Barack Obama: Dunderhead or Racist - You Make the Call
Barack Obama’s pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ is getting a lot of press these days for his racist/racy remarks from the pulpit. A few in the black community have even been defending his remarks saying that “white” people don’t understand “black” churches. I’ve attended “black” churches and other than awesome singing and a willingness to show their passion for Jesus Christ with displays of dancing and rejoicing, I can’t say there was much difference from the “white” churches I’ve attended. Not to mention I’ve attended a few “white” churches that have awesome music and dancing too. But regardless of the racial makeup sitting on the pews the message remains the same. Christianity is Christianity regardless of what color you are. Barak Obama has sat under Rev. Wright’s leadership for twenty years, was brought into the fold by Rev. Wright, was married by Rev. Wright, had his children baptized by Rev. Wright, named his book after a sermon given by Rev. Wright, and now we are to believe that he doesn’t know the theology of his spiritual mentor? Whether Barak Obama knew or didn’t know he is not fit to be President of the United States. If he didn’t know than he is a complete dunderhead which rules him out to be the President. If he did know than he is a racist which also rules him out to be the President. I’m more inclined to go with the latter. He knew and his wife has been espousing her anti-America rhetoric out on the campaign trail, it’s no coincidence. If you are propagandized for twenty years some of it’s bound to rub off. If you are inclined to take his side and say that he didn’t know than in essence you are saying that he is a dolt, a man who is unable to ascertain the character of a man that he has known for twenty years.
Do you really want someone that dense to be the next President? If you answer yes, I say heaven help us all!
Sphere: Related ContentTags: 2008 Elections, Barack Obama, Democrat Hypocrisy, Democrat Party, Liberal Hypocrisy, Obama, U.S. Senate
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From the Chicago Tribute after exhaustive interviews with Obama: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0316edit1mar16,0,745313.story
“When we endorsed Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination Jan. 27, we said we had formed our opinions of him during 12 years of scrutiny. We concluded that the professional judgment and personal decency with which he has managed himself and his ambition distinguish him.
Nothing Obama said in our editorial board room Friday diminishes that verdict.”
The Obama I know: Terrific listener goes wherever reason takes him http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0314obamamar14,0,7185898.story
“This was a pretty amazing conversation, not only because of Obama’s mastery of the legal details, but also because many prominent Democratic leaders had already blasted the Bush initiative as blatantly illegal. He did not want to take a public position until he had listened to, and explored, what might be said on the other side.
This is the Barack Obama I have known for nearly 15 years — a careful and evenhanded analyst of law and policy, unusually attentive to multiple points of view.
The University of Chicago Law School is by far the most conservative of the great American law schools. It helped to provide the academic foundations for many positions of the Reagan administration.
But at the University of Chicago, Obama is liked and admired by both Republicans and Democrats. Some local Reagan enthusiasts are Obama supporters. Why? It doesn’t hurt that he’s a great guy, with a personal touch and a lot of warmth. It certainly helps that he is exceptionally able.
But niceness and ability are only part of the story. Obama has a genuinely independent mind, he’s a terrific listener and he goes wherever reason takes him.
17 Mar 08 at 4:57 pm
Why does it matter what his pastor said? Did he say those things? No! if he did then he would have a problem. But he didn’t! Now, can u explain to me if a person DOESN’T make racist remarks, how can they be RACIST? What exactly did he say that was racist? [The pastor] Do you have evidence that Hillary knows how it feels to be called a nigger? If your answer is no, then shut up! This is about nothing!!!!!!!! This man has run a very smart, comprehensive and staggering campaign… And this is the BEST you got against him!!!!!!!!!! It’s over, Hillary’s done!!!!!!
17 Mar 08 at 5:56 pm
He is both a dunderhead and a racist. A dunderhead for thinking the average American (white male) will look past this and support him. A racist for allowing this bigot, Mr. Wright, to spew such hatred without shame.
