GOP Nominee
Former Candidates
Brit Hume and Juan Williams get what Gamecock has gotten for 14 months; what Hannity has gotten for nine months and what more and more Americans are starting to get since the tapes of the sermons Barack Obama’s pastor of the Hate America Church of 20 years went public this past week, i.e.
Barack Obama will not be President of the United States based on what his pew-parked butt has screamed out for the past 20 years and which din still drowns out his cool musings today, and which din can’t be quelled by word games about being present at a particular sermon.
No amount of word games that send republicans scurrying for “proof” he was present at a sermon when a particular hate America phrase was uttered, only to be answered by Obama by saying his child sneezed at the time or that ole Rev just gets on like that at times.
Don’t fall for that.
I can’t hear you over the din of the pew-parked butt, and thank goodness, neither can Brit or Juan.
Relevant portions of the transcript of the March 17, 2008 edition of Fox News Sunday:
HUME: I think it’s a very big deal. And even if you give Barack Obama the benefit of the doubt and accept the idea that not only at the time these remarks were made — and there’s quite a number of them, as you noted — that he didn’t actually physically hear them, it’s hard to imagine he didn’t hear about them. And they are pretty extreme.
And you also noted the reaction inside the congregation of the church. There were people jumping to their feet to cheer this. This is the atmosphere there where such comments are not only accepted but applauded.
And it’s worth noting also, I think, certainly Obama knew what sort of church this is.
Now, I have no doubt that the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago has done many good things. It is clearly a thriving parish with active programs for youth and antidrugs and all sorts of other good things. There’s no doubt about that.
On the other hand, for a candidate who would like us all to believe that he is post-racial, this is an interesting institution. For example, this is what it says about itself. “We are an African people and remain true to our native land, the mother continent, the cradle of civilization.”
And it goes on to say this is a congregation with a, quote, “non- negotiable commitment to Africa,” not to Chicago, not to Illinois, not to the United States of America, but to Africa.
Now, look. There’s nothing wrong with that. And I wouldn’t say it’s racist. But it is certainly racial.
Now for the slam dunk from Juan and Brit.
WALLACE: Juan, let me get to what I think is the key question, because — and this is why I think it’s different than one of the ministers — Hagee, who has supported McCain, but they don’t have any real connection, and has said some horrible things about the Catholic Church.
Obama’s been a member of this church for two decades. He was married there. His children were baptized there. Does it say anything about him that he’s a member of this church and he is a member of Reverend Wright’s flock?
WILLIAMS: Of course it says something about him. And I think this goes back to what Bill was just saying. He joined this church really to solidify his credentials as authentically black and authentically a part of that South Side Chicago community, because it’s the largest church there and Reverend Wright is well known not only in Chicago but nationally.
And he’s known for making these outlandish comments. And he falls into a tradition of black ministers who — you know, they say it’s social gospel, or whatever.
But really, what it comes down to is an expression of black nationalism and trying to affirm black folks and say, “You know what? Racism in this country’s terrible and it’s a burden to be black in America,” and all that. But they go beyond the pale at some point, then, and start off with this whole victimization, blaming people, damning the United States. And it goes to the point, then, where I think it becomes sort of — it picks up and leads to what Michelle Obama said about — only for the first time has she, this Ivy League-educated prominent American lawyer, proud to be an American because you’re having support for her husband.
I think that’s wackiness. But yet that’s the kind of thing that spirals out of this. And I think it’s very key here that, unlike the notion that Barack Obama wants to advance that he didn’t — or wasn’t aware of it, I find that unbelievable — or that this is a crazy uncle speaking out, this is a man who he chose to be associated with.
It’s not a family member. He chose to be associated with Reverend Wright and saw advantage in it. And that’s why he exploited it up to a point when he realized, especially when he was announcing, that he couldn’t have Wright by his side for the announcement in Springfield and now seeks to somehow distance himself.
But it speaks to his character, and it speaks to the judgment which is the basis on which Barack Obama has been running his campaign. So I think it could be a big problem.
WALLACE: Well, wait. I want to follow up on this, because, you know, look. Quite frankly, African Americans see a lot of issues differently than whites.
WILLIAMS: Sure.
