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Reverend Wright Continues To Not Stop Talking, Or, It's His World, and Barack Obama Just Happens To Live In It
Fresh on the heels of his attention-grabbing appearance at the National Press Club, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, through his new publicist, has released a schedule of his upcoming activities for the week. Stay tuned! Here's where you can catch everybody's favorite "crazy uncle" -- make sure you don't miss him!
Tuesday, April 29 (All Times Eastern)
8 a.m. ABC--Good Morning, America! Reverend Wright confides that God damns his hosts -- and viewers -- to hell, over a pleasant cup of Joe. Also, dishes about Barack Obama.
11 a.m. History Channel--Making Fun of Assassinated Presidents. Reverend Wright stops by to repeat his knee-slapping riff on Jack Kennedy's accent. If you don't watch, well, God damn you! (Just kidding!) Dishes about Barack Obama.
9 p.m. Larry King Live--Reverend Wright asks if Larry is Jewish, and if so, how he feels about the Reverend's support for Louis Farrakhan. Dishes about Barack Obama.
Midnight-4 a.m. CSPAN2--Reverend Wright reenacts sermons comprising his YouTube Greatest Hits. Takes viewer calls, dishes about Barack Obama.
Wednesday April 30
9 a.m. Clinton Campaign Event, Anderson, Indiana--Reverend Wright appears jointly with Hillary Clinton, to thank her for the use of Mark Penn's media consultancy to set up this wave of public appearances, dishes about Barack Obama.
Noon Food Network--Emeril. Reverend Wright deplores impact of Hurricane Katrina on communities of color, makes fun of Emeril's accent, dishes about Barack Obama.
8 p.m. FoxNews--O'Reilly Factor. Reverend Wright just dares MoveOn to give him shit about appearing on Fox, cuts out middleman on all those Fox shows about him by simply appearing until they make him leave, dishes about Barack Obama.
9 p.m. FoxNews--Hannity & Colmes. Reverend Wright hasn't left, and Fox isn't asking him to! Alan Colmes is nervous, gets interrupted worse than usual. Dishes about Barack Obama. Sean Hannity and Reverend Wright high five during commercial breaks. Colmes gets nervous, kind of sweaty.
10 p.m. FoxNews--On the Record With Greta. He's so wrong, he's Wright! The Reverend makes sure Fox gets in the henhouse when his chickens come home to roost! And he dishes . . . about Barack Obama.
Thursday May 1
Noon HGTV--"Look What I Did!" Do-it-yourselfers' show yields its floor to Reverend Wright, who explains affinity for roof lifting gesture, says "Look What I Did!" over and over, and dishes about Barack Obama.
3 p.m. Military Channel--"Around the Services." Appears for interview about service as Marine. Challenges Dick Cheney to bare-hands combat. Not asked, but dishes about Barack Obama.
11:30 NBC--The Tonight Show, Jay Leno. Reverend Wright shows up to save Jay the trouble of recycling jokes from the last several news cycles. Dishes about Barack Obama.
Friday May 2
8 a.m. MSNBC--Morning Joe. Reverend Wright visits Joe Scarborough, discusses how Barack Obama's unfavorability ratings have risen during saturation coverage of "Reverend Wright Week," dishes about Barack Obama.
10 a.m. Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago--Racial unity event. Reverend Wright awards himself for achievement in field of ironically injuring African-American political leaders. Event simulcast to rural Ohio and West Virginia, where white fringe cheers. Dishes about Barack Obama.
4 p.m. Bronzeville, Chicago. Reverend Wright accepts $100,000 cash grant from Republican National Committee, privately agreed to nine days earlier (shh! don't say anything!), before he ended his six weeks of silence and embarked on whirlwind publicity tour. Dishes about Barack Obama.
More to come as new events are announced! And remember, he is not going to stop talking. It's Reverend Wright's world, and you, me, the Democratic Party. . and yes, Barack Obama, just live in it.
Comments (114)
Thanks for the laughs. Let me know when to start.
