1985: Reverend Jeremiah Wright preaches “The Audacity of Hope” on the South Side of Chicago. It brings community organizer Barack Obama to Christ.
1992: Wright marries Obama to Michelle Robinson.
1998: Wright baptizes Obama’s daughter Malia.
2001: Wright baptizes Obama’s daughter Sasha.
2007: Senator Barack Obama runs for president.
February 2008: ABC News buys 29 hours of Wright’s sermons on DVD. They do not expect to find much – surely Hillary Clinton and the Chicago newspapers had already gone through them. Well, no.
March 13th 2008: Wright’s 29 hours become four sound bites on ABC:
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. Not “God Bless America”; God Damn America! That’s in the Bible, for killing innocent people. God Damn America for treating her citizen as less than human,
And they will not only attack you if you try to point out what’s going on in White America, U.S. of KKK A
They [Black Republicans] live below the sea level, below the level of Colin, Clarence and Con-damn-nesia.
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! … We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and Black South Africans, and now we are indignant? Because the stuff we have done overseas has now been brought back into our own front yard! America’s chickens are coming home to roost!
The “…” leaves out:
Kids playing in the playground, mothers picking up children after school, civilians – not soldiers – people just trying to make it day by day.
Many hear Wright’s righteous anger as hatred for America. Despite his six years of military service.
Many seem to think Obama agrees with Wright on everything. Despite his Senate record, two books, countless speeches and a functioning brain.
Obama takes the sound bites at face value.
March 18th 2008: Obama gives his speech on race, “A More Perfect Union”. He said the sound bites:
expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America;
They are “divisive at a time when we need unity”, “racially charged”. Yet:
I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community.
April 29th 2008: Obama disowns Wright.
This comes a day after Wright said before the National Press Club:
Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls, Huffington, whoever’s doing the polls. Preachers say what they say because they’re pastors. They have a different person to whom they’re accountable.
Obama:
what I think particularly angered me was his suggestion somehow that my previous denunciation of his remarks were somehow political posturing. Anybody who knows me and anybody who knows what I’m about knows that I am about trying to bridge gaps and I see the commonality in all people.
Sources:
- ABC News story on Wright (video)
- Reverend Wright:
- “Confusing God and Government” – the God damn America sermon
- “The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall” – the Chickens Coming Home to Roost sermon
- at the National Press Club (video)
- Barack Obama: “A More Perfect Union”
- Wikipedia: Jeremiah Wright controversy
- David Remnick: “The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama” (2010)
See also:
- The Five Rules of Racial Standing
- Jeremiah Wright
- Barack Obama
- sound bite
- 9/11
- Apple-pie America – written March 24th 2008
- In defence of Michelle Obama
“Anybody who knows me and anybody who knows what I’m about knows that I am about trying to bridge gaps and I see the commonality in all people.”
************
Oh… like that sit down for a beer thing between himself, the VP, Skip Gates and the white cop who arrested the black Harvard Professor for (disorderly conduct ??) gaining access into his own residence??
Obama lacks guts when it comes to putting and keeping RACE on America’s white table.
What a disappointment! But hardly unexpected as he plays his role of “acceptable negro” (let’s not make waves) to the hilt.
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At least I think that we know that he knows what he is doing.
But race is still the big elephant in the room and even the president cannot even have a frank, honest conversation about it.
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Being the acceptable negro was the only way he’d get elected. Acceptable negroes don’t have honest conversations about racism. It would have admirable if had given up his shot at the presidency by doing so, but I don’t know if I can fault him for not doing so. He’s just a man.
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So “Deep America” is shocked by Rev Wright’s opinions. The ability to reflect on one’s actions and exercise self-criticism is a sign of maturity. Besides, bullies never question their actions partly because they do not have enough empathy to understand the harm they cause.
Having said that, how many people, of any colour, agree but do not dare say it?
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Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon – all WHITE men – contributed SOMETHING toward the Civil Rights movement!
Obama …. ?
{{{ crickets }}}
Yeah, that’s what I thought!
Whiteness has us reeling and moving backwards to the extent that many of us now think it’s in bad taste and form to bring up the subject of race, and its deleterious effects.
We’re losing ground, yet **the emperor clothes are stylish and fashionable** … so say his supporters/apologists.