WALLACE: And sometimes we don’t understand. What do you think it says about Obama’s character and his judgment?
WILLIAMS: Well, I think that what it says is that Barack Obama, who says he wants to be transracial, that he wants to be the crossover — I mean, he is the fruit of a generation.
This is the closest black people have ever been to having a president of the United States of America. And suddenly, you see — wait a second, he’s playing games and corners here on the race question.
He’s not being straight ahead and saying, “You know what? I stand astride racial polarization.” He’s saying, “I play racial polarization at one moment to my advantage,” Reverent Wright, “the next moment, I will distance myself and disavow Reverend Wright when that’s convenient, too.”
That is why I say for me, it just strikes — wait a second. I want to know you. I want to know what you think and who you are. And in this case, I realize I don’t.
HUME: I think that’s really what the critical question is. We don’t really know Barack Obama very well. And what we know of him and what we’ve seen of him we like, because it’s impossible not to. He’s extremely engaging, charming, likable. There’s nothing about him that reminds you of certain angry politicians of the past. But we don’t know that much about him.
And you see in the comments, as Juan pointed out, of his wife — you see these attitudes toward this country. Now you see them in his minister, who is more than — Bill, I’m not sure he went to that church for political reasons.
I think that Reverend Wright was deeply and personally a part of Barack Obama’s life. And I don’t doubt Barack Obama’s assertion that he led — that he, Reverend Wright, led him to Christ. And I think that’s wonderful.
But it certainly makes it difficult, it seems to me, for him credibly now to distance himself from this man.
Amen Brit, and it makes it not just difficult, impossible for Obama to distance himself from Wright. Glad you and Juan join me in not falling for the bait and switch to search out DNA evidence of Obama, present at an “America is at fault for 911″ homily.
The pew-parked butt answers the questions. Juan Williams has faced these “authentically black” bigots before, when he called out Jesse Jackson on Crossfire in the 90s, defended Clarence Thomas, etc. Shelby Steele speaks of this in his books, as does John McWhorter.
Juan Williams and Gamecock will not be diverted to searching the 1000+ sermons Obama sat thru.
See also Obama’s FIRST book, for his admissions for why he CHOSE Trinity and Wright. It was precisely because of the hate America message.
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
He named his second book for a Wright sermon for God’s sakes!:
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
So as to the effort to expend too much time playing Barack’s game, I say
Objection your honor, asked and answered!
There is no answer Obama can give that can erase the past twenty years.
None.
So let’s not help him achieve his goal by playing his game.
He is toast. So butter him, chew him up and spit him out!
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
“One man with courage makes a majority.” - Andrew Jackson
March 17th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Obama Attended Hate America Sermon
http://newsmax.com/kessler/Obama_hat%20e_America_sermon/2008/03/16/80870.html?s=al&promo_code=9990-1
March 17th, 2008 at 9:59 am
#1 thanks Aron
March 17th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I’d say its about time for Obama to ’suspend’ his campaign and ask his delegates to go with Hillary. I hope he doesn’t, cause he can’t win with this around his neck.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Please Democrats, please nominate Obama, I haven’t seen a GOP landslide in my life and it is about time to have one.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:38 am
No way you’re getting one with Obama and McCain.
http://www.gopcatholics.blogspot.com
March 17th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Juan Williams nails it.
The only thing we can’t know is Barrack’s motives for attending the church. Noone but God can truly know that. We can speculate and draw more or less reasonable conclusions. Was it for “street cred,” networking, his wife, convenience, agreement in theology, charisma of Rev. Wright?
But on the issue of Obama’s disingenuous denial and the fact that he can’t be both post-racial AND exploit racial identity, Juan Williams nailed it.
Kudos to Juan and Gamecock for hammering away on this issue. This can’t go away. This strikes at the very heart of Obama’s judgement, character, honesty, and credibilty.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:24 am
This was one time that I agreed with Juan Williams. I have to give him credit for his strong stand on this.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Obama is taking a BIG hit over this.
