SubscribeObama: Wright Not Racist, But Grandmom Is
From Mr. Obama’s defense today of the Reverend Doctor Wright:
And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions – the good and the bad – of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.
I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.
These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.
“[H]er fear of black men who passed by her on the street”?
That’s not how the incident is described in Mr. Obama’s first autobiography, “Dreams From My Father,” p 46:
I took her into the other room and asked her what had happened.
“A man asked me for money yesterday. While I was waiting for the bus.”
“That’s all?”
Her lips pursed with irritation. “He was very aggressive, Barry. Very aggressive. I gave him a dollar and he kept asking. If the bus hadn’t come, I think he might have hit me over the head.”
I returned to the kitchen. Gramps was rinsing his cup, his back turned to me. “Listen,” I said, “why don’t you just let me give her a ride. She seems pretty upset.”
“By a panhandler?”
“Yeah, I know — but it’s probably a little scary for her, seeing some big man block her way. It’s really no big deal.”
He turned around and I saw now that he was shaking. “It is a big deal. It’s a big deal to me. She’s been bothered by men before. You know why she’s so scared this time? I’ll tell you why. Before you came in, she told me the fella was black.” He whispered the word. “That’s the real reason why she’s bothered. And I just don’t think that’s right.”
The words were like a fist in my stomach, and I wobbled to regain my composure. In my steadiest voice, I told him that such an attitude bothered me, too, but assured him that Toot’s fears would pass and that we should give her a ride in the meantime. Gramps slumped into a chair in the living room and said he was sorry he had told me. Before my eyes, he grew small and old and very sad. I put my hand on his shoulder and told him that it was all right, I understood.
We remained like that for several minutes, in painful silence. Finally he insisted that he drive Toot after all, and struggled up from his seat to get dressed. After they left, I sat on the edge of my bed and thought about my grandparents. They had sacrificed again and again for me. They had poured all their lingering hopes into my success. Never had they given me reason to doubt their love; I doubted if they ever would. And yet I knew that men who might easily have been my brothers could still inspire their rawest fears.
This is a weird anecdote on several levels. At the very least it is hard to see how Mrs. Dunham’s fears were not justified.
Moreover, Obama puts the charge of racism in the mouth of his now deceased grandfather, who in the book seemed to delight in discovering racism in everyone.
Meanwhile, his grandmother is being carefully sequestered from the media.
But isn’t it amazing that Mr. Obama is happy to call his sainted grandmother who raised him a racist, but he still can’t bring himself to say that Mr. Wright is one?
Weren’t Mr. Wright’s racist comments also “a fist in his stomach”? Isn’t Mr. Obama half white?
Isn’t he an American?
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20 Responses to “Obama: Wright Not Racist, But Grandmom Is”
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
If Woody Allen ever does a remake of Zelig, maybe Obama should get the lead role.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
From BHO’s above description of “Grandma’s” incident, I don’t see a racist implication, only a woman intimidated by some free-loader much larger than her who coincidently, happened to be black. She had every right to be afraid. Now, perhaps, we may not be privy to all the details but it appears to me that BHO is the one blowing this up into some kind of racist mentality by his grandparents.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
All I can say is that anyone who thinks that ill of his kin is a reprehensible human being.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
So his grandmother went to great pains to not tell Barry that the man who was trying to intimidate her was black, but his grandfather, who loved this half black child with everything in his being, would be so insensitive as to tell him that the panhandler was black in a way that would insult Obama? Somehow, I don’t think we are getting the rest of the story. But never mind, that event reduced his grandfather, who was willing to love him and raise him when his own mother was too busy with her own life to do so, to be old, sad and most of all, small? How convenient it is that his grandparents are no longer on this earth to give the rest of the story or to dispute the honesty in it’s telling.
Time after time, Obama has expressed that his ties to the family of his womanizing, drunken, absent and irresponsible father seems to be closer to his soul than the white family, originally from Kansas, that raised him.
