( Photo: Trinity United Church of Christ )Sen. Barack Obama, writing on the Huffington Post, addressed the controversial remarks by his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright.
“I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy,” Obama writes. “I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it’s on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.”
Shout out to CL Reader Tonya for the info.
CLINTON APOLOGIZES TO BLACK VOTERS
On Wednesday, Sen. Hillary Clinton, apologized for a comment made by her husband that many viewed as belittling the success of Sen. Barack Obama when he said that Jesse Jackson also won South Carolina when he ran for president in 1984 and 1988.
“I want to put that in context. You know I am sorry if anyone was offended. It was certainly not meant in any way to be offensive,” Clinton said. “We can be proud of both Jesse Jackson and Senator Obama.”
Earlier that day, Geraldine Ferraro stepped down from her role as a member of Clinton’s finance committee. On the subject of Ferraro’s remark that Obama is where he is because of his race, Clinton added:
“I certainly do repudiate it and I regret deeply that it was said. Obviously she doesn’t speak for the campaign, she doesn’t speak for any of my positions, and she has resigned from being a member of my very large finance committee.”
Clinton also apologized regarding the government’s efforts (or lack thereof) after Hurricane Katrina:
“I’ve said it publicly, and I say it privately: I apologize, and I am embarrassed that our government so mistreated our fellow citizens … It was a national disgrace,” she said.
BOTH AGREE TO PLAY NICER
On Friday, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama shed light on the private chat they had Thursday on the Senate floor. According to reports, the talk lasted three or four minutes in full view of reporters who could see them talking, but not hear what they were saying.
Clinton spokesman, Phil Singer, said:
“They approached one another and spoke about how supporters for both campaigns have said things they reject. They agreed that the contrasts between their respective records, qualifications and issues should be what drives this campaign, and nothing else.”
An Obama adviser gave a similar account stressing that it was Obama who approached Clinton. The adviser, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, also said they committed to making sure their supporters don’t get overheated in the future.
DATDUDE — Obama did not throw anyone under a bus, he spoke the truth. Isn’t that what we are all called to do, Or is it only pastor’s who get to say whatever they want, and those who disagree are to keep quite. If that is the case, then that is not a church, that is a dictatorship. Obama said that he rejected, the racist remarks, as well as anti-American remarks his pastor had said in 2 sermons (which the pastor had given when Obama was NOT in attendance at the church), Obama said “I reject them completely – they are not ones that reflect my values or my ideals or Michelle’s.”
Obama is a man with a white mother, two white sisters, and two white grandparents, who helped to raise him, why should Obama be okay with a man (regardless of if he is a pastor or not), saying anything derogatory about white people. The Bible does not teach that! Are pastors not responsible for preaching what Jesus himself would say, and try tt say it in manner that would be pleasing to God. Pastors don’t have a right to insult, any of God’s children, whether they are black or white.
It seems Obama’s pastors has only made inflammatory, and insulting remarks on a couple occasion, so it is obvious that he knows how to preach, and get his message across without insulting others.
There is a way of bringing up the real injustices that people, black people are facing (around the world), by simply stating the facts! No pastor needs to inject any words that he or she would not say in front of God himself. Preaching does not need to be filled with rage to be effective. Preaching should be filled with the pastor offering his congregation ideas of how to bring about justice, where there is none. Telling them what positive things they THEMSELVES can do to bring about that change, rather than wating for those who do not have those issues on their to do lists, to finally do it.
There are issues in a society that affect black people, that black pastors can discuss without disparaging anyone, and that is what Obama feels, and that is what is right!
If the pastor wants to be offended that another human being is tell him that his words were inflammatory, and that he does not agree with it, a pastor should be able to listen to that. Alot of pastors have begun to believe that they are perfect, and are not capable of making mistakes. Their egos are far far bigger than their humbleness. Alot of them have begun to buy their own hype, forgettng that they are God’s servant. That is who they serve, and who they should always strive to please, both in words, and deeds.