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Pastor Wright is right.i want a black prez who isn’t afraid to address race issues and say yes i’ve been through it and am going to be an example of how you can make it.Obama isn’t that president,yall saw how when he addressed the trayvon martin tragedy those whites were all mad and gasping.They can’t handle a black president who identifies with blacks and talks directly to them,they always have to be the main focus.After that obama doesn’t say much about race.Can’t upset massa and the corporations that’s like biting the hand that feeds you.
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It is disgusting how us americans can’t talk about how our country makes mistakes without being accused of being unpatriotic or anti american.I agree with pastor Wright and Chris Rock.America isn’t perfect nor is any other country,since its in the hands of man there will always be some corruption.But we should be able to discuss it and learn from it.Americas way of dealing with things is deny deny and ignore.America has bombed innocent civilians just like the countries they go after and say they’ve violated human rights well so has america.Its not like im making up stuff its real but most people want to leave in a fantasy and say that would never happen here and when it does they cry and say this wasn’t supposed to happen here.Imo Americas innocent civilians are just as human as the children and civilians that get killed in countries overseas.Its like some white americans don’t see blonde hair blue eyes and they don’t care or they make a bogus campaign to profit from them [kony 2012 anyone] so they can be a white savior.
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Reverend Wright’s speech cuts the heart and soul, it’ll make you confess the truth or do exactly what President Obama did, deny it or excuse it. What a SHAME.
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Wright and Louie have been BFF for over 30 years. I eagerly await your next post praising him as well. Come on. Give your readers what they really want.
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Rev. Wright speaks the truth.
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I always felt like Obama threw Wright under the bus, But I guesss if he wanted the presidency he had to do what was necessary.
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Churchs
Who on Earth is Louie?
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@ brotha wolf i think he means Henry louis gates
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Gates isn’t Wright’s BFF.
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I am absolutely in love with your blog and appreciate this wonderful insightful post on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I’m currently exploring similar topics on my blog and would love to hear your input. http://americanstatehypocrisy.wordpress.com/
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@ Churchs
if its not him then who, please clarify
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mstoogood4yall,
I think I have an idea on who Churchs is referring to. In any case it sounds like an attempt to deviate from the topic.
Jeremiah Wright’s words about America needed to be said. Those who had a problem with the soundbites alone are the ones who claim to love America. However, I’ve learned that those types don’t truly care about America nowhere near as much as they’re trying to protect its rosy-colored image.
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Well if how Obama did Wright is any indication of how he treats his “friends” then what do you think he will do to all of us in the long run (Us meaning the Americans who don’t or barely know him). I don’t get how people still blindly support the man selling us all down the river..
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Perhaps people do not remember anymore the McCarthy years and there fore words like “anti-american” appear to be somehow almost neutral to the audiences. Well, it is not an neutral term. It is a bigoted, hateful term, used to shut up any opposition, free thinking and free living as well. That is what for the term was created: to put a blanket on any and all critical and free citizens. That is what they did with the black lists and straight harrasment. They even locked up comedians who spoke too loud.
And yet, mr Wright is very traditional american. Thats what the country is supposed to be all about. Freedom of speech, freedom of thinking, freedom of opinion, freedom of expression. I find it very weird that the people who get so angry and throw tandrums about these kind of speeches are always talking about “american values” etc. They have no clue what those values are supposed to be.
USA was born by revolution. That was the whole concept. American patriotism was not about obeying the lord and the mighty. It was about saying and doing what ever one wants, living the way one wants to live, even if it means revolution. That was the whole idea. And today being a patriot has turned somehow into something out from the 1930’s Germany: obidience, marching to the leaders beat, supressing the opposition, censorship, fear and hate of anything different and strange…
It seems that fear is now the defining factor of the so called american way. Just look at the taxation: in 1930’s Roosevelt knew he had to to do something really drastic to save the country. So he took the money from the rich. During and after the WW2 the rich payed all the way up to 80% taxes!!! This went on untill the 60’s. Nixon regime began really lower the taxes of the rich and now not one government dares to step on their toes anymore. Because they might get angry. Because they might get their money out, take their businesses away etc.
So? That is what the brittish did when they there were sent back home.
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Just because Rev. Wright points out American’s flaws doesn’t mean he hates America. Everything he says are critical but true.America goes out and carpet bombs foreign countries, knowing damn well at this point in time, we won’t suffer the same unless someone does something clever. Then there is the gnashing of American teeth.
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@ Legion
After the sermon Obama answered the altar call. He later joined his church. Before all that he seemed to be an agnostic or at least talked like one.
HOWEVER he might have joined for political reasons. Being someone with no roots in the South Side, someone with a strange name, people did not know what to make of him. Joining Trinity United made him seem like a known quantity. It also gave him a stepping stone.
He is such a consummate politician who is so good at using words that it is hard to know what he truly thinks. Like you said, you have to go by his actions.
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@ Churchs
Louis Farrakhan is off topic here.
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@Legion
“I suspect you are deluding yourself on purpose because you are black and Obama is black/PoC too.”
Your suspicions are wrong and racist.
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@Jefe
“But race is still the big elephant in the room and even the president cannot even have a frank, honest conversation about it.”
He can’t have an honest conversation about race when there are many Americans who purportedly believe that racism is dead and African Americans just “cry racism every two minutes”
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You sought to put Wright’s comments in perspective. I thought a discussion of his oldest and dearest friend might add to that perspective. My apologies. In the future, please list the topics you intend to censor in advance so that readers will know avoid them.
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Well; of course Wright wants to destroy America….
He wants to destroy “Racist America” and redesign it to be a better one.
And their are people opposed to the destruction of “Racist America” for one reason or another.
So yes in a sense he does want to destroy an “America”, the land that they love and believe in.
Admitably I know almost nothing about Wright but taken at face value that would seem to be what he wants to do, make the US a less racist and better country.
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@ Churchs
Farrakhan would be a derailment on this thread and everyone knows it. I wrote this post more because of what it says about Obama, the current American president, than what it says about Wright, a now-retired Chicago preacher.
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@ resw77
Deep down they know racism is not dead, just like deep down they knew the slaves were not contented Uncle Toms and Mammies. They live on top of a thick coat of denial.
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“Legion@
Some very honest commenters have said on the blog that it is an inspiration at seeing Obama as President. The inspiration of seeing a black man in the highest office. Am I to believe that this sentiment was not on the hearts and minds of a good deal (or at least some for god’s sake!) of the electorate, and yes a good deal of the black electorate?
Is it also racist of me to claim that some white liberals voted for Obama so they could convince themselves and others that they are progressive and even virtuous because they voted for a black man to be president?”
Linda says,
Not racist at all, what you’re saying is pure truth ..but I also think the biggest factor that sealed the deal in white America was the economic melt-down right before the election and of course, Sarah Palin (the final nail in the coffin for McKain)
Many of my white co-workers (republicans) were practically crying when she started doing TV interviews and the others who were on the fence almost had strokes when AIG was on the skids (all those 401K’s going down the toilet) and Wall Street imploded…
they talked about it all day long and argued amongst themselves because the Republicans were trying to rally the “independant” whites to vote for McKain…I found it highly amusing to see the “undercover” coercion going on (you know they didn’t bring it up when they thought anyone black people was around)
if anything Obama won over many white males because the Republicans f’cked up the economy and couldn’t be trusted –the house was on fire and McKain kept saying “nothing was wrong” .. so it was more a case of there was no one else to vote for but Obama.
As for Jeremiah White, he spoke “truth” but everyone knows white America “can’t handle the truth”, so it’s a waste of time even talking to them about it —
the majority population always think their way of life, culture, and philosophy is the right one — it’s comfortable for them and they don’t see the need for change because they are not being disenfranchised or marginalized. (and I say this coming from a black/brown majority country because we operate the same way — human/group behavior)
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@legion
I think there was a percentage of blacks that voted for Obama on the traditional sense of black racism. Maybe 5% or so. But when the media goes around and interviews people they would have you believe it’s more than that. Because which interviews do you think make the news? The most controversial ones right?
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@Legion
“It is a very PC thing to tell me that my claim is racist”
Dude, if you’re not a racist, you imitate them very well. The PC defense is usually deployed after they’ve said/done something racist. There is no such thing as being politically correct just correct. Your statement was incorrect.
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I do agree with Legion that there were some whites who voted for Obama to show how supposedly post racial a society we are in. I bet they would not have voted for a darker skinned black man who addresses the issues in the black community. They will vote for a biracial man who has a white mother and speaks well.I notice they will say he is biracial when he does well, but after he messes up they say he is black.Its like they attribute his good traits to his white side and his bad traiits to his black side.Obama is biracial but because of this one drop rule he is black.People then can’t get upset when a biracial like zoe saladana plays a black role of nina simone because they would consider her black.If blacks keep claiming these biracials then trust they will take the place of darker skinned blacks and the media will show them as better.Just look at the hottest women edition in magazines its usually a biracial or light skinned like beyonce,alica keys,and halle berry.You rarely see beautiful women like gabrielle union,indie arie,jazmine sullivan,and jill scott.Those people look at $$$ if they can put someone who isn’t too black or too white they will get a broader audience.They never care about the truth.
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@Legion
You took some general idea you have about black people, assumed I was black and applied that idea to me. You weren’t talking about “some” black people or some liberal white folks, you were talking about me.
“I suspect you are deluding yourself on purpose because you are black and Obama is black/PoC too.”
That is how you began your “honest and mature exchange” with me. That is what your entire spiel was about, so excuse me if I’m unable to get pass how completely ridiculous it is.
Your second comment to me was just you trying to repackage your previous comment to be about “some” folks and discuss why “some” black people supported Obama, which isn’t at all what this post is about, so again, excuse me if I don’t want to discuss that off topic crap with you. However, there is a post somewhere on this blog about the 2012 election, you can go there and read all about my support or lack their of Obama.
The phrase politically correct was invented for the very purpose of shutting down accusations of racism, sexism or whatever else. It has no meaning outside of that. It’s just a way for people to pass off their racism, sexism, etc as boldness.
You know what just to humor you:
Yes, I am black.
No, I’m not deluded. I don’t find Barack Obama’s presidency the least bit inspirational. I also don’t mind that it isn’t it. There are a lot of things about Obama’s presidency that I do mind which I have discussed in other posts on this blog.
I could comment on the rest of you long comment, about why some people support obama, but I didn’t find anything in it worth commenting on, so I won’t. It simply had nothing to do with what I was talking about. A lot of people say a lot of things on this blog I don’t feel moved to comment on, so don’t take that as me trying to insult you.
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I wrote this post more because of what it says about Obama
Ok. Then what does it say about Obama that he associates with a “pastor” and church who have long standing ties to a hate cult?
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Churchs,
LOL Ties to what cult?
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Abagond:
Barack Obama is not a man of the people, black folk need to understand this. His relationship to the black community is symbolic at best. He is the creation of a black father and white mother, who was ultimately raised by his white grandparents. Rev. Wright and other firebrands gave Obama “Hood Cred” that he could not have gained on his own. This explains why he was able to throw so-called allies overboard so easily when it got too hot in the kitchen. Amb. Susan Rice is another example of Obama’s phony facade. Susan Rice had nothing to do with what took place in Benghazi, Libya, yet, Obama forced her to go on Sunday morning talk-shows and lie to the american people so as to shield Hillary Clinton from the firestorm. He sacrificed a blackwoman that assumed he had her back to protect a whitewoman that hates him just the same. Obama uses black folk to attain a certain goal, once the goal is reached, he kicks them to the curb. Oftentimes, it’s a blackwoman that pays the price. All of his major cabinet appointees for his 2nd term are white and male…I Rest My Case!!!
Tyrone
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brotha
Did you not know that Wright and his “church” were aligned with the nation of islam?
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“brotha
Did you not know that Wright and his “church” were aligned with the nation of islam?”
*********
There’s something about the above statement that brings to mind of Prof Bell’s FOURTH RULE of Racial Standing!
..as well as the FIFTH RULE.
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@ Abagond
“Deep down they know racism is not dead, just like deep down they knew the slaves were not contented Uncle Toms and Mammies. They live on top of a thick coat of denial.”
That statement is quite profound. While I agree with it, I do understand why some who still carry guilt about the evil racism of yesteryear might want to pretend it no longer exists…and why some might believe that since the U.S. has a “black” President, and b/c there are very many successful black people in the US, that perhaps racism is long gone (however false this belief may be).
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@ Legion
The one chapter of it that I read was excellent. Far more balanced and solid than most of what I have read about Obama.
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@ Legion
I see what you are saying. Remnick is from the New Yorker and as part of the liberal establishment would not be expected to savage Obama. I agree with that.
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[…] Photo: Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama in happier days. Jan 8, 2013. Source: abagon.wordpress.com . […]
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[…] Photo: Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama in happier days. Jan 8, 2013. Source: abagon.wordpress.com . […]
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