Many of the alleged pundits and so-called analysts who appeared on television and radio yesterday to offer their interpretation of Obama's speech were quick, in fact, too quick, to decry the analogy that Obama drew between his relationship with his maternal grandmother and his relationship with Rev. Wright. Many of the talking heads and far, far too many of the black males and females who appeared on these programs dismissed this connection because, as they stated, one can easily choose to find another minister as opposed to finding a replacement grandmother.
This line of argument has a certain logical appeal because the church one chooses to join is a matter of choice. That is, one can choose to belong to this church or that church or no church at all. Whereas one has no choice over selecting one's grandmother. People are continually born into a world that is always older than they are and they have no choice as to who is their grandmother. Natality and chance rule over this process.
The problem here is that this way of looking at Obama's decision tree ignores the very specific circumstances of his life and biography. When Obama likens Rev. Wright to an uncle and describes him as being a member of his family he is quite sincere and, more importantly, he is, psychologically speaking, correct. Obama's biological father was virtually absent during his formative years and he was dead by the time Obama became an adult. In addition, Obama had no substantial contact with his father's male siblings and adult male cousins. In other words, he had no older adult black males in his life with whom he could form close and enduring bonds until he met Rev. Wright.
Consequently, when Obama says that Rev. Wright is like an uncle to him and that he could no more disown him than he could disown his maternal grandmother he is expressing a deeply felt and psychologically true statement. Rev. Wright may or may not be crazy (I don't believe that he is crazy or intemperate although I disagree with him about the origins of the AIDS epidemic.) but he is someone who Obama has chosen to be his uncle.
What Obama did is no different from what tens of thousands of gays and lesbians have had to do when they were rejected by their families because of their sexual preferences. They went out and over time created their own families. I met a young sister, for example, in graduate school who later came out to me. She and I became very close friends and when she unexpectedly died several years ago I felt as if I had lost one of my own biological sisters. I miss her a great deal. She considered me to be a member of her family because her own family looked askance at her sexual preferences. The human need for familial association and acceptance is an evolutionary fact.
Obama's relationship with Rev. Wright should and must be seen in this context instead of through the superficial and grossly over simplified choice of simply switching ministers. His bond was with Rev. Wright and the community he found at Trinity United Church. Expecting or demanding him to sever those bonds would be tantamount to asking him to exile himself. Cutting off all of his ties to Rev. Wright would be exactly like asking him to cut off contact with his maternal grandmother. Blood may be thicker than mud but the ties that are created when you choose to call someone family are no less thick and lasting.
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this was deep. too deep for words
thank you
there's a real political
there's a real political moment here. one of the political strengths Obama brings in the primary and against McCain is a more genuine connection to religious faith. It's obvious that they'd attack that part
I've known areas where you can 'shop around' for a pastor and others where you're more connected to a church, and you get who you get. So I think there's a natural sympathy in a lot of parts for sticking with your pastor. His enemies are trying to wedge in racial exceptionalism (well, my pastor is ok, but Obama's is black-crazy!) against his advantage.
When Fox can cut off the sound bite at "...than I would abandon my white grandmother" (implying that he'd like to), the verb is temptation toward abandonment, which is more on the liberal/coward theme.
I think Obama could do better with the paternalism here. As you said, he's connected to his church, but just as he might be patient with his grandmother, he's patient with the 'anger' that some (whites?) found exceptional here. And that goes to Obama's foreign-policy and domestic theme of seeing through anger or controversy to genuine issues.This is where our talking points should be.
so the poltical moment that I alluded to is that if Obama and the rest of us can bring this issue back to sympathy and patience to one's pastor, then that's directly attacking some of the exceptionalism that they're trying to wedge in.
Not to take anything away
Not to take anything away from P6--who manages to steal fire from heaven every single day--I always know when I come here I will have the benefit of the insights and analysis of his consigliere, ptcruiser. PT, let me know if you ever plan to run for office so I can relocate and work on your campaign.