17 Mar 08 at 6:58 pm
Mike, you miss the entire point. Given that Obama has a rather thin legislative record, he’s been running on the idea that his judgement is superior to the other candidates. He also has made the claim that he’s beyong partisan politics- as sort of new age, if you will. Within the last week or so, we find that one of his chief economic advisors told the Canadian government that Obama’s anti-NAFTA speeches was merely campaign rhetoric, one of his chief foriegn policy advisors (and someone he actively recruited) has a history of pro-Palestinian (and anti-Jewish) writings. She incidentally said much the same thing about Obama’s foreign policy positions while on a European tour. Now, we find that Tony Rzeko was a much more signifiant fundraiser for Obama than previously stated, and Obama’s pastor has made some very controversial sermons. The pastor matters because Obama chose to join this church. He chose to stay as a member. He chose this pastor to marry him and to baptize his children. After being a member for so long, it’s inevitable that he was aware of some of the outlandish statements made by Rev. Wright. If these are the type of people Obama surrounds himself with, then it calls into question his judgement- the very currency he’s been trading. Either Obama knew about the pastor’s positions and is OK with these ideas (which might explain some of the things Michelle Obama has said), or he joined this particular church out of a mere sense of opportunity. This means he either shares some of the radical sentiments of the pastor and has bad judgement, of he’s a political opportunist. Whichever one you choose, Obama ends up being none of what he’s claimed.
17 Mar 08 at 7:02 pm
OBAMA IS A RACIST~~ RACIST RACIST BASTARD~
17 Mar 08 at 7:19 pm
Mike wrote:
“Why does it matter what his pastor said? Did he say those things? No! if he did then he would have a problem. ”
—
Mike, That’s like saying that someone who attended KKK meetings for twenty years, but never made a public racist statement isn’t a racist. Obama attended that church for twenty years because those are his beliefs, whether he stated them aloud or not is irrelevant.
17 Mar 08 at 7:34 pm
Every person that ever served in the defense of this country should be outraged at this persons remarks and at Obama for defending him, this stuff is totaly unamerican I did not serve in combat but I did serve and everybody new they could trust me to do my job. Obama by his on admission Has showen a total lack of judgement on this matter that has gone on for years. Vets. you heard what his good friend the pastor had to say about our country and one can only assume Obama goes along with it seeing the fact that he did not part his ways with the pastor the guy is sicking. Judgement and trust two things you need to become the head of this country and move it in the right direction YOU CANNOT LEAD UNTILL YOU KNOW HOW TO FOLLOW I”m afraid senator you have neither the Judgement nor my trust this is a hell of a big job you want and you are not up yo the job.
17 Mar 08 at 7:37 pm
Obama,and his church, well it is racist!and i don’t for a minute think he hasn’t sat there nodding his head while everyone cheered. what disturbes me most is that the church is rationalising this. saying churches can say what they want. okay. but not if you are runing for the presidency and you are supposed to represent everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! plus what gives you the right to be racist and call hillary names and not have to apoligize and anyone who is white has to watch every word that is said so no way can it be interrped as racial. you can’t cry racisim all the time if you are growing up and listening to it and you feel it is right against other colors and religions . obama says you are the chosen people well last time i was in church everyone was equal in gods eyes. there is so many black churches that are great examples of true christians the singing , the gospel , the love there is wonderful not hateful like rev. wright. sometimes when i hear these people from obamas church crying out racisnm against there pastor i shake my head. You have been brought up into the church heard this filth, and you have become numb thinking this is normal . this is what has happened with obama everybody got caught up in the speeches and orator of obama and all their chanting yes we can but it was all an illusion .
17 Mar 08 at 7:39 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obamas-minister-committe_b_91774.html
News Flash: Reverend Wright’s Christianity isn’t the Right kind.
Now that the Right-Wing knows that Senator Obama is likely a Christian (although I’m sure there are those who are reluctant to part with his being a Muslim), maybe it’s now time to suggest that Reverend Wright is the wrong kind of Christian leader as opposed to Francis Schaeffer (link above) who was the Right kind of Christian leader for several U.S. presidents.
