ABC’s Brian Ross is reporting that Barack Obama’s speech trying to get around the controversy over his pastor Jeremiah Wright doesn’t match his previous professions of ignorance about the vehemence of Wright’s sermons on the oppression wrought by America and "rich white people." (It also doesn’t match his account of Wright in his book Dreams of My Father.) Ross declared:
Buried in his eloquent, highly praised speech on America's racial divide, Sen. Barack Obama contradicted more than a year of denials and spin from him and his staff about his knowledge of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermons....
Until yesterday, Obama said the only thing controversial he knew about Rev. Wright was his stand on issues relating to Africa, abortion and gay marriage.
"I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial," Obama said at a community meeting in Nelsonville, Ohio, earlier this month.
"He has said some things that are considered controversial because he's considered that part of his social gospel; so he was one of the leaders in calling for divestment from South Africa and some other issues like that," Obama said on March 2.
His initial reaction to the initial ABC News broadcast of Rev. Wright's sermons denouncing the U.S. was that he had never heard his pastor of 20 years make any comments that were anti-U.S. until the tape was played on air.
But in Obama’s account of Wright in his book Dreams from My Father, which the candidate mentioned in his "race" speech, Obama noted that very early on, he witnessed Wright sermonizing about the world (and savage whites and American nuclear bombs). From page 293 of the paperback edition:
"It is this world, a world where cruise ships throw away more food than most residents of Port-au-Prince see in a year, where white folks’ greed runs a world in need, apartheid in one hemisphere, apathy in another hemisphere...That’s the world! On which hope sits!"
And so it went, a meditation on a fallen world. While the boys next to me doodled on their church bulletin, Reverend Wright spoke of Sharpsville [South Africa] and Hiroshima, the callousness of policy makers in the White House and in the State House.
Obama was impressed:
It became clear in this very first meeting that despite the reverend’s frequent disclaimers, it was this capacious talent of his – this ability to hold together, if not reconcile, the conflicting strains of black experience – upon whch Trinity’s success had ultimately been built.
When Obama met with Wright and told him some thought he was running a church for "buppies," Wright suggested black men will never get a fair shake in America:
"We don’t buy into these false divisions here. It’s not about income, Barack. Cops don’t check my bank account when they pull me over and make me spread-eagle against the car. These miseducated brothers, like that sociologist at the University of Chicago, talking about ‘the declining significance of race.’ Now, what country is he living in?"
Wright it speaking of liberal academic William Julius Wilson, who wrote a book on that title in 1978. It's ironic not only that the declining significance of race is implied by the 2008 Obama campaign, but that Wilson is an Obama supporter who finds him "refreshing."
Obama wrote when he talked to Wright about the reality of class divisions, and mentioned how one of Wright’s assistants underlined "the tendency of those with means to move out of the line of fire." Wright replied:
"I’ve given Tracy my opinion about moving out of the city,’ he said quietly. "That boy of hers is gonna get out there and he won’t have a clue about where, or who, he is."
[Obama:] "It’s tough to take chances with your child’s safety."
"Life’s not safe for a black man in this country, Barack. Never has been. Probably never will be."
So much for the audacity of hope.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
Ross
March 20, 2008 - 07:13 ET by allanfRoss had better watch out. Air time does not go to those who don't tow the company line. If he wants to get ahead at ABC he needs to be more like Diane Sawyer, conducting undecover investigations at houses of prostitution and gawking at dictators.
Honest reporting has no business in network news.
ROSS HAS NO WORRIES...
March 20, 2008 - 07:31 ET by danybhoyallenf,
Ross is not gonna have any trouble, he is a danm good investagitve reporter, he along with John Stossel have been allowed to do their jobs from what I can tell. Also, if the Clinton's had anything to do with getting the DVDs with Wright's speeches to Ross & ABC, he has nothing to really worry about. Despite the fact that Hannity has been on this story for a full year the MSM even reported it, this story needed a push, & I kinda think this one might have gotten a pus from Clinton Inc.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin
Odd
March 20, 2008 - 07:40 ET by allanfIt is interesting that ABC is letting both Stossel and Ross "freelance" a bit. NBC has taken a sharp turn to the left, attenuated very modestly by Joe Scarborough and Tucker Carlson. CNN has only Glenn Beck on its low rated Headline News. CBS has Harry Smith, who may be the most tenditious host of them all.
