This Wright thing WOULD have been a disaster--if Obama had said any of these things himself.

[Bicoastal]

But how can it be a "Dean Scream," moment, as some have said, if someone else was doing the screaming?

The thing is, politicians have had to face EXACTLY this kind of thing repeatedly over the last 25-30 years of close media scrutiny. And it's VERY easy for the public to accept that a person the candidate knows (especially a non-politician) caught on record saying or doing something crazy, is not and does not represent the person running. Sure, there's damage--but that can and often does blow away. And we're not even talking about something illegal here--we're talking about angry, overblown rhetoric.

I'll check in a week later--if the so-called Pastor Disaster hasn't ruined Obama's chances of winning the nomination, it never will.

[C_U_L8R]

1. The Dean Scream has turned into a Hillary Scream

The Clinton Campaign has gone so over-the-top desperate to unseat Obama
that they will say and do and scream anything. Talk about a giant sucking sound.

[still_one]

4. All I know is the weapons that the Clinton camp is using against Obama will be used against them

in the general election if she gets the nomination, and it will be ten fold. There are a whole cast of unsavory associations the Clintons have made throughout the years

It is not so much the wright issue, which I believe Obama has responded with his position very clearly, but the distortions that have come out of the clinton camp, from the pseudo endorsement of mccain over obama to the 3 AM phone call

Her campaign has been run in a very shoddy fashion, which is also demonstrated by the fact the the indestructable Clinton machinery is having such a difficult time clinching the nomination.

If she gets the nomination, there is no way her half-assed campaign is going to win against the republican machinery. Thanks to her campaign, if Obama gets the nomination, they will use her endorsement of mccain against him

I think we can forget about winning the presidency in 2008, mostly thanks to the self-destructive behavior of Hillary's campaign.

[MaryCeleste]

2. I saw a post where he had contributed over $20K to Wright/Church

[stray cat]

3. over how many years and was their an accurate link

most people tithe sometimes as much as 10% of their gross income per year.

[MaryCeleste]

6. I want to recall it was in a single year

and the accuracy of links is always questionable. I believe it was here at DU over the last few days

Of the remaining candidates, I support Obama. However, the issue with Wright is one of some seriousness. Its hard to believe that Wright only preached 1 time in that fashion and that he had just started thinking that way. Yet Obama stayed there for many years and gave serious financial support.

I have heard an alternative suggestion that its more his wife's church than his. That actually seems pretty plausible given the totality of things, though its only a little less scary

[still_one]

5. For years many churches were bashing Jews and other "special groups"

I wonder how many members continued to contribute to their parish?

[MaryCeleste]

7. Equating UCC members with Catholics is really pretty silly

which others have tried to do. Also time frame matters.

[still_one]

8. Not just Catholics, other denominations also. Read the book of John sometime

Also, comments made by the Church regarding gays is quite bigoted also

Guilt by association, remember that. What comes around goes around, and the Clinton associations will definitely come around again

[ihavenobias]

9. I agree, but even more than that, how would the Pastor's comments effect his presidency?

They won't!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5083427

[ElsewheresDaughter]

10. how long would Clinton survive if it were her pastor who made repeated white nationalist statements

I wonder how long Clinton would be able to survive were it made known that her pastor of 20 years had made repeated white nationalist statements, claiming that all the woes of the white people were due to rich blacks?

By sending Barack Obama now onto the General Election, the Democratic Party might well teach more Americans valuable lessons about the history of black exploitation and the unique dialogic experiences played out inside Black Nationalist churches. But it wil be at the expense of losing 45 states and handing the presidency to the Republican Party to go on for 8 more years of its war, torture and economic decline.

[MaryCeleste]

11. No fair using the subsitution argument...its somehow racist or unfair

I was actually told that by fellow college prof once. He said that substitution as if it was a math equation was totally inappropriate, but never could say why.