Seems that it’s okay for religious leaders to condemn America, and even call for insurrection, as long as those leaders are the Right kind of Christian leaders.
For instance, condemning America for bigotry and injustice against Blacks and gays is very wrong. No way that could be tolerated. It’s (of course) unpatriotic. It just isn’t Right.
On the other hand, condemning America for the existence of homosexuality and for being like Hitler and like Russia is very Right. Anti-Catholicism is very Right. Racism is very Right.
When it comes to what some Christian preachers preach, there’s the Right way or the highway.
The Right-Wing is totally hypocritical for its smearing of Reverend Wright and its false claims that Senator Obama is guilty by association. Ironically, the Right-Wing’s hypocrisy contributes to the bigotry and injustice that Reverend Wright is yelling about.
For an historical prospective, read http://www.hnn.us/articles/48444.html.
17 Mar 08 at 8:27 pm
Racist via his support of Wright. Dunderhead to think he we would not find out.
17 Mar 08 at 8:50 pm
Does going to a Catholic church where the priest happens to be a pedophile make everybody at the church a pedophile?
Shall I also go into how a lot of what Pastor Wright says is, well, right? Racism aside, the man has made some good point. Points that anybody with half a brain would agree with, even if they are hard to hear.
17 Mar 08 at 9:21 pm
Dunderhead for sure…at least in his political judgement…he has definetely been a member of a racist church for many years, as to his personal views I don’t know….his wife seems to be a little more open about her true leanings and has most certainly bought in to the “whites owe me” philosophy…the one thing I’m sure of now is that Barrack Obama is a liar and probably a hack politician opportunist…no way he didn’t know what his pastor stood for and the kinds of inflamatory things he says…it’s probably one of the reasons he went there in the first place…he needed it to legitamize his standing in the black community where he got his start…now that he doesn’t he seems ready to throw his preacher and congregation under the bus…but wait….he still needs them so he’s backing off on his condemnation of the pastor and he and the church are now blaming the media…what a circus….yeah definetely a Dunderhead!!
17 Mar 08 at 9:28 pm
Evan wrote: Does going to a Catholic church where the priest is a pedophile make everyone in the church a pedphile?
If they knew he was a pedophile and continued to support him and look to him as a spiritual leader it would still not make them a pedophile, but it would make them unqualified to become POTUS. Duh.
17 Mar 08 at 9:56 pm
Evan,
What an absurd comparison. If the priest were to stand in front of the congregation and espouse his views on pedophilia I doubt they would nod in agreement and cheer him on. More likely he would be gone before he finished the sermon.
In this case Wright’s congregation cheered on his racist rants, and obviously you do too. As to his being right, about what? HIV being made by the US Government to kill blacks? Real believable there. And the rest of his tirades are about as rationally thought out. So please explain how he is right.
17 Mar 08 at 10:02 pm
I don’t think white Americans need to worry about him being anti-white or anti-American. Obama wrote a whole book about transcending racial hatred, revenge, and divisiveness. That is what his campaign is about. I think we can accept that is what he believes. He was raised by a white mother and white grandparents. He credits his mom as the most influential in his life. He grew up in multicultural Hawaii. How racist can he be? Obama thinks our current policies are wrong-headed, but that is not anti-American. I happen to agree with him. Obama has made it clear (now and in the past) that he has significant disagreements with his pastor. I don’t know why he stayed in Trinity Church, but there are many possible reasons. Tomorrow (3/18) Obama needs to give us a plausible explanation. If he does, then we need to move on.
17 Mar 08 at 10:17 pm
A) It is absolutely not an absurd comparison. What a person does is exactly that, what THEY do. If I have a brain, and think for myself, the actions and beliefs of my associates do NOT represent me.