Think there is a chance the
March 20, 2008 - 09:04 ET by kgThink there is a chance the media is wising up and starting to not trust Obama. It seems the more you learn about him the less there is to like and trust.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
"I’ve given Tracy my
March 20, 2008 - 07:21 ET by WhoIsJohnGalt"I’ve given Tracy my opinion about moving out of the city,’ he said quietly. "That boy of hers is gonna get out there and he won’t have a clue about where, or who, he is." [Obama:] "It’s tough to take chances with your child’s safety." "Life’s not safe for a black man in this country, Barack. Never has been. Probably never will be." I've always pomdered that question: why would a parent continue to live in the areas that endanger your child's safety, such as the inner city? The "means" tp move out? What "means" is that? If my child's safety is in danger, screw my house, screw my credit rating, screw all my possesions, my job, all of it. I'm on the first bus to the middle of Kansas, or Kentucky, or someplace peaceful. When I land, I'l get a jod doing something and start over. I've often had this discussion with people, some well off, some just scraping by, and no one ever gives me a valid reason for not leaving. Not when compared to the life of my child.
So I guess the Rev Wright is saying that it doesn't matter, you might as well leave your kid in the line of fire?
It doesn't matter that
March 20, 2008 - 07:43 ET by motherbeltIt doesn't matter that anything he said contradicts anything he has said in the past. The important thing is that the Obama has given "a speech on race"!! As if all the other speeches on race over the years were just blather, and this is The One That Matters!!!
Obama's position on this whole situation is one that is constantly evolving, and the MSM are only too happy to go along with it.
"That explanation no longer applies" is the mantra. This is what it is now, and that's all that matters.
They are happy to live with the Obama in a "50 First Dates" world.
"They are happy to live
March 20, 2008 - 16:17 ET by stratman"They are happy to live with the Obama in a "50 First Dates" world."
Good one!
Maybe Obama is about to experience his own version of "Groundhog Day".
RRAM Tough!
Ross is a racist!
March 20, 2008 - 07:57 ET by political mavenIf you observe that Barry Bonds cheated & lied, you are a racist.
If you observe that blacks commit 50 times more crime than whites, you are racist.
If you think OJ did it, you are a racist.
If you observe that "Rev" Jesse Jackson knocked up a girl, you are racist.
If you observe that Obama changes his stories like the weather, or even worse, like the Clintons, you are racist.
If you mention in a news story, that black thugs beat up a white girl on a Baltimore bus, you are a racist for implying it was racially motivated
If there arent many black drivers in Nascar, it's racism, but the NBA being 90% black is perfectly ok.
We are truly living in Orwellian times.
How 'bout if I ask for a cite
March 20, 2008 - 08:03 ET by sarcasmoOn that "50 times" figure you've thrown around? And remember when finding that cite, I count things like the Bear Stearns (and now Lehman Brothers) bailouts as quasi-criminal corporate welfare. The perps all looked pretty damned white to me, and their haul from taxpayers like me was definitely HUGE...
JMR
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
crime rates & race
March 20, 2008 - 08:30 ET by political mavenhttp://www.nocensors...
I never said there was no white crime. There will always be crime.
However,when you factor in the percentage of blacks in the population & the actual crime rate of black vs white, it is way over 50 times more.
But of course, someone got in a tizzy about me mentioning a fact & responded with saying "goo goo gaga whites commit crimes too!"
No kidding, I never said whites didn't commit crime. My point, which you helped me make, is that the mere mentioning of a fact is verboden!
I'm still waiting for the race husslers to open their big mouths & tell the blacks to not commit crime, stop having babies before marriage & be self reliant. But that would put, Jesse, Al, & the rest of the gang out of business!
Asking for a cite
March 20, 2008 - 08:36 ET by sarcasmoIs not "a tizzy," it's more like "asking for a cite" in the real world. And while I'm in no position to check your source cited, I'll note the crime/welfare I just cited fiscally dwarfs a LOT of other crimes put-together, and whites were the perps. And nobody, especially me, has forbidden you to mention anything you want, so if anyone fits the description, it's YOU who are in the tizzy.
JMR
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
"tizzy"
March 20, 2008 - 08:47 ET by political mavenI don't deny that I am in a tizzy....many are sick of the double standard of the media...so YES! I am officially in a tizzy!
