2008 Woodie Awards
Reverend damages Obama's campaign
Aanston Frazier
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Editorials
Senator Obama's race for the Democratic presidential nomination has been plagued by his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the firebrand preacher whose sermons were echoed with black racism. Though Obama has stated he does not agree with Wright's remarks and is appalled by the remarks, his past involvement with the reverend and attendance in his church for years while he made his racist remarks have raised issues for the Obama campaign.
Wright's sermons have shown him to have the same black racism as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. In one sermon the reverend even blamed the U.S. government for the creation of AIDS as a way to eliminate blacks. National Review's editor Rich Lowry has compared Wright to a Christian version of Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam Leader known for his racist, anti-Semetic views, as well as conspiracy leanings.
Wright, in response to the allegations of racism, made statements that only further embarrassed him and Obama. He repeated his remarks that America deserved the 9/11 attack as well as his remarks about the government creating AIDS. He even played the race card by claiming that attacks on him and his remarks are attacks against black churches.
At a time when Obama is trying to portray himself as a qualified presidential candidate that happens to be black, Wright has done the opposite and made race a major issue for the Obama campaign. Though Obama has denounced the remarks made by the reverend, serious questions remain as to why, if he doesn't agree with the remarks, did he continue to attend the church for years.
The damage to Obama's campaign continues to grow the more the Rev. Wright speaks. Some commentators have stated that Wright couldn't have done more damage to Obama if he tried. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich even speculated that Wright may be trying to purposely damage the Obama campaign.
Obama claimed in a press conference Tuesday that Wright's comments "were not only divisive and destructive, but they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate." But he needs to answer why he continued to attend the church for years while Wright was making these very comments during his sermons.
Obama's association with Wright either insinuates that he shared these same views, or is simply incompetent when it comes to understanding what others are saying. There was no excuse for Obama to otherwise associate himself for years with someone making such statements and holding such views.
- Aanston Frazier, a former Marine Corps intelligence analyst, is a junior economics and political science major and a Mirror columnist.
Wright's sermons have shown him to have the same black racism as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. In one sermon the reverend even blamed the U.S. government for the creation of AIDS as a way to eliminate blacks. National Review's editor Rich Lowry has compared Wright to a Christian version of Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam Leader known for his racist, anti-Semetic views, as well as conspiracy leanings.
Wright, in response to the allegations of racism, made statements that only further embarrassed him and Obama. He repeated his remarks that America deserved the 9/11 attack as well as his remarks about the government creating AIDS. He even played the race card by claiming that attacks on him and his remarks are attacks against black churches.
At a time when Obama is trying to portray himself as a qualified presidential candidate that happens to be black, Wright has done the opposite and made race a major issue for the Obama campaign. Though Obama has denounced the remarks made by the reverend, serious questions remain as to why, if he doesn't agree with the remarks, did he continue to attend the church for years.
The damage to Obama's campaign continues to grow the more the Rev. Wright speaks. Some commentators have stated that Wright couldn't have done more damage to Obama if he tried. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich even speculated that Wright may be trying to purposely damage the Obama campaign.
Obama claimed in a press conference Tuesday that Wright's comments "were not only divisive and destructive, but they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate." But he needs to answer why he continued to attend the church for years while Wright was making these very comments during his sermons.
Obama's association with Wright either insinuates that he shared these same views, or is simply incompetent when it comes to understanding what others are saying. There was no excuse for Obama to otherwise associate himself for years with someone making such statements and holding such views.
- Aanston Frazier, a former Marine Corps intelligence analyst, is a junior economics and political science major and a Mirror columnist.
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