SubscribeMedia Finally Notices Obama’s Radical Pastor
From a tardy but nevertheless welcome ABC News:
Obama’s Pastor: God Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11
Obama’s Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Has a History of What Even Obama’s Campaign Aides Say Is ‘Inflammatory Rhetoric’
By BRIAN ROSS and REHAB EL-BURI
March 13, 2008—Sen. Barack Obama’s pastor says blacks should not sing “God Bless America” but “God damn America.”
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s pastor for the last 20 years at the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago’s south side, has a long history of what even Obama’s campaign aides concede is “inflammatory rhetoric,” including the assertion that the United States brought on the 9/11 attacks with its own “terrorism.”
In a campaign appearance earlier this month, Sen. Obama said, “I don’t think my church is actually particularly controversial.” He said Rev. Wright “is like an old uncle who says things I don’t always agree with,” telling a Jewish group that everyone has someone like that in their family.
Rev. Wright married Obama and his wife Michelle, baptized their two daughters and is credited by Obama for the title of his book, “The Audacity of Hope.”
An ABC News review of dozens of Rev. Wright’s sermons, offered for sale by the church, found repeated denunciations of the U.S. based on what he described as his reading of the Gospels and the treatment of black Americans.
“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people,” he said in a 2003 sermon. “God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”
In addition to damning America, he told his congregation on the Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001 that the United States had brought on al Qaeda’s attacks because of its own terrorism.
“We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye,” Rev. Wright said in a sermon on Sept. 16, 2001.
“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost,” he told his congregation.
Sen. Obama told the New York Times he was not at the church on the day of Rev. Wright’s 9/11 sermon. “The violence of 9/11 was inexcusable and without justification,” Obama said in a recent interview. “It sounds like he was trying to be provocative,” Obama told the paper.
Rev. Wright, who announced his retirement last month, has built a large and loyal following at his church with his mesmerizing sermons, mixing traditional spiritual content and his views on contemporary issues.
“I wouldn’t call it radical. I call it being black in America,” said one congregation member outside the church last Sunday.
“He has impacted the life of Barack Obama so much so that he wants to portray that feeling he got from Rev. Wright onto the country because we all need something positive,” said another member of the congregation.
Rev. Wright, who declined to be interviewed by ABC News, is considered one of the country’s 10 most influential black pastors, according to members of the Obama campaign.
Obama has praised at least one aspect of Rev. Wright’s approach, referring to his “social gospel” and his focus on Africa,” and I agree with him on that.”
Sen. Obama declined to comment on Rev. Wright’s denunciations of the United States, but a campaign religious adviser, Shaun Casey, appearing on “Good Morning America” Thursday, said Obama “had repudiated” those comments.
In a statement to ABCNews.com, Obama’s press spokesman Bill Burton said, “Sen. Obama has said repeatedly that personal attacks such as this have no place in this campaign or our politics, whether they’re offered from a platform at a rally or the pulpit of a church. Sen. Obama does not think of the pastor of his church in political terms. Like a member of his family, there are things he says with which Sen. Obama deeply disagrees. But now that he is retired, that doesn’t detract from Sen. Obama’s affection for Rev. Wright or his appreciation for the good works he has done.”
It’s nice to see our watchdog media finally getting around to reporting what we have been talking about for more than a year.
But they still try to excuse it by pretending that Mr. Wright is merely the Pastor at Obama’s church.
“Sen. Obama has said repeatedly that personal attacks such as this have no place in this campaign or our politics, whether they’re offered from a platform at a rally or the pulpit of a church. Sen. Obama does not think of the pastor of his church in political terms…“
In truth, we have been assured that Mr. Wright was the most important influence in Mr. Obama’s life. That he was Obama’s “spiritual mentor,” and the reason he joined the church and got into politics.
From a more than year old edition of the Chicago Tribune:
Pastor inspires Obama’s ‘audacity’
By Manya A. Brachear
January 21, 2007When he took over Trinity United Church of Christ in 1972, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. was a maverick pastor with a wardrobe of dashikis and a militant message.
Six years later, he planted a “Free South Africa” sign on the lawn of his church and asked other local religious leaders to follow his lead.
None took him up on the invitation.
The sign stayed until the end of apartheid, – long enough to catch the eye of a young Barack Obama, who visited the church in 1985 as a community activist. Obama, was not a churchgoer at the time, but he found himself returning to the sanctuary of Trinity United. In Wright he had found both a spiritual mentor and a role model…
Obama says that rather than advising him on strategy, Wright helps keep his priorities straight and his moral compass calibrated.
