Wonkette
Jeremiah Wright's press conference before the National Press Club this morning got the blogosphere in a bundle today, because someone decided it has to matter. Here's the current View Of Wright: Obviously he's very upset that the Main Stream Media has been SMEARING him, who wouldn't, and he's defending his statements pretty strongly ("It is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright — it's an attack on the black church," he says.) And he reiterated what he told Bill Moyers in their teevee interview about Barack Obama: "He had to distance himself because he's a politician," Wright said. He's blowing open the racial politics that Obama wants to close and claiming that Obama is insincere when he rejects Wright's "extreme sermons"; he's trying to balance a deserved self-defense with the collateral damage that that brings on Obama. He has an ego. Most importantly, he's just some old preacher and not Obama's surrogate father. He can say whatever he wants and Barry will just have to deal with it. Individual people have a right to defend themselves, and politicians have a right to disown them. That's all, goodnight. [AP]
jerry wright
Aww, Jeremiah Wright Isn't Doing Whatever Barry Asks Him To Do! What a Jerk!
9:46 PM on Mon Apr 28 2008
By Jim Newell
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113 comments
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Ugh. This officially gives Barry the right to throw him under the bus.
It's time for Rev. Wright and Bill Clinton to take a little cruise together, until after Election Day. Bon Voyage, fellas!
He needs to clip his fingernails.
@Cicada: @baxterthepug: @RooseveltFranklin: I agree.
+ Watch video
National Press Club - Rev Wright Q & A (Part 1 of 3)
I watched the whole Q&A session, it was awesome.
Jesus, Jim, that almost smells of common sense.
"I served six years in the military," Barack Obama's longtime pastor said. "Does that make me patriotic? How many years did (Vice President Dick) Cheney serve?"
Man's got a point, but are you really making a big statement by claiming you're more patriotic than DICK CHENEY?
Even if he were to go hide under a Goddamn American rock for the summer, his likeness and soundbite will just be unearthed in attack ads later (hell, or right now)...
Democrats should learn how to handle the truth. Keep talking about it until it gets old.
The timing of Rev. Wright's reappearance is immaculate. You'll see what I mean.
Jeremiah is so "god-damn" jealous of Barry and he can't take it. I hate to see what he's written in his book. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if Hillary were behind all of this. BTW, can we PLEASE get a story about Hillz and "The Fellowship"? Jeff Sharlet of Harper's has written an expose about the secret cult entitled "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power", that is to be published in May.
Excerpt from: [www.motherjones.com]
"The Fellowship believes that the elite win power by the will of God, who uses them for his purposes."
MMORPG players will recognize the tactic that Rev. Wright just pulled off. It's called "pulling." (Baiting the mobs, then taking them down.)
@amygdala1: Yes, but throwing fuel on the fire before two important primaries is a bit gauche, no? Also, there will be a bit of Wright fatigue by the summer... unless he keeps adding more to the story.
@audicityofhope: Okay then, why not just go with a monarchy? That's right, we're in the USA...
@Cicada: At least he ain't no Muslim...
somebody once told me there was this idea of separation of church and state that all the enlightment kids were really nattering on about?
i CAN'T WAIT til we get to that enlightenment thing...
Rev. Wright curses like a sailor and fights like a Marine. I almost want to join his church after watching his talk with the NPC today, even though I'm Buddhist.
@Cicada:
What?
Watch this
+ Watch video
and tell me where Wright was wrong.
~
+ Watch video
Chalmers Johnson, author of Blowback, Sorrows of Empire and Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic , talks about the U.S. 'military-petroleum complex.'
Pace Mr. Newell, Rev. Wright is not "defending himself." He is a publicity hound, in the tradition of Davy Crockett and Paris Hilton.
He really needs to shut the fuck up.
There must be something very intoxicating about those Fifteen Minutes of Fame. I don't wish to see him for one more minute, however.
...not that there's anything wrong with what he says, it's just those hooker fingernails!
@HansDog: That's nothing.. thank god he didn't have a huge coke nail.
@Hairyback: Obama clearly doesn't mind a great American speaking his mind. So who does? Why just duct tape him? Why not lynch him too?
