Posted by John Publius Jr. on April 30th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Blog
Here we go again: more Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy for Barack Obama. This is the story that won’t go away.
Over the last several days, Rev. Wright made several high profile appearances with wide media coverage. Wright stated that Obama distanced himself from some of Wright’s comments only for “political reasons”, suggesting that Obama secretly agrees with Wright. This especially angered Obama and led Obama to publicly denounce Rev. Wright and effectively end the relationship.
As the U.S. economy continues to stagnate and U.S. foreign policy remains bogged down in the Iraq War, this Rev. Wright controversy dominates the election news.
Barack Obama’s campaign has not been able to break free of this Rev. Wright baggage. The right-wing media loves this story. Rev. Wright provides a convenient excuse to vociferously attack Obama.
I would much prefer that this election were about the economy, foreign policy, health care, immigration reform, education, energy, environment, jobs, terrorism, and dozens of other important issues. I don’t see what Rev. Wright has to do with the future of our country. As I’ve stated before, all politicians have relationships with controversial figures. Rev. Wright is a popular media story because it stirs up racial controversy.
The Obama campaign must find a way to change the story. This remains a major challenge for Obama and his campaign.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 25th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Comic Relief, Barack Obama, John McCain, Blog
Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert puts the recent Rev. Wright controversy into perspective:
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 22nd, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Blog
Remember when Barack Obama quit smoking cigarettes? Seems like a long time ago.
Did he do it for health reasons? To set a good example for his kids? Maybe he thought smoking would damage his public image? I heard him discuss the topic briefly in an interview. I don’t remember exactly what Obama said, but I remember being happy for him that he quit, for whatever reason. Also, I related to him more by knowing that he has flaws.
Of course, we are all flawed. Even politicians, although many would say, especially politicians.
America, how about quitting racism? Try it for one day. Maybe we’ll feel better and have the strength to continue. We’ll have cravings and might fall off occasionally. But if we keep trying, maybe it gets easier.
I’m not saying all of America is racist. Actually, I think we’ve made good progress. We have been trying. But last week some of us fell off. Let’s take a deep breath and try again.
I’m not saying America is alone. Many places in the world have racial and ethnic divisions. Sometimes, it feels more comforting to pretend that our own individual experience is the only one that matters.
Last week America talked about race quite a bit. No one talked about it better than Barack Obama. If you haven’t heard the whole speech, watch this video now. The whole thing. Actually listen. Or have you quit trying? Still too angry?
The main speech some people heard was Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s. Of course, we didn’t really hear his speech, only excerpts from several speeches, like a trailer to a bad B movie. I don’t want to hear any more Rev. Wright. Some radio and TV shows kept playing it endlessly.
The presidential election is important. It is even more important for America to overcome its racial problems. When I started writing these articles, I didn’t want to discuss race. I naively thought that maybe America had reached a new level of mutual understanding.
Since hearing this one angry black man, I have heard many angry white people especially. The Rev. Wright videos sparked this round of racial animosity. Some media voices poured gasoline on the rhetorical fire. Angry controversy boosts ratings more than calls for reconciliation. But most media voices and most of America upheld the principles of Dr. King, Robert Kennedy, and reason. We have progressed.
I criticize Obama for staying with his church. I still don’t think it was a smart choice for someone running for president. Forget the politics for a little while. This controversy struck a raw nerve in the American psyche: whites angry at blacks angry at whites.
If you ever pray, reflect, meditate, or think, now is a good time to consider being more open to people who are not like you. This racial hostility stuff doesn’t get us anywhere, but we keep trying it, for hundreds of years. It’s Spring now. Redemption is a powerful story. We each write our own story, let’s turn a new page.
Barack Obama has a “white” mother and a “black” father. Obama is classified as “black” because of racism. If you disagree with this fact, please, at least get informed.
Happy Easter!
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 19th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Opinion Polls - VOTE!, Barack Obama, Blog
Election Referee exists to focus attention on election controversies. The Rev. Wright controversy strikes me as a major issue. I will move on to other important election issues soon. This controversy likely will be a recurring theme on this website.
I am very interested in your opinions on the Wright controversy (and all issues)!
Please vote in our polls - it is anonymous. Of course, also continue posting your insightful comments. I’m very impressed with the intelligent dialogue, please keep posting more!
Inform your friends about this website. It would be nice to have more people voting and posting comments. I hope this is an inviting forum where people feel comfortable to “agree to disagree” while discussing very important issues.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 18th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Blog
Today in Philadelphia, Barack Obama gave a major speech about race.
Yahoo News summary: Obama confronts racial division in U.S.
Entire text of the speech: A More Perfect Union.
Last week, Obama addressed the Rev. Wright controversy as soon as it emerged as perhaps the most heated issue of his campaign so far. However, this controversy continued to dominate the election news.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 16th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Blog
This Obama Pastor controversy disappoints me because I thought Barack Obama was politically smarter. I also hoped that we would talk less about race.
Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update has a segment called “Really?”. I imagine the next “Really?” will begin like this:
Senator Obama, you didn’t realize that having a close relationship with an angry black-separatist preacher would be controversial? Really? Really!!!??
Barack Obama should have severed ties with Rev. Jeremiah Wright much earlier. Obama believes in his own message of inclusion and hope. Obama profoundly disagrees with Wright on many levels. It is totally unfair to suggest that Obama shares any of Wright’s controversial views.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 15th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Talk Radio, Mainstream Media, Blog
Yesterday, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign suffered perhaps its largest political setback, as all U.S. news media focused on controversial videos of inflammatory sermons given by Obama’s pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Barack Obama is member of the Trinity United Church of Christ. I visited this website months ago and concluded that it was not especially controversial, but this issue has been on my radar. The mainstream media dismissed the issue months ago, but they say the story has re-emerged because “now there’s video”.
This ABC News video summarizes the story well:
For the first time, Obama’s presidential campaign appears tainted in the eyes of the mainstream media. “Guilt by association” is not fair, but Obama had a long-standing, close relationship with Rev. Wright. Barack Obama’s message of transcending social divisions is in stark contrast with the highly divisive rhetoric in some of Wright’s fiery sermons.
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