Obama Addresses Racial "Anger"

[ChristopherHall]

Originally Posted by TRFrance

If Obama ends up losing to McCain in November, I think many of us will look back at this Jeremiah Wright thing as being the turning point that caused him to lose.

I think you're right. This does have the potential to seriously derail the Obama campaign.

[ChristopherHall]

Originally Posted by Fiyahstarter

I think NOT! To "condemn" America? What gives with that!

It's appalling for a presidential candidate to be anti-American.

My previous pastor condemned America for her liberalism, abortion, and homosexuality nearly a week after 9/11.

What's the deal? Are there only some sins worth condemning the nation over and others we just excuse?

America has mistreated people of color for many generations. No doubt about it. This has Wright outraged. Sure, he used stronger language that I would have used...but he's right. What America has done is a tragedy. From genocidal murdering the Indians to rounding up blacks into the bondage of slavery. From lench mobs to segregation. From child labor to legally being able to beat your wife. America hasn't always been the sterling example of a Christian nation some like to pretend she's been. Wright is just outraged at what his people have suffered. This type of thing tests our ability to understand and bridge the divide...or to pick sides and perpetuate the racial evil of our nation.

I'm white. I have the courage to say, yes, our people did them very wrong. And even after they were granted freedom we did them wrong. For several generations we purposefully stacked the deck against them. It wasn't until the mid 1900's that things began to really change for them.

I don't know what we can do now. But before we can even find what can be done...we have to admit that we've done these people whom God loves very wrong and seek to understand them.

[CC1]

Originally Posted by ChristopherHall

Obama is a black man. He can relate to what his pastor is trying to communicate. I'm sure you could record many of our churches on any given Sunday and hear things that would make America gasp with disbelief if any of us were running for President.

Even in main line Christianity you have Zionists who advocate eliminating every Palestinian in the West Bank. That's genocide. On this very forum some have advocated executing homosexuals.

Try to "understand" instead of looking for an excuse to condemn. Wright truly believes he's people have been done wrong, have been oppressed, and are still suffering in many ways. It may be difficult...but try to see where he's coming from and judge what he says from his perspective instead of your own.

PUH-LEEZE!!!!!

It is one thing to be a typical Black leader with a victim mentality that you are hell bent on passing on to each successive generation.

It is entirely another thing to say the over the top kind of things Rev. Jeremiah has said.

He makes Jesse Jackson and Al Shaprton look like conservatives!

If this guy had just been a minister on Obama's advisory board that he was a casual acquaintance of that would be one thing.

However Obama, who claims to be the champion of "change" and a new day in America, willingly sat under the leadership of this man for over 20 years. Was married by him. Had his children baptized by him. Even one of his pastor's sermons was the inspiration for the title of one of Obama's books.

This was no mere casual acquaintance.

Associating with this large racist church was a plus for Obama as long as he was just involved in local Chicago area politics. Now that poor judgement is coming back to haunt him.

If he would not stand up to those outrageous statements by his pastor over 20 years what makes anybody think he would stand up to other wrongs as President?

[CC1]

Chris Hall,

I went to high school in Lousiana from 1973-1977. It was a small town that was looked at as a crucial test of integration as the school was almost exactly 50% white and 50% black.

My mom was a widow with little money and we lived in government housing just like many of the poor black folks of that town.

The black kids I went to school with had the EXACT same educational opportunity I was getting yet the vast majority of them chose to not do their school work, not turn in homework, not study for tests and then call the teacher racist when they flunked.

At some point you can no longer point to the fact that your great, great, great, great grandparents were slaves as an excuse to not have a work ethic and for your culture not to value education as it should.

Vietnemese boat people came to America with only the shirt on their backs and in less than one generation, usually just a decade or so, were owners of stores, retaurants, etc.

It is what a culture or group of people values and emphasizes that defines them. Not past difficulties of ancestors.

If the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world spent half the time trying to instill a value system back into black culture as they do perpetuating the victim mentality and holding up corporations for big donations to their causes things woudl be a lot better.

I love black folks and will fight for equality of opportunity for them all day long. I just don't accept excuses that are not true.

The idea that you can't require picture ID's when voting because it would "frigthen" some black people afraid of "da man" is just absolute stupidity. If that is the case why not take a little effort to educate those people of the need for doing it rather than assuming they can't comprehend the need to protect the integrity of the vote.

No. Liberals would rather use every loophole to allow illegal aliens to vote and racist activists have one more false thing to whine about.

[ChristopherHall]

Originally Posted by CC1

Have only read your initial post here and not the thead but I am betting I am not the first one to point out that Obama still has not explained his lack of judgement in attending this church and sitting under this pastor for 20 years.

