Posted by
beltway girl on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 12:28:33 AM
And change we're now embroiled in.
Okay, first there were just murmurings about Jeremiah Wright and a possible "pastor problem." They were balanced with Obama's glowing praise about his Audacity of Hope sermon, and it was like a breath of fresh air to see a young presidential candidate actually embracing his spirituality so enthusiastically, rather than running a sprint from it.
But it doesn't look so refreshing any longer. And many are wondering why he wasn't running the sprint.
"Goddamn America"
This is not exactly the stuff good political campaigns are made of.
It looks... really bad. And here's a prediction: It may be looking worse in the weeks to come.
Not too many things could have made the Bill and Hillary Show a viable viewing choice, but the Uncle Jeremiah Hour has actually done the trick.
It's incredible. One has to strain to figure out which one is actually running for office. Will the real politician please stand up?
Will he please stand up and walk out of the building where these rants are occurring?
But he didn't. While the Wright Rants can arguably be set aside as Wright's own interpretation of today's events in a religious context (the UCC has come out in his defense), the political half of this duo is likely to be doomed.
Why? Because this is a radical interpretation. Very radical. Extremely radical. Unacceptably radical.
Explosively radical.
Not going to happen radical. God Bless Louis Farrakhan and Goddamn America radical. One of these sentiments alone, one alone, might have permitted survival. But as a pairing, they are almost certainly lethal.
Moreover, the condemnation of African-Americans of the Republican persuasion is especially telling and troubling in terms of Reverend Wright's worldview.
Again, is this politics or religion? To be respected and black, in Mr. Wright's view, is to be an African-American Democrat. And it appears there are no other options.
This is not a joke anymore. This really is the Church of the DNC. And any religion or church that effectively becomes an arm of a political party is straddling a frightening line. Moreover, we're seeing eye-for-an-eye politics/religion at work with this hybrid, and this becomes clear if you see some of Wright's more dynamic performances, now playing in the mainstream media.
This is tragic, and we can all thank the Democratic Party of today for it. Outrageous statements are something the Democratic Party has never been a stranger to, and Reverend Wright now is being called to media judgment. Had such outrageous statements been discouraged by the Democrats, would Wright be in the position he is in today?
When his defenders note his achievements, they are right to do so. Reverend Wright has done some wonderful things in his ministries, and these things shouldn't be dismissed by anyone. Success matters for individuals, especially those who have been dealt a bad hand by society. The world matters to individuals. Lifting people up matters. And Wright has done this for many, and for this, he should be applauded.
Unfortunately, words-- one of Obama's great strengths-- are not a strength for Wright. And the Reverend Wright has not shied away from dealing his own bad hands-- in words-- to individuals like Condoleezza Rice and Clarence Thomas. Thomas, who has given many in the pro-life movement hope, and who is revered based on the content of his message and character, not the color of his skin.
Stepping all over other human beings is never right. It's not right when they're white or black. There's little possiblity of actual racial healing in such an atmosphere. If possible, this can only make things worse. Racism is not an acceptable practice for any individual of any color.
Rice and Thomas are not slaves to Reverend Wright's political preferences. White human beings should not be subject to Reverend Wright's angry social gospel, nor should they become secular martyrs to this nation's racially scarred and deeply flawed racial past.
Barack Obama, so charismatic in his own right, offers change we can believe in. And he says he's never seen any of Wright's more inflammatory rhetoric, but the Kessler story is still circulating, and even if the date is in error, the overall message of the piece is still in tact.
No campaign can survive this. Huckabee's loaves and fishes are Howdy Doody in comparison. Can Obama really pick up these pieces? Trying to paint this relationship as a type of Oscar and Felix from The Odd Couple? He has tolerated Reverend Wright's darker side and grabbed onto the good?
Obama's speech tomorrow could very well end up looking like the climactic final speech from Capra's Meet John Doe. But life is a funny place. This is the candidate of hope. And anything is possible in politics. Obama doesn't just need change we can believe in tomorrow. He needs a speech that can be believed.