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.
I am completely discusted with this network right wing agenda. It is even in its most fair day, intelectually lazy–not fair and balanced. It promotes ideology over logic. It serves–much like the clinton news network–as a beacon of stupidity…..Ideology above all else, even when the truth begs us to be more pragmatic.
Oprah Winfrey was wise enough to leave that church. Wonder why SHE left?
Barack Obama is without doubt a well educated man, a more than skillful speaker and a man with high ambition….I cannot believe that he sat in a church for over twenty years and did not know what the Pastor was talking about…..If he did not know…shame on him for allowing his two children to be influenced over and over by the rhetoric of Pastor Wright…..Perhaps Michelle heard more than he did and that is why it took her so long to be proud to be an American………Sen. Obama is still repeating his claim to fame….”I voted against the war”….Good for him..he was right……However it has come to light that his JUDGEMENT is as flawed at times as every other human being……i.e. his connection to Rezco, his first saying he knew nothing of the conversation in Canada about NAFTA and then admitting he did, saying he never knew Pastor Wrights position because he never heard it from his pew and then saying “yes he did”, for allowing his children to be exposed to what I call racism. If all of this had been exposed before Super Tuesday, perhaps Sen. Obama would NOT be leading in delegate votes….One good judgement does not a President make…..give me experience and resiliancy every time
Are you kidding?
Why the double-standard? At least Obama denounced Wright’s comments. McCain accepts the support of John Hagee (who is no different than Wright) and has even said he shares the views of Hagee.
Hillary,and McCain should have been standing with Obama at his speech dealing with the race issue.
I can’t believe that half have supported Obama turning this situation around to making it a race issue. it’s hatred voiced in the name of Jesus behind a pulpit amoungst a professed Christian congregation in a supposed secred place. Obama supported it for 20 years and probably sat through it as a young man looking up to his mentor just as those young people and children sat through it listening to their pastor (wright) and convinced himself that it was ok–sit through that for 20 years and see if it doesn’t influence your thinking and belief. You young people can probably relate with pressures of this time and age. Obama’s speech turned out to be an acceptance speech of the radical beliefs he’s been subjected to and choice to embrace it and is currently articulating his pastor’s message in a modern way to a Country that, in his and his pastor’s perception, needs change. Really think about the message of Change he talks about and the change he refuses to do–he will not turn away from radical philosphy but will change the perception of it to make this Country accept it.
I finally heard someone on your news program say something that sounded real and not hype. He questioned the audacity of Barack Obama to school the American people on racism. After he went to that racist church for over 20 years, he doesn’t feel an apology is necessary. Instead he just blames everyone, from his grandmother down to the American people themselves.
Even if Fred Barnes or Mort Kondracke weren’t offended by Barack remarks “typical white person”, I believe that it is blanket racism. The same comment in reverse about black people would have created an outrage. It is a double standard where white people are made to feel guilty for being white even if we have never hurt a soul.
I think Charles Krauthammer has described the situation perfectly. I applaud his commentary and wish more commentators had the stomach to accurately portray Barack as just another politician with some interesting character flaws.
I was shocked by the comments of Reverend Wright. I am equally shocked by the hatred spewed in so many of these postings. I don’t see much difference between the Reverend’s words of damnation and those uttered in so many Comments. So much anger. So much hate. So much ignorance. This country really needs God’s blessings.
Obama is half white, so of course he is not a racist. None of this changes the fact that Obama is whole lot smarter than McCain and would be a better president.