Democrats have been using black churches and black ministers for years

[EffieBlack]

When it suited their purposes. The black church has been the center of Democratic GOTV efforts and their ministers have been expected to be and have been instrumental in getting out the black vote. You could barely see Democratic candidates through the dust they kicked up trying to get to black church pulpits every campaign cycle.

I never once heard any of these people - or the media - complain about, inquire about or even express the least concern about the positions, tone, opinions, or comments by any pastor of any of these churches.

So it is absolutely sickening to see the over-the-top, misleading, selective and, in some instances, outright ignorant and bigoted coverage, commentary and hypocritical fake "outrage" about Rev. Wright - for ratings and political advantage.

[MadMaddie]

1. I agree.

I heard one commentator today that (I am not making this up) the Reverend was so fiery in the pulpit that it would scare whites. :wtf:

I am thinking to myself apparantly the guy has never been in a black church.

I don't even think the uproar was as bad as this with Fallwell and all of the other right wing nuts.

People this is a non-issue and the sooner you figure it out the sooner we can move on to talk about a possible economic collapse.

Sheesh...

[2rth2pwr]

2. There are other Black churches that say that the gov't created AIDS to kill

Black people? and/or that preach that 9/11 was our fault?

I'd like to know which ones.

[KAZ]

3. Why don't you go and conduct your investigation.

Report back in, say, 8 months or so.

[izzybeans]

13. Or the poster could do the honest thing and simply read about TUCC. They can even

get access to sermons on their websites, perhaps hire a team (because they have some 700,000 minutes of archived footage apparently), comb through them for every anti-american statement, (oh wait someone already has done that), and call a Congressional hearing to embarrass church members publicly and blacklist them professionally (Paging Senator McCarthy, Paging King Fuck of Fascist Mountain)

[EffieBlack]

9. there are people right here on DU who say that

You'd better cancel your membership.

[2rth2pwr]

12. I'm not running for President. nt

[EffieBlack]

15. Neither is Rev. Wright. nt

[KAZ]

17. ZING!

[2rth2pwr]

21. Obama is. He knows that what Wright was preaching is bad news

and that is why he went on every show Friday to tell us how shocked and angered he was to hear this.

If you would be consistent in your OP you would be denouncing Obama for characterizing Pastor Wright the way he has.

[KAZ]

25. And if you were a Democrat, you would be bashing McCain.

[AZBlue]

4. Including the Clintons on numerous occasions.

[wndycty]

10. That is why they have remained silent on this issue

:kick:

[City Lights]

14. BC's "black church tour" was just last month. Post SC, pre-Super Tuesday. nt

[OhioBlue]

5. I agree.

This campaign has really brought out a lot of hypocrisy among some and shown others to be what they truly are.

[panader0]

6. I am white but don't go to church

White men have brought this country to the edge of extinction. Let's all vote for Obama and see what happens.

[KAZ]

7. K and R from me, Effie!

[LisaL]

8. Aren't you supposed not to do it? Considering IRS and all?

[EffieBlack]

16. Tax laws do not prohibit religious institutions

from criticizing the government or praising or criticizing politicians or candidates.

[struggle4progress]

22. In my experience, what occurs is entirely above board: Dems decide, say,

that it would be good to increase voter turnout in a certain precinct; talk to community members; somebody digs up a local venue (such as a local church) from which to stage a voter registration drive some Saturday; gonzos like me show up for maps and forms and wander down the streets knocking on doors asking if people want to register; most don't ask me why I'm doing it or what my party affilation is (though I'm honest if they ask), and as a civic-minded citizen I don't inquire into their political beliefs or affliations, except insofar as they push conversation on the subject; then I turn in all the forms I collect, regardless of affiliation because it's the right thing to do and because it's the law

In such situations, the church has done absolutely nothing inappropriately partisan

[2rth2pwr]

11. So I take it that you are upset that Obama was outraged and

disavowed Pastor Wrights statements?

[EffieBlack]

23. Not at all

I'm outraged that the ignorance and bigotry of the media and a segment of the American public have placed Obama in the position of having to disavow these comments and then be criticized for disavowing them.

Under this standard, NO black person in America - except maybe Clarence Thomas and Uncle Huckabuck - is eligible to run for or serve as president since just about every black person in America either 1) belongs to a church in which a pastor or congregant has on occasion said something that a white person might find disagreeble; 2) has someone in their family who has said, done, or believes something that a white person might find disagreeable; 3) has a friend who has said, done, or believes something that a white person might find disagreeable.

It is so sad to me that black people, our culture, and our institutions are ignored, marginalized and dismissed consistently and then when something like this comes up, the same people who have ignored, marginalized and dismissed these things can't wait to jump up and down, pontificating and analyzing the very people, culture and institutions that they have never bothered to learn anything about.

