FOX News Poll: More Than Half of Americans Believe Obama Doesn’t Share Views of Pastor Wright
Barack Obama, who is trying to move on from discussion about his former pastor, speaks about Iraq and the economy Thursday at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. (AP Photo)
By Dana Blanton
Fifty-seven percent of Americans do not believe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama shares the controversial views of his former spiritual mentor Jeremiah Wright, while about one in four (24 percent) believes he does share the Rev. Wright’s views. And a sizable minority has doubts about Obama because of his pastor’s comments, according to a new FOX News poll.
Republicans (36 percent) are more likely than independents (20 percent) and Democrats (17 percent) to think Obama shares Wright’s controversial and unpatriotic views. Whites (25 percent) are more likely than blacks (15 percent) to think so.
Over a third of voters (35 percent) and a quarter of Democrats (26 percent) and independents (27 percent) say Obama’s relationship with Rev. Wright has caused them to have doubts about him. Here the racial breakdown is stark: 40 percent of whites and 2 percent of blacks have doubts.
“One of the hallmarks of Obama’s campaign has been his ability to attract independent voters. This doubt brought on by the Wright controversy has to be troubling for Obama,” said Ernest Paicopolos, principal of Opinion Dynamics Corp.
Click here to see the poll results and read the full story.
It’s unclear how much damage, if any, the situation will do to Obama’s standing in his head-to-head race with Hillary Clinton, as Democrats so far are still almost evenly divided in their preference: 40 percent say they want Clinton to be the nominee and 38 percent want Obama. In February, the vote preference was tied at 44 percent each.
All in all, Americans think your choice in friends says a lot about you: Almost 7 of 10 say they think the people you choose to be your friends reflect on you and your values. And 39 percent say your friends reflect on you “a lot.”
Rev. Wright was Obama’s pastor and spiritual adviser for many years, and performed Obama’s wedding ceremony in 1992.
Most Americans — 72 percent — are familiar with the comments made by Obama’s former pastor.
Obama gave a speech on race in America in which he addressed Rev. Wright’s comments on March 18. Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national telephone poll of 900 registered voters for FOX News from March 18 to March 19 in the evenings. The poll has a 3-point error margin.
Why would Obama sit at Church with his family for 20 years and not had said I disagree with Rev Wright, before now?
I don’t usually go to my Church and say out loud I don’t agree…….I would stop attending and find another Church.
I also don’t go to Church and hear so much “hate” towards my country or fellow man!
The one in four that believe Obama shares his pastor’s views is the same one in four that believes, despite our disastrous economy and a disastrous war and the fact that Bin Laden is still on the loose 6 1/2 years later that Bush is doing a good job.
In short, that 25% will believe ANYTHING!
The media who continues to search for reasons to be on Obama’s team are the only ones who do not see Barack Obama for who he really is. Birds of a feather flock together, there is no question about that, which is why he has been a member of Jeremiah Wright’s church for two decades. Who is he kidding? Obama originally lied to America about his knowledge of Jeremiah Wright’s words and then he went on to lie to America yet again in his “so-called grand” speech on Tuesday in his deeclaration that that type of language used by Jeremiah Wright is the language used in Black churches all over the country. As a Black American, I can attest that that simply is not true. The majority of Black churches throughout America do not preach this way. But how would the rest of America know that the man is lying unless they attend Black churches? To make matters worse, the media bends over backwards to accept this myth. One thing I can attest to as a Black American, is that many of us know how to turn it around on white people. And Barack Obama and his team are no different, as they have proven. Obama has been the one from the beginning of these primaries using racists tactics, but he and his camp were subtle, turning it around on the Clintons and for a while they were successful mostly thanks to the media. Obama was assured that America would continue to be blinded by his words. In effect, all he has proven is that his words are empty and his platform weak. This is not the type of Commander in Chief that I look forward to representing my country.
It’s scary that 24% of Americans believe Obama agrees with Wright. I guess we have the “Great Americans” Limbaugh and Hannity to thank for this.
Obama did not find Rev Wrights statements offensive enough….or he wouldn’t have stayed in the church.
Your poll should have asked …..
Does Obama condone and sympathize with a victimization mentality of the black race?
or
Does Obama harbor resentment toward the white race?
or
Does Obama feel more think more programs are needed to help the black race and put the white race in it’s place?
