The Master Pastor Of Disaster
Mark Steyn looks at the political disaster that Barack Obama faces over his pastor's extremist, race-baiting remarks. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright's remarks have been widely discussed, of course as has Obama's failure to denounce those inflammatory words until he was politically embarrassed by them. For some twenty years, the man who presents himself as a great healer listened to extreme America-loathing coming from his spiritual advisor. Steyn rips into that particularly juicy vein of column-fodder.
Yet since his early twenties he's sat week after week, listening to the ravings of just another cookie-cutter race-huckster.
What is Barack Obama for? It's not his "policies," such as they are. Rather, Sen. Obama embodies an idea: He's a symbol of redemption and renewal, and a lot of other airy-fairy abstractions that don't boil down to much except making upscale white liberals feel good about themselves and get even more of a frisson out of white liberal guilt than they usually do. I assume that's what Geraldine Ferraro was getting at when she said Obama wouldn't be where he was today (i.e., leading the race for the Democratic nomination) if he was white. For her infelicity, the first woman on a presidential ticket got bounced from the Clinton campaign and denounced by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann for her "insidious racism" indistinguishable from "the vocabulary of David Duke."
Oh, for cryin' out loud. Enjoyable as it is to watch previously expert tossers of identity-politics hand grenades blow their own fingers off, if Geraldine Ferraro's an "insidious racist", who isn't?
The song the Rev. Wright won't sing is by Irving Berlin, a contemporary of Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin and Lorenz Hart, all the sophisticated rhymesters. But only Berlin could have written without embarrassment "God Bless America." He said it directly, unaffectedly, unashamedly – in seven words:
"God Bless America
Land that I love."
Berlin was a Jew, and he suffered slights: He grew up in the poverty of New York's Lower East Side. When he made his name and fortune, his marriage to a Park Avenue heiress resulted in her expulsion from the Social Register. In the Thirties, her sister moved in with a Nazi diplomat and proudly flaunted her diamond swastika to Irving. But Berlin spent his infancy in Temun, Siberia (until the Cossacks rode in and razed his village), and he understood the great gift he'd been given:
"God Bless America
Land that I love."
The Rev. Wright can't say those words. His shtick is:
"God damn America
Land that I loathe."
This nation has faults - all do. But it gave the Reverend a bully pulpit to spout his venom back at the country that gave him that chance. Obama could have walked out of the nastiness and changed churches or even could have tried to ask Wright to tone it down. Instead he presumably sat quietly while this wave of bilious America-bashing rolled right on over him. That is Obama's disaster, the one that a significant portion of the population of this nation cannot and will not forget or forgive. Obama cannot present himself as the messiah of change when he cannot even summon the spine to raise a finger to attempt to change or disassociate himself from the venom Wright spewed - until he was cornered politically.
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More creeping around the Interwebs « Tizona’s Weblog — Sunday, 16 March , 2008 @ 7:52 am
By Lars Walker, Saturday, 15 March , 2008 @ 9:28 pm
I’ve come to the conclusion that this won’t hurt Obama at all. He has inherited the "teflon" garment previously used by the Clintons. This teflon is not a characteristic one possesses in oneself. It’s a wrapping bestowed by the media. When you’ve got it, you can murder nuns and children on your front lawn, and the story will be buried on page 12.
By feeblemind, Sunday, 16 March , 2008 @ 7:23 am
Some feebleminded thoughts: Excellent point Gaius, Obama ‘the change and unity candidate’, not even attempting to change his church. I find it interesting that while the MSM was very concerned with Romney’s religion, they have shown little interest in Obama’s until recently. Lars may well be right. If the MSM let’s the story die it might soon be forgotten, but I do think it hurts Obama’s support at the edges. Add this to his wife’s gaffes and the Rezko trial and his support may begin to ebb. As a mental exercise, imagine if Obama’s problems started to drag down his popularity by summer. Consider a scenario where Obama’s popularity is slipping by the day and HRC’s is on the rise as the convention starts. The Dems experiencing buyer’s remorse with Obama but him still having a lead in committed delegates and the popular vote. Hmmmm…. it would be fun to watch.
By feeblemind, Sunday, 16 March , 2008 @ 1:00 pm
Rasmussenn is showing Obama’s national 8 pt lead over HRC narrowing to 3 pts.
By martian, Sunday, 16 March , 2008 @ 1:02 pm
Obama has now repudiated the things said by Wright in the clips that have been shown on the news. Further, he says he was not present when they were said and didn’t know about them. I guarantee you that will be enough for the liberals to start shouting "Move ON! This has already been addressed!" as they did with Clinton. It’s highly possible that Lars is right and the MSM will allow this to happen.
However, I have to ask, does anyone really believe that Obama knew nothing about these statements? Are we to believe that over the 20+ years that Obama attended Wright’s church and called Wright his close personal friend and mentor (Obama’s own words - not mine) that the only times Wright expressed his hatred for this country were times when Obama was conveniently absent and that he never expressed similar views in Obama’s presence? Are we to believe that Obama had no clue as to Wright’s personal vitriol against America, Jews, and Whites (or "Blue Eyed Devils" as Wright calls white people)? Are we that stupid?
Obama’s response to this issue is an insult to my intelligence, your intelligence, and the intelligence of every American voter! He is assuming we are so stupid that we won’t ask these questions. He is assuming his suppporters are so enamored of him that his statements will give them an excuse to dismiss and disregard his association with Wright. If we allow them to do so, he may well be right.