B) Do we know whether or not Obama “nodded in agreement and cheered him on?” Just because he attended a particular church doesn’t mean that he followed every viewpoint blindly. Talk to any honest person of faith and ask them if they believe EVERY SINGLE THING that their pastor/priest/whatever preaches to them. None of them do. If they did it would be called a cult. I am a practicing Catholic and am “liberal.” How does that work? Just because I attend Catholic church doesn’t mean I hate gay people. It doesn’t mean I am anti-abortion, or any number of other things. I can attend a church and not eat up every single thing they teach because I have a brain, am well-educated, and can think for myself.
C) By claiming that I must be a racist because I agree with some of the things Wright said is ignorant and immature at best. He is right in that the past actions of the U.S. caused the hate that prompted the events of 9/11. He is right that the majority of middle-eastern countries hate us because we are friends with Israel (a country that is anything but perfect). He is right that our country participates in the exact same acts of terrorism, war-mongering, torture, etc. that our government decries. And above all he is right that because of these things, things which the Bible says are very wrong, God may not be in the mood to “bless” us anymore. Our country is not always right, is not always perfect, and sometimes it takes somebody with some balls to say these things.
Moral of the story: Blind faith and blind patriotism can be, and usually are, very bad things. People should think for themselves, and I’m quite sure that Obama can and does.
17 Mar 08 at 10:28 pm
“I attended that church for 20 years, and I did not inhale”
Just how dumb does Obama think we are? Why did Obama give $22,000 to a church that preaches a message like what Wright preaches? Why did Obama have Wright come and dedicate his new mansion? Why did Obama have a private prayer session with Wright right before announcining his candidacy? And if Obama never heard these sermons, then why did Obama have peripheral quotes from one of the race baiting sermons in his latest book? Quotes that he says he heard first hand?
The gullibility of some people is amazing.
Obama is either dishonest, lacks judgment or both. Either way he is not fit to become President.
17 Mar 08 at 10:35 pm
Evan, Obama is now trying to say that he had no idea that Rev. Wright was saying such ridiuculous things. It defies logic to think that he was a member of a church for 20 years and had no idea. And yes, if he didn’t question what was being said, then he tacitly agreed. He could have changed churches if he disagreed. He could have spoken to the pastor if he disagreed. He did neither. And your comparison to a pedophilic priest is ridiculous as well. If a parishoner had no idea that the priest was a pedophile (i.e he hid it from public view), that it’s absurd to say that a parishoner condoned or agreed that pedophilia is OK. The comparison only holds if the parishoner knew about the transgression and looked the othr way- much like what Obama did with these sermons. Finally, to say that rev. Wright is right is plain stupid. He’s right to say we invented the HIV virus to wipe out blacks? That we planted drugs in black communities to get rid of blacks? That people should say God damn America instead of God Bless America? That America is comparable the KKK? If you’re going to say that he’s accurate in saying these things, that he’s somehow “courageous” and “truthful”, then you’ve frittered away any seriousness your argument may have had.
17 Mar 08 at 10:43 pm
People, dont be fooled. There are still ‘deep-seated’ racial prejudices in America, and no amount of band-aiding will close the chasm. The experiences that Blacks faced in a predominantly ‘white’ country during the 1950’s, 1960’s and the 1980’s was obviously an era of a lot of racial discrimination, hurt, frustrations and anger….and to this day it continues. Racism is alive and well in the 21st century, and I wonder, which race suffers the most from ‘racial discrimination ???
Get back to the issue of building ‘HOPE and ‘Vision’ for our future generation, so that they can endure some ‘love, joy, peace, happiness, prosperity and unity. This is the only way the world can ever be at peace.
Enough of the ‘HATE’ talk ! STOP IT !!
18 Mar 08 at 12:46 am
Not 1980’s, but 1970’s.
18 Mar 08 at 12:48 am
” i will stand with the muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction “. this is a quote from obamas book the audacity of hope.
