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 believe the senator. I also believe Hillary didn’t know that her husband was lying to and cheating on her. In both situations they either knew and lied or were really dumb. In both cases we have either character or intelligence issues. How wonder dumb they think we are?
I honestly can’t believe Barack Obama did not know his pastor in his church he attended
was ranting hate speech for the last 20 years. I’m shocked by what I heard Jeremiah Wright
say. I can’t believe he would try to make all those people in the church believe the government is out to get them as African Americans. What year is this anyway, he’s living in the past. I hope all the similar churches do not pass along the same messages, that is
what causes racism and hatred. Maybe Barack should convert and hang with people who
believe all men are equal and to love one another.
if it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, birds of a feather flock together, then it must be a two headed duck with forked tongue
Please continue to delve into this matter.
All Americans need to know that Mr. Obama associates with a racist pastor and church.
Your religious convictions, practices, and close associations clearly define a person.
Obama is not who he says he is.
Here’s the problem: I have no doubt that Barak Obama is no racist. In fact, he seems on television like the nicest, most decent politician to come along in years. So, I take him at his word when he says that although he attended this church for twenty years, was married by Wright, had his kids baptised by Wright, and put him on his campaign, he had NO idea Wright was giving these sermons. Yes, I believe him, completely.
Which raises serious questions about Obama’s judgement. If I attended a church with a pastor who was friends with David Duke and occasionally gave vitriolic, hateful, rage-filled sermons, I would pick up on it right away. Even if I happened to miss the days when he gave those sermons, I would sense the TEXTURE of this man very, very quickly. Then, I would either speak up in the middle of a sermon and shout him down, or I would leave the church and never come back.
Barak Obama has many character strengths. He is nice, articulate, intelligent, VERY trusting, VERY optimistic, believes that ultimately all people- including Afghani jihadists who set of bombs in circuses filled with small children- can get along if we simply sit down and talk.
And this naivete is his downfall, the one quality which will get him the November vote in Vermont and California and Massachusetts, but cause him to lose every conservative state, most swing states, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and perhaps even Jersey.
For it is okay to have a NICE GUY as president, but a president also has to be shrewd, crafty, and a phenomenal judge of character. The American people know this and will vote accordingly in November. I am another Democrat who will be voting for McCain if Hillary loses, and there are many, many out there like me. We don’t attend rallies, don’t stand on streetcorners with signs, don’t go door to door handing out campaign information, don’t show up in the national or state polls. But we take ourselves down to the ballot box every November, and we vote.
I Feel that the Country needs to move forward on important issues that is more
important to the people.We need a CHANGE, there are a lots of people of all races
say the wrong things or statements in one way or another.
I also say that America must get their act together to be strong Leader.There
is a lot of things that America must correct before they can tell anyone in the world what they must do. Please move on to something else and the news media
quit being Bias.
I don’t believe Obama’s claims that he did not know about Rev. Wright’s anti-American comments. You do not have a close association for 20 years with someone like this, go to their church every week, have them perform your marriage ceremony, bless your house and baptize your daughters without knowing that they are racist and hateful.
It amazes me in that Obama has no memory of ever having heard any of these vicious, degrading, un-American comments. How can he, if he is the faithful member of this church, for over 20 years, state that he has never heard any of these inflamatory comments? I guess that he was conveniently absent on the Sundays when these were being made? Perhaps the Reverend Wright suggested that he not attend church on those Sundays?
There is much, much more of Obama that is not being seen by the public. This man seems to have much about him that is not presently known. Why doesn’t the News media dig into him, and enlighten the public? Seems that Fox Network is the only one staying on the topic. Good for Fox.
But, lets get the news on Obama out here for the public to see. He is basically, the ‘pig in the poke’ or the ‘bride behind the veil’.
Well I DO believe it makes a difference. How can Barack Hussein Obama not have heard this minister make those remarks. Twenty years of attending this church give me a break! It scares me to think this is how people think. If so this country has not moved beyond race and never will.
I think politicians have an immensely diificult task in remaining faithful as Chrstians and doing their political work. Personally, I have been disapointed with a lot of them recently. I think they are failing miserably. For example Elliot Spitzer resigning as Governor. Their task is certainly difficult; we all have to admit. But if that’s their calling from God, then they have to struggle to remain faithful to God and not give up.
Senantors’ McCain and Obama have a hard time separating their spiritual leaders views from their own personal beliefs. It can be a problem but it shouldn’t stop them from pursuing their goals.
Remember when Jerry Falwell asserted that America was being punished for its sins. I am not saying he was wrong in every case; I am just saying that in general he’s not right. So I think we have to apply the same to JM and BO when their spiritual guides say obvioulsy ludicrous statements . Most of the time these preachers are just tring to make the sermon more interesting or exciting.
thanks