April 28, 2008 10:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Otto, who knew you were such a wit?
April 28, 2008 10:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, half at any rate.
April 29, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
maybe find out who is publishing his book and who is financing his media blitz.
April 28, 2008 10:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for dissing the Rev., Articleman!
Who needs Chris Matthews?!?
April 28, 2008 10:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're entitled to uncritically support Wright, or to view criticism of him as self-aggrandizing or injuring the Obama campaign as incorrect, if indeed you think those things.
As a very strong Obama supporter, I think he's unhelpful in the extreme. I would like Obama elected more than I would like the world to learn how benighted it is for not embracing the far fringe of a few things Reverend Wright has said.
If Wright shared that goal, he would shut up now. If that makes me "Chris Matthews" to you, that's fine.
April 28, 2008 10:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't completely agree with your position on this one, articleman... but I don't care, because that was seriously funny.
(For the record, that's a neutral-due-to-lack-of-data position. If it matters.)
April 28, 2008 10:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well far be it from me to want to limit certain types of characterization of the man to continue because "snarkiness" is more important.
The man and his church has undergone death threats, bomb threat by the thousands and continue even now, his members are being harassed from all sides, and he has gone thorough a personal crises. Have you read stories about that? I guess Chris Matthews didn't cover that. Those very real things are about "others".
And it PISSED Jerimiah Wright off.
But I forgot, those issues can be easily forgotten. No wonder we get accused of being elitist.
April 28, 2008 11:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure whether that's a response to my comment above (re: snark) or to articleman's, but for my part, I thought articleman's post raised an important issue in a humorous way. I liked it not because of the humor alone; but I do think it was fair to make fun of Wright's seeming media blitz in order to make a political point. No one can know completely what Wright's motivation is, and of course he has a right to clear his name and the reputation of his church, but I do think it's appropriate to question both the timing and the ubiquity of Wright's appearances.
April 28, 2008 11:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
He has every right and reason to defend himself, and his life's work is not reducible to a few sound bites. He should be out there, putting out the positives in his life's work for the poor, for his church community, to persuade people to focus on the pedagogy of oppression, with which I am somewhat familiar.
However, mocking assassinated leaders (that Kennedy thing was pure class), belittling Obama (he's just another politician -- well, actually, the only African-American in the entire Senate and a historically important black man, but who's keeping score?), and driving news cycle after news cycle (harming candidacy of that transformative figure with whom he is supposedly a friend) is not all to the good.
I respect someone for thinking that everything Wright says is good, and that every attack on him is wrong. I simply disagree with that perspective, especially on 9/11.
I see genocide in 9/11, and I think that line is offensive and should be recanted. Couldn't the Rev. take it back, either because it's insensitive to victims and not meant for their hearing (or maybe it was?), or pragmatically (God forbid that!) to help the important candidacty of Obama? But it's not just a political liability to Barack, it's very deeply wrong, IMHO. No one deserves genocide.
9/11 was not a rebuttal to Nagasaki.
April 28, 2008 11:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wright never said 9/11 was a direct rebuttal for any one thing.
But America has a reputation in the world for being a bully.
And 9/11 is in large part due to that hostility to America as a bully.
It shouldn't be so hard to see, should it?
Watch the BBC documentary "The Power of Nightmares", available at archive.org free of charge.
April 28, 2008 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to point out that The Power of Nightmares is an extremely well thought-out, poignant and powerful documentary. The fact that it was produced at a time when such subjects were taboo goes to show how awsome the BBC is. Yes, that sounds like fanboy ranting, but I think my glowing recommendation is well deserved.
April 29, 2008 10:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh man,
9/11 a rebuttal to Nagasaki?
He KNEW LBJ!
He used Kennedy and LBJ because that was his generation! In that reference he brought up the differences in dialect by pointing out that they DID not get that type of scrutiny of these things as political leaders.
You really don't get where he's coming from.
You keep finding him to be objective rather than subjective.