18 Mar 08 at 9:16 am
Obama is a Dunderhead. I do not know if he is a racist, but one thing that is clear to me as a future voter is Obama’s very poor judgment in this entire matter. Why did he have “Uncle Jeremiah” serving on his campaign? How would Rev. Wright influence his presidency if, as Obama asserts, he never makes a major decision without first consulting him? How much influence has Wright’s invective had on forming Obama’s views? On top of this, Right Truth reported that Obama had Nation of Islam people working for him in Chicago and saw nothing inappropriate about that. Here is the link to that explosive story and if the MSM has the guts to expose it, Obama will never be elected President of the United States. http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2008/03/obamas-nation-o.html. I, for one, have had enough of Obamania. No way do I think he is ready for the highest office in the land, so this voter is running to Sen. McCain with cash and vote in hand.
18 Mar 08 at 9:29 am
For me the problem is less the racist view. But the virulent Anti-Americanism. How can somebody belong to and attend consistently and not have a clue about what is going on? He is either clueless (not having a clue what the minister said), spineless (knowing but not willing to do a thing about it) or anti-American.
18 Mar 08 at 9:29 am
That Rev Wright sure can spew some hateful verbiage. Really gets worked up about the past and probably rightfully so. But the past IS just that, the past. Join the NOW, join and embrace the country you are in NOW. Make a difference by contributing, not whining and hatefully attaching yourself to the past. I am not responsible for the horrific slavery issues of the past, and truly wish that it had never happened. Some side notes:I think it was fellow Africans who actually trudged through the African back country catching fellow Africans for sale to white slave traders. Where would Oprah Winfrey and Barak Obama be today if there had been no slavery?? On a real stupid side note (this whole issue is stupidity), where would professional sports be in the U.S. had there been no slavery, and do you think they caught the fastest most clever ones?
Anyhow, I really prefer to think of the Reverend Martin Luther’s ….”Someday we will judge people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.”
Senator Obama has certainly shown a strange kind of character of judgement with some of the folks he has surrounded himself with for many years. His Momma probably told him to be careful of the friends and associates he keeps, my momma told me and I have so informed my own kids.
I have a question to those much more informed….Did Barak Obama grow up in black neighborhoods, and how did he overcome so much oppression and attend and graduate so highly the premier schools he attended.
18 Mar 08 at 11:06 am
No way did this man attend Rev. Wright’s church and not know exactly what Rev. Wright and the entire congregation believed/believe. None of Rev. Wright’s statements were a surprise to any of those folks in the congregation. I didn’t see any looks of shock and disbelief, but rather clapping, dancing, laughter and patting the Rev. on the back. Sorry Obama, this doesn’t fly. He has been supporting this church with his tithes and offerings for twenty years. More importantly he has entrusted the spiritual guidance of his children to this man and this congregation of bigots. No way would he support this church financially or allow his children to hear this rot if he and his wife (whose statements line up with the Rev.’s views as well) were not in agreement with the Rev. and congregations views.
18 Mar 08 at 1:30 pm
Never mind, wikipedia answered my question about Senator Obama’s early years…..
Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (born in Nyangoma-Kogelo, Bondo District, Nyanza Province, Kenya,[8] of Luo ethnicity) and Ann Dunham (born in Wichita, Kansas).[9] Throughout his early years, he was commonly known at home and school as “Barry”.[10] Obama’s parents met while both were attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student.[11] They separated when he was two years old and later divorced.[12] His father received a Masters Degree in Economics from Harvard University, then returned to Kenya, where he became a finance minister before dying in an automobile accident in 1982.[13][14] His mother married another foreign student, Lolo Soetoro, and the family moved to Soetoro’s home country of Indonesia in 1967.[15] Obama attended local schools in Jakarta, from ages 6 to 10, where classes were taught in Bahasa, the language of Indonesia and Malaysia. He first attended Fransiskus Assisis school for almost three years, where he was taught the Catholic catechism, although he was registered by his family as a Muslim, the religion of his father.[16] When his family moved to a new neighborhood, he attended the secular, government-run SDN Menteng 1 school to complete the third and fourth grades.[17][18] Being registered as a Muslim here meant he studied Islam for two hours each week.[19] Although Obama was twice registered under his father’s Muslim identity, Obama’s stepfather was “not religious”, and “never went to prayer services except for big communal events”, according to Obama’s sister, Maya Soetoro.[19] Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents while attending Punahou School, a private college preparatory school, from the fifth grade until his graduation in 1979.[20] Obama’s mother, Ann, died of ovarian cancer and uterine cancer a few months after the publication of his 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father.[21]