^^^^^^^^^^^ thats a rather interesting article
^^^^^^^^ i actually went to an all african chruch but me and my father stopped going
??????? cuz the pastor stole about 20000 grand from our private investment,
>>>>>>>accounts-funds . also his wife (the pastros wife) caught him in the act of
>>>>>> persuing another young miss, well she went to her house and he answered
>>>>>> the door and she was recording it. its pretty shameful how one incident
>>>>>> can turn people away from the ones we “thot” we could trust the most.
>>>>>> i.e. pastors like there suppose to be examples or leaders for their
>>>>>>> “servants” or whatsoever but that incident only made me realize
>>>>>> u CANNOT trust everybody or believe anything ion truth until
>>>>>> im mean u just can always put ur trust into every person u meet.
>>>>>> and this evasion happened twice.
I would be curious to know just how many Americans even know what church our current President attends, what his religious affiliation is and what types of sermons he is hearing on Sunday mornings? Afterall, President Bush did say God had moved him to engage in some of his own very frightening policies. I just think it is ridiculous to hold Senator Barack Obama accountable for the strong beliefs held by his former pastor. We have a unique opportunity in electing Senator Obama as our next President of the United States of America because he will be the first president that will be held to a much a higher standard because of his race. I have the Audacity to Hope that the American people are much smarter than the media gives them credit to be. Senator Obama will finally bring true integrity to the office of the President. At least, he can apologize and take the low road when the situation requires it – I HAVEN’T SEEN THIS TYPE OF HUMILITY FROM ANY POLITICAL CANDIDATE IN MY ENTIRE LIFETIME.
So basically:
1 The pastor spits truth
2 Only ignorant people would let this change their views on Obama in a negative way
3 Vote for Obama because you think he’s right, not because he’s black
4 There are some ignorant ass fools up in this bitch
thank you #61…
Those remarks made by that pastor were hateful and ignorant.
Saddens me that folks feel he was right. I will be so happy when this election is over and done with…the ignorance of the general populus is heartbreaking.
Its too late Hillary! Barack, if you know any better you would know a snake in the grass! Feed her with a long handled spoon and turn the other cheek… Also, don’t trust John Edwards he think he is slick lying low…
This is my first time on here and it always suprises me that we as people always make a excuses for poor behavior and bad associations.
Both candidates are running for pres. and we continue to assume that associations are not important. This election won’t be determined by the Obama supports or Clinton supports. It will be determined by people in the people who don’t identify with either candidate. The people in the middle will not make the same excuses we are regardless of reasoning.
You don;t have to go to church every week to know what a pastor should e preaching about. It is no reason I can imagine supporting a church with a long history of racial bigotry and ignorance and these statements are just the beginning of what is to come.
ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS GOOGLE “The Clinton Chronicles”
@55 I am rotflmao, I was going to tell Mondo what a dumb ass he is, but you did it so esquisitly. I can tolerate difference of opinions, but I have not tolerance for such ignorance. Thanks!
Wat are u folks talking about especially #61 and those that agree with wat she said, how can u say that particular pastor is being a racial bigot, wat did he do to deserve such a label, did he say all white people deserve to die, did he say he hates white people, or did he say that black people are better than white people. He said none of these things, all he did was state some of the issues that black ppl have faced and continue to face, albeit to a smaller degree today. Look I don’t agree with all pastors or the way some of them go about things and if he was wrong i would say he was wrong, thats the type of person I am, but for the life of me I can’t understand what he said that was racist, please give me a specific example of anything he said that shows bigotry. Obama knew this man for twenty years, forget about his sermons, ur gonna tell me he never said anything like this around him for all those years, shit every older black man i know say at least some of these things on a regular, because they went through some real things in the past. And as for America, i know other countries are not that much better in regards to their history, but i never said that they were not damned too, because they are. So there is your answer, i have no discrimination in what i believe, if America has to fall, so does its mother, father, brother, sisters…etc ..the whole damn family tree. Remember America is still nothing more than the seemingly rebellious child of European parentage.
I agree with 28 and 34. nicely said.
At the same time, I really do agree with a lot of what the retired Reverend Wright says, and actually, deep down I think Obama does too, but he knows that to agree to such things would create a poor image for him. But I hope that rev. wright continues to stay close to Obama and have an impact on him. Black people are not stupid, by no means. Maybe ignorant to the facts, but not stupid.