Obama has been trying to tell us that this race is not about racial differences. Yet today, he made his stand beside a racist, hatefilled pastor to protect his street cred. Today, Obama slapped the race card down on the podium with a thud and now wants us to accept that if we are not black we cannot possibly understand the plight of most Americans who have never known segregated schools, separate water fountains, poll taxes designed to prevent blacks from voting. He mentions those of us who are the decendants of immigrants who feel that no one, not the evil rich man or the government gave us anything. He does not mention that the Irish, who experienced such bigotry due to their religion, made their mark in less than two generations without the help of affirmative action and set-asides, welfare checks and public housing. He doesn’t mention that while the black man had been given the vote, Amerindians were not even considered citizens. Nor does he mentions that it was years before women could vote. The struggle against bigotry is not an exclusive black historical event, no matter how Obama wants to indicate that it is.
I was insulted (yes, INSULTED) when he indicated that the hate speech of Rev. Wright could [in his opinion] be found in other churches, parishes and synagogues. How the hell would he know? Is he telling us that because there might be those rare instances of hate speech and bigotry in other faiths, it excuses the remarks of a pastor that, in his words, has been family to him?
Once again, Obama is projecting the hate filled words of his pastor on others. He, like others, is excusing the rhetoric because we cannot possibly understand where he, and those of the race of his father, are coming from.
His speech was insulting and divisive. He did nothing to improve race relations in this nation. He only created a divide that is wider today than it was yesterday. And all the while he has been denying that he was never in attendance when Wright was spewing his filth, today he admits he was. Now are we to believe that his relationship with Tony Rezko was as he claims it was, or will we learn that that relationship, as with Rev. Wright, was much closer than he was willing to admit so he basically has lied about it.
Sorry, Obama, but for any of us who don’t suffer from “white guilt”, you just don’t get it.
Didn’t Obama just give a speech “Just Words” where he said “Yes, Hillary, words have meaning”?
Yes, Senator Obama, words have meaning.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
My mother refers to blacks as Them (it bothers the heck out of my youngest daughter - I would love to tell her that is a vast improvement over what she called blacks back in the day - but I am working not to destroy what little relationship there is between the generations before my mother passes [she will be 92 this year]) - yet my mother and father did more for black people than I have ever seen any of my few liberal friends (not to mention the vast majority of blacks I know) - even to the point of taking in some friends two children during race riots (summer of ‘68 - you know peace, love and understanding - instead of War). . .
The statement today is just so much like fiberals today - each new day is a new slate onto which we write whatever damn story, life or position we feel will get us further ahead - and whatever we said, did or stood for in the past - is just that, in the past.
What a crock.
Sharps - even more reprehensible - these particular Grandparents are the only two people who stood by He Who Cannot Be Named - and sacrificed so he could partake of the American Dream - his entire life - to treat them so poorly - truly does make him a reprehensible human being. And certainly not POTUS material.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
……..”I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community……”
BO would have everyone think he has suffered grave indignities all of his life because of his race..When? With the single exception of living a few years in Indonesia, he has lived in the lap of luxury–going to prestigeous schools–being pampered and coddled every step of the way. He owes none of his success to the black community aside from the homogeneous vote he seems to be getting. This genius needs to acknowledge his debt to the white community for making his current status a possibility, and quit biting the hand that feeds him. He also needs to realize he can’t win in November without the white vote. Prudence would dictate he should do everything possible not to alienate that constituency–the current crop of fools who are oblivious to what’s going on.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
“family, originally from Kansas”
Hmmm, The Wizard of Oz was set in Kansas. Part was in black and white, the real part. Just musing.
Rush was just quoted on Hardball, “soap opera,” he said. Yeah, that’s it, soap opera, except we don’t have to make this Obama stuff up, no one would believe it if we made it up.
I can’t change to Democrat in PA, I have to vote against Charlie Dent, for what it is worth.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
retire05,
How convenient it is that his grandparents are no longer on this earth to give the rest of the story or to dispute the honesty in it’s telling.
His grandmother is still alive, just being hidden from public view.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I don’t deny that the black community has been through many hardships, along with many other Americans of different races, sexes and creeds. But by attending a church that calls themselves a “black church” and supporting a racist, morally and financially for 20 years, BO and “his belle” are adding to the segregation “problem” not resolving it.
