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Most Shocking Headlines of 2008: Rev. Wright Causes Campaign Firestorm

CitizenSugar — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:00:35 -0800

Rev. Jeremiah Wright - the man who had been Barack Obama's pastor for 20 years, performed his marriage, baptized both of his children, and inspired the title of his book The Audacity of Hope - added "source of massive political headache" to his list of relationships with Obama.

In March, during Obama's battle with Hillary Clinton, clips of controversial statements Rev. Wright made in 2003 and 2001 surfaced and soon went platinum on cable news channels. The Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001, Wright said that "America's chickens are coming home to roost."

At first Obama took a path less traveled by politicians - in a speech on race relations Obama said: "I can no more disown him [Wright] than I can disown the black community." But soon Rev. Wright made the high road increasingly dangerous. Wright went on a media blitz calling the controversy surrounding his remarks an "attack on the Black Church." Obama became outraged with Rev. Wright and by June he had left Rev. Wright's Church.

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Briefing Book! Unaired McCain Ad With Rev. Wright Released

LibertySugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:30:21 -0800

McCain: Would this have helped? John McCain's unaired Rev. Wright attack ad released. - Huffington Post
Law: Will this be Bush's legacy? Bush appointees helped changed the makeup of the federal court of appeals. - Townhall
China: Will China be the first stop on Obama's presidential trip abroad? Traditionally presidents go to Canada first, but Bush went to Mexico and Obama might go to China. – Shanghaiist
Recession: What's in an what's out for 2009? The "no one has a job anymore" addition. - 23/6
Obama: Who's going to be reading my secrets? Job applicants for Obama administration wonder what happens to the 63-question application once they send it. - Politico

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Candidate for RNC Chair Just Left Whites-Only Country Club

LibertySugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:09 -0800

When Katon Dawson, the chairman of South Carolina's GOP, decided to run for national chair of the RNC he quit his whites-only country club. Noting that his membership would be a distraction for Republicans trying to win elections, Dawson also called for an end of the discriminatory restriction included in the club's deed (which is actually unconstitutional and unenforceable).

One GOP critic says that if Dawson wins the post, it further proves that the GOP has been reduced to "a Southern regional rump party that's held hostage by intolerant crackpots." Barack Obama dealt with his own set of race issues during the campaign. Obama's membership in a mostly black church caused concern after tapes surfaced of the pastor Jeremiah Wright making fiery comments critical of America.

Do you find Dawson's membership with a whites-only club to be a deal breaker, or just an unfortunate association?

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Briefing Book! McCain Advisers Split on Rev. Wright Attacks

LibertySugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:30:42 -0700

Race: Should he go there? McCain advisers divided over Wright attack, because it could come off as desperate or racist. -Politico
Economy: Again with the trickle down!?! Critique of John McCain's economic plan. - Huffington Post
Food: Do you care about Michelin stars? Europe's best-known guide announces its 2009 starred restaurants in New York and San Francisco. - YumSugar
Congress: Why should the GOP keep the Democrats under 60 in Senate? There will be no compromises. - Redstate
Conservatives: Columnist tries to one-up her colleague by aiming for Nobel Peace Prize for ending the war among conservatives. – NY Times
China: Got what he was asking for? Drunk Chinese student picks fight with drunk police officers, beaten to death. - Shanghaiist

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Was Obama Right to Leave Wright's Church?

LibertySugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:00:56 -0700

Barack Obama has left Chicago's Trinity Unity Church of Christ after 20 years, on a weekend dominated with news of a Florida and Michigan deal and the Puerto Rico primary. Addressing his resignation, Obama said:

It's clear that now that I'm a candidate for president, every time something is said in the church by anyone associated with Trinity, including guest pastors, the remarks will imputed to me even if they totally conflict with my long-held views, statements and principles. I have no idea how it will impact my presidential campaign but I know it was the right thing to do for me and my family.

The sermons and later expressed opinions of Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright have been a consistent political problem for Obama for the past few months. Sexist, and anti-Hillary Clinton, comments made by a visiting priest have brought the church back into the spotlight. While some may lament the fact that politics caused Obama to leave a church that he's been a member of for 20 years, others may take Obama at his word that he made the decision based on what he thought was better for his family.

The timing of his resignation may give Obama a prayer for avoiding a massive refocus on the controversial church. Are you happy to see that Barack left the controversial church?

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Check This: Two Can Play the Outrageous Pastor Game

LibertySugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:00:54 -0700

Frank Rich of the New York Times wrote a great piece about the other pastor with outrageous YouTube clips. John McCain sought out and received the endorsement of the Reverend John Hagee, the pastor of a Texas megachurch. Some of Hagee's most controversial statements include calling for a "holy war" against Iran, referring to the Roman Catholic Church as the "Great Whore" and saying that God punished New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina because the city was holding a gay pride parade that Monday. Rich says that race, and inconsistent treatment of the political parties, explain why these clips haven't been rebroadcasted in the mainstream media.

There is not just a double standard for black and white politicians at play in too much of the news media and political establishment, but there is also a glaring double standard for our political parties. The Clintons and Mr. Obama are always held accountable for their racial stands, as they should be, but the elephant in the room of our politics is rarely acknowledged: In the 21st century, the so-called party of Lincoln does not have a single African-American among its collective 247 senators and representatives in Washington.

Rich says that if we are going to judge black candidates based on their most controversial associates, we must judge white politicians by the same yardstick.

Both Rev. Hagee and Rev. Wright's comments offend me; however, neither of them is running for president. To some extent, the American people deserve to know what company their potential leader keeps. I'm just not sure it should be the focus of the campaign. How much should it matter to voters that Obama's pastor made inflammatory statements, or that John McCain offered some legitimacy to Hagee's positions by seeking out his endorsement?

