Category: The Dish

McAuliffe promises that it will all be over by then. Heh.

A reader writes:

For those of us in the run up to the 2004 election who already knew something about the hints of skewed intel, extraordinary rendition, blatant administrative incompetency in Iraq, possible torture, the politicizing of our government, the rise of Christianism, the suppression of science, this is old news.  The MSM not covering the issues?  Faux elitism and wedge issues overtaking all sane discourse? A small, highly disciplined political group controlling the tempo of a scorched-earth campaign? 

Look, I don’t think Kerry was the greatest candidate for the time, or ever, and I know you did endorse him as opposed to Bush in ’04 for similar reasons to those I’ve listed above, but is anyone really shocked at what is going on?  Depressed maybe.  Shocked no.  Watching this unfold – again – is as if Stephen King had written the movie Groundhog Day and we are forced to watch it in slow motion. It’s excruciating!!

By the way,  would you like swiss on your Phillie cheese steak?

I prefer feta on my arugula, thank you. And that is how our election will be decided if the MSM get their way.

Larison argues that the right’s zealous use of Wright has more to do with anti-Americanism than race. As usual, a fresh take on the race from one of the more reflective parts of the traditional right. Yes: Obama is too Americanist for Larison.

Keyes loses the Constitution Party bid. The Indecision 2008 staff must be crushed. Keyes should set up his own party. And run for his own vote.

In Alabama, it prompts a call to 911.

A reader offers an interesting point:

I am a late 40’s "white guy" from the Philadelphia area. Starting in the early 70’s I began listening to the black preachers on the high UHF channels at odd hours of the night. There was something about the way they ALL spoke that I found intriguing – even before I knew the meaning of the word. There was always a high level of defiant bravado with outlandish accusations thrown in for good measure. This was expected by the followers — as if by getting away with "the talk"  was synonymous with some kind of mystic power. For me it was like chewing aluminum foil when you have a tooth ache – you kind of liked it … But why?

As I got older other hobbies took over from my late night listening — but I would always pause for a few minutes when I clicked past a station carrying some preacher.

All of this homework was not lost on me later in life when I glimpsed Reverend Al, Jessie, or even Julian Bond on C-span  — good old Reverend Ike would come to mind.  As a progressive gay white man I cringe when I  hear some of these preachers and "leaders" — it even happened a few weeks ago listening to a Tavis Smiley forum.

Andrew, the problem is that this kind of speech is so common in parts of the black community that it does not shock the followers.

I was talking to two friends when the Wright story surfaced a few weeks ago — one white, one black —  one for Hillary, one for Obama. I made the point that maybe this will bring to the front this hateful speech so we can stamp it out – exposing it for what it is. My white friend had no idea what I was talking about — he never listened to the old UHF or to be honest current black radio. My black friend dismissed it as just "the way some speak in the black church."

The idiom is different; and the standards of evidence are different; and the context is different. Obama has lived in both worlds, which makes him different as well. Somehow, he has to bridge those worlds right now. God knows how. But that’s what he has taken on with this candidacy; and we’ll see if he has it in him. I think he does; I think we all do. But Jeremiah Wright just made it all a lot more difficult.

A reader writes:

I really disagree with your post about religious freedom in the Navy at least. I know the AF academy has been in the press about this issue, but my experience after 20 years as a medical corps officer has been very different.  I think, though, that the Navy has a long tradition of independence of thought that may not be present in the other services (see Admiral Fallon, perhaps)–I think this is due to the fact that until recently, ships at sea were out of regular communication with HQ and so there may be more delegated authority and decentralized decision making in the Navy than in other services. 

I am a semi agnostic UCC member and I and have NEVER felt pressured to have more fundamental Christian beliefs.

I was married by a fundamentalist Baptist chaplain who thought my husband and I were a bit nuts with some of our quasi Buddhist beliefs, but he didn’t try to convert us. The chaplain with whom I worked closest at National Naval medical center caring for injured marines was a Jewish rabbi.  About 10 years ago I was deployed to provide humanitarian assistance to Kurdish evacuees during Ramadan and the chaplain we had with us was Muslim.  We made sure all of the food complied with Muslim dietary laws and brought in Lamb for the Eid celebration.  Recently I was at a series of classes for retiring military officers and sat next to a Navy chaplain who told me that the most interesting experience he had on active duty was ensuring that the Wiccans on his ship had a place to worship and working with them to ensure that their requirements were met.  This is no joke! 

In North Carolina today:

"Some of the comments that Rev. Wright has made offend me, and I understand why they offend the American people. He does not speak for me. He does not speak for the campaign."

Marc has a longer quote. I reiterate that I think Obama has to make clear again that he vehemently opposes the use of race to divide and separate and inflame ancient grievances; that he wants to get beyond the racial politics of the Vietnam era; that he is dedicated to overcoming race and offering hope – not obsessing about race in order to foment anger and bitterness. Parts of the message Wright gave today were not just alien to Obama’s stated views – but actively hostile to them. Obama cannot explain that often enough.
 

Christopher Beam’s thoughts on McCain now saying that using Wright is legitimate:

…on the one hand McCain wants people to know he’s upstanding and above the fray and all that. But on the other, he’d be a fool not to use Wright against Obama. This tension is likely to dog McCain through November. Then there’s always the possibility that harping on Wright could backfire. The moment it stops being about patriotism and starts being about race, McCain could get burned as badly if not worse than Obama.

Wright has now made McCain’s conundrum easier. Obama’s too.

A reader gets it:

Jeremiah Wright fucked Obama today and fucked him good. Remember how good everything felt right after Obama historical speech in Pennsylvania — like we might inch toward an honest discussion on race? Wright seemed to do everything he could this morning to shut that down. There were some interesting comments in his speech, comments that did not trouble me. But then we reached that Q&A and I practically watched it through my fingers. His comments on Zionism made me sick. And his surprisingly un-nuanced answer to his statement about 9/11? That was a gift to Karl Rove and the freak show. Today has chilled me to the bone.

However, you are correct about the silver lining in this: This is the exact opening Obama needed to slam the door on Wright. And if he does not, even this diehard supporter will be forced to take a small step back. But what I will be interested in seeing is how other African-Americans react to Wright’s Big Moment. Will they see a man who is greedily and arrogantly using the spotlight of this primary race to potentially spoil Obama’s chances and turn against him?

I hope they do. Wright is not Obama and Obama is not Wright. But Obama’s decency has prevented him thus far from the kind of thing that the Clintons would do without even thinking about it. Wright has now removed any guilt or conflict Obama might feel about denouncing him and his approach to race and politics.