BO has done nothing to separate himself from his pastor’s hate speech. All he did today was defend it and throw his grandma under the bus all at the same time.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
If you asked me 1st, I’d say BOTH his grandmothers are racist! But it’s equal-opportunity racism–one being white-on-black, the other being black-on-white.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Was the black who intimidated Grandma Dunham a panhandler?
Or, was the panhandler who intimidated Grandma Dunham a black?
March 18th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
I had a thought as I passed my by my TV that somehow was tuned to the ABC evening news. I stopped for a moment, just before pushing the button on the remote, to hear a few blacks make excuses for their pastors all over the country. Apparently it’s the message in nearly all black churches according to ABC. Tell me why you, your pastor and your entire congregation are not racists, I thought. I didn’t get my answer and switched over to old reliable FNC and left the room to eat. Then it hit me. Here is an opportunity for blacks in this country to take an honest look at themselves. If any person hearing these sermons were intellectually honest they would ask themselves this. If the word black were exchanged for white in these sermons I hear every Sunday, wouldn’t I think that that church, pastor and congregation are racists? Wouldn’t I be angry about it? I know that most will not do this so……
Why don’t we? Lets go and ask every black person we see, conservative or liberal, church goer or not, to explain to us why we shouldn’t think that every black person in this country is a racist. After hearing your music and watching your comics, tell me why I shouldn’t think all of you, and I mean ALL, are racists, bigots and separatists. Turn the tables. Let’s put them on the spot like I’ve felt my whole life and keep doing it until we get a satisfactory answer.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Obama’s 15 minutes are almost up. More’s the pity. He would have been road kill in the general election.
I think after this he’ll be joining Carol Mosely Braun as an ex-Senator from Illinois. Watch him convert to Islam when it’s all said and done.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Media_man,
Pardon me but I fail to see any difference between black churches and islamic mosques.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Phew–that speech was so irritating in so many ways. The bottom line being–no, Barry, the majority of churches/synagogues do not have raving lunatic rabid racists spewing hate from their pulpits! You’re wrong, wrong, wrong—about so many things. Again, he is such a slick orator it is indeed scary–again, he made no sense while appearing to be the soothing balm for all of our problems. Someone needs to contrast his ridiculous statements about his Rev. Wright’s with Wright’s own vitriol—put them side by side for all the world to see……”Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, folks….”, indeed!
March 19th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Well, well, well. Poor Barak. He blew it. It’s ironic, don’t ya think, that the choice of a church some two decades ago, merely to get his street creditials in the black community because someboby, somewhere told him he wasn’t black enough, has now “come home……….. to roost” and ruin any chance he might have had at being POTUS. He may not even survive his next Senate election or even that primary.
I can imagine his poor “racist” grandmother (his incinuation, not mine) who provided a privileged life for that young man, so many years ago, is shocked at how racists in his own chosen church would be his downfall. His “mentor”. His “spiritual advisor”. His “good freind” and a man that is “part of him” is now the anvil around his neck. Attached with a 20 year long chain that can only now be broken, when it’s too late. If only Obama, while sitting in the pews of his beloved indoctrination center, had remebered that this country is made up of people of all colors and the hatemonger he was listening to, the man steering his marxist vehicle to the top of the heap, only spoke for less than %13 of the population.
This is still taught in our liberal universities and black seminary’s to this day. Both men…praised for their wisdom! Cornell West must be proud!!!
Poor, poor Barak…..And he held so much promise……
Hilary! Your turn….he he he….ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!
March 19th, 2008 at 9:17 am
damn…I just noticed all the misspelled words. Time to sleep…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
March 19th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Posted here, Noyz:
White Hatred In Black Liberation Theology | Sweetness & Light
http://sweetness-light.com/arc.....n-theology
March 20th, 2008 at 5:16 am
My oversight SG
Also… NB’s does it again and credits another blog.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/n.....men-street
March 20th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Is it any wonder that some people fear some african americans after seeing and hearing the rev. comments with all the amens to his sermon. and this chrch is 8000 strong