If you only asked does Obama believe the outlandish statements of Rev Wright, your poll was inadequate. Rev Wrights statements were so foolish, I don’t even think Rev Wright believes them! He just enjoyed stirring in the racisim and hate!
I have tons of friends and family members who disagree with my views. We ALL disagree with eachother. Not once has anyone ever disowned one another because of their views. Call it love? Call it tolerance? Call it family? Call it Life. Because life is filled with angst - and we either have to get along with those we don’t agree with - or we disown them, smear them, call them un-American and hold our breath until we all conform to some one person’s own idea of perfect ideals.
40% of whites and 2% of blacks are supporting Hillary, of COURSE they say that this nonsense causes them to doubt Barack.
I have been a proud voting Republican for 42 years but will vote Democrat this year if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee.
I can’t belive that Mr. Obama shares all of the same views as Pastor Wright. I don’t agree with what or how Pastor Wright shared his point of view. I can’t judge the man since I don’t know him or his church. I’ll let God be the judge of him and his remarks.
I do believe Mr. Obama when he says that he doesn’t agree with everything Mr. Wright says. I never agreed with everything my pastor said and I am a good conservative christian.
I believe Mr. Obama is a fresh start to a new beginning and not an insider like Hillary Clinton or John Mc Cain.
If Mr. Obama doesn’t get the nomination I will vote for Mr. McCain.
Oh, by the way I am still waiting to see the resume of Hillary Clintons 35 years of experience. Being a First Lady for 8 years a lawyer and now a Senator doesnt qualify her to lead a country.
So she hasn’t convinced me with her qualifications.
Last but not least, why do we only look at Mr. Obama as a black man and not a white man as well. After all he is 50% black and 50% white, right?
It would be nice to see all of his relatives from both sides.
The last time I checked, OBAMA was supposed to be muslim (under a christian mask), based on his middle name, and the Hillary’s campaign told us (through annonymous proxies) that the smoking gun evidence was the Somali Garb photo.
Now suddenly he is bonafide Christian for 20yrs, with a fire-brand albeit controversial pastor, married, baptized etc. Frankly, I feel that many americans are looking for excuses to denouce and marlign a good man. Blame his wife, his pastor, his neighbor, his friend, and his church, his pastor, or also his fathers home land. Every nation gets the type of leaders they wish for. I caution our nation to be careful what they wish for.
I ask the media for the last time ….Which ONE is OBAMA? Chritsian or MUSLIM? or neither?
Talk about BIAS, I think this whole election has revealed the secret of the heart in most people. I have never heard anyone question whether Bill or Hillary Clinton are Christians although adultery reigned supreme in the home (and who knows what else). I have never heard Maccain’s faith questioned even though he has married as many times as I have fingers, and has a anger management problems, and does not always seem to remember facts. But OBAMA???? He is great but we do not know if he is christian enough, black enough, white-sympathetic enough, presidential enough BLA_BLA_BLA.. I think we are all being spooked by the media and some fear and hate mongers
Let’s stop and think for a moment. Who are we electing Rev. Wright or Ferraero? Both supporters have said some pretty degrading and offensive comments. The only difference is in the way that they were expressed. Now that we can agree that both supporters were wrong can we get back to the election at hand. Everytime that I see the video or Rev. Wright or the replay of Ferraero’s comments I get a knot in my stomach. I can recall on numerous occassions where someone said something derogatory about another person’s race. Just yesterday my daughter came home and told me a comment that was made by one of her fellow 1st grade classmates. The comments made by Wright and Ferraero should be ignored because they did not come out of the mouths of the candidates. Each candidate has its on voice. It is up to us to listen to the voice of the candidate or the voice of their supporters. At the end of the day it is going to be 1 of 3 people with a mailing address to the white house - Obama, Clinton or McCain. I’m sick of this nonsense about black vs white and black vs brown. The media enjoys having a hot story for the week - unfortunately they have turned this entire campaign about race and gender. Two viable candidates may loose the support of the overall democratic party due to the wedge between the two. I did not hear Obama’s speach yesterday, but I did read it online. I can only imagine what he is feeling inside by being bi-racial and having to hear derogatory comments about whites and blacks. It is time to put an end to all of this madness. To my fellow christians, do you honestly believe that God cares about you being white, black, or brown? God looks at the heart and the person. I encourage you to do the same.
Calling for Peace