April 28, 2008 11:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course one gets his point. It's simple and obvious. Yes, the white guy talked funny, and he got a pass.
But mocking the diction of a war hero who took a bullet in the head and is buried in Arlington National is the kind of intendedly provocative inanity that belongs in an Ann Couter column.
April 28, 2008 11:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
uh...I think he likes Kennedy.
April 28, 2008 11:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
That is not the point. The point is that what he said had forseeable consequences and one of those consequence is th likely defeat of Sen Obama. That is a political reality of which he had to be aware. He is working hard to defeat my candidate. He should be called on it. Just because a statement is true does not mean you must make it and it certainly wold have done the reverend no harm and Sen Obama much good for him to wait until late November to say what he wishes to when it would not hurt Sen Obama's campaign. He is either incredibly stupid or he wants Sen Obama to lose. Those are your options. Which do you think is true.
April 29, 2008 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I keep trying to see some sharp inside-outsky play here that benefits Obama, but I really can't. I think Wright figures he has nothing to lose by taking Obama on. 1. He probably figures Obama is going to lose anyway, so why not get some mileage out what race there is left 2. He may be genuinely pissed by the "uncle" comments and particularly by the way Obama ducked the issue on FOX by implying that the most controversial thing he ever heard Wright say was that black men who don't take care of their families are no good. Now, that's a theme Wright and Louis F have in common, and it's a very big deal, but on FOX it may have come across as stereotyping black men. I'm probably the only person around here who saw it that way, but it would explain why Wright is pushing the just another politician meme so hard.
April 29, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Billy, if you've seen it or read it, what do you say about Barack's appearance today?
I think it must help, and gives the media a narrative flowing the other way. Counterpunching, rejecting him, the pained tone, I think it works as politics.
Objectively, what do you think?
April 29, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since he said he could no more reject Wright than reject the black community, I think the black community will take him up on it. He's in a fight with Wright for the black community now. I think his campaign ended today. Indiana and North Carolina will make it official.
April 29, 2008 4:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's not logically defensible. You already went there before PA, and it didn't happen. Did Wright suddenly also become a Soviet double-agent or something?
I think not, and that you'll see some bounceback. Hillary's still down about 12 in NC, and that's good enough.
April 29, 2008 5:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that Wright's unfair persecution and that of his church should be addressed. But how exactly did he help himself and his congregation over the last couple days? He's managed to accomplish the opposite of that. So either he sorely lacks audience awareness or that's not actually his overriding concern.
Despite his slighting Obama, I applauded him on the Moyers interview. And I defended him through the entire initial "controversy." But I thought he acted like a pompous, self-centered ass during the Q&A on Monday morning.
April 28, 2008 11:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr. Hanky, your words of wisdom move me. Others may not give a crap, but I am not among them.
Seriously, I agree. It's a matter of degree. And we've reached the point of tone it down.
April 28, 2008 11:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Really? I thought the questioner was being a pompous jackass(ette).
I guess it IS what you focus on.
April 29, 2008 12:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
He takes on the NATIONAL press club. And he's too scary.
Obama talks to Fox and he's too wimpy.
AP luncheon creates a "gaffe" situation. And it's excusable.
All the misrepresentation and lies all this primary season by the press and NOW Wright is gonna mess it up for Obama with the MSM.
Why was CNN at the NAACP anniversary? They had never saw it fit to highlight anything like this venue before.
Please.
April 29, 2008 12:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
CNN has shown NAACP events in the past whenever a newsworthy speaker was there. I have seen presidents and candidates address these events in the past and will see them again in the future whenever they are news worthy. Wright is News worthy and seeking publicity for himself without regard for the damage he is doing to Sen Obama.
April 29, 2008 9:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
I wasn't impressed with her, either. It is possible to focus on two things at once.
Look, I'm taking issue with his approach to his defense in the situation under discussion, a situation where I think there are other important things at stake. In this instance I don't think it was the most productive approach, notwithstanding his moral right in and intellectual justification for taking it.