People have short memories. Barry will almost certainly be the nominee regardless, so hopefully Wrighty The Whitey Killer burns himself out now and spends the rest of the election cycle in a sniper nest, snuggling with Mike Tyson and OJ or whatever the embarassing coloreds do with each other while Barry goes back into Hope/Change/NoDivision mode and tears apart McCain's senile nattering about how they're all just gooks who hate us anyways.
You know those science fiction shows where they show a parallel universe with a bizarro earth where everything is in reverse?
This Wright thing is one of those instances where I become convinced we're the bizarro planet.
On real earth, the controversial Wright is respected and even lauded for his contributions to society. And Youtubes of Rev.Hagee's batshit crazy and hate-filled statements play over and over driving down McCain's numbers and chances of being president.
I mean seriously! What the fuck!?!
Rev Wright has some interesting things to say, but he lost me when he said whitey gave the black man AIDS and CRACK.
Served. Looked like a real american helping take care of LBJ. If he's angry, its for cause. Maybe we should listen.
When will Reverend Wright stop embarrassing Obama and admit that it's unpatriotic to disagree with the rich white male point of view? I mean, just because he's bitter and angry, does that mean he has to have a different God than Yankee Doodle Jesus, who showers happy hard-working people with opportunity and Lexuses and hot second wives? Why does his mopey black inner-city Jesus hate America? Jesus is for winners, man -- not for these horribly discriminated-against minorities and such that the winners take advantage of.
@abarts: At the NCP Q&A session he cited a bibliography, which I myself am not familiar with myself. Are you?
@abarts: I hated the way Wright said what he said about AIDS. I thought it was kind of silly.
That being said, I don't know how old you are but it was stunning to me that Reagan never even uttered the name of the disease until 1985. And H.W. Bush didn't even mention what had become a major looming health crisis in his '92 nomination speech. I'm a member of none of the high risk groups but the level of intentional ignorance of the disease struck me as a conspiracy of political expediency.
@Private_Joker:
+ Watch video
Jeremiah Wright Press Club 1of3 Q&A 28th April
@ifthethunderdontgetya: I don't disagree with everything that he says, and I certainly don't think he is un-American. He has every right to believe and preach as he does. However, he is in the middle of a political shit storm and he is using it to promote his book. I don't see anything admirable in that.
@nyhfrog: Good point.. but strangely, batshit insane white is somehow a little less crazy, violent and apocalyptic than batshit black (which is anything but; it's completely justified empowerment more than anything)...
I trust the Obama campaign's ability to brush the dirt off, and am hoping for more vitriol in coming months..
@Cicada: You mean Obama won't make Rev. Wright his running mate like Wright hopes he will? Oh well. I still think he's an asset for thinking Americans.
Which reminds me. Have you signed into intelligentpeople.com yet? I failed the IQ test on the first pass, but then figured out it's just recognizing simple patterns:
A1 B1 C1
A2 B2 C2
A3 B3 C3
Think addition and subtraction.
@Private_Joker:
Dude: I'm not implying anything of a sort. Don't go bringing up that nonsense.
@Private_Joker: Also, on a few questions they flip the matrix 45 degrees.
@SayItWithWookies: Yeah, but this has become about politics, not religion. Jesus never said anything about flag pins, but try telling that to Nash McCabe.
@Cicada: When everybody comes to an understanding of the pragmatic reality of things, they calm down. That is the nature of things.
@Cicada: Why blame Wright for "the political shitstorm"?
For that, you can blame the same folks who decided that the big story of Election 2000 was Al Gore sighing too much during a debate, and that the big story of Election 2004 was that John Kerry was a windsurfer who didn't earn his Vietnam medals.
~
@ifthethunderdontgetya: I was living in a Buddhist monastery during 2004, but even in that cloister, I said offhandedly during lunch, "Nobody likes Kerry but everybody hopes other people will like him."
Obama is not like that. He is an elitist in the sense that he is genuinely better than us, not in the sense of being annoying.
@Private_Joker: Ah, but I have had my heart broken too many times by counting on thinking Americans.
@ifthethunderdontgetya:
I would never blame Wright for the shit storm, just how he reacts to it. Trust me, I'm hoping that most folks will react as you have to Wright. Again, I do not think he is a bad person, or wrong about many issues. I think he has an admirable record of community service, but this reeks of opportunism.
