get involved in politics it is for wicked reasons -- I hold out the entire Christian Right as an example. Jeremiah Wright is one of those pastors who actually speaks the truth, and it is his business whether he wants to continue to do that. I for one salute him.

  by pghred on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:33:33 AM PDT

•  wright

  I absolutely agree with jenontheshore.  This is my first comment.  I love DailyKos and am a strong, strong Obama supporter.  After Wright's recent speeches, I'm still a strong, strong Obama supporter.  I've been most upset with Hillary for her attacks on him.  But I'm realistic enough to know that this National Press Club Q & A of Wright's--and his mocking tone in parts of his speeches--has, as a practical matter, badly damaged Obama's candidacy, whether we like it or not, and whether we think it is fair or not.  To me, this comment of mine is a "reality-based" comment, but perhaps I will be attacked for saying so, for I have been amazed this morning to find how many people are scorned as "trolls" for simply expressing a candid perspective on today's events.  

  Thank you for the pleasure and reassurance this site has offered me in the past.

  by hippodad on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:33:54 AM PDT

•  I deliberately set the clock this morning to miss

  the banner headlines about Wright. I didn't want to start out this morning getting bummed out. I know one thing: Before this campaign, I actually cared about what the media put out there about a candidate. Now I recognize the media as a collection of greedy, obsessive whores and panderers. Nauseating.

  by Wildthumb on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:40:07 AM PDT

•  what worries me the most is that

  we all support Obama, but we are now all worried...and if we are worried, what about the people that do not support him or people who are on the fence...

  I will always support Obama, but I do not believe that the American people are smart enough to distinguish that Obama is not Wright and does not hold his views..he is in fact the opposite...

  sigh...no matter what Obama has started a movement in this country.

  There is one saving grace...the NAACP embraces Wright...and if the supers turn on him now, the AA vote will be gone this election.  It will appear to Obama supporters and the AA community that the supers turned on the AA community and Rev Wright...

  If I was a super, I would NOT defect because of Wright...

  where is the damn democratic party standing up for Obama..why arent they shouting at the top of their voices that OBAMA IS NOT REV WRIGHT...STOP EQUATING WHAT ONE HUMAN BEING SAYS TO ANOTHER....

  by tambora on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:43:19 AM PDT

•  i dont know jen

  I dont think Wright would be so stupid as to make comments that would hurt Obama. I agree with you on his comments regarding education and I did find some of the other things he said jarring, but lets look at this from angle . We are fighting the primary battle ..forget the Republicans for now. If Hillary and her people try to pounce on Wright now, she has big time lost African American support, even in the general election, because that shows all that love she was showering of African Americans was just phoney, with no real understanding of African American pain. lets say she wins Indiana, whose support does Obama really need in NC? Whose support Democratic party really need in general election? African Americans have been the Democrats reliable voting base and for anyone to discount their feelings would be a bad move. I think a lot of African Americans are pretty mad because they are seeing a side of the Democratic party that they probably never saw before. I am not saying that this has to be done at the expense white Democrats feelings, but lets face it ..Obama isnt going to win white folks votes except for in places like the Midwest (IA, MN, WI etc).

  I wouldnt worry too much about Wright. I know he wouldnt deliberately try to hurt Obama's chances.

  by girlyman on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:51:36 AM PDT

  •  I don't agree

    I agree that Wright would not be so stupid as to make comments that would hurt Obama. But I do think that he would do it out of petty vindictiveness. I think that Wright was offended and felt betrayed when Obama condemned him for his sermons (even while he defended the man's life's work). This is Wright's way of paying Obama back. I mean look at the timing of Wright's reappearance - a week before the critical IN primary - and look at how Wright went out of his way to be especially inflammatory, thus guaranteeing maximum news coverage. Wright had to know that the last thing that Obama wanted to be do a week before the IN primary was talk more about this man. Now Obama has no choice. Some friend, some mentor. Obama owes Wright nothing anymore.

    by YoGo on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 11:08:19 AM PDT

•  I agree.

  The only thing I feel hopeful about today is that if the supers get cold feet now, there will be hell to pay and they know it.  I think if IN goes south there will be some hand-wringing from the supers but in the end they will make the right call because they know Clinton can't win the GE with that kind of "victory".  Eventually the media will tire of Wright I have to think, hopefully before too much damage has been done.

  by choochmac on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 10:56:21 AM PDT