If you want to chalk that opinion up to a deficient perspective, there's not a lot I do about that. There's certainly room for disagreement here.
April 29, 2008 12:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Articleman called it. Obama just rejected Wright -- and about half of the black community. It's over.
April 29, 2008 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dude, I didn't say he rejected the black community. Only the Rev. What the heck are you talking about?
April 29, 2008 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
How could you leave off the View?
April 28, 2008 10:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Damn. You've got me there, Genghis. Can you imagine Reverend Wright with that irritating Hasselbeck woman? Shit, I'd pay good money to see that.
April 28, 2008 10:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would be terrifyingly awesome.
April 28, 2008 10:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I also think he should guest-star on "How I Met Your Mother."
April 29, 2008 12:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Out of the mouths of babes...
April 29, 2008 1:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
IF
Rev. Wright had not gone to speak to the media,
the media would be chasing him everywhere he went.
His words were going to be taken and spun anyway.
He did all he could to take the message in his own hands.
A lot of people saw his actual message. And are getting disgusted by the media.
April 28, 2008 10:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are very right that he has a right and reason to defend himself. You are also very right that the MSM has really crapped on itself behaving badly here. That also supports my wish that we move on, though.
Wright has now accomplished whatever legitimate need there is for widely publicized self-defense.
I am disgusted by the MSM on this. But the paramount concern is the campaign and solidifying our support. Wright needs to help.
Obama's election is of tremendous historical importance. I hope he gets that. Let Barack be President before he starts playing the critic. There is time enough for that in a good future we all want to be part of.
April 28, 2008 10:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
See how personal criticism will make you react?
April 28, 2008 11:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, I'm sorry, I don't see your point, or what personal criticism you're referring to. I'm sure Wright's feelings are raw. It's hard to push through that, but a lifelong Reverend with the toughness of a Marine has the vision and ability to do so.
April 28, 2008 11:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm with you on this articleman. I don't have any problem with Wright trying to set the context straight, and I support much of what he's trying to convey. But the totality of his speeches these last 3 days has been very unhelpful for Obama. K, so Wright is a pastor and Obama is a politician. But I have to ask... does Wright not care who is the next president? Doesn't he see that Obama is the candidate best suited to show some leadership as president on the issues of greatest concern to Wright and his flock? Does Wright support Obama for president or is he so politically alienated at this point that he doesn't care who is president? I'm having trouble understanding why Wright can't be just a little more circumspect and thoughtful about how he defends himself.
April 28, 2008 11:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
You missed the "yes we can" reference?
Wright must have had you in complete cultural shock.
April 28, 2008 11:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wrote my thesis on liberation theology, was married to a minister who came to her ministry in a heavily gay, far left south side of Chicago church.
Your surmise that I have some cultural difficulty with Reverend Wright is humorously incorrect.
His anguish at this moment in history is tiny compared with the importance of electing Barack Obama. And for me, that's that. You appear to disagree, and I respect that.
April 28, 2008 11:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I respect your position:"His anguish at this moment in history is tiny compared with the importance of electing Barack Obama."
However an argument can be made on the flip side. Is Barack's run more important than addressing this issue now, the raw race issue that we all knew would emerge at some time during this election cycle or the next or the next or the next. The burden of proof rests with America after Wright's indictment. The ball is in our collective court. Will America answer Wright or kick the ball down the road?
I also see this as a challenge to Barack's theme of change. If he is truly represents new thought, then he will not disown Wright as he is being called to do. That would be the conventional act. I feel he has done enough and those who REFUSE too distinguish Barack from Wright, never will. It's their choice.Those who WILL not, will not out of bigotry and no degree of separation is effective.
I have confidence that Barack's campaign will deal with this situation without Barack playing the game, but rather changing the game. I am sure the temptation is great from advisers for a public beheading of Rev. Wright. I am also sure that others know that such a transparent act will be viewed as purely political and make Barack just another politician. In the end, it's his call and he has to live with the consequences.
Will Barack, blood-stained saber in one hand, Wright's severed blood dripping head in the other, really help him? I for one hope we never find out.