Love and Peace Everybody..
Hopefully we’ll straighten all this out soon. America that is.
lol
oh yeah guys apparently the whole thing about having more black men in college than in prison is a myth. if you consider the age group for college (18-24) and then compare that age group with the black 18-24 year olds in prison, you’ll find that there are more in college. obviously there are going to be more black men in prison if you don;t take age group into account. i think that’s the only statement (besides the statement that we started AIDs) the pastor made that was wrong/refutable. the rest is true
@datdude he didn’t say anything racist BUT the same way that ppl are extra sensitive when someone says something about a black person, ppl are sensitive about jewish ppl. the fact that he talked about israel and palestine and made the israelis looked bad, makes white ppl think he is anti-semitic.
This is a joke. One, the LORD loves everyboby so there is no need to bash anyone in church. that is GOD’s house, not the followers of obama house. both paster from that church and the other paster are wrong. And who ever said obama is not playing dirty too are wrong and need to read more than just concreteloop an BET.com. Lastly, You worship at a place becaues thats what you believe. You tithe and spend all day sunday there because that ‘s what you believe. Are you do it for show because it is a know fact that religious Americans Vote in record numbers. And yes I do believe the IRS need to look into the church money. Church money is to take care of the church, not further the political gain the members
Everybody is denouncing the statements made but nobody is questioning its veracity. America is institutionally racist scio-politically and socio-economically and only an idiot can’t see that. America has invaded the most counties, used the moset UN secuirity council vetoes, voilted most international laws, used blacks in medical experiments, used nuclear weapons, toppled most democracies (iran, venezuela, Chile, Honduras, Haiti, el-salvador, greece etc). Study history and read facts.
I fail to see what was inaccurate about anything that was said. Rich, white boys are, and have always been in power. Our policies did add to the discontent that fostered the 9/11 attacks. Hillary doesn’t know what it’s like to be called a n*&^%#r. Can someone please explain to me what was so wrong? So incendiary? And why exactly am I supposed to be offended?
And of course the saddest of all is the mentally shiftless blacks that allow the hoax of Euro-indoctrinated dogma to cloud every ounce of rational judgment in their bones. You deserve that you get.
@ # 74 A.K.A NEW YORKER: We can consider a billion scenarios and pick which one helps us sleep better. Dude said there are more black men in jail than there are in college, which is correct and irrefutable on an absolute basis. It’s a question of being a productive member of society vs. being marginalized. If you want to make a contextual argument, you should be comparing the ratio of black men in jail to black men in college vis-a-vis their white counterparts. Which would highlight his point even further. I fail to see any inaccuracy in what he said.
One more thing. If anyone looks at the ridiculous diffusion rate of HIV and compare it to the slow rate of adoption of medical advances in the most affected geographies, simple math would tell us that if HIV was not a concocted virus, those populations would have already been wiped out a long time ago.
Well, I am a member of Trinity and have been for a while. I am glad that many people recognize that Pastor Wright did not say anything that was untrue. The man has been telling the real truth about the American government and its underhanded ways for almost 40 years and has not backed down. I’ve sat through sermon after sermon where I could do nothing but totally agree with the things he’s said about politics. Racism IS alive and well in America and you don’t have to go far to see its effects. My pastor is far from some racist madman. He is a former Marine with four EARNED degrees (many are also honorary, but he holds an EARNED Ph.D from a reputable seminary as well). He knows at least five languages (many of which he’s learned from his WORLD travels, including his throning in a Ghanian community). He has SEEN with his own two eyes, the detrimental effects of this country’s racist practices on people all over the world. He is angry that a country which purports to be Christian can continually (and unapologetically) be responsible for the senseless slaughter and degredation of people. Yes, he will voice that anger. But in his sermons, there is always the message of CHRIST’S LOVE, and how we can actively spread that love (which our church does through its senior citizens homes (2), its drug abuse recovery programs, its prison-writing and visiting ministry, the thousands of dollars given yearly to college students, sponsoring the largest HBCU fair in the nation, the support of missionary missions all around the world, etc, etc, etc).
