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.
I don’t believe Mr. Obama, in his rebuttal, that he hasn’t heard the terrible racist comments spewed by his long time Pastor(I use the term loosely), friend, and mentor. The pastor did not start this type behavior and attitude in the last 2 months. As and example look at his wifes comments about now being proud of America for the FIRST time….
I believe Mr. Obama will, like every other politician, say anything to be elected to the highest office in the land. Based on his attitude of transcending race, he isn’t ready to be the president and I truly believe he has a hidden agenda (he is prejudiced)…… He needs to be looked at by ALL THE MEDIA in a truly neutral light………
You have got to be kidding me. Obama sits on CNN and says he didn’t know what this man was about? Obama had the potential to listen to 1040 sermons by Wright over 20 years-Wright was on his spiritual commitee for his campaign. I don’t believe Obama for a minute. I feel like I am in a Twilight Zone episode. This country is in denial-they are desperate for some kind of hero to save them and this is the person they are choosing? A man who doesn’t do his senate job, a man who sits in a racist church that hates America for 20 years? This is very eerie……
I don’t think this story is or should be over. It is pretty unbelievable that Obama didn’t know his pastors of 20 yrs. and mentors views. This along with his previous mistatements regarding Resko make one question his honesty. Obamas has said he isn’t influenced in politically by his pastor, but his convention address was based on one of Wrights sermons, and Wright is the one who encouraged Obama to run for pres. Are we supposed to believe that his spiritual advisor, a man he has placed in his campaign, a close friend and someone he has been listening to for 20 years has not had an influence on Obamas views. Just how much do we know about this man? Please continue this discussion and investigate.
Obama is no different then a person who keeps rabid pit bulls in his home. He feeds them, nutures them… Then when the dogs get loose he won’t take responsibility for their carnage.
We are slowly finding out who Obama is really is!
Facts:
1) He did not salute the flag when 7 other people did standing on a same platform.
2) His wife said “she is proud be american for the first time in her adult life” (because voters voted for her husband.)
3) He refused to wear a pin like almost every other senators/congressmen do.
4) He has close association with Wright for 20 YEARS who preaches “Hate” and “Division” while he tells American “Hope” and “Change” for less than one year.
5) He changed stories everytime when the news reveal more. “I don’t think my church is controversial”, “I did not hear that kind of language in my church”, “I heard this for the first time when I began to run for president”………
My conclusion about Senator OB, an agent of change:
- He is stupid, a bad judement of characters, a naive thinker, or
- He is a lier, lied through his teeth just to get elected, or
- He is an evil, believing in evil and saying the grace. He is so good in preaching “words” and creating a movement of the young and ignorant. Two persons in recent history have this kind of tributes: Hitler and Mao Zhe Dong (Cultural revolution in China).
May God Bless America. ………
Obamas pastor story should not be over just because he now denounces him. Pastor Wright is a racist and spews hate just like the Jihad terrosits do. The Islam mosques and madrads spew the same hate against America. You learn what you are taught. If Obama has been listening and learning this hate Wright and Farrakhan spew he and his wife have the same racist attitudes. Why else do you think they have no respect for our flag or our country. This is a man who had an atheist mother, muslim father and went to a church tht spewed hate not Christianity. He should never have been elected as a U.S. Senator never mind President. He definitely won’t get my vote.
Georgia Junction City, Ks.
Now I know why Mrs Obama raised her hand in a fist, demonstrating Black Power. I was shocked when this was seen on television about a month ago. Now knowing their affiliation Rev. Jeremiah Wright
It does not surprise me that all the Democrats want to move on to other things or to stick to the issues.That Obama should not be assumed guilty by association for what his pastor’s remarks have being said.We have not known who Barrak Obama is up until now.I am an American of a Mexican dissent.We have a saying,”SHOW ME YOUR FRIENDS,AND I’LL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE.”This should talk aloud as to who Obama is.This is the issue! Johnny Gamboa Plainview TX.
I think Obama wants us to think he represents a different sort of politics, and yet he and his campaign worked hard to stir up the Ferraro incident into something bigger than it was, and insisted Clinton denounce and separate herself from it. Now he has the problem with Wright and he obviously wants to minimize it, and act like it is America’s problem with racial issues. This is clearly a double standard. He is saying the Ferraro incident was directed against him and he is a victim. With Wright, it is America’s problem with racial issues and he is a victim again. What a hypocrite. Why is the media so wimpy? What about the extra 100 grand from Rezco. Why is Tim Russert and CNN in his back pocket? I am beginning to have real problems with credibility not only from Obama, but also CNN and MSNBC. I think Fox and ABC may be the more legitimate news sources.
For the first time in quite some time I have been following the democratic primaries closely, I thought perhaps we(this country) might be making history, but I am now seeing history repeat itself. And you wonder why people are so negative about America. Does anyone remember what has taken place in the past, does anyone realize the impact that has on peoples lives, maybe pastor Wright is speaking from his life experiences, forgive and forget is easier said than done. I am a Obama supporter, I believe in what he wants to try to accomplish as president. He is a strong man and he cannot be broken down easily, this reminds me of the things that were said about Martin Luther King.