April 29, 2008 10:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
There would have been plenty of time to address whatever one wanted starting the Wendnesday after the Tuesday after the first Sunday in November.
April 29, 2008 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
qdog, thanks for explaining your thought in some depth.
to be clear, i _don't_ want the bloody head of the rev. i just want him to chill out for a while and let the discussion roll past him, as it will. he'll still have a platform later.
April 29, 2008 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wright seemed tongue in cheek in using a number of catch phrases. I caught them, but had difficulty reading them as references favorable to Obama. Admittedly, I don't recall him saying Yes, we can. Was it also tongue in cheek, or ironic?
April 28, 2008 11:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's bitter!
April 28, 2008 11:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Like I said, GMan,
you must have been in shock.
April 28, 2008 11:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, q, but I'm capable of figuring out what my reaction was on my own. Should you wish me to tell you what your reaction was, lemme know.
April 28, 2008 11:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
ok, go ahead.
April 28, 2008 11:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did I say I would let you know? That would just be tacky, no?
April 28, 2008 11:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wright's behavior these last couples days completely absolves Obama of any obligations of friendship or loyalty. He needs to decide between Wright or the Presidency and he has to make his choice publicly known very soon.
April 29, 2008 12:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think he needs to follow your schedule there. Use the McCain strategy with the media: keep talking until you bore them to death.
April 28, 2008 11:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
“We can’t bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell them stories that don’t go anywhere. Like that time I took the ferry over to Shelbyville; I needed a new heel for my shoe. So, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on them. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn’t have any white onions, because of the war; the only thing you can get was those big yellow ones.”
April 28, 2008 11:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
When Obama said he'd talked to Wright after the Philadelphia speech, I wondered how that conversation went. If I were in the Obama campaign, I'd dump every penny I had into Indiana and NC and try to get this over with. Figure out what to do about the Wright thing after the convention if it's still hanging around by then.
April 28, 2008 11:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
You should apply for the position of campaign manager.
You seem to be picking up the new national sport, "Fantasy Presidential Campaign".
Chill out, dude!
April 28, 2008 11:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
lol!
April 28, 2008 11:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Billy, agreed, thanks for stopping by.
April 28, 2008 11:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's a very good question, BG. One would almost think that conversation didn't go very well. Dunno what impact an IN loss would have for Obama, but I think your instincts are right looking at it from the other side.
April 28, 2008 11:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yup. And if they're having another conversation now, it's definitely not going very well.
Oh, my aching head.
April 29, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Very funny, but I actually am having a laugh about all this. I hope the Reverend Wright does keep up with his personal appearances. I understand Wright announced Sunday AM where he lost an Honorary Doctorate and Commencement Speaker Invite. I guess he's looking at his book to make up for the lost revenue. The audacity of ...
April 28, 2008 11:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
The audacity of ...
Posted by Marginal Player.
Now THAT's funny!
April 28, 2008 11:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
well, some people don't like playing the dozens. That's all Wright was saying.
He begged the NYT to correct the supposedly "bio" article on Obama in 2007 which attributed false statements on both parties. They rocked his church needlessly for saying what? References to the Bayer controversy? The the Clinton's know nothing about being black? That they'll "screw you" and throw you away like trash?
What about the Bayer controversy?
Haven't the Clinton's screwed over the black vote?
Does Hillary Clinton or many on this board know what it's like to be judged on a daily basis?
April 29, 2008 12:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hill has Bill.
Barack has the Rev.
David had Saul.
April 29, 2008 12:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
David had Goliath
Delilah had Samson.
The Whale had Jonah.
April 29, 2008 1:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
You wanna play the dozens with Biblical duos? It's on.
April 29, 2008 7:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Moses had Pharaoh
Elijah had Baal
Tamara had her father-in-law
Joseph had his brothers
April 29, 2008 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
The rule is has to be mentors who grow jealous of their proteges and then undermine them, like Saul with David, Elijah Mohammed with Malcolm X, Bill with Hillary.