“What I value most about Pastor Wright is not his day-to-day political advice,” Obama said. “He’s much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking as truthfully about what I believe as possible and that I’m not losing myself in some of the hype and hoopla and stress that’s involved in national politics.” …
In his 1993 memoir “Dreams from My Father,” Obama recounts in vivid detail his first meeting with Wright in 1985. The pastor warned the community activist that getting involved with Trinity might turn off other black clergy because of the church’s radical reputation.
When Obama sought his own church community, he felt increasingly at home at Trinity…
Later he would base his 2004 keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention on a Wright sermon called “Audacity to Hope,” –also the inspiration for Obama’s second memoir, “The Audacity of Hope.”
Though Wright and Obama do not often talk one-on-one often, the senator does check with his pastor before making any bold political moves.
Last fall, Obama approached Wright to broach the possibility of running for president. Wright cautioned Obama not to let politics change him, but he also encouraged Obama, win or lose…
Mr. Wright has been Obama’s political inspiration, his moral compass, his sounding board. And yet suddenly the media want to play down the importance of this man in his life.
Please check out the ‘related links’ below to see what the media should have been reporting about our hero long ago.
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18 Responses to “Media Finally Notices Obama’s Radical Pastor”
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March 13th, 2008 at 11:00 am
SG, I hope you are ready for another thread that lasts 4 days before you have to shut it down. As usual, you are ahead of everyone else. I think it’s been a year or so since you’ve raised this issue. Glad to see others are starting to take notice, but I wonder how tough the scrutiny is going to be.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:15 am
It has been incredibly frustrating to see how hard the media has been ignoring this, Zoomie.
As you say we have had the story here for more than a month. The ABC News article even uses our original transcription of Mr. Wright’s “sermon.”
Only Sean Hannity and John Gibson at Fox News had the temerity to address this at all.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
“…and John Gibson at Fox News had the temerity to address this at all.”
Gibson seems to have vanished from Fox News, I’ve noticed. Can’t be low ratings, since his show owned the time slot..might be that someone in their management was upset with his iconoclastic nature…specifically that he actually held the feet of the ‘rats to the fire.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I don’t buy Obama’s excuse, “is like an old uncle who says things I don’t always agree with”. Attending a church for 20 years that preaches this sort of hate for America, let alone what he says about Jews, is just too far. It’s like me attending Nazi rallies on a regular basis and then trying to explain to my Jewish friends that I don’t actually have the same sympathies. Better yet, it’s like John McCain having a 20 year history of attending a Klansman’s church and telling Obama, Rev. Klan married Cindy and I, baptized our children and inspired the title of my book. But I don’t respect his views.
Also, remember this is a so-called reverend saying G** damn America. How can a religious leader excuse himself for even saying G** damn, especially before his congregation?
IMO Hussein is racist, dishonest and I’d even say diabolical (that word certainly fits the Rev. Wright). Our not-so-free media are shameless cowards and more harmful than beneficial to America.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
When do you think he gets to “Love thy neighbor as yourself” part?
March 13th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
RB: Sometime after the “blue eyed devils” part. In Wright’s world (and probably B. Hussein’s, as well), whites are never neighbors, just enemies.
March 13th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I apologise as I did not see that SG was on this - I got the link from Michelle Malkin, which I used in the Obama’s Audacity posting - but was shocked when I read the transcript of it (the vid did not run on my computer) - and that man dares call the white race - racist?!? Takes one to know one I guess.
Sharps you are correct - in He Who Cannot Be Named & Wright’s world the only neighbors are those of the same color (even though my Bibles never used that adjective before the word neighbor) and always will be the ‘one’ to blame for any and all personal failures. . .
And never accepting personal responsibilty for anything in your life, always holding onto anger, hatred and bitterness and hating your own neighbors and country - are the primary reason most of the people Wright is preaching to are still poor, ignorant and racist.
March 14th, 2008 at 1:46 am
A short time ago I watched the rerun of Anderson Cooper’s show from this evening. Unlike Bill O’Reilly, he didn’t have the guts to show Rev. Wright’s sermon stating the US caused HIV in order to get rid of people of color, and other ridiculous statements. All that was shown is the Rev. saying Hillary does’nt know what it’s like to be a black man in a country run by rich white men. Well, that should’t be that controversial- it’s pretty much the truth. The show made it seem that was the worst he’d said. Anderson then went on to totally suck up to Obama, say shouldn’t we be paying attention to the issues, and somehow blame the Clinton camp for all this. I’m really glad O’Reilly ran the clip probably no other TV show will have the nerve. Of course he had good old Dick Morris on, who’s so blinded by his hatred for the Clinton’s that he doesn’t seem to realize if Hillary loses the nomination we’ may be stuck with a commander-in-chief who feels closer to Africa than his own USA and was the most liberal senator. I was so upset by Anderson Cooper’s show’s treatment of the issue that I was yelling at the TV in frustration. My husband had to shush me due to the lateness of the hour.
