Politics as usual

[Buddy]

Barak Obama, who steadfastly and staunchly stood by his pastor(s) and his church, now finds it politically inconvenient continue to do so. Why, exactly, do his supporters believe him to be anything but a tool of expediency?

[TaoJoannes]

By "Stood by" you mean, of course, "denounced the statements of said preacher while steadfastly supporting his work in the community", I don't think anything's changed.

Definitely politics as usual, keep repeating lies until enough people think they're true.

[Buddy]

You don't think anything's changed? He left the church, you don't think that's a change? Wright's gone but he still left the church. It was good politics for him to do so but his hypocrisy stands shining. No lies but the cold unvarnished truth.

[mixjourneyman]

So which politician who actually has a chance at being elected (no Ron Paul does not actually have a chance of being elected) is less corrupt? Hillary? McCain?
I mean Come on people, they are all politicians at heart.

[Michael]

Where can any honest person get $150 MILLION USD for the advertising necessary to get enough air time to insult your opponents for 18 months?

[Michael]

Ron Paul was getting dollar for dollar as much as the other guys at various times (Hillary even loaned her campaign millions to try and look good when Paul was scorching hot on the Internet), but Paul was getting it from individual donors under the $2000 limit.

[Walter Joyce]

As I understand it Obama left the trinity Church after a visiting priest attacked Hillary Clinton during his sermon 7-10 days ago. I think he got fed up with preachers trying to ride his coat tails.

Didn't you hear or see anything about the latest incident?

[Steve James]

http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=9099

The preacher (a white Catholic guy) suggested that Hillary had expected a coronation, not a contest. He asserted that she felt entitled to the nomination from a sense of "white privilege," and that she became indignant and nasty when it turned into a "race."

Yes, politically, Obama does not want to be associated with anyone who uses that type of rhetoric. Just as McCain dropped the pastor who said that Catholicism is evil. Of course, if Obama had stayed with the church, his critics wouldn't have given him their vote. Iow, he'll be guilty by association or by dissociation, anyway.

This really started after Hillary's remark about RFK's assassination. Most African Americans have seen terrorism and assassination as a social reality in the US for most of its history. It's why Colin Powell's wife didn't want him to run for prez. So, when Hillary suggested that she might win the nomination because "anything can happen" (i.e., such as an assassination), it turned many people off. I think Keith Olbermann had a piece about it, probably up on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8CsQyr6vlc

Anyway, some people said that her remark was the straw that broke the camel's back, and that it would be impossible for Obama to offer her a spot on the ticket. (I.e., if she took it, he'd have to watch his back).

That was the context for the speech at Trinity. Obama had been very conciliatory. His supporters at the church were not. Otoh, I don't know or even have a clue of what politician goes to what church, let alone what is said.

[steelincotton]

Obama did the proper thing. Since he's a presidential candidate, anything that anybody has ever said in that church will try to be associated with him. Heck, If the Trinity Janitor says he hates Hillary or makes a joke, is Obama to be responsible for him too? Hell no. Obama did the smart thing when you consider all the propaganda around this issue.

So, now the "bad-pastors" score is 2 to 2 - McCain/McSAME has John Hagee and Ron Parsley (much more racist, wicked, and evil men in my opinion), and Obama has Wright (a former two tours of duty MARINE), and Father F. a white guy with a sense of humor. Honestly, I found the father's statements to be completely and utterly TRUE. Hillary did expect to win big, but she was outsmarted by the Obama campaign - those are the facts. Personally, I saw no big issue with the father's comedy routine at all. Perhaps, all churches should keep politics out of there sermons, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Let's get real, this is all nonsense and political theatre to take your attention off the REAL issues, specifically the war and the economy. Honestly, I believe all this will actually HELP Obama, not hurt him. Most Americans are sick of swift-boating character assassination style politics that the right-wingnuts have been giving us for the last 20 years.

FIX (FOX) NEWS is camped outside of that church all day long - lol. Their so intent on painting Obama as some sort of radical anti-white, unpatriotic muslim that they devote 90% of their air time to mud-slinging propaganda. Enough already. Either way, Obama will clinch the nomination by Wednesday, or possibly Tuesday late night. In fact, from what I've read, a LOT of the superdelegates will be coming out in droves to support Obama right after Tuesday night's results (he only needs 30 supers or less to clinch - it's in the bag now). They've only waited this long as to appear polite to Hillary, and give her every chance she deserves to win, but sadly for her, she's been beat, and there's nothing that's going to happen short of an "assassination" (Hillary is waiting for that to happen) that will change that, especially considering that Obama has a 10 point lead over her in Montana, and a slight lead in S. Dakota.

Obama vs McSame, this is the new reality.

[steelincotton]

Great Keith Olbermann clip, thanks for posting that.

Keith Olbermann is my very favorite show on TV, he is one of the only liberal voices of truth we have left on the boob-tube.

[TaoJoannes]

You don't think anything's changed? He left the church, you don't think that's a change? Wright's gone but he still left the church. It was good politics for him to do so but his hypocrisy stands shining. No lies but the cold unvarnished truth.

From the day this whole Wright flap started, Obama reffered to trinity as "my former church" and Wright as "my former pastor". I haven't read the latest statement, but everything so far has been, basically "They're talking shit, and I'm not about that, but they've done good things in the community" hence, nothing has changed.

[MikeC]

From the day this whole Wright flap started, Obama reffered to trinity as "my former church" and Wright as "my former pastor". I haven't read the latest statement, but everything so far has been, basically "They're talking shit, and I'm not about that, but they've done good things in the community" hence, nothing has changed.

lol

[TaoJoannes]

From the day this whole Wright flap started, Obama reffered to trinity as "my former church" and Wright as "my former pastor". I haven't read the latest statement, but everything so far has been, basically "They're talking shit, and I'm not about that, but they've done good things in the community" hence, nothing has changed.

lol

Unfortunately, it works. If you keep repeating the lie long enough, people get tired and start to believe it.

This becomes the standard of Journalism: "A pastor at Barack Obama's church, who earlier mocked Hillary Clinton has apologised for his remarks. The pastor made severel references to Clinton during a sunday sermon at the church, that Obama has attended for the past twenty years. "

I think Rush Limbaugh said it best: "On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike."

"But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam."

"But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS."

[steelincotton]

How many churches in the US say off-color things, or downright hateful things about gay people for instance? I'm sure there are many, but that doesn't mean that every single person who attends that church hates gay people does it?

Get real. This is nonsense people, ya'll are being duped! The republicans do not have a SINGLE ISSUE to run on this election. This is all they've got! All they can do is propagate hate and fear, and keep the people distracted with non-issues so that they can try to "steal" another election like they did with Al Gore. Thankfully, it looks like most folks are waking up and others are coming to their senses.

I'm FIRED UP!! READY TO GO!! FIRED UP!! READY TO GO!!! OBAMA 2008!!

[TaoJoannes]

Oh, I dunno steel, Obama makes me uneasy. I mean, how do I know he's not going to put tin foil on the windows of the white house? That would just be tacky