Joe Conason: Why Celebrate Rev. Wrong?

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080501_why_celebrate_rev_wrong/

Why Celebrate Rev. Wrong?

Posted on Apr 30, 2008

By Joe Conason


As the Rev. Jeremiah Wright gleefully tours the airwaves, inflicting severe political damage with almost every utterance, he is proving that racism isn’t the only obstacle to a black president. The historic prize is almost within the grasp of one of the most talented politicians America has ever seen, yet what seems most likely to frustrate Barack Obama now is not white prejudice but the frivolity, egotism and pettiness of those who should be his most serious and dedicated supporters.

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Far more challenging, for any black statesman or minister, is being the leader who at his best hopes to lift America above racial, religious and ethnic paranoia on all sides—that is, to be Barack Obama.

Perhaps the most repulsive aspect of Wright’s sudden celebrity is that he has elevated himself by stepping on the head of his former parishioner. Charismatic and clever as the reverend may be, his theories would not command two minutes of national airtime except for the remarkable rise of the Obama campaign. That he would not hesitate to ruin a young man who loved him like a father shows a deep flaw in his character, unredeemed by his religious cant.

How Obama can escape his toxic mentor is not clear. His remarkable speech on our persistent racial divisions necessarily pierced the illusion of transcendence raised by his campaign, but then resurrected the possibility of perfecting our union. Recognizing the fallible humanity in Wright as in himself and the rest of us, he hesitated to enunciate a complete rejection. Now it may be too late.

But responsibility for the ruin of the Obama promise will not fall upon the Illinois senator alone. The enablers of Jeremiah Wright should ask themselves why they have collaborated in his self-promotion. If he truly wanted change, as he told the NAACP, he would have maintained a wise silence, and they would not have offered him a platform. There is nothing new in this dispiriting display of bogus defiance. We’ve seen this show too many times already.

"The enablers of Jeremiah Wright should ask themselves why they have collaborated in his self-promotion."

they thought of his speech at the press club. His 'flock' doesn't have to agree with everything he says, just as Obama doesn't. We're deep into molehill politics, to the exclusion of all else. It's a pity.

and while I think he makes good points about the "father mentor" it's still an article with a biased viewpoint in that Obama has distanced himself from Wright...but Joe like the MSM wants more. Does he want Obama to go around in every speech damning the Reverend? Does he want to call for Obama to denounce Reverend Wright for "hate speech" and urge the United Church of Christ to throw him out as a Pastor?

There's little more Obama should and can do about Rev. Wright. The Reverend will run his course and the Media will eventually move on.

Also...there's that problem with Clinton operatives suppressing the Black Vote that's bubbling under the surface..that NO ONE wants to talk about because there are "Progressives" on the board of "VWVW."
Gotta talk about Rev. Wright rather than Democratic Organization suppressing vote of their own largest
voting block. :-(

have escaped the radar of many. Funny, it all seems to be benefitting only one candidate, too. And I didn't know Conason was a Clinton supporter.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=108x129926

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=108x129892

journalists who were exposing Mellon-Scaife funded Ken Starr witch hunt against the Clintons. They both wrote for Salon Magazine with Murray Waas...and it was the only voice we Dems had in the early days of Internet where we could defend the Clintons against the hate we Dems saw being thrown at them.

I have tremendous respect for Conason and Lyons and Waas. They were out there exposing the RW when no one else would. But, they have defended the Clinton's so long...they aren't going to turn on them now. And, many of us defended the Clintons for so long....so long...but we know that the change we need won't come from them.

not interested

of our public officials, presidents, etc, associating themselves with crazy loon ministers. Yet it doesn't make the news. So why Wright. I think you have to put it in context. Never before has a candidate been elevated so high as Barack Obama. Usually we vote for the lesser of two evils. When you lift someone up, you also lift expectations. No one bats an eye at the associations that McCain has had with whacko spiritual leaders, because they don't expect anything different from him. We know it's not sincere. It's just a stop on the campaign trail. He'd participate in a pagan ritual if it would increase his voter base. But, thanks to his supporters, Obama has to be perfect. He can't be human, make mistakes or have any flaws. It doesn't help that he has no solid experience and is running on illusive ideas. When you sell yourself as the candidate who has good judgement, you can't show bad judgement. The fact that Obama has known this man for twenty years, belonged to his church, is not, of itself, a bad thing. But, it doesn't resonate with the image he and his supporters have created.