Big Up Andrew Sullivan on Pastor Wright

15 Mar 2008 Author: Baratunde Thurston (Jack Turner)

Andrew sends us mad traffic when he links here. This is a post worth reciprocating. I saw some foolishness on CNN last night (no surprises. it’s cable news) where the reporter kept insisting that Obama probably has hateful anti-American feelings because of the thing Pastor Wright said in some of the video clips.

Sullivan basically says that’s idiocy and quotes from Obama’s own words in his first book. We know where the man stands on America and race. His spoken words (DNC 2004???), written words and actions leave no doubt.

Tags: 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, Religion

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Nquest
Anon, you are compounding your own mistake with this nonsense:
“Now I know a lot of people are excited about Obama, particularily in the AA community. But I would strongly caution that those who support him should do so in a constructive and dignified manner…”
What is that about? Which one of your kids post here for you to start dispensing paternalistic admonishments about how to behave?
Yes, you’re compounding your error and your own prostitution of your stated principle:
“If he meant to criticize a particular government policy or an adminstration, then that is not unpatriotic…”
That was the end of your argument/objection right there. You didn’t get it right then and you can’t make it right now.
And given your error, you are the last person to lecture anyone about OVERREACTION.
Nquest
“One can push back vigourously against smears (e.g. he is a Muslim) but one should not be throwing broad charges of racism willy nilly just because he lost nearly 95% of the counties in the OH primary or that his pastor sounds like a militant fiery preacher.”
Losing all sense of reality and the credibility you never had to boot.
Seriously, what the hell is all that about? Why is all that garbage anywhere close to some point or response you called yourself making to me?
What does even a word of that have to do with anything that’s been discussed here in this thread? Let alone anything I said?
Why are you losing it, going off making wild and idiotic statements that you can’t substantiate.
Rev. Wright didn’t say “b*tch” but you sure tried to see if you could throw it out there to see if it would stick… just like the “unpatriotic” charged premised on the notion that “if he… criticized a particular government policy… then that is not unpatriotic…”
Well, by your own standard, Rev. Wright is found NOT GUILTY.
Anonymous
nquest said….*see above*…I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this but somehow I am not surprised. If you really take the time to read the context of what I said, no intelligent person would respond the way you did.
My advice to you is this…the best you can do for Obama (if I presume you are supporting him and want him to win in Nov)..right now, right this minute and for the rest of your life is to vote for him in whichever state or district that you reside in and keep your mouth sealed shut!! You are clearly a poor advocate and God forbid if you worked on his campaign team, you’d be leading him towards a disasterous general election rout like Mondale ’84 or McGovern ’72. Is that what you want? I did not think so…let those who have ears hear.
Ms.Martin
N-Qest
Yes, yes, yes
Let me just add:
Anon,
We are not defending Obama on this issue. Some are defending Rev. Wright’s right to make these statements and not have them deemed hateful or racist.
We are defending the truth and his right to tell and our right to have it heard.
I understand that this is not good for Obama politically, but quite frankly I care more about the truth. I won’t stand by silent – or get you a pillow – while you tell black america to shut the fuck up.
The truth is that the outrage at Rev. Dr. Wright is the tamping down of the truth about race in America.
I agree with some of your statements, but one in particular simply makes the point of what America really is:
PS III: Ironically my biggest fear as to why America may come close but yet fail to elect a minority to the Presidency was not necessarily because of some white racism but because of some overzealous minority supporters. If the guy loses they some will scream racism while waving bloody hands in the air.
If White America would vote for Obama if not for his zealous black supporters, then they would in essence be voting against his black supporters.
Why?
If that aint racist I don’t know what is.
Felicia
“If he meant to criticize a particular government policy or an adminstration, then that is not unpatriotic, but to say “God Damn America for XXXX…” is overly broad and per se unpatriotic regardless of the subject matter or context.”
Anon 02:14:00, where do you think we got words like damn and hell? From the Bible. The King James version says “Jesus rode on his ass.” Oh, my–the Bible used a bad word. My hears are burning.