April 29, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the laugh Articleman, it was sorely needed. "Knee-slappin riff on Jack Kennedy's accent"? Priceless. Unfortuantely Rev. Wright has hijacked Obama's platform and now all anyone is talking about is the message of Rev. Wright, not the message of Barack Obama. The timing is excruciating.
April 29, 2008 12:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think we will get through it, but I think the Rev. could help us out, in the ways I've suggested.
Not suggesting the bloody saber, as one commenter said, but we would benefit from the Rev. taking the tour down a notch from here on out.
April 29, 2008 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Another fab post, articleman.
Your 10:00 a.m. Friday May 2nd, event is funny.
The Greta connection is not funny, She was sitting up on the dais when he spoke at the Press Club today. What does that mean? Was she one of the people who invited him?
Oh, BTW, I think you should have him on Regis and Kelly Show. I would be happy to watch the verbose Dr. Wright be overtaken by Kelly Ripa. And how come you have not sent the good Dr. Wright to Glen Beck or Donny Deutsch?
*sigh*
I wish he would stop, already. It was the Q&A today which made me look at him anew.
April 29, 2008 1:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks very much. That Greta fact makes me ill. It reminds me of how Pat Buchanan and Joe Scarborough have discovered the love of Hillary.
Again -- Rev. lovers -- I'm not hating on the Rev., just hating on him making himself the center of the news cycle, because it's hurting Barack.
And cool avatar, btw. The last one was pretty righteous, but this one seems kind of Marie Antoinette.
April 29, 2008 12:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have to call bullshit on this, articleman.
We may disagree about whether or not Wright is right to defend himself (or whether he IS defending himself or whether his statements were offensive etc. etc.) but this travesty of national proportions that shall forever be known as 4/28/2008 can most assuredly be squarely blamed on the media. I am not a violent man but if I were the Supreme Commander of the Universe, I would be looking for a desolate asteroid on which to ship those worthless specimens of wasted protein right now.
Perhaps you think the media already got pilloried enough, though?
April 29, 2008 2:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hi Roo. It wouldn't be a discussion if nobody disagreed, so I respect your call of bullshit.
Here's my response to your specific point. So much of winning an argument -- for gay rights, for the first black President, for anything new that matters -- is framing the argument in terms that you can win.
And the Rev. is the worst frame for our campaign there is. When he was silent, the media were not running him 24-7. My post says he and the media are having a somewhat unhealthy (for Barack) synergy right now. You apparently disagree. I'd rather have Barack win than try to win the unwinnable argument with the heartland about the rightness of the Rev.
The argument the other way is like that Nader guy on this board who doesn't admit that he and his blew the '00 election. He says we just needed to be more truly left and we'd have won. Bullshit on that. Let's win now. While we can. Let's pick fights that get us to 50%. Not this fight, and yes the media sucks, but we have to win in this world, not the next.
Seriously, thanks for arguing.
April 29, 2008 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am diving into TPM with my first ever post just to tell you this is funny. He is everywhere stirring up trouble. Although I do tend to agree with most of what he says. Still, shut up - we're trying to have an election here.
Today I came to the conclusion that this whole media blitz is an act to make it easier for Obama to really distance himself. It is obvious that Obama would not want this, therefore now we know that he and Obama really aren't that close. Then he gets to look tough by ignoring Wright's "distractions" and sticking to the issues. A good cop/bad cop type thing. Not that it will work. And it's just a theory. Probably, you know, he's an egomaniacal crazy man amusing myself with funny voices.
April 29, 2008 2:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is exactly the theory that Keith Olbermann was pushing on Countdown last night with Howard Fineman. In fact by his line of questioning, it is pretty obvious that Keith wants to see this happen.
If you listen to Wright's quote about Obama being politician and him being a pastor and politicians have to do what politicians have to do while pastors have to answer to God, you can see that its a good setup for Obama to officially disavow Rev. Wright.
