It's Monday morning, where are we on Pastorgate? Does it have legs? Solutions?

[elixir]

I said if this issue went through the Sunday morning programs it will live to reek for another day. It appears that it has.


Where are we on this? Who's covering it and has anything new been unearthed?

I agree w/ several other posters that 1) Obama must make like Oprah and totally get away from this guy, 2) he must denounce and reject his statements and 3) he has to find a similar situation where a public figure has successfully survived one of these campaign ending fiascos and copy and follow their lead.

[goldcanyonaz]

1. By listening to the news this a.m. it appears that only Clinton and McCain are running for POTUS.

Haven't heard a peep about Obama yet this morning.

[slinkerwink]

2. he's already rejected and denounced the statements

and he will be having a major speech tomorrow to address this issue.

[moobu2]

6. 19 years late

[MethuenProgressive]

8. Will Keith Olbermann give a 20 minute rant claiming Obama's guilty by association?

ala Hillary/Gerry?

[Exilednight]

11. It's obvious you didn't Olbermann's special comment.....

for if you did, you would know that it wasn't about guilt by association. It was about doing the right thing.

[OhioBlue]

12. Hillary Gerry wasn't about guilt by association

it was the Clinton campaigns racist strategy. They suck for stooping so low.

[MethuenProgressive]

21. Ohio, read your post slowly, and out loud.

I'm sure you'll either laugh or edit.

[elixir]

27. Wrong. Guilt by association.

[elixir]

25. What did KO do on Friday evening after Obama's statement?

[Iceburg]

13. Too late --- he is finished. Too many words not enough action.

There was a reason why Opra left the church years ago.

[JoFerret]

39. He may satisfy you and educate us all

but come the summer and the fall.....the GOP will not have moved along. Trust me. Put money on it.

[MethuenProgressive]

3. Obama based keynote speech and "Audacity of Hope" on Wright's sermon "Audacity to Hope"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5119467
From the Chicago Tribune (which endorsed Obama for President)

REV. JEREMIAH A. WRIGHT, JR.: Pastor inspires Obama's 'audacity'
In Wright he had found both a spiritual mentor and a role model.
...
Wright helps keep his priorities straight and his moral compass calibrated.
...
Later he would base his 2004 keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention on a Wright sermon called "Audacity to Hope," --also the inspiration for Obama's second memoir, "The Audacity of Hope."

[rodeodance]

4. Here is thread --a new poll out today on WRIGHT--

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5119710&mesg_id=5119710

[DUyellow]

5. "one of these campaign ending fiascos" not even close.

[cali]

7. I think Wright is still with us

but how damaging it will be, remains to be seen.

[MethuenProgressive]

19. I know we're on different sides of this, but if Ferraro, Cuomo, Shaheen et al "matter"...

Than certainly so should Obama's role model, spiritual mentor, and inspiration of 20 years "matter".
I confess to apprehension about rooting for this to wound Obama - because tomorrow someone connected to my candidate will say (or will be found to have said in the past) something stupid and/or twistable.
This isn't going to end well...

[cali]

22. I agree. Wright matters

Let me reiterate: Wright's goddamn American comment doesn't bother me, but I'm not so blind that I don't understand that it bothers a lot of others. What bothers me are his comments about the Clintons and Natalie Hollowell and the timing of his 9/11 remark. Oh, and though I understand where it's coming from the AIDS comment was irresponsible, for sure.

But I don't know how this will end. It could do in Obama or he could defuse it. Too early to tell. In any case, I'm glad that it's out now.

[MethuenProgressive]

23. I think Obama has a better chance of defusing this than Hillary had.

Obama has skills she lacks, and I think people are more willing to show sympathy to him in this situation.

[elixir]

29. Agreed, this is hurting the democratic party and both candidates. Nothing good will come of this.

[Mooney]

9. The news here is all Bear Sterns and the St. Patrick's Day parade. n/t

[Sulawesi]

10. ah, I see that hope springs eternal...

ah, let's see, any new dirt? <wrings hands>

I think the long term effect of this is going to disappoint you. Everybody I talk to outside this forum has moved on.

In fact, the joke around here is that next HRC is going to accuse him of being a flip-flopper...I mean first he's muslim now he's christian after all ;)

[elixir]

35. Boy, you're just a hoot and a holler. In case you don't know, until something happens

otherwise, THESE are OUR candidates. Either one can make it to Denver and, as a Hillary supporter, I have a vested interest in Obama's campaign also.

