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.
While the pastor’s comments are unacceptable, we should know that senator obama did not make those comments and has condemned pastor wright. it would be unfair to judge senator obama for statements made by another individual. Pastor wright and senator obama have different backgrounds and different views and obama should be accepted for who he is. The senator has made it clear that he does not share the views of the pastor. You can be a member of a church and dissagree with some views of your church just as we have Democrats who do not agree with all the views of the Democratic party or Republicans who may not agree with all the views of their party. It is time we move past this kind of politics.
Why is most of the news media still trying to smooth over, cover up, ignore, play down this about Obama? Do they hate America also?
And let’s dispense with the fantasy that the pilgrims CAME here, escaping England from Religious persecution - - folks, they were SENT here for insighting libelous, fundamentalist uproar. They wanted to turn Great Britain into a Protestant version of Rome. PS, King George wasn’t Catholic, and neither were the Pilgrims. The only persecution they were facing was the frustrated population wanting these psychos the hell out of their country - so they sent them here, and look what a fine job they have done, trying to rewrite the constitution to reflect their extremely narrow, unprovable brand of Fundamentalist Christianity.
That is why Jefferson, and Adams and Madison, NONE of which liked Christianity AT ALL, read their letters to each other, that is why they wrote the Establishment Clause. They deliberately failed to name that particular God the more rabid fundamentalists were demanding they write in. They said Forget it. Not a Chance. You will NOT do to America what you tried to do in England.
But here, 232 years later, while we hammer Islamic Fundamentalist governments (which we should), we are hoping and praying for a Christian Fundamentalist Theocracy here.
They would like nothing better then their brand of Jesus, on your brand of freedom.
Barack’s consistent affiliation with people of such radical view points, whether political or religious is enough to take him out of the running for me. I don’t believe the he could have not well known about his pastor’s thoughts and view points after over 20 years of association. Just like his pastor, and other so called African American leaders here in the US that Barack has affiflication with, they seem to me to share the same mind set and it’s racisim. It is unfortunate, but the under tones from many of these people in leadership positions while claiming to fight for equal rights, shows it’s all aout being black and nothing else. Every so often someone slips up and says really how they feel. Words show where a persons heart and thoughts are. The saying was “birds of a feather, flock together”. Don’t people associate when they have things in common? Here in our country, people are quick to condemn the white’s, and hold strictly accountable even if it’s subject to interpretation regardless if it costs one their career or everything they’ve got, yet all the people mentioned above have to say is I’m sorry or generalize the controversy in some form and it goes away. I’m personally tired of it. I take great offense to what Barack’s Pastor said.
I have no idea how Mr. Obama, his campaign or the democratic party leaders are going to put a positive spin on this. Hate speech is hate speech regardless where it originates or who delivers it.
If my pastor had delivered a sermon filled with anger, hate and untruths beleive me, it would have been widespread news among our congregation and I would have heard about it even if I had not been present to hear it directly for my myself.
At that point in time either my pastor has to resign or I would be finding another place of worship for I, nor any member of my family, would tolerate offensive language such as Reverend Wright’s to go unchallenged and tolerated. A man with such hatred and anger should never be allowed to stand on God’s pulpit and use it to spew sewage from.
While it is his right to worship anywhere he chooses, I think that a US presidential candidate who would seek spiritual guidence for himself and his family from someone like Reverend Wright, shows complete lack of good judgement. If this is his choice of spiritual leader I would dread to see his choices to fill cabinet positions ornominate Supreme Court Justices.
HELLO FOX - this isn’t guilt by association anymore
Obama was there in the audience. As we all knew he would be.
http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/
I am sure he must have known about this article when it first ran, and now is the headline again on Newsmax. Thing is, Obama publically denied having ever been there, taking an obvious gamble on the idea that Newsmax or anyone else, wouldn’t have a photo of him there in the church.
Let’s hope Newsmax does.
In the meantime, why are you not running with the story? If you don’t start the fire, they will sweep this under the rug like they tried to do the video.
PLEASE GET THIS NEWS OUT TODAY.
Did you see that obama was at the trinity church on july 22 when wright was giving an anti-american sermon. It’s on “newsmax.com” website today.
I think that this is a great eye opener for the national public, it brings out a number of points and also questions. One of the biggest questions: is this the reason Obama will not pledge our countries flag?
Here are some of my opinions on the whole situation:
Obama said he did not know about his pastor’s opinions, does that mean he has not been paying attention to the pastor, or is he just lying? either case will he do the same to the American public if elected, lie and not pay attention to the needs.
The more and more I see information on this man, the more and more he is like Bush and the republicans, lying and cheats.
We the American public cannot go through another presidential term like the one we are just ending, the country will not be able to survive.
My vote is Hillary, she has experience.
the media play what mr.wright said more than what one of clinton supperter had said about obama.in my eyes both of them is a rasicist.dont blame clinton or obama what other people says.
I am 27 and grew up in church. I find myself believing in what the pastor believes. Its kinda hard not to think that Obama is the same way. His pastor in my opinion is racist. The only time he speaks out is when it has to do with the color of skin.