It could very well be that Rev. Wright is greasing the wheels in order to prep his congregation for Obama complete cut-off from Rev. Wright. While this strategy has many disadvantages such as making Obama look like a panderer, or disloyal to his friends, it also frees up both Obama and Rev. Wright. It finally removes the whole Wright issue off of Obama's table and it allows Wright to go ahead and say whatever he wants to say without it being held up next to Obama's campaign every second.
April 29, 2008 6:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Article,I think this is the best time for this to happen.Obama's got the nomination in the bag and the more moderate voters see the human side of the Rev the less they'll fear voting for Barack in the fall. Obama will never get the racist cracker vote, and the more the Rev is exposed to the public, the less "threatning" he becomes to more open-minded folks. Also,if the media drags this out now it'll be old news in November. I wouldn't be suprised if this was done with Team Obama's approval. Godamn Yes We Can!
April 29, 2008 3:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just a piece of data. My wife's Pilates coach
desperately wants Hillary to win. She also hopes that Obama will agree to run for VP but that is far down the scale compared to her focus on HRC.
She loved Wright's appearance before the National Press club. Even the Q&A , at least his reference to Cheney's lack of military service
April 29, 2008 4:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Articleman, great post. And some much needed comic relief. It's interesting to see the way Wright's self-promotion tour has divided the pro-Obama TPM crowd. I think I agree with bdh/the Christmas poo on this one: if Wright stopped after Bill Moyers I'd feel somewhat differently about the guy. But now I'm siding with Bob Herbert: consciously or not, intentionally or not, Wright is sabotaging Obama's campaign. Because I'm lazy, I'll elaborate on this thought by repeating the comment I left on one of memoryaid's recent blitz of posts:
I had given Wright the benefit of the doubt until these past few days. Now I just want him to go away. I have no qualms with his theology, and he's done a good job building an important church and loving community. However, like a lot of pulpit clergy, he's an egomaniac who loves the sound of his own voice and who lacks introspection. I cannot stand his essentialist pseudo-science (w/r/t "black" and "white" learning styles, that discredited left brain/right brain stuff), his lack of nuance, and his "claiming" of Obama. Wright has been arguing that Obama is just cloaking the his own ideas and perspective in the more genteel language of politics. In addition to being arrogant and just plain wrong, that comment is extremely damaging to Obama's campaign: all it does is confirm right-wingers' fears that Obama is a closet radical-- because that's what Wright himself seems to believe.
Obama needs to go back to the part of his Philly speech where he explained just where he and Rev. Wright part ways philosophically, and he needs to hit those points hard. And then he has to tell that blowhard to take another vacation and stop undermining his messages.
A couple years ago I nearly entered the seminary. There are a number of different reasons why I didn't end up going down that path, but one of the reasons was my disappointment at realizing that self-aggrandizing, performer-type pulpit clergy were the rule and not the exception. And that includes Reverend Wright. I'm disappointed in Wright and worried for the future of the Obama campaign.
April 29, 2008 6:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nicely said, north_aufzoo. I don't buy the hopeful line that this is all going to help Obama in the end. In a world of nuance and critical thinking, maybe Wright helps Obama by playing up the contrast. But the media has done very little to encourage nuance and critical thinking in this campaign. Wright is the wronged-father who is taking it out on the son who doesn't need him anymore. Either his self-interest has blinded his sense of context or (and I fear this is more likely), he's downright intent on making sure Obama pays for his prodigal life in politics. This is Elijah Mohammed taking down Malcolm after the minister began to think for himself.
April 29, 2008 7:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Senor Norte. Barack apparently is in the aufzoo, article camp on this one. Great comment.
April 29, 2008 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks. Keep up the good work, friend.
April 29, 2008 6:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just haven't seen any evidence that Wrights speaking up in his own defense is hurting Barack. My own anecdotal evidence says the opposite.
My mom saw Wright on CSPAN and was blown away. I bet many others of her generation saw the same thing - context to the corporate media caricature of Wright.
