Obama's Pastor: God Damn America

realtraveller · #1 03-13-2008, 11:12 AM

ABC News: Obama's Pastor: God Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11

"U. S. to blame for 9/11". "U. S. supports state terrorism against Palestinians". "U. S. shouldn't have bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki".

"God Damn America".

Obama listened to sermons like this for 20 years. He had this man marry him and baptize his daughters.

He can say that he repudiates these comments, but actions speak louder...

A major news outlet reporting. This is real trouble for Obama.

realtraveller · #2 03-13-2008, 11:21 AM

More on Politico.com

Wright on film - Ben Smith's Blog - Politico.com

"Jesus was a poor black man killed by white Europeans".

erik_kosberg · #3 03-13-2008, 12:06 PM

Quote:

This is real trouble for Obama.

But Haggee and Parsley aren't real trouble for McCain. Go figure.

realtraveller · #4 03-13-2008, 12:25 PM

McCain repudiated Hagee. Doesn't attend their churches. Didn't listen to their sermons for 20 years. Didn't have them marry him or baptize his children.

C'mon. You can stick your head in the sand if you want but Obama selected this church. Out of all the churches in Chicago. He attended for 20 years. He gave $20,000 in recent years to this church. He had this man marry him and baptize his children.

Obama can 'denounce and repudiate' this guy all he wants now. But did he ever walk out of one of these sermons? Did he continue to attend? Did he continue to give money?

This is very disturbing.

erik_kosberg · #5 03-13-2008, 12:39 PM

Meet John McCain's spiritual guide and then cry me a river.

realtraveller · #6 03-13-2008, 12:57 PM

McCain lives in Arizona. This guy's church is in Ohio. McCain has not been associated closely with him for 20 years. McCain did not write a book using part of this guy's sermons as the title or call him his "spiritual mentor".

McCain has been very quick to denounce anyone connected to his campaign who injects hate.

If McCain sought out a racist church to attend, out of all the choices out there, with a KKK like minister, was baptized in that church, married in that church, exposed his children to the hateful rhetoric, McCain would have been blasted by the NY Times, MSNBC, CNN and all the rest.

When Obama announced his presidential bid in Springfield he had first invited Rev. Wright to give a blessing. That invite was later cancelled. At the time, I recall that Wright had said some anti-gay things and that is why he was disinvited.

It may be too late for the Dems to not nominate Obama, but if you don't think this stuff won't be trouble for Obama, how about buying this bridge?

erik_kosberg · #7 03-13-2008, 01:16 PM

FWIW, Josh Marshall's take on this.

realtraveller · #8 03-13-2008, 01:22 PM

Josh Marshall really has it wrong. He thinks that Obama's going to a racist preacher for 20 years is only in the news because the Clinton's have injected race into the campaign?

It should have been news as soon as Obama announced his candidacy.

Just imagine if Clinton or McCain hailed the Rev. Fred Phelps as their 'spiritual mentor'. They would have pulled in less than 1% of the vote.

**theworm**[$] · #9 03-13-2008, 01:29 PM

so why wasn't it news immediately?
the press is all over dirt. How did they miss this?

erik_kosberg · #10 03-13-2008, 02:24 PM

The liberal media again!

**drmomentum**[$] · #11 03-13-2008, 03:10 PM

This is clearly not true, because Obama is Muslim.

-JP

brian_igo · #12 03-13-2008, 03:36 PM

Stupid shit like this makes me believe we've gotten exactly the president we deserve for the last eight years. If we want to do something as moronic as picking a president because we think he'd be fun to drink a beer with or because of what his pastor says, then we are nothing but a bunch of morons who deserve another eight years of this shit.

Aim higher, people. Just because the monkeys fling shit at you doesn't mean you have to pick it up and play with it.

**thinkerlady**[$] · #13 03-13-2008, 05:31 PM

Oh Brian...so eloquent. But you are exactly right!!!

erik_kosberg · #14 03-13-2008, 05:57 PM

**drmomentum**[$] · #15 03-13-2008, 07:00 PM

The speech Obama gave on MLK day was one of the most inspiring I'd heard in a while and I was impressed at how risky it could have been and how it expressed some American values I don't hear so much anymore. His own actions are enough to convince me of what his beliefs are, and wishing ill on America is not among them.