From Rasmussen:
“The dialogue about Wright’s controversial comments appears to have had at least a short-term impact on public perceptions of Barack Obama. The Illinois Senator is viewed favorably today by just 47% of voters nationwide . That’s down five points since last Thursday (see recent daily results). The number with an unfavorable view of Obama has risen from 44% on Thursday to 50% today. Among White voters, Obama is now viewed favorably by 43% and unfavorably by 54%.”
and
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows John McCain with a six-percentage point lead over both potential Democratic opponents. McCain currently leads Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton by an identical 48% to 42% margin . McCain has a double-digit lead over Clinton among unaffiliated voters and is essentially even with Obama among those same voters. However, McCain makes greater inroads among Democrats with Obama as the nominee.
McCain has gained ground against both Democrats in recent days as stories about Obama’s former Pastor, Jeremiah Wright, have been widely discussed(see recent daily results). Wright is viewed favorably by just 8% of American voters and 73% consider his comments racially divisive .
http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
March 17th, 2008 at 11:34 am
This hurts Hillary too - - she said she waanted him as his veep.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:35 am
If Obama gets the nomination we could be looking at a 1988-style landslide.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:44 am
“Among White voters, Obama is now viewed favorably by 43% and unfavorably by 54%.”
-Adam’s quote from Rasmussen.
If that does not improve, Obama is toast. You can’t win a nationally election with a -9 favorable among whites. And this is just starting, I think. It will only get worse for Obama.
Right now voters are just digesting the shock of Obama’s mentor’s hate. Wait until they ponder his dishonest (and typically political) reaction as well as what it says about his self-lauded judgement. Right before our eyes, Obama is morphing from post-racial Tiger-Woods-in-wingtips to just another Chicago huckster.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:49 am
MWS,
Right on. It’s actually worse. That’s a -11 favorability rating
Somewhere in Pennsylvania Hillary has got to be smiling. She knows the days of the Obama campaign talking about her high negatives are over.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Adam,
“That’s a -11 favorability rating”
Oops. My NEA-inspired education is showing through again.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:56 am
What I was outraged by, was obama’s initial weak response to all of this. All he said was, I do not agree with “all” of the things the guy said, blah blah blah.
Obama’s true and mysterious colors are surely starting to show.
March 17th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Joe,
“What I was outraged by, was obama’s initial weak response to all of this.”
For me, it’s worse than that. He claims- beyond all bounds of credibility- that he was ***unaware*** of these kinds of remarks. As Juan Williams, Gamecock, and others have eloquently stated, this is just impossible.
That makes Mr. Obama a liar, and gives lie to that carefully crafted media image of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Imagine, Al Sharpton’s racial lens, with Bill Clinton’s honesty. “Change we can believe in.”
Indeed.
March 17th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Forget ads that show a red phone ringing at 3 am, questioning whose judgement you trust.
Show the candidates at 10am on a Sunday morning.
That’s the ad I want to see!!!
March 17th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
#15 - MWS - add to the “Wright Problem” Obama’s Rezko problem. Anyone paying attention knows that he admitted, days ago, that instead of the initial $10-15,000 Rezko donated to his campaign, it is more like $250,000 and the great BHO admitted he had lapses in judgment.
His meteoric rise to national fame is is going down in a flame.
Like a wise friend of mine said once: “The only thing that happens fast is trouble.”
Now I am no fan of McCain, but if anyone can claim to being fully vetted in this race, it is McCain. I think we know pretty much everything we can know about McCain — the good and the bad.
Hillary … well, that’s another story …
March 17th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
#6 Obama confirms Juan’s suggestion of the motive in his first book.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
#16 LOL!!
March 17th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
So if Obama survives this and wins the nomination, would you advise McCain to feature Rev. Wright in an ad(s), along with quotes of praise from Obama?
March 17th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Gamecock,
“Obama confirms Juan’s suggestion of the motive in his first book.”
That’s if you believe him.
March 17th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Beth,
You’re absolutely right (from an old Huckanut to an old Rombot). I haven’t followed the Rezco thing as closely, but being from Illinois, I can tell you it is very difficult for any politician to rise up the ranks in Chicago with a squecky clean record. If New York and Tamminy Hall invented corruption, then Chicago and the Daleys perfected it. A lot of folks in Illinois just shrug, laugh, shake their head, and accept it. It’s the way things work here. Everybody knows it.
March 17th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I think the reason that it took so long for Obama to repudiate the words of his mentor, Rev. Wright is that he agreed with those words.
