Skip to main content
  • CNSNews.com
  • MRC TV
  • Biz & Media
  • Culture & Media
  • Take Action!

Join Us @:
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Kindle

Free email alerts!

NewsBusters logo
June 20, 2013
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • About
  • Forum
  • Take Action
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Search
  • RSS

Hot Topics

  • Obama ScandalWatch
  • IRS Targets Tea Party
  • Censoring the News
Home » Blogs » Mark Finkelstein's blog
  • MSNBC: Obama and Merkel Are the New 'Ronnie and Maggie'; Matthews Sees Conspiracy to Push Hillary 2016
  • NBC's Todd Excuses Obama's Poor Speech Performance: Crowd Too Small, 'It Was Hot'
  • Chris Matthews Whines About Sun Harming Obama's Berlin Speech
  • MSNBC's Hayes Slams 'Shameful Spectacle' of 'Anti-Food Stamp Jihad' by Republicans
  • The Inconvenient Suffering of China’s Laogai Prisoners
  • Bozell Column: Censoring the 'Anti-Gay' Viewpoint
  • Martin Bashir, Who Compared Conservatives to Hitler, Now Decries Nazi Comparisons
  • Bob Herbert: There Would Be Tons of Outrage on Left if Bush-Cheney Pursued Obama’s Policies

Matthews: Jeremiah Wright on 'Left,' Rick Warren 'Far Right'

By Mark Finkelstein | December 19, 2008 | 19:44

A  A

Surely no one would view Rev. Jeremiah Wright as closer to the centerpoint of American politics than Pastor Rick Warren, right? Wrong.  Here's Chris Matthews on this evening's Hardball.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: It seems like Barack Obama, as much as seems to inspire people, including me, has a problem with pastors.  I don't know what it is. You get him hooked up with a pastor, whether it's Jeremiah Wright, or it's this guy Rick Warren.  One's on the left, one's on the far right.  Both are causing him trouble.
So Wright's merely "left," while Warren's "far-right."  Do we really need to prove the obvious: that Warren is vastly more mainstream than Wright? It hardly seems worth the effort, but let's consider a few factoids:
  • Warren is so respected that the presidential candidates of both major parties agreed to participate in a forum with him during the campaign. 
  • Obama claims to share Warren's opposition to gay marriage.
  • Warren's The Purpose Driven Life, has sold over 20 million copies, becoming one of the best selling non-fiction books of all time.
  • Barack Obama had to formally rebuke the Rev. Wright and leave his church to avoid further damage through association with Wright's eccentric views.
  • Warren is currently criticized by some for his support of Proposition 8 in California, limiting marriage to one man and one woman.  But that proposition passed, even in blue California.  A strong majority of Americans continue to support such limitations on marriage.
  • Wright calls our country AmeriKKKa.  He accuses the US government of "inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color."
  • And of course, Wright saw 9-11 as a case of chickens coming home . . . to roost.
Question for readers: if on the Matthewsian Spectrum of American Politics, Wright's on the left and Warren on the far right, whom would the Hardball host place at the precise centerpoint?

About the Author

Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters Senior Contributor. Click here to follow Mark Finkelstein on Twitter.
  • AIDS
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Christianity
  • Conservatives & Republicans
  • Liberals & Democrats
  • Racism
  • Same-sex marriage
  • 9/11
  • Debates
  • 2008 Presidential
  • Culture/Society
  • Events
  • Political Groups
  • Race Issues
  • Religion
  • Sexuality
  • Jeremigh Wright
  • Rick Warren
  • Hardball
  • MSNBC
  • Video
  • Mark Finkelstein's blog
  • Login to post comments
  • Printer-friendly version
Stop George Soros
Stop Censoring The Gosnell Trial!

Editors' Picks

  • The regulated states of America infringe on pursuit of happiness (Niall Ferguson)
  • The rationale for wind power won't fly (Jay Lehr @ WSJ)
  • President Obama parrots false 'equal pay' statistic (Bader @ OpenMarket.org)
  • Whose war on women? (FRC)
  • Romney's revenge (Avik Roy @ NRO)
  • Relax, the Arizona voter registration ruling was narrowly drawn by Scalia (Hans von Spakovsky)
  • Snowden loses his moral authority with dangerous leaks (Rothman @ Mediaite)
  • Rapper Lil' Wayne stomps on American flag (Rare)
  • Apple releases information about data requests from NSA, other agencies (LA Times)
  • Five myths about privacy (Solove @ Washington Post)
Chuck Norris's picture
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris Column: The Superman of Dads and Grads
Cal Thomas's picture
Cal Thomas
Cal Thomas Column: Broadcast Nets, Ailes Is What's Good for You
Ann Coulter's picture
Ann Coulter
Coulter Column: If the GOP Falls for 'Immigration Reform' Ruse, It Deserves to Die
Walter E. Williams's picture
Walter E. Williams
Walter E. Williams Column: Let People Sell Their Organs to Sick, Needy Recipients
Michelle Malkin's picture
Michelle Malkin
Malkin Column: Anthony Weiner's Underage Girl Problem
More >

RSS FeedAmazon KindleFacebookTwitter

Stop Censoring The News!

Audit the Man of Steel?!
more cartoons
  • NewsBusters Interview: Amity Shlaes on Coolidge, Media, and Neo-Keynesianism
  • Facebook Photo Shows Kennedy Girl Shooting Baby Seals
  • Slate Says Lack Of Emotionalism Sunk Gun Control Bill
  • Serena Williams Slams French Taxes: 'Seventy-Five Percent Doesn't Seem Legal'
  • O’Reilly: Obama Could Be Impeached If Evidence Shows Intel Agency Read Emails Without Warrant
More >
NewsBusters

Executive Editor
Matthew Sheffield

Editor at Large
Brent Baker

Senior Editors
Tim Graham
Rich Noyes

Managing Editor
Ken Shepherd

Associate Editor
Noel Sheppard

Contributing Editors
Tom Blumer
Geoffrey Dickens
Dan Gainor
David Limbaugh
Mithridate Ombud
Clay Waters
Scott Whitlock

Senior Contributor
Mark Finkelstein

Contributing Writers
Matthew Balan
Michael M. Bates
Erin R. Brown
Jack Coleman
Kyle Drennen
Douglas Ernst
P. J. Gladnick
Stephen Gutowski
Matt Hadro
D. S. Hube
Kathleen McKinley
Dave Pierre
Amy Ridenour
Julia A. Seymour
Terry Trippany
Rusty Weiss
Brad Wilmouth

Publisher
Brent Bozell

Site Design
Dialog New Media

 

  • Home
  • Blogs
  • About
  • Forum
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Account
  • rss
  • CNSNews
  • MRC TV
  • Biz & Media
  • Culture & Media
  • Take Action!
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Amazon Kindle
  • Advertise
  • Jobs

Copyright © 2005-2013 NewsBusters.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use