March 15th, 2008 at 1:01 am
CNN has run an article on Obama’s pastor:
March 15th, 2008 at 11:28 am
The Obamamessia can not seperate himself from this POS Preacher, no matter how hard he tries.
Either he agrees with every thing he said or he was not paying attention in church for over 20 years.
Neither option speaks well of him.
March 15th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I favor Hillary, but would have voted for whoever became the democratic candidate. Unfortunately, I will not vote @ all if Hillary does not become the democratic candidate because I strongly believe that Obama is not who he appears to be. The leader of anyone’s religion who preaches hate towards other backgrounds or races is somehow distorted in their view of the world and anyone who attends church for 20 years and looks up to a man who is suppose to spread love and good will about religion and people has to have a great deal of prejudice of his own. It is different to have guilt of association with a friend. It is quite different to follow your religious beliefs with someone who hates rich white people, Israel and Jewish people, anyone who is not black and was poor at some point in their life. And of course hates the United States of America and continues to blame white people for why an African American is doing poorly in their own lives. We are all responsible for ourselves. We make our own life. Noone does it for us. Sure, some have more obstacles than others, but too much hate within a church - it totally does not sound Kosher. I don’t care that this Pastor resigned from Obama’s campaign. I question Obama’s true feelings about people of all backgrounds. I don’t think there is anything Obama can say to get rid of these bad feelings I have about who he really might be. He certainly is not compassionate for other people if he looked up to a religious figure as such, for over 20 years. I would not continue attending my place of worship if my Rabbi talked in such distaste and hate. In fact my Rabbi, who has talked about the Palestine people, never put them down or asked us to hate them because of all the fighting that goes on day to day in Israel. I hope Hillary pulls through and becomes the nominee because I have been voting for over 25 years. I never not voted, but I can’t possibly vote for Obama any more.
March 15th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Jillian - I’m curious why you favor Hillary. Truthfully, there’s no one in this campaign I really want to vote for, but I’ll end up voting for McCain because I think he’s the candidate least likely to damage the country irrevocably. Hillary’s announced spending will run billions over the currently bloated Federal budget, and her only response is that it’ll be paid for by rolling back Bush’s “tax cuts for the wealthy”. From what I’ve seen in Congress the past few days, apparently I’m wealthy, as I make over $31K and they’re going to add 3% to my tax bill.
So, again - why do you think Hillary will make a good president?
March 15th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
From Dave2882″s above linked article;
Hmmm, stealing a line from Ward “Big Chief” Churchill is he? America haters are oh so original in thought.
March 15th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
“America’s chickens are coming home to roost.”
Hmmm, stealing a line from Ward “Big Chief” Churchill is he?
+++++
If Mr. Churchill said it, he was (also) stealing from Malcolm X.
For that is what Mr. X famously said about the assassination of John Kennedy.
malcolm x - speeches > god’s judgement of white america (the chickens come home to roost)
http://www.malcolm-x.org/speeches/spc_120463.htm
March 15th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Yup, looks like Churchill “borrowed” it from Malcom X too;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O.....g_Chickens
America hating socialists are a species unto themselves, perpetuated by the same hateful thought process.
S&L does make you smarter, thanks SG.
March 15th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
SG; ……”(the chickens come home to roost)…..”
Or he even might have taken this from my mom and dad. :o}
The truth is, his mind is fertile with inanities. He will say any outrageous thing, at any time as long as the end result is incitement to whatever emotion-of-the-week he desires. What he espouses is certainly not Christain no matter how lamely he attempts to rationalize it by quoting “chapter and verse”.
March 15th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
It’s been reported that Malcolm X’s autobiography (written by the plagiarist Alex Haley) was Obama’s favorite book as a youth.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I think it is good and healthy that Obama’s pastor and his radical faith that has at least some political roots is drawing attention by the mainline media.
Imagine the attention and time the media would have already spent on either John McCain or Hillary Clinton IF they were a long standing member at a all WHITE church with an all WHITE purpose statement AND they were counseled, quoted and “looked up to” David Duke…
I find the bias in the media so obvious here…rather embarrassing actually.