My pastor, nor my church, hate white people. (If we did, would Oprah have been a member years ago…yes, Oprah was a member of our church.) We have huge groups of white people who come visit every Sunday (at every service) to come worship with us. They come from Christian and secular universities and UCC congregations from all around the globe. (You should’ve seen when a group of German UCCers came and our choir sang “How Excellent” in German. Them folks almost lost their minds.) I’ve yet to hear that a single one of them felt unwelcome or unloved. In fact, one of the former higher-ups in the UCC denomination (an overwhelmingly white denomination) has been a member of our church for at least 10 years and she is a white woman. On Pastor Wright’s last Sunday, she came to the pulpit and said that the UCC is “unapolgetically proud” to have Pastor Wright amongst their ranks.
The media loves to take soundbites of people and try to form a whole identity around 4 seconds of speech…and we let them. People know NOTHING about my pastor nor my church, but they’ve made decisions based on a media that can barely get a local story right. Yes, we are politically active (based on the Bible’s command to “do justice and love mercy”) and although some may think that’s wrong for a religious group, let me remind you that Dr. King and Malcolm X (amongst many other great Black leaders) came from religious communities and based their movements out of those they led in those communities. Black people have historically used our churches to worship and to organize efforts against injustice. This is nothing new and its nothing wrong. (Both Harriet Tubman and Nat Turner were Reverends.) Nobody is angry when conservative Black churches (which preach more about prosperity instead of justice) receive “faith based initiatives” from the government when they agree with Bush, but people are peeved when a Black church is proud of its heritage and tries to help the community in which it thrives? I don’t get it.
Yes, we say “Black” a lot. So what? Is the fact that we’re Christians supposed to negate the fact that we’re Black and that this effects our daily lives? White people don’t have to say “white” in their writings and teachings. It’s implied. If you don’t give something a hyphenated name in this country, it’s assumed to be white (i.e. American vs. African-American, feminism vs. Black feminism, etc). Yes, we are proud to be Black. No, we don’t think we’re superior to anyone else. Yes, we celebrate our culture and heritage. No, we don’t think that other people shouldn’t celebrate theirs and that we shouldn’t come together to celebrate all cultures. Yes, we’re happy to be Black. Why not? We’re a beautiful people.
Honestly, I am not a Obama fan although I’d say most of the members of my church are (for the same reasons as millions of other Americans, not because he’s a Trinitarian). I am disappointed with Obama’s disavowal of my pastor’s comments mainly because, as someone mentioned, he’s been a member for 20 years and my pastor didn’t just become politically voiced. If it wasn’t a problem when he was sitting in the pews all of those years, I can’t believe it would be a problem now. However, my church and my pastor are strong and we’ve been doing God’s work this long and won’t stop now.
::sign:: this country is never gonna change, we cant choose religion with out being a factor in anything we do. this country is less patriotic than i thought n im tired of people thinkin they did shit to be patriotic..fuck all that shit……..no matter what we do, people still gonna have prejudice mind and if we dont stick together they gonna continue to divide us.
yea some black people are hypnotized by hillary cuz they act like she did shit for blk people, so they think they have you. but she’s tryna make us go against our own color and thats not right…..obama is a SUCCESSFUL BLACK EDUCATED MAN……..i follow behind him b/c of what he stand for and his color, i admit cuz I support that our people do. so whats wrong with supporting our own. White people dont give a damn about us anyways…sorry but this election is a color thing.
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obama’s pastor didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. Upon defining america the man is simply looking at it from the, or what should be, the black perspective. Don’t condemn the man for being brutally honest about racial injustice in this country simply because you’re too afraid of offending certain whites whom don’t care if they offend you or i. Stop being an apologist for white brutality simply because you want to sing “we are the world” with them.
whoever was over her finance committee should have been fired a long time ago…!!! imea look at the way their finances have been handled!!! Geraldine Ferraro knew exactly what she said when she said it…….of course barack obama wouldnt be in the position he’s in had he been a white man, he would be vacationing in dubai waiting to rain on these hoes in the general election.
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