-JP

realtraveller · #16 03-14-2008, 12:15 PM

Well you can all try and deny that this isn't political dynamite but people are judged by the company they keep.

Quite rightly.

People don't joint and attend churches for 20 years when they disagree with what they are hearing from the pulpit.

**pippadaisy**[$] · #17 03-14-2008, 01:16 PM

I dunno. I've been listening to the same rhetoric here for over 7 years, but I like the people, so I stay. Although maybe if someone knew I read this thread, they'd think they could prove I wasn't an Obama supporter.

**jgibson2**[$] · #18 03-14-2008, 01:30 PM

There are plenty of Catholics who don't agree with half (maybe more) of what the Church teaches, yet they continue to identify as Catholics and even to attend church fairly regularly.

John Kennedy was accused of being likely to let the Pope dictate policy and much more recently, people worried about Romney and his religious beliefs. Just one more way to attack a political opponent.

**drmomentum**[$] · #19 03-14-2008, 01:35 PM

If all you're asserting is that it's political dynamite because people will mistakenly accord those beliefs to Obama, well, OK, I guess it will work on some dupes, just like the madrassa BS did.

If you want to discuss the content of what Obama has actually says and does, which I believe will have more impact on his candidacy, I'd be happy to read your opinion.

-JP

rmthunter · #20 03-14-2008, 01:37 PM

Quote:

realtraveller said

McCain repudiated Hagee. Doesn't attend their churches. Didn't listen to their sermons for 20 years. Didn't have them marry him or baptize his children.

Excuse me -- McCain practically gave himself a hernia trying to get Hagee's endorsement, nor has he in any way repudiated Hagee or Parsley, merely noted that he doesn't agree with everything they say. Now that's a huge dislaimer, isn't it?

Let's just face it -- McCain is the press' darling and is getting a free pass on way too much. Obama looks like a front-runner, and even worse, he's a (*gasp!*) LIBERAL.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #21 03-14-2008, 02:35 PM

My old minister once preached for almost an hour about how the youth of our church didn't have a couch for the youth room and proclaimed it the most pressing problem facing the youth. I hope that none of my colleagues or friends think I advocate solving child welfare problems by making sure all youth have a couch.

realtraveller · #22 03-14-2008, 07:40 PM

People choose their ministers. My own family left a church when the minister said that the Jews deserved anti-Semitism because 'they killed Jesus'.

One would expect that Obama had the courage of his convictions and would have quit this church when the pastor began spewing this sort of hate speech. Either Obama has no convictions or agrees with Wright.

What other conclusion can one draw? Was this the only church in Chicago?

realtraveller · #23 03-14-2008, 08:04 PM

Quote:

drmomentum said

If all you're asserting is that it's political dynamite because people will mistakenly accord those beliefs to Obama, well, OK, I guess it will work on some dupes, just like the madrassa BS did.

If you want to discuss the content of what Obama has actually says and does, which I believe will have more impact on his candidacy, I'd be happy to read your opinion.

-JP

His speeches may be nice, but actions speak much louder than words.

As for the political impact, I think Obama may get the nomination, unless the superdelegates do some polling on this and realize what trouble they are in. Why the media is only now bringing this up is a puzzle?

And Obama knew the trouble Wright would be as soon as he announced. Wright was disinvited from delivering the benediction when he announced his candidacy because Obama's advisors knew Wright was toxic.

You know that op research is checking on which sermons of Wright's Obama sat through.

Campaign commercials showing Obama with Wright, stating that Obama attended for 20 years, was married by Wright, took his little children to hear Wright's speeches...combined with the video of Wright ranting about the U. S. of KKK and God Damn America and the evil rich white people and which states does Obama lose....?

I'd wager most of them, but assuredly the 'battlegrounds' of Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and likely more.

This isn't just church identification as family heritage, Obama sought out this guy and joined this church. A church with which he had no prior affiliation or family ties. It was totally his choice.