Wright gave Obama credibility in the black community...then Obama betrayed him

[R.R.]

REV-ENGE IS SWEET FOR 'BETRAYED' PASTOR

By FREDRIC U. DICKER State Editor

April 30, 2008 --

ALBANY - The Rev. Jeremiah Wright would be happy to see Barack Obama's presidential campaign derailed because the pastor is fuming that his former congregant has "betrayed" their 20-year relationship, The Post has learned.

"After 20 years of loving Barack like he was a member of his own family, for Jeremiah to see Barack saying over and over that he didn't know about Jeremiah's views during those years, that he wasn't familiar with what Jeremiah had said, that he may have missed church on this day or that and didn't hear what Jeremiah said, this is seen by Jeremiah as nonsense and betrayal," said the source, who has deep roots in Wright's Chicago community and is familiar with his thinking on the matter.

"Jeremiah is trying to defend his congregation and the work of his ministry by saying what he is saying now," the source added.

"Jeremiah doesn't care if he derails Obama's candidacy or not . . . He knows what he's doing. Obviously, he's not a dumb man. He knows he's not helping."

The source spoke yesterday about Wright's motivation for thrusting himself back into the news, the day after the pastor appeared at the National Press Club on Monday and embarrassed Obama by accusing the United States of terrorism.

Wright has said the reason he has begun granting interviews and making public appearances now is that he wants to defend black churches.

But the source said the preacher's motivation is much more personal.

The source noted that the roots of Wright's disillusionment with Obama began last year after the Illinois senator unexpectedly yanked him from participating in the public announcement of his presidential campaign.

"That's why Jeremiah revealed . . . that he had actually been at the [announcement] hotel and prayed privately with the Obama family before the official declaration," the source told The Post.

"Rev. Wright, as well as other senior members of his church, believe that Obama has betrayed over 20 years of their supposed friendship."

Obama further angered Wright by trying to distance himself from the pastor ever since videos were made public earlier this year of the preacher alleging that America brought 9/11 upon itself and that people should say "God damn America," not "God bless America."

The source added, "After 20 years of loving Barack like he is one of their own, after he was embraced by this congregation as a brother in Christ, after his pastor was a father figure to him and gave him credibility in a city he had not grown up in and in a black community that was suspect of someone from Hawaii and Harvard, he thanks him by not allowing him to speak publicly at his announcement last year?

"A lot of people in the church believe they were there for this man when no one else was, and a lot of people don't believe it any more when Obama claims he loves the man who did so much for him," the source added.

<a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/04302008/news/nationalnews/rev_enge_is_sweet_for_betrayed_pastor_108791.htm?page=0
">LINK[/url]
 

[sirs]

Well, to Obama's credit, he pretty much threw the Good Reverend's racist rantings under the bus.......NOW. 

Why it took him 20+years to come to the proper assessment is again Obama's biggest problem, but in today's 30second soundbyte era, as long as he can loop his current denunciations, it'll probably help distract from the prior 20+years he was hearing it on a weekly basis, and apparently had no problem with it

[Xavier_Onassis]

it'll probably help distract from the prior 20+years he was hearing it on a weekly basis, and apparently had no problem with it

=======================================
Well, you see, he WASN'T hearing it on a weekly basis. Wright gave the "God damn" speech just once. ONCE. It is not at all clear that Obama was there when he gave it, either. You think that because you heard it on the news 543 times that Obama did the same. But he didn't. He was campaigning, he was in the Senate.

Who remembers sermons, anyway?

First, you rightwingers want Obama to denounce Wright. But when he does this, well, it wasn't soon enough for you.

[Rich]

It appears Obama only came to the conclusion he had to go after his friend after polling indicated he had too. At this point anything Obama says is suspect. He's just another lying elitist ultra liberal.

[sirs]

it'll probably help distract from the prior 20+years he was hearing it on a weekly basis, and apparently had no problem with it

First, you rightwingers want Obama to denounce Wright. But when he does this, well, it wasn't soon enough for you.

First, I don't want Obama to do anything.  His judgement has already been demonstrated to be severely flawed.  He SHOULD have left that church LONG ago.  He SHOULD have shown better judgement than to call this racist pastor his spirtual advisor & mentor.  What he should have done vs what he did do, is the basis for this rightwinger's criticisms.  I'm simply acknowledging now what he should have done LONG ago

[Xavier_Onassis]

I hardly think that this compares with Juniorbush not canning Rumsfeld after the first thousand or so troops died as a result of his poor decisions. Cheney's still around, spewing bad decisions on the hour

For bad judgement, it is hard to beat the current clowns you guys seem to worship so fervently.