Who is with me on this?? ha ha
I'm not particularly...
March 20, 2008 - 08:52 ET by sarcasmoBecause I think your stats are distorted by things traditional conservatives tend to vehemently-deny, like the blatant and continued racism of the tax and spend drugwar.
JMR
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
But.....
March 20, 2008 - 08:44 ET by txcoBut when rev. Wright preaches hate for "whitie" its called black social gospel and should be embraced and understood.
Whites are the only ones capable of racism, blacks do not suffer from that human condition.
Please use formulas below in all discussions about race:
White racism=racism
Black racism=Black social gospel
LOL maven
March 20, 2008 - 11:02 ET by candanceObama changes his stories like the weather, or even worse, like the Clintons
This made me laugh. Great post!
RACE IN AMERICA...
March 20, 2008 - 17:25 ET by danybhoypolitical maven,
Noticing any of the things you mentioned & saying them gets you the label of a racist, this is little more then a fascist tactic. The racist label is now used to shut people up. It is used so much by people who should never be taken seriously that the accusation of being a racist means almost nothing.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin
"I do't think my church is particularly controversal" - -Huh?
March 20, 2008 - 08:43 ET by JayTeeI don't think you're Particularly qualifed to be President, if your powers of "thinking" are this weak
"How long must we all marinate in the angry resentment of black people?" -Ann Coulter
For the record...
March 20, 2008 - 08:48 ET by sarcasmoYesterday, I contacted Don King with my Wright vs Hagee Pay-Per-View TV idea. Wish me luck. If the bout actually happens, it might even do religion some inadvertant good, although I disagree strongly with both potential combatants. "Only in America." :)
JMR
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
No need for alarm; 'pastor' Jeremiah Wright is not a Christian..
March 20, 2008 - 12:35 ET by vrwc13...it's time to call a goat a goat. (Matthew 25:31-46)
...and before anyone gets in a huff about "not judging", forget it. Christians are commanded to "judge" their own. It's the "outsiders we are not to judge, because God already has.
"But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:11-13
...as for Wright, pray for him as:
1)Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
2)1 Timothy "...(warn)certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
3)James 3 " 1Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.
...and as for Barrack, his wife, probably his daughters, and his fellow church members, pray for them too, as they have been led astray.
v
He believes in his spirtual leader, he Lied and he's a hypocrite
March 20, 2008 - 09:42 ET by MAVHere is interesting piece about how Mr. Obama was evidently much less forgiving of the racist comment Imus made, than he was of the racist, anti-American comments his spiritual mentor made. http://www.breitbart.tv/html/64554.html
Notice in this piece he even mentions his daughters.(Who he also has going to that church listening to that hatred). I just CAN NOT SEE how any red blooded American of any race or color could stand to have there child listen to Imus or the Minister of hate Wright.
So far Mr. Obama has shown himself to be just like any other dishonest politician. He’s lied by saying last Friday that he never heard or knew of his spiritual mentor and close friend of 20 years racisms and hatred for America, its white population and Israel. We see he’s a hypocrite too…
BTW; any TRUE and REAL Bible believing Christian can not curse Israel or the Jews. God says in his word (the Bible), relating to Israel, The Call of Abram Genesis 12:1-3
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
God also deals very harshly with anyone who purposely misleads people especially a leader of the church.
Matt 18:6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Please - Obama supporters, PLEASE tell me what good this Preacher's Sermons in question are good for? What good is this doing for helping race relations and color blindness? What good is this for the kids who are hearing this stuff? Obama in his speech has really just given excuses for bad behavior. "Oh you need to understand the pain of what Mr Wright has suffered and so many other black people have suffered". I'm sorry but everyone has to suffer in one way or another. I hate what has happened to Black Human Beings in the past, I hate that there has ever been slavery, but the Black race is not the only group of people who have been enslaved Jews were also enslaved, what about them? There are children and women from all over the world that are in slaved right now, what about them?
But for a SO-Called Pastor, screaming this hate to his congregation because he's mad at the past? It's just unbelievable and disgusting. He should be the 1st one teaching forgivness and the ROYAL COMMANDMENT. No he instead of what GOD Commands, is perpetuating hatred and is not doing anything to heal and bring the color blind nation that MLK Jr. was asking for...
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