Last I checked, we have some serious problems in (and out of) this country: floundering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an economy slowly sliding toward the seventh circle of Hell, a steadily worsening environment, roughly 47 million U.S. citizens without health insurance, and a substantial percentage of the population living below the poverty line, just to name six. But nevertheless, last night Rev. Jeremiah Wright spoke to an NAACP dinner last night in Detroit, MI, and CNN decided that they needed to break in for special coverage and show the entire address.
I have a mixed opinion of Rev. Wright. First of all, I may be desensitized, but the 30-second clips of his that I saw did not throw me into an offended tantrum. Second, I don't believe that those same few 30-second clips can allow me to make an informed decision about a person and a life that has been considerably longer than mine. However, Rev. Wright has decided to reemerge at the worse possible time for Obama, after Obama could have thrown Wright "under the bus" (as they say) when the clips surfaced, but bent over backwards to not do so. So, while I don't think he can be written off simply as a whack-job, I also think that this is a poor way to repay Obama. If he wants Obama to win, he needs to disappear until November 5. And it's also sad that the current state of our national politics makes that so.
As I watched Wright's address to the Detroit chapter of the NAACP last night, my initial thought was, This is the end of the Obama campaign. Some of you may think that that is too cynical, but I disagree. There are countless voters in this country who will not vote for Obama due simply to the fact that Jeremiah Wright scares them (and many of these people also know that the Native Americans welcomed Christopher Columbus with open arms).
No one may want to admit it or agree with it, but this campaign is not only suffering from a racial divide, but also a cultural divide.
As I watched Wright's address to the Detroit chapter of the NAACP last night, my initial thought was, This is the end of the Obama campaign. Some of you may think that that is too cynical, but I disagree. There are countless voters in this country who will not vote for Obama due simply to the fact that Jeremiah Wright scares them (and many of these people also know that the Native Americans welcomed Christopher Columbus with open arms).
No one may want to admit it or agree with it, but this campaign is not only suffering from a racial divide, but also a cultural divide.
1 comment:
Hi Steve
Obama is my guy, and this reverend is really pissing me off. He is simply looking for his 15 mins of fame, now that he's retired he's going to be out there stirring the pot, and helping Obama lose the election. Either he really doesn't want Obama to be elected, or he is ignorant, and I don't think he's ignorant. He certainly isn't protecting his flock, which should be his mission in life.
ANd I just heard how he extolls the virtues of Farrakan, ye gods, that isn't good. What gives with this guy?
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