[sirs]

LOL........pathetic deflection effort.  But, you have to do, what you have to do, I suppose. 

And news flash to the eternally myopic left, who sees anyone not codemning Bush 24/7 as must be worshipping him, the relatively few areas I can support Bush on ARE his efforts in his Judge appointments and at taking on Islamofascism & militant Islamic terrorism.  His ability to control his own party when it came to fiscal discipline was absurd, his expanding government at every level is about as wrong as it can be, Steel Tarriffs was a HUGE mistake, pushing "comprehensive immigration reform" was also a lose lose.  I mean, i could go on, but bottom line is it's a far cry from "worship so fervently".  Then again, being wrong is one of your expert traits

[Christians4LessGvt]

if obama had any sense he would resign and let hillary in
hillary has a better chance to win

[sirs]

LOL........pathetic deflection effort.  But, you have to do, what you have to do, I suppose. 

And news flash to the eternally myopic left, who sees anyone not condemning Bush 24/7 as must be worshipping him, the relatively few areas I can support Bush on ARE his efforts in providing tax relief for everyone that pays taxes, his Judge appointments, and at taking on Islamofascism & militant Islamic terrorism. 

His ability to control his own party when it came to fiscal discipline was absurd, his expanding government at every level is about as wrong as it can be, Steel Tarriffs was a HUGE mistake, pushing "comprehensive immigration reform" was also a lose lose.  I mean, I could go on, but bottom line is it's a far cry from "worship so fervently".  Then again, being wrong is one of your expert traits

[Plane]

it'll probably help distract from the prior 20+years he was hearing it on a weekly basis, and apparently had no problem with it

=======================================
Well, you see, he WASN'T hearing it on a weekly basis. Wright gave the "God damn" speech just once. ONCE. It is not at all clear that Obama was there when he gave it, either. You think that because you heard it on the news 543 times that Obama did the same. But he didn't. He was campaigning, he was in the Senate.

Who remembers sermons, anyway?

First, you rightwingers want Obama to denounce Wright. But when he does this, well, it wasn't soon enough for you.

Barak Obama lost my vote when he ran up a perfect Left voting record, he doesn't have to do anythig at all soon enough for me , my vote is unavailible to him already.

What we are discussing is neither you nor I , but the  middle , where people are persuedeable.

Even in the ranks of the Undecided , there is little support for the Reverend Wrights segregationist attitude.

[Plane]

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/shared-blogs/ajc/thinkingright/entries/2008/04/30/jeremiah_wrights_america.html

Obama?s sweeping denunciation of the crackpot uncle he?d protected in Philadelphia came after Wright hinted that Obama agreed with his bizarre and jaundiced views of America, but couldn?t acknowledge it right now. ?If Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected,? said Wright Monday. ?Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls.? Obama is, thus,in Wright?s mind, just another hack politician playing games. Toxic ? especially to Obama?s candidacy.

[Plane]

http://www.hiphopmusic.com/2008/04/rev_wright_national_press_club.html


Why does Reverend Wright have credibility anywhere?

[Plane]

The Clinton machine strikes again?The Clintons have been gutter fighters before there is hardly anything they have ever accused their opponents of doing ,that they would not, or haven't done .

I really don't know from this evidence that the plan is from Hillarys desk , but I have that suspicion.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/04/wrightsetup.html
Was Jeremiah Wright's speech set up by a Clinton supporter?
...who was sitting next to him at the head table for the National Press Club event.

It was the Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds, a former editorial board member of USA Today who teaches at the Howard University School of Divinity. An ordained minister, as New York Daily News writer Errol Louis points out in today's column, she was introduced at the press club event as the person "who organized" it.

But guess what? She's also an ardent longtime booster of Obama's sole remaining competitor for the Democratic nomination, none other than Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. It won't take very much at all for Obama supporters to see in Wright's carefully arranged Washington event that was so damaging to Obama the strategic, nefarious manipulation of the Clintons.

[Plane]

There are millions of dollars - chasing millions of votes and the vast power of the presidency - that depend on depicting Wright's angry exhortations as the only possible conversation about race. And there are many powerful media voices more interested in extending and enjoying the current turmoil than resolving it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/louis/

[Xavier_Onassis]

It is stories that sells newspapers, and it is stories that cause viewers to tune in to watch the news. Any candidate can assume that a scandal or any unexpected event will be pounced upon buy the media.

It is in the long run, entirely unimportant what Obama heard or did not hear in church, and what he did or did not do about it. It is unrelated in every way to how he might run the country if elected.