Do you agree with Frank Rich? Will Democratic groups start circling the Hagee YouTube on television ads? Are they naive not to, since Republican groups are already buying ad time to play the Wright comments? Is there a high road?

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Obama Outraged by Rev. Wright's Comments and Spectacle

LibertySugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:30:38 -0700

At a press conference today, Barack Obama said he was was outraged by his former pastor's, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, recent assertion that criticism of his controversial sermons is an attack on the black church.

Obama had some strong words for the Reverend's person and positions:

The person I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but they also give comfort to those that prey on hate and I believe they do not accurately portray the perspective of the black church. They certainly do not accurately portray my values and beliefs. If Reverend Wright thinks that is political posturing on my part, he does not know me very well.

Obama said that he gave Reverend Wright the benefit of the doubt in his Philadelphia speech, based on all the good the pastor had done in his church. But, Obama said he is now again offended by the Reverend's decision to amplify his ridiculous propositions. Wright had made three public appearances in four days.

Do you think Americans will be side-tracked by the controversial Reverend, who seems to enjoy the spotlight? Will Obama's denouncements be enough to separate him from a figure who is causing division instead or unity, or will his efforts fall on deaf ears? Is Barack forever guilty by association?

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Wright Dubs Controversy "Attack on the Black Church"

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:45:07 -0700

Barack Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright wrapped up a weekend of appearances this morning at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. After the somewhat comical and seemingly drawn-out import given to the Wright controversy at the last Democratic debate, I imagine some are ready to retire this topic.

Jeremiah Wright doesn't seem to want to retire it, as much as rebrand it - from a political discussion concerning the beliefs of Barack Obama to a cultural and racial discussion about the state of faith. In his response today, he said this:

I stand before you to open up this two-day symposium with the hope that this most recent attack on the black church is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright; it is an attack on the black church.

Yesterday he spoke to this notion saying, "I come from a religious tradition that does not divorce the world we are living in with the world we are headed to. The black religious tradition is different. We do it a different way."

Throughout his remarks today he kept a wink-wink rapport with the almost entirely supportive audience. I'm ready to move on from the Obama/Wright connection, but his new tact made me bristle. To see why, read more. In his rebranding of the national debate about his remarks, including the "God damn America," statement, and the "chickens coming home to roost" sermon, as an attack on a way of worship, he's hinting that if one's not involved, one certainly couldn't understand. It's as though he's treating us as a nation of rubes who've just pulled the shrink wrap off a VHS of Sister Act and realized, "Aw, shucks! They sure do faith real different!"

My problem with his "chickens coming home" sermon, was never that he delivered it, or the way he preached, or what he was wearing or any of those trappings that Wright might be labeling as "different" - my only objection is the date on which he said those words. On the Sunday after 9/11, that a spiritual leader would use incendiary language to a shocked congregation seeking solace is entirely inappropriate - and if that's what Wright calls "different," I'd have to say he's right. As for an "attack on the black church?" I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

Do you think the recent reactions to Wright's sermons are an attack on the black church?

Here's Wright answering questions this morning at the National Press Club.

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Front Page: Jeremiah Wright Speaks, Train Collision in China, Children Dead in Gaza

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:58:18 -0700

Jeremiah Wright Speaks: Rev. Jeremiah Wright is speaking at the National Press Club this morning. Over the weekend, Wright spoke in Detroit making it clear that he was "running for Jesus," not public office. His message this weekend and this morning is that Americans should know by now that "different does not mean deficient" when it comes to the African-American church and that the controversy over his "God damn America" remarks stems from misunderstanding. He said yesterday, "I come from a religious tradition that does not divorce the world we are living in with the world we are headed to. The black religious tradition is different. We do it a different way."

Train Collision in China: A collision early this morning between two passenger trains traveling through rural Eastern China killed 66 people and injured 247, and 51 of the injured are in critical condition. The incident is one of the deadliest rail accidents in China in a decade. Officials said that at the moment of impact the trains were traveling at full speed and most of the passengers were asleep.
Children Dead in Gaza: In Northern Gaza, a mother and her four young children are among at least seven Palestinians killed during an Israeli raid. The children were between one and six years old. The family members were killed in their home from a missile strike aimed at an area often used by Palestinian militants to launch rockets at Israel. Last Friday, the Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas, advocated for a six-month "period of quiet" in Gaza, offering to extend it to the West Bank. Israel dismissed the proposal as a ruse to allow Hamas to "re-arm and re-group".

Barack Obama Speaks on Black and Wright Issues

CitizenSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:38:30 -0700

Barack Obama has just delivered a speech addressing the spiraling recurrence of questions and debate surrounding remarks made by Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright. The inflammatory statement made by Obama's spiritual adviser led to poll results released yesterday showing that 56 percent of voters would be less likely to vote for Obama given the remarks. Acknowledging that the subject of race has also become unavoidably prominent, Obama boldly and powerfully addressed the effect of both on his candidacy saying,

On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

He then unflinchingly tackled the issue of race, acknowledging that "anger" and "resentment" have built over time on all sides of racial divides. He said by addressing the issue honestly, therein lies the only path to growth.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day, and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

Did these words move you? Is this the path to change? Do you think that a bold and inclusive statement like this speech will satisfy those who disagree with Obama's relationship to Wright, or who may be considering the issue of race? Did he succeed in both silencing the Wright controversy, and addressing the broader issue of race in this country? Is this the appropriate time to make this statement?

Did he sound presidential to you?

To read the most personal explanation of both his relationship to Wright and his race, read more.

I can no more disown him [Wright] than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Yes We Can?

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