If you re-watch the video, Rev. Wright doesn’t say “goddamn America for shedding innocent blood,” he says, “God damn America for shedding innocent blood.” There’s a difference. In the Bible God damns a lot of people for shedding innocent blood.
Like nquest said, you haven’t offered proof that what Rev. Wright said wasn’t true. It seems like you have issues with the linguistics of his message. If that’s your problem, then that’s a different matter, and you should state such.
Another point I would like to make–why we are required to worship some symbol–America or the flag or whatever? So what if Rev. Wright is unpatriotic. Is that a requirement to be a U.S. citizen? I don’t think so, and you use words like unpatriotic (Republican buzzwords, I might add) like it’s some sort of scarlet letter. Well I say God damn America, too. And so what if I’m not patriotic. Saying that didn’t strike me dead. Patriotism hasn’t added a few thousand dollars in my wallet. I’m not going to go blow up buildings because I’m not “patriotic”. My point is this unhealthy attachment to patriotic symbolism is just b*llsh*t. It’s an illusion to keep us in line. It means absolutely nothing.
GoldenAh
I suspect Pastor Wright (was he jealous?) believes Senator Obama’s NOT going to win as Dem. Nominee or President.
It’s better for the Senator to handle this stuff now, it clears the deck for him to handle the more critical issues later.
Nquest
Yet another Anon done in by their own words. Yet another Anon whose logic and debate skills are lacking. Another Anon with too few tools in his/her tool box.
So, dear Anon, because you have failed… you are in no position, have no standing or reason to give me any advice, not that you had any standing or reason in the first place. But I guess when you’re such an utter failure you have to have something else to yap about.
Also, you can’t question my intelligence when you’ve shown your own deficiencies in that department.
ANON: “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this…”
Come to what? What were your hopes, expectations, agenda and SCRIPT before? Simply, when you call yourself talking to me, having a discussion/debate with me then you best keep your comments to things relevant to what we have discussed.
When you drift into some mode talking about what you perceive about anyone but me then you start, by your own choice, to take the discussion downhill.
No one here is your child. No one here has solicited your advice and no one is fooled by your vain professions.
“I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this…”
I’ll be nice and won’t send you into a tail-SPIN the idiotics in your other statements deserve. I’ll just ask you what point you think you make with such a pretentious statement?
First, you have to reconcile YOUR ERROR. You really have no conversation for me until you do but to try to wax all moral authority/moral highground on me with more of the same paternalistic, preconceived, poorly-prefab admonishments, advice and other assorted nonsense where you position yourself as someone I should listen to… Well, all you’re doing is increase the entertainment value for me.
I mean, seriously…
You just tried to dust off the lamest rhetorical tactic in the book (*sniff*“you’re a poor representative”*cry*). Like you (1) having standing to make emotional appeals to me and (2) like I’m going to cry or feel bad based some bs assumption and transparent rhetoric of yours.
Let me put it to you this way: you had your chance and blew it.
I respect people who tell and can deal with the truth. You had your opportunity to tell me what issue you honestly had with Rev. Wright’s statements and YOU BLEW IT!
Maybe that patriotism thing means something to you but it was your standard that Wright met and it was your standard that you did not uphold.
That’s END OF CONVERSATION right there. But, feeling sorry for yourself and your sparkling ineptitude… you want to make this about me.
You just better be sure you’re not making another grave/fatal error.
Nquest
I wonder if there is a tape/youtube for this:

Is America Too Racist for a Black President?
March 13, 2007
SPIEGEL: Do you think he will be President in two years?
Wright: No. Unless Barak pulls off nationally what he was able to pull off locally, and wins the hearts and minds of people who have been perennially anti-black. Racism is so deeply engrained in this country that he could be flawless in terms of his policies. But he’s still a black man in this country, which has a sorry history in terms of how it sees African-American males. That’s my 65-year-old, jaded perception of where this country is. I was pleasantly surprised in the Senate election. I would like to be as pleasantly surprised in the presidential election.
Read the whole interview. Only the last 2 questions out of 11 fit the title.
justice58
Nquest,
Bravo! Dayum!!! You were brutal! Kick his ass! Kick his ass!
Bam!

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