@Cicada: I know what you mean, but this is the 40 year changing-of-the-guard pre-ordained by the international bankers. We are merely spectators of historical forces (which we participate in also) which are all too well understood in the eye of the pyramid,
@Cicada: I think it's more promoting his message to those that he perceives might be enlightened.. Given his shit is viewed as controversial by some, I think he feels if he could reach one person, they might start to think differently about him/herself and society...
This is the first time during an election cycle we've ever had this "problem".
Ain't no shame in black empowerment.
Oh, the shark bites
With his teeth dear
And he keeps them
Pearly white
@amygdala1: Maybe I view this differently because I am a skeptical atheist. A lot of Wright's religious message doesn't speak to me, even if his political message does. I'm a little cynical about the whole religion + politics = empowerment thing.
@Cicada: Ach -- all religion is politics. Kurt Vonnegut said there are two classes in America -- winners and losers. Each class has their own Jesus, and the Joel Osteens and Dubyas of this world worship Winner Jesus. Jeremiah Wright worships Loser Jesus -- the H.L. Mencken, Ralph Nader, Harriet Tubman Jesus who cries out at injustice.
Winner Jesus, crafted by and for the winners, wants everyone to shut up, work hard and tithe.
The goal of the winners is to make the Losers worship Winner Jesus so they'll stop complaining and wanting change. The more losers they get to worship Winner Jesus, the better off they'll be.
Obama is that rare creature -- a winner who worships Loser Jesus. But he's run into the Country Club Gate Conundrum -- the Winners won't let you keep worshipping Loser Jesus -- Loser Jesus is mean, and says we get what we deserve when we're mean and bad things happen to us. Winners don't want to hear that crap. Winners only want to hear they got what they deserved when they buy a huge house or their girlfriend gets implants.
Obama's got to convince folks that he now worships Middle-of-the-Road Jesus, who'll be enough of WJ to get him through the CCG, but still have enough of LJ to keep the losers voting for him. How he'll do that will be the interesting part.
Oh -- um -- could you repeat the question?
@PattyCake: My favorite Bobby Darin song is 'Artificial Flowers'.
@Private_Joker:
this is the 40 year changing-of-the-guard pre-ordained by the international bankers
Which international bankers and why 40 years?
And I hear there is a specter stalking Europe.
This anti-Wright shit is so bogus. Pat Robertson dribbles loose water out his mouth on daily basis and never gets so much as a finger wag. This guy says a couple of harsh words about American war-mongering and suddenly he's top contender for America's Most Wanted. What bullshit.
Why did they put a picture of a white guy in a suit on this story? I thought Obama's pastor was a crazy black guy in African robes. This whole thing reminds me of "The Human Stain".
@donner: "Which international bankers and why 40 years?"
The ideology of the community is more or less continuously in consensus. And 40 years is high long it takes for people to forget.
@SayItWithWookies: Well said.
@Private_Joker: *how* long
Edit: That's "loose stool water."
@Cicada: I'm an atheist as well. (really). I'm wholly and totally committed to the separation of church and state (my polling place is a Baptist church, and I don't like that fact).
However, so many people in this country believe in some higher power, I shudder to think how they would spin Obama not having spiritual counsel of some sort. Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil. It's a runoff of the previous decades of pandering to the religious right.
@donner: Dude it's the 'Feduciati', abetted by the illuminati, the literati, the paparazzi, even the so-called 'cliterati' are in on this. Where you been, son?
@phlox: 'Fiduciati'. If I'm going to make up a word I should at least spell it right.
@phlox: You say Fidouche, I say Fedouche.. all depends on the accent..
@phlox: It's business. That's it. It's not personal. Just business.
Why won't the good reverend do something good and just go away!?!
I'm sorry, he was doing all this talking but all I could see or hear was this pudgy white guy screaming
"YEARGH!"
@SayItWithWookies: That was basically the most insightful thing about religion in America I've ever read.
+ Watch video
Jimmy Carter is chilled, so we should all chill. You dig?
@amygdala1: Actually, that song was composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht in the original German. It's from their 1928 Threepenny Opera.
@jagorev: Hey, thanks for enlightening me; I need that every now and then! Very interesting...
(I always thought that song was kind of oddly disgusting, disconnected and wrong as sung by Darin, that's why I liked it..)
Also, I think Americans are most familiar with the Louis Armstrong version, but the original German version is truly weird-ass (drop me an email at my login at gmail.com and I'll send you copy).
Louis Armstrong version:
+ Watch video