In the memoir, Obama describes his experiences growing up in his mother’s American middle class family. His knowledge about his African father, who returned once for a brief visit in 1971, came mainly through family stories and photographs.[14] Of his early childhood, Obama writes: “That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind.”[22] The book describes his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage.[23] He wrote that he used alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his teenage years to “push questions of who I was out of my mind”.[24] Reflecting later on his formative years in Honolulu, Obama wrote: “The opportunity that Hawaii offered—to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect—became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear.”[25]
After high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles, where he studied at Occidental College for two years.[26] He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations.[27] Obama received his Bachelor of Arts in 1983, then worked at Business International Corporation and New York Public Interest Research Group before moving to Chicago to take a job as a community organizer.[28] As the $13,000 a year Director of the Developing Communities Project,[29] a faith-based community-organizing agency on Chicago’s far south side, funded by an arm of the Catholic Church and overseen by a coalition of black churches,[30] he worked with the low-income residents of Chicago’s Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development to counteract the dislocation and massive unemployment caused by the closing and downsizing of southeast Chicago steel plants. [31][32][33][34] Obama has called this experience “the best education I ever had” and cites it as one of the reasons he would make a good president.[35]
Concluding that community organizing was not effective enough to solve major domestic problems,[36] Obama applied to Harvard Law School, which he entered in 1988.[37] In 1990 Obama was first black in the 104-year history of the Harvard Law Review to be elected president of the independent student group responsible for the journal.[13] He completed his J.D. degree magna cum laude in 1991.[38][dead link] The president of the Harvard Law Review usually goes on to serve as a clerk for a judge on the Federal Court of Appeals for a year, and then as a clerk for an associate justice of the Supreme Court.[13] Instead Obama returned to Chicago to direct a voter registration drive that resulted in voter registration in Chicago’s 19 predominantly black wards outnumbering those in the city’s 19 predominantly white ethnic wards for the first time in Chicago’s history, and by a substantial 676,000 to 526,000. More than half a million blacks went to the polls in Chicago, and Chicago magazine hailed Obama as “a new political star”.[39]
As an associate attorney with Miner, Barnhill & Galland from 1993 to 1996, he represented community organizers, discrimination claims, and voting rights cases.[40] He was a lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.[4
…………………………………………….
Interesting that he wrote that in his formative years, living with a causasian mom in a multicultural environment in that noted hellhole (sarcasm)…Hawaii…attending Punahou (private College prep school, $$$$$$), etc. He noted that he lived in a culture of mutual respect. That sure does not sound like any acvice I have seen from Rev. Wright,…. mutual respect of non-blacks.
18 Mar 08 at 1:39 pm
What is wrong with you people, Sen. Obama a racist? Basically you are saying the only way he could have put this behind him is, “throw the pastor under the bus.” First of all, all of you who believe this must have NEVER read a bible, EVER! You never follow man, you follow GOD! The reason you never follow man is because man will disappoint you, fail, fall short, lie, die or whatever! If you have a disagreement with a pastor yes can leave, but this is a personal choice…Let’s be honest if you always left because you did not agree with the pastor, then you would probably never go to church! But it is not about his pastor, it is about his personal relationship with GOD! Rev. Wright can’t save his soul, for him to go to heaven. In my humble opinion, you don’t leave the church…Because he did not go to that church entirely because Rev. Wright, it is about worshiping God….And I’ll end it with this, if he said he did not agree with him, denounced, and rejected what he said, WHAT ELSE CAN HE DO? If you leave the church it is because you are following man not God………….
18 Mar 08 at 9:32 pm
I’ll go with both - and Mike - you’re a dumbass - if the priest at my church said he hated black, white, yellow or brown people I’d go to church down the street.
19 Mar 08 at 1:50 pm