Only when those videos came out did Obama make a token disclaimer of the remarks of an “uncle” that talks crazy at a party. Only when those video’s became a malstrom did Obama strongly repudiate and try to distance himself from this “uncle”. A person can not sit in a church for 20 years, even in ill-regular attendance and NOT pick up on the hate and racism of this “uncle”. I watched the discourse between two of Obama’s supporters and Bill O’Reilly last week. One even attends this church. Both had the expression of rage on their faces and both were completly in agreement with the comments of this “uncle”. No wonder we still have the race problems when many of them choose to sit in churches that enslave the congregation to this victim mind-set and are always blaiming “the man” ( white race), and never take responsibility for your own choices and actions.
I know that after this I will not seriously look at an african-american canidate unless the kooks declare this person to be an “uncle Tom or a house servant”, maybe then that person will not be enslaved to this horrible mind-set.
I would rather see Hillary as the POTUS than this charletain.
March 17th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Generation Obama? Perhaps Not.
By Bill Kristol
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/opinion/17kristol.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
March 17th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
People will soon chill out about this, as they should. Obama will win the nomination and McCain will lose to him.
March 17th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Andrew,
Why should people “chill out” about Obama’s spiritual mentor being a racist and hate-monger?
Does it bother you in the slightest that perhaps Obama shares some of his spiritual mentor’s most dearly held views? Is that possible?
March 17th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Andrew,
Just because you say it doesn’t make it so. No one outside of the leftwing kook fringe is going to vote for the “Angry Black Man”. If your liberal counterparts that actually have power within your party try to brush this off as nonchalantly as you it’s going to yield disastrous results in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:24 am
#20 McCain wouldn’t have to do anything to beat this lefty. See McGovern, Mondale and Dukakis.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Wow.. I have come to the conclusion that you ALL are a bunch of idiotic out of touch slimeballs who obviously cant think for yourselves. You so-called self-righteous supposedly free thinking losers would rather cut your nose to spite your face and actually vote guaranteeing a repeat of 4 years or more FAILED bushonomic policies than to take a man at his word forgive move on to something that really matters like-THE ECONOMY STUPID PEOPLE!!.
Opinions are like assholes everyone has one. I have some problems with what the good Rev said but He had a right to SAY THEM this is F-ING AMERICA REMEMBER?. MOVE ON ALREADY!!
You SHOULD be this OUTRAGED at the prices we are all paying for a gallon of gasoline, record number of foreclosures/repo’s/ Iraq war/BUSH PRESIDENT OF THE USA etc, etc, THINGS THAT ARE AFFECTING YOU DIRECTLY not this gossip bullshit!
Besides all the good Rev. said was what you, your family and friends say amongst yourselves in your little circle, the Senator just had the COURAGE/BALLS to FORCE YOU HYPOCRITES to admit to it, so dont blame the messenger, but like so many small simple-minded followers, it went over you heads- as usual..,
Before all of you high and mighty- perfect moralist point fingers at proudly at Obama I have a two questions for you fools? How many of you have dared to DISASSOCIATE yourselves from family or friends when they’ve made remarks about race that could be construed as inflammatory? OR better yet, how many of your friends have DISASSOCIATED themselves from YOU when you’ve made dispraging comments about others!! didnt have to think tooo long on that one huh?
So while you’re busy tearing the man down while obviously attempting to somehow elevant yourselves, calling for his head on a platter and having the audacity to insist upon him things that you would NEVER YOURSELVES BE COURAGEOUS ENOUGH TO DO, remember YOUR OWN DAMN IMPERFECTIONS then dare Judge Him. IDIOTS, PLEASE GOD HELP AMERICA-PLEASE!!.
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:36 am
You CONservatives may hate Barack Obama but there’s one thing you can never do–call him an Uncle Tom. What REALLY pisses you off is his refusal to throw Rev. Wright out to the lynch mob and his refusal to ask massa’s forgiveness for being such an Uppity Negro. There is NOTHING on any of the Rev. Wright videos that I haven’t heard before. Many (like 9-11 being some kind of payback) were FIRST uttered by CONservatives. Your smug self-righteousness is the most sickening spectacle I’ve ever witnessed.