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.
How can you be at somebody church for 20 years and don’t share some of his views? He dedicated his book to him and even took phrase from him to put in his book?
Not sure where FOX getting there polls from, but everybody I talked to don’t believe a word he say anymore, that include African Americans…… Sorry Obama you lost me…….espically his smart remark today….A TYPICAL WHITE PERSON……. It was anyonc else that said a TYPICAL BLACK PERSON….would be hang by the meida, Al Sharpton and crew!!!!! What double standard in America…..
I would love for some of you to attend this church to see that this wasnt an everyday practice I wish my name not be disclosed but this man didn’t do this everyday and I’m about tired of the way that this is continuing to go on…. Rev. Wright was a good man but I can agree with him on some things and on some others it was over the top. Put it this way Americans come to the church in Chicago. I just think that people in Amerca think that the truth hurts. I mean the things he says had some validity to them. Think about it when we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the bombs killed nearly 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki America was retaliating back but we retaliated back with a might the world had never even seen.
We trained Osama Bin-looney to fight against the Russians when they were trying to invade them we also gave them weapons. What happen in return they came back and started killing us after we trained them. Why you ask because we are backing Jeruselem and there fight to keep the “holy land” We really need to stay out of other countries buisnesses when we cant even fix our own issues at home. Thats where I believe he was comming from. Think about it we butt into everyones’ buisness and the people were pissing off are starting to come home to “roost” as he stated.
As Obama being somehow resposible for these mans words are idiotic. I didn’t agree with this mans speeches half the time when he was preaching. I also thought it was devestating for him to preach on such a subject as 9/11 when the country seem to be comming together for the greater good. No matter what anyone says you can’t be guilty by association to a person. Obama has denounced Mr. Wright and the sermons he gave. But you cant just say a man believes someone because he goes to the church in which he speaks. Thats like saying the people that go to the churches that the preachers were having relations with those poor little children are rapest and unhuman as well. Get my drift. One can sometimes get cought up in the moment but you can’t pawn anyone elses words or actions onto another person that has said he doesnt agree with them; or that would mean everyone in the churches that had ministers touching and raping little boys are in for a rude awakining.
I was amazed to read your poll today. Where did it come from? Rev. Wrights church? Evidently it was not taken by alarge cross section of Americans. Anyway, I came to express my view on the comment today of “typical white person” Mr Obama came out with today. I gew up in a MS delta town (Greenville, MS) My father was Chief of Police in the turbulent sixties. When the COFO workers came in by the bus load to protest the unfair (and unjust) treat of black Americans he treated them with respect and fairness. to make a long story short When these people left the headline from an interview with some of their leaders read: We came to town expecting a racist PIG, but were met by a Lion and a man of fairness! TYPICAL WHITE PERSON?? I think not.
It has now gotten to the point where White American media outlet representatives (FOXNEWS, MSNBC, CNN and their self-righteous bombastic pundits), has, in spite of everything else, put itself in a plantation type position of thinking it has the RIGHT to establish some type of half-ass litmus test and guidepost for Patriotism and what is or isn’t appropriate for black people to say or listen to in their private moments. Black people “better” adhere to any white American position on what is “fair”, what is patriotic and what blacks are supposed to be doing in their places of worship or there is hell to pay for it. Those black folks “better explain to our satisfaction” anything “they” are uncomfortable with!?!?
I am a descendant of slaves and Cherokee Indians and you better believe THIS IS MY COUNTRY. My descendants pain and blood runs thorough this land. I LOVE MY COUNTRY. I can discuss, dissect, wrongly or rightly, any issue concerning this nation how ever I choose. Generations of my folks lived and prospered in spite of the inhumanity and injustice of segregation. I’ll be damned if I ‘m going to let ANYONE question my patriotism or how I worship in my church. This plantation mentality that these media representatives continue to advance is going to backfire in ways that their limited sense of humanity and history cannot comprehend. I don’t want any favors. Just let me be who I damn well want to be. No one is looking to destroy the mighty US way of life. That is a ridiculous notion. EVERY TIME I have to be questioned about my patriotism and adult sense of judgement it is an insult. We ALL want to work, explore and promote our strengths, creative selves and build up our homes and families in a positive God fearing way. There are many things going on in ALL places of worship. This high and mighty attitude is quite perplexing considering this nation’s history. Stop throwing stones and start having some compassion.
If all of us follow our preachers’ words we would be living saints by now.
The premise that Obama believes in EVERYTHING his retired pastor said is absurd. If we accuse Obama to be a hypocrite that is probably who we are generally in terms of our faith. Come on, who ever believes that Obama blindly believed and followed his pastor’s divisive words are probably the same people who do. Are you gonna eat mud if your pastor told you to do so because he said God said so?
We are all hyprocrites. We do not even consistently follow the good news in our lives. So how can we accuse another man that he is following the “bad news”.
We all should just shut up on this issue and move on. Give the guy his peace.
As for the media, I do hope and pray that you let the truth prevail in your work since you affect millions of American lives. If not I yet have to see a noble newsman quit because of adulterated or false information.
How can you be at somebody church for 20 years and don’t share some of his views? He dedicated his book to him and even took phrase from him to put in his book?
Not sure where FOX getting there polls from, but everybody I talked to don’t believe a word he say anymore, that include African Americans…… Sorry Obama you lost me…….espically his smart remark today….A TYPICAL WHITE PERSON……. It was anyonc else that said a TYPICAL BLACK PERSON….would be hang by the meida, Al Sharpton and crew!!!!! What double standard in America…..
Obama will do anything to get elected - he even made out his white grandmother was a racist - the man is a charlatan.
Well that is very insightful. It makes sense that if he did not agree with his rantings he would not be able to sit there and listen to the diatribes of a lunatic bigot for 20 years. He surely could not think of him as his mentor and uncle if he considered him a bad influence around the children. Clearly they think differently that is why the great man disassociated himself from uncle black Klansman.
BHO says he wants “change” , I’m scared to think the type of “change” he and his friends have in mind. Sitting in Wright’s church as he teaches’ hate’ , is like me sitting in Fred Phelps church for 20 years and then saying ‘ I don’t believe in his views.’ One thing is for sure, you can tell BHO he is an attorney. He can make you think it’s daylight and midnight.
The ignorance of so many…I have been a Catholic for 20 years. Does that mean I believe in everything my priest says. Absolutely not! I go every week because I want to praise God and I find comfort in the Catholic Church, not necessarily the priest himself. I have many people in my world who have extreme ideas that I find ridiculous but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about them. Wasn’t this country founded on freedom of expression? Or does that just mean expressing the ideas I agree with? I respect the fact that Senator Obama upholds that expression and is still able to maintain his own beliefs. I think this is the very way to bring the country together. By giving everyone a voice, yes even the “crazy” ones.