I think the blogging community, hard-core Obama supporters in particular, might be making way too much of Wright's media tour. He has a lot of lost ground to make up, lot's of misconceptions to clear up. I suspect that most people who see Wright speak on whatever channel will come away with a deeper understanding of the man than they had previously seen.
I don't see the truth has being any more harmful than the lies that currently exists.
Sorry.
April 29, 2008 9:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
We won't have real evidence until next week, of course, though any slippage in the polls will be attributed to Wright. I greatly admire Wright and have posted several times about how well he did on Moyers' show. But in an election when voters seem to switch to Clinton at the last minute b/c of a new advertisement or a faux scandal about NAFTA, it would be a mistake to underestimate the effect of the National Press Club performance. I really hope I'm wrong on this, but as Billy Glad put it, I think the best thing for Team Obama is to pour everything into next week's contests and try to secure the nomination before the next chapter comes.
April 29, 2008 9:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
I suspect that most people who see Wright speak on whatever channel will come away with a deeper understanding of the man than they had previously seen.
Doubt it. The percentage of people who think Obama is Muslim seems to remain constant no matter how many times Obama talks about his Christianity, for example. Thoughtful people being thoughtful is not today's way of living.
I don't see the truth has being any more harmful than the lies that currently exists.
The problem is that those "lies" have a kernel of truth in them. God damn America wasn't invented out of whole cloth. Moreover the truth strikes different people in different ways. Most of my buddies here in southeast Virginia think that Wright's speech before the National Press Club was condescending and sarcastic -- that is, the clips shown on the news. Clips is all you get these days.
This has hurt Obama so much that Clinton has stopped talking about Wright. She doesn't have to.
Wright reminds America of angry black men. That they are righteously angry doesn't matter. Obama has received threats (hence the early Secret Service entourage), Obama has been insulted viciously -- yet you don't see him get as angry. Anger is justified and effective, but is not a winning strategy after the heavy lifting has been accomplished. Wright will always be remembered for those clips.
(Nice article, articleman.)
April 29, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
You cite the exception as somehow proving your interpretation of the rule. I am sorry, but pointing out that ten percent of the electorate are idiots doesn't prove your point.
April 29, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Jason, there are plenty of examples of urban legends: McCain is pro-choice, H Clinton is a blue collar sort of person, Saddam took part in 9/11, the word moot means things are already decided (beyond debate) when it actually mean debatable.
There's e-mail going around today saying that Jane Fonda caused POW deaths when she visited a POW camp in North Vietnam during the Vietnam war. The woman is over 70!
As was pointed out on the cynic's fave House last night, saying That's the exception that proves the rule is a weak argument.
But back to the point. You wrote "I suspect that most people who see Wright speak on whatever channel will come away with a deeper understanding of the man than they had previously seen." Look what's shown on "whatever channel" about Wright's various speeches, answers, and interviews. You will see, far more than 10% of the time, controversial clips that do not enhance Wright's reputation. Most of us allow, indeed want the media to condense for us. And they do, with two motives: information (occasionally) and profit (mostly).
I admire your optimism. Mine was scrunched out years ago.
April 29, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
And he will be remembered for the damage to Obama and the AA community. That will be the lead in his obit.
He made a bad bet for history and a worse bet with his God.
April 29, 2008 12:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
i'm a huge Obama supporter. african-american, ivy-league educated. if barack doesn't get a handle on wright and reign him in or cut ties with him i will have lost a tremendous amount of respect for Obama.
To me, he is very close to becoming John Kerry. I am starting to see a weakness in him that I never saw before. It pains me to say it but I am losing faith in him by the minute.
He knew this would be a problem. He knew the reverends personality and he chose not to take him head on because he was afraid of the man we saw during the q&a at the press club. That is weakness.
Obama's presidency is in the balance today and I don't think he fully grasps that fact. Perceptions are being solidified. The Reverend just killed the dream.
If Obama does not significantly address the fiasco that was the Press Club appearance by this afternoon. He is finished.
April 29, 2008 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink