Pastor Creates ‘Guilt by Association’ Problem for Obama
File: Barack Obama with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, pastor emeritus of Obama's congregation, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. (AP Photo)
Surrogates for Barack Obama on Sunday downplayed the significance of Obama’s relationship to a controversial pastor and suggested the discussion is a diverson from bigger issues in the Democrat presidential race.
“The fact of the matter is people would like to move on to other things,” said Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, characterizing remarks by Obama pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright as “outrageous,” but saying they are not relevant to Obama’s candidacy.
“He’s rejected it. He said no– he doesn’t have any association with it. He finds these comments outrageous,” Dodd, an Obama supporter and former presidential candidate, told “FOX News Sunday.” He added that “guilt by association is not typically American.”
But some political analysts say that comments by Wright could pose a major obstacle for Obama because unlike average Americans, politicians suffer from “guilt by association.”
“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,” said National Public Radio national correspondent and FOX News contributor Juan Williams.
It also could suggest an insincerity by Obama, said conservative syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer.
“This, I think, is a huge story because it contradicts the whole persona and appeal of Obama as a man who transcends race,” Krauthammer said. “I think it ought to be explored a lot more deeply.”
Out on the campaign trail on Saturday, Obama was dogged by questions about comments made by his spiritual leader of 20 years, whose quotes have been sprayed over the news in the last several days.
At a town-hall meeting in Indiana, Obama said he was not in the pews when Wright said, for example, the U.S. is run by “rich, white people” or that the U.S. created the AIDS virus to kill African Americans. The Illinois senator said he “completely rejects” the preacher’s controversial sermons, including one in which he said the United States was asking for the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks because it had supported “state-sponsored terrorism” against black South Africans and Palestinians.
“Although I knew him and know him as somebody in my church that talked to me about Jesus and family and friendships but clearly, if all I knew were those statements I saw on television, I would be shocked,” Obama said.
Obama who is new to disavowing himself from the remarks, told his audience that people should speak up forcefully against comments like Wright’s.
On Sunday, the United Church of Christ defended Wright’s character.
“The Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.’s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children, and men in America and around the globe,” wrote Rev. John H. Thomas, the church’s General Minister President in a press release.
Meanwhile, Clinton supporters are refusing to jump on the opportunity to attack Obama for his slow response. “I mean, as you know, I prefer Senator Clinton for a whole lot of reasons, but I don’t cast aspersions on Senator Obama for what somebody else said,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Voters should “accept what Obama has said and move on,” said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.
The Clinton campaign may be following a well-known operating principle of politics, which is when an opponent is shooting himself in the foot, stand back and let him. According to the results of a new, four-day Rasmussen tracking poll out Sunday morning, Obama’s national lead has narrowed to just 3 points over Clinton.
“The Clinton campaign won’t touch this with a 10-foot poll, but they don’t have to. … It will dribble, dribble out for at least a few more days and in this Internet era there’s no limit to what you can” dredge up, said Democratic strategist Susan Estrich.
Estrich said plenty of more information will come up in the weeks leading up to the Pennsylvania and North Carolina primaries.
“I don’t know, this guy didn’t give just two bad sermons, nobody … does the wrong thing just twice,” she said. “We all have to fill space for six weeks, this is how we’ll fill it.”
According to pollster, Scott Rasmussen, the recent controversy and prolonged fight between the Democrats is also turning out to be a gift for presumptive Republican presidential nominee and Arizona Sen. John McCain, whose numbers are up. That’s a fear Democrats are hoping won’t be realized as the discussion over race and sex issues distract from their overall message of defeating McCain.
“I think we have to lift ourselves out of all of that. Look, we’re talking about running for president of the United States. We’re talking about the leader of the free world. We’re talking about the hopes, the aspirations of the American people being placed — and not like any other job in the world, placed on this person. And I think people are much more interested on the ideas, the vision, the judgment, the plans that people have. And that’s why people are drawn to both of these candidates,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking on ABC’s “This Week.” Pelosi has not yet stated her preference for the top of the party ticket.
Gretchen08’s comments hit the nail on the head. Many of us think the same. We know Hillary. The last time Dems picked someone who popped out of nowhere and charmed us all, we got Jimmy Carter. Here’s how to do your own gut check in the privacy of your own home: Ask yourself if you had to choose Hillary or Obama as your neighborhood watch president, who would you pick? For some reason, Hillary is the one who pops into our head — almost involuntarily and before we have a chance to edit our thoughts. Puts charm into perspective doesn’t it?
Hi Folks
How could Barack Obama possibly hold the same views as his Pastor. His own mother is white for heaven’s sake. Don’t you think he thinks any less of her because she is not African American
The idea of Obama having a preference for Black people over white people is ridiculous as he is both.
Imagine a person from an Italian Irish background loving one culture and despising the other . it is ridiculous and typical of people stuck in the politics of the past .
Actually Barack has even some Irish Blood in him so If you’re reading this Happy Saint Patrick’s day
Actually to everybody who reads this Happy Paddy’s Day to you all .
Can’t we all just get along!!
What kind of preacher stands in the pulpit of his church and curses our great country? I think this is outragesous. No wonder their is a division between the blacks and whites in America. If you do not like this country leave.
Now some of the black leaders are trying to turn this around and say this is an attack on the black church, I think not! If a white preacher stood in the pulpit and condemned the black community of America he would be attacked by the NAACP, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and all the other Black Attitudes of America. In my opinion the black church may need to rethink how it brainwashes its youth of the church.
You should never ever curse America, You have it good in this country. Barack Obama and his wife seem to have the same ideas of this church family. Why else would they sit in this congregation for 20 years. I can see where Mrs. Obama’s attitude developed.
“I think we need to get off of
Obama’s case about his minister’s
inappropriate comments
and take a look at McCain
and see who he is hanging out
with. He stood on a stage and
warmly accepted an endorsement
from Rev. Hagee, who
is a right-wing, anti-Catholic
bigot. McCain is also buddybuddy
with a Rev. Parsley, who
is an extremist and wants to
eradicate Islam. I am tired of
these politicians who will accept
support from any corner,
regardless of the danger to our
nation, such as these radical,
hate-!lled, ignorant, peddling
extremists like Parsley and
Hagee. The scariest part is that
God only knows, pun intended,
which one of these nut-ball,
anti-science, anti-progress,
anti-human, warmongers Mc-
Cain might choose to lend his
ear to if he gets into the White
House.”
This is frrom “It’s Your Call”, a anonymous call-in column in the St. Joseph News-Press in St. Joseph, Mo.
If this chap were a white politician his career would probably already be over. It is going to be interesting to hear him defend his 20 year stint in the Black Panther church listening to the super patriot marine talk on and on about how much he hates America and Whitey the Satan. Sounds like the black version of the KKK. I think as time goes by we will hear of more sermons from this lunatic, it is just hard to imagine a man so full of hate as that one not giving it to the people and things he despises most on a weekly basis. Obama’s defence of ” I had no idea!!” complete with mouth open and eyes wide in disbelief is going to need work and revision. It is amazing though how impervious he is to this. He just keeps chugging along and kicking Hillary’s butt.
listen america. I am a us army soldiers mother. I am so proud of all our soldiers. I want all of Americans to remember that is what our soldiers are fighting for is freedom.
that means freedom of speech to.
as for my personal beliefe on obama, well I feel how could/can Americans fuss about him when its our votes that make the final decision.
All i will state on this subject is that I am a full blooded American so no i will not vote for someone who’s generations prove they are from you know where.
May God’s will be done in this election, and may he be with all as they vote, I pray that his will will be done,this way noone can go wrong.
STAND UP AND REMEMBER YOUR VOTE DECIDES WHO IS OUR NEXT PRESIDENT.
Obama has made it clear that he condemns what the pastor said. He made it clear that his church has done a lot of wonderful things for their community. Also, Obama is half white and half black. He is working to bring people together and NOT turn people against each other. Obama’s campaign is about change.
“YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD”–Mahatma Ghandhi
Many friends told me about your blog site being censored for anti-Hillary comments. I can see now that none of my comments which are all anti-Hillary and most importantly anti-Fox News, has been posted here. It is so childish, it is almost laughable!! You guys are a complete disgrace and only the most morally bankrupt can work for a trash news coporation like yours!
Defining this as guilty by association is a farce. Guilty by association is an chance or accidental association one has over short period.
Let us look at the facts here. Obama was 25 year old when he started his association which still continues (o k those gullible to believe otherwise, well… are gullible indeed), even after the famous denouncement. This is a willing and thought out association. Characterizing it anything else is false.
There several African American personalities telling that, rest of the US doesn’t understand black church, its pastors and its congregation and claim, inflammatory racial message and defaming US is routine. I have news for you, if it is normal, then, racial divisions will continue for the foreseeable future. They are not trying to solve the problem instead, they are pouring oil on fire to make it burn forever for profit in the name of religion.
If anyone of these African American personalities believe that the rest of the society needs to understand and forgive, the question would be; for what reason? Why would and should they?
Black, white, yellow, blue and pink preaching racism and division in the name of any religion is wrong. Anyone associated with them and not speaking up against are wrong, they are not showing judgement at all and should be held responsible.
Besides, if a common man made those threats against a sitting President of the United States, Secret Service and FBI will be paying visit, what makes these so called pastors immune. Reverend. Wright may have been a Marine, and may have served as nurse to Lyndon Johnson in the past but him spewing hate is inexcusable. Thousands of people have engaged unpatriotic and hate mongering to satisfy their greed for power, fame and money.
We tolerate Farrakhan and Reverend. Wright in the name of “freedom of speech” but, should we tolerate a future presidents lack of judgement using the same rationale? THINK NOT.
Hey, I figured out why Fox News are cheering on Hilllary. They both APPROVED of the war in Iraq. Of course, you can’t support a person who has been telling everyone that going into Iraq the way Bush did was absurdly stupid. Especially when everybody remembers so well how Fox News cheered on the war with such enthusiam!! Talking of self-serving, shame on you, SLY FOX NEWS !