No wonder his wife slipped not long ago and stated the first time she was proud of America in her adult life was now with Obama's success. I am sure sitting under that hate mongering racist pastor her head has been filled with more anti-American and anti white propaganda than can be imagined.

Bottom line is this is a case of judgement. If he didn't have the guts to change churches or to confront his Pastor's views that he now condemns how can we expect him to stand up as a leader of the Free World?

I've sat under three pastors. All were white.

The first died in his 80's and was a powerful man of God. But bro...he would use the "N" word in private conversations. He forbade mixed marriages and even advocated outreach only in white areas of town. When asked why his concern was that black families would bring black young men into the church and he feared for the young ladies in our church. He even made a statement once while preaching that if we weren't wise our daughters would mingle with "colored boys" and soon the abominatino of mixed babies would be dancing before the holy altar of the Lord.

My second pastor wasn't openly racist. But he refused to support a black daughter work in the West Side of Dayton. He wanted no association with it and cut off all those who got involved. Though he's supported non-black daughter works.

My third pastor appears to not have a racist bone in his body so far. He's a real good man.

I was loyal to my church. I sat through the first pastor while not agreeing with his personal opinions on race. I sat through my second pastor until the Lord impressed upon me to leave and attend the church we're currently attending.

So in a way I can sympathize with Obama. Certainly my first pastor was inspiring, powerful, and prophetic. But bro...his views on race were something I never completely bought into. So I've personally experienced what Obama is talking about. It is very possible to respect and even honor a man who you find inspiring...yet disagreeing with him on some issues such as race or politics.

[ChristopherHall]

Originally Posted by TRFrance

Bingo!!
He made a sweeping speech about race in America, to deflect attention away from the key issue at hand... which is his judgment in choosing to sit under this man's pastorate, a man who spews such disgusting anti-American hatred.

Some people are already distracted by the flowery rhetorics of Obama's speech. But there are a lot of smart voters out there who havent taken their eye off the ball here.

I think this is going to cost Obama dearly. The damage has been done, and he may never recover from this. Somewhere, John McCain's people are smiling.

I think there is an effort to play on America's racial divide and use it against Obama. I for one understand that his pastor's statement have to be taken in context with consideration of the speaker's experiences, concerns, and intent.

Obama's Pastor is right...America should be "damned" if she cannot even admit she's committed atrocities against entire ethnic groups. My pastor was right, if America cannot even admit that abortion is wrong she should be judged. Frankly, both pastors, one from the right and one from the left are addressing valid moral concerns.

[CC1]

Chris Hall,

Would you have sat under a pastor for 20 years who made the statements from the pulpit that Obama's made? If so I have zero respect for you as I do anybody that would.

Not the statements your pastor made, the statements Pastor Jeremiah made.

[ChristopherHall]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

So, this is your rationalization to vote for a man who has not answered as to why he allowed Pastor White to be his spiritual leader for so long? You are going to now base your vote upon how the white man treated the black man for all those years? Are you serious??????

Dude....my first pastor used the "N" word and called mixed babies an abomination. He also refused to conduct mixed weddings. I sat under him until his death. His ministry was powerful and valuable to me. Would you consider me a racist?

[Sam]

Originally Posted by ChristopherHall

Do any of you believe we as a nation have completely treated the black people fairly and behaved toward them in a Christian manner?

What about our genocide against thousands of Native Americans. We overlook these things because our people did them. If he was an Indian he'd have the right to condemn America over this grave sin in our past also.

My answer to question number 1 would be "no."

My answer to question number 2 is that the whole idea of "manifest destiny" i.e. that God gave this land to white Protestants is wrong. Although many of our founders did indeed have "Christian" ideas, the nation was built upon genocide and "ethnic cleansing" and therefore, in my opinion, cannot be considered a "Christian nation."

At this stage of the game, how do we correct these and other wrongs? I don't know.

[CC1]

Originally Posted by ChristopherHall

I think there is an effort to play on America's racial divide and use it against Obama. .

That may be true but leaving aside those that might rejoice at Obama stumblling for a moment and just looking at the situation objectively it is extraordinarily poor judgement for him to sit there 20 years.

Nothing you or the other libs can say changes that.

There are plenty of black churches who do not spout hatred that he could have been a member of.

Your butt is where your heart is and apparently none of this offended Obama's sensibilities enough for him to move his butt to another black church.

That is poor judgement and should cost him any chance of the Presidency.

I can just see you defending a Republican canidate who for the last 20 years had sat in a racist America hating church who lifted up the KKK. If that ever happened that guy should be flushed just as Obama should be.