[BigDDem]

14. Legs, definitely

"Most voters, 56%, said Wright’s comments made them less likely to vote for Obama. That figure includes 44% of Democrats. Just 11% of voters say they are more likely to vote for Obama because of Wright’s comments."

[woolldog]

37. I want to know who those 11% are??

LOL. Maybe just contrarians?

[BeyondGeography]

15. It will be nearly dead and writhing in the middle of the road by the end of the week

or about 100 or so threads from now.

[Arkansas Granny]

16. I don't know how far it will go, but it does have legs. Did a quick

search on Google news and it seems that everyone has an article on it.

http://news.google.com/nwshp?tab=wn&ned=us&ncl=1141028193&hl=en&topic=n

Should it have legs? I guess it depends on how much influence you feel that his pastor has on him and if that influence is important to you.

[Sulawesi]

20. But if you search for "Obama" you find one story, and it backs Obama on the newsmax BS

[Arkansas Granny]

24. I didn't really do a search. I just went to Google News, it was the 2nd

story on the page and I hit the link to other stories to get that list.

[SKKY]

17. I'm hoping the NEWSMAX obvious fabrication will kill this...

Just in case you missed it, A NEWSMAX reporter supposedly saw Obama nodding, clapping, and probably lurching on the Church floor while Rev. Wright gave a hate-filled "Kill Whitey" sermon. But at the same time, Obama was at a speaking engagement in Miami.

[islandmkl]

18. did the Rev. just lose about a billion dollars in value?

is this the one guy that has our economy in turmoil?

If so, well hell then, let's keep him in the forefront of all the news...

[MojoMojoMojo]

26. Just watched a 5 minute discussion on Good Morning America

They replayed the God Damn America line twice.

[Swamp Rat]

28. PLOP!

[JoFerret]

30. Legs now is not the problem. In fact Wright is irrelevant to most dems

It's the morphings in October that will destroy the democratic party's chances if Obama is the nominee.

[DearAbby]

32. I tend to agree with you on this

the timing...It has to be dealt with NOW, so when it does morph in October, and you know it will. We will have defused it enough where the effects will be minimal.

[JoFerret]

38. I don't think it can be defused. too incendiary in

the GOP target areas - patriotism, flag-waving etc. It allows them to insinuate all kinds of doubts about Obama's fitness to be c-in-c and all the rest. Is he american enough etc. All bullshit. But I can see the ads and I can hear the acid drip drip.

I wish it were not so.

I do think Clinton is the better person for president but this stuff is not why. This stuff is crap. But crap that is a gift to the GOP and fodder for their electoral cannons from the convention forward. it will be relentless.

[DearAbby]

41. It proves to me the GOP

wants Hillary for the nominee...dont get excited or take this wrong...If they had wanted Obama they would have waited, allowed the primary process to knock out Clinton, making Obama the clear nominee, put this out in October, not March. They must feel what they have on Hillary or the Clintons is much more damaging.

I am hopeful that Obama, unlike Kerry, will address this is a satisfactory manner. As all Democrats should. I am glad that it happened now, instead in October.

Question remains, If they want Hillary. What do they have, and how can we defuse the blow? We should be in the mind of protecting the party...not just our particular candidate choices.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

31. Obama evidently will give a major race relations speech tomorrow

IMO there's no way Obama can avoid race relations as an issue for the rest of the campaign, so he's wise to treat very confrontational racial attitudes of some African-Americans as well as some Caucasians as an OPPORTUNITY for urging national unity.

The other news development I see is a Black Community backlash against the media's treatment of Jeremiah Wright. I find it incredible that, so far, apparently only Nichelle Norris of NPR has spent any airtime noting that Sean Hannity et al cherry-picked two or three minutes out of hundreds of thousands of minutes of sermons over 36 years. These sermons are published in books as well as available on the Trinity Church website (tucc.org).

[rodeodance]

33. BO has recialized this campaign since NH. Now he is in DAMAGE CONTROL

[DearAbby]

34. Let's stop this circle firing squad

or the whole damn party will be in Damage Control. Hummm?

[ProgressiveEconomist]

36. Are you the same rodeodance from a few weeks ago, or are you a freeper who

somehow hacked rodeodance's computer?

Does not sound like the same person.

[grantcart]

40. well since it broke Obama picked up another 11 delegates