The black church and black ministers, in general, and Rev. Wright, in particular, have been right in our midst for decades. People in our community have been saying for YEARS many of the things that Rev. Wright has been saying and have been desperately trying to get SOMEONE to LISTEN TO US, to recognize our pain, frustration and concerns, yet we have been ignored. So the hand-wringing and lecturing by people who are so woefully ignorant about any of them - along with the "I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED!" feigned outrage is pitiful.

To those people I say, stop acting so surprised that there are some black people who are mad at this country, its institutions and leaders. You should be glad that many of these mad black folks are sitting in church every Sunday, studying and celebrating the gospel and doing their best to continue working within the system for good and patiently trying to get you to pay attention. You can whine and moan all you want about Rev. Wright and his congregants, but trust me - the alternative is much worse.

Listen up, I'm telling you. And stop pretending that the only valid view of the world is the view espoused by white people. These views are JUST as valid, meaningful and deserving of attention and respect as anything that white folks have to say.

[2rth2pwr]

26. If the views are valid, meaningful and deserving of attention,

Why is Obama disavowing them?

Didn't he say he was not going to tell us what we wanted to hear, but what we needed to hear?

If this is something the country needs to hear, why did he say that it angered him to hear them?

[EffieBlack]

28. He's disavowing the comments, not the views behind them

He's saying that HE doesn't agree with them, but doesn't have to agree with the views in order for them to be valid opinions. I don't agree with all of them, but that doesn't mean they are not worthy of consideration and discussion.

Obama had no choice but to disavow the comments at this point. But that doesn't mean that the rest of us should not recognize that, whether we agree with them or not, there are significant segments of our community who feel just that way that Rev. Wright does. These people are not stupid or crazy or hateful. They just have a different opinion than the majority does.

Unfortunately, there seems to be an attitude among too many people that the views of the white majority are the "correct" views - the norm - and that anything that deviates from that norm is somehow wrong, suspect and even dangerous. But just as a majority of white people may see things a certain way, there are many black people who see things differently. It doesn't mean that any one is right or wrong, they just have different views, perspectives and opinions, based largely upon their own personal experiences. Rather than just dismissing the views of others with whom we disagree, especially when we find those views troubling, why not step back and try to understand why people feel that way.

[redstate_democrat]

18. I just ran

to the mart a couple of minutes ago and decided to tune into FOX radio. Some nitwit was raving and ranting about Obama being a racist because he went to this church. Some nitwit named "rico" called in talking about how what ferraro said wasn't as bad, yada yada yada. This radio host nitwit said that Wright said that "white people created AIDS to kill black people". This nitwit intentionally distorted what that man said. He specifically said the "government" did that. But no, this nitwit knows that people who tune into her on the regular are probably very poorly educated people who will just take her word at it. She went on to say how black people can't be "on both sides" of the issue while saying something is racist but going to racist churches yada yada yada. She was literally screaming like lunatic. CRAZY. This is the FOX news demographic. She even got a dig in on Asians. It was horrible.

[EmilyAnne]

19. You said it. EffieBlack! And it is definitely fake outrage.

Does anyone really think that Barack Obama is a secret racist who is planning to enter the White House so he can enact some kind of anti-white/ anti-American agenda? No. No one thinks that.

Barack Obama was the only non-white at his law firm, he attended the predominately white Harvard Law School, he has worked in both the IL and the US Senate, both predominantly white.
Has any one of the thousands of white people he has worked with throughout his career come out and said, "Oh no! Not that Barack Obama guy! He just hates white people! He was impossible to work with!"

Of course not. No one believes it, but they sure like to pretend they do.

Effie, I think it will be very annoying to hear about for a while, but it will die down and people will start to snap out of it. Obama has plenty of time to reconnect with some of the people that are not too sure about him.

[EffieBlack]

24. Your points are well-taken

And bring to mind something interesting -

Many of the same people who complain that Obama is "half-white" yet calls himself "black" (as if, suddenly, the centuries-old "one-drop" rule has vanished) are now screaming that Obama hates white people.

Good Lord. It's crazy season. I sincerely hope you are right that this will die down. I hate to think that so many segments of my country and my party are so ignorant, backward and bigoted that a 30-second video clip of one angry black man frightens them this badly.

[FrenchieCat]

20. With the Right Wingers, I expected it......

I just didn't expected with the DUer community right here. That was a shocker.

I know that some are desperate to see a candidate fall, but DU Hillary Supporters have been brutal!

[meow mix]

27. good post K&R

:thumbsup:

[shugah]

29. sort of an aside here, EffieBlack

i've lately become a real fan of your posts, and just wanted to say so. i wish that everything you are bringing to the forum and DU would encourage the real dialog we need to have in this country about race and racism - not just the heated and deep-seated reactions/over reactions from the DU denizens during a primary season in which it seems a black (bi-racial) man may actually get "the nod."

whether you know it or not, some people here, whether lurkers or prolific posters, may get some truth from your posts. thank you for your efforts to educate.

edit: typo

[woolldog]

30. kr

:kick:

[FrenchieCat]

31. Users!

we know already.....cause they only come around during an election or MLK day.....as long as it is an election year.