I think PT is correct that too many folks misunderstood Obama's analogy regarding his grandmother and Jeremiah Wright. Some did so deliberately. But Obama needs to move on now and let Wright speak for himself. Wright has become a clay figure in the hands of the pundits. The media mold him to fit any monstrous image they can conceive and construct. Consequently, thanks to their manipulation, he's become the public face of "black" rage and resentment. The only way out of this constant negative framing (public lynching) is for the public to see him and hear his words without editing and filtering. A Wright interview on 60 Minutes could repair some of the damage, especially if he can find a way to apologize. And no, he shoud not sacrifice his dignity and integrity to do so. And no, he should not try to explain his positions in depth; it will only create more problems because most folks aren't capable of understanding the stark reality of america's history of slavery, apartheid and neocolonialism. Yes, I know it's a tall order. And, yes, I know he really has nothing to apologize for. So, even though I don't think on substance Wright is wrong, that's not what matters right now. What matters is damage control. Obama, it seems to me, has done all he can possibly do.
I don't think Wright should
I don't think Wright should appear on 60 Minutes or any other MSM program nor should he give any interviews to any newspapers. There is no damage than he can repair and no apology that he could make that would ever be accepted. He should maintain his position, stay beneath the radar, do a little traveling and resurface when it suits his fancy.
O - I appreciate your offer but I've never wanted to run for political office. I have no desire to spend my life having lunch or dinner with people I barely know. Politicians have personalities that are markedly different from the rest of us. In my hometown, for example, too many overly ambitious and insecure black men who saw me as a potential rival for public office wasted their time scandalizing my name and questioning my motives regarding various issues I worked on. They never understood that I had no interest in running for political office at all. The really sad part is that not one of them was able to realize their political ambitions. They thought Willie Brown would help them and all he did was keep them on the plantation. I kept my independence.
PT, I think Wright should
PT, I think Wright should surface. I have no doubt if he has been involved in Obama's life for two decades, he must be an extraordinary human being. The image of him used to beat us all senseless is a strawman, a media puppet that plays straight to the stereotype of the angry nigger. He will continue to be their tool to perpetuate the stereotype until he reclaims his own persona. I don't know anything about Wright other than the things I've read on the internet, but I believe he is has served this nation and his community for decades. Folks need to know that his life and career do not boil down to 30 seconds of clips. Maybe he can talk about this moment in his career: http://i25.tinypic.com/5ywx2a.jpg
I know you've been inside the game, and that you're disenchanted with it, but if there is to be a new political regime PT, it will take folks like you to make it happen.
I'm am mostly disenchanted
I'm am mostly disenchanted with Kneegrows in my hometown who ignored all the warning signs of their impending doom and now want to piss and moan, for example, about black folks being displaced from Bay View-Hunters Point. The public housing project that my family and I lived in for six years, Sunnydale, which was an absolutely wonderful place to live is now so dangerous that folks who I grew up with will not even drive through that development now.
I agree that Wright should surface but he should not surface through the mainstream press. He and his advisors should use the new media formats and tools. Wright should allow folks in the black blogosphere like, for example, P6 and Jack Turner to interview him. He should not even consent to be interviewed by those folks at News and Notes because they are not honest brokers. He should give interviews to small community-based papers and to various print organs connected to, for example, the Society of Friends, Unitarians etc.
Rev. Wright should play hard to get with the mainstream press and electronic media. What I mean is that he and his advisors should be poliite and respectful but they should maintain their distance. No interviews, no quotes, no responses. Rev. Wright should take the Apache approach: spread wide and run low to the ground.
Wright was pilloried by Sean Hannity
He is decidedly not up to the task and needs to keep a VERY low profile.
Nulan is right. Rev. Wright
Nulan is right. Rev. Wright and his folks should not enter the yammering maw of the mainstream press. Sometimes folks believe that they need to get their side of the story out. They do but they should take the long view. There will be time although now is not the time. They should take the low ride road and increase the desire on the part of their pursuers. Play the press. Don't let the press play them.
Rev. Wright should take the
Rev. Wright should take the Apache approach: spread wide and run low to the ground.
Works for me. Like the old saying goes: sumthin have got to be did.
Action is needed now because the tradition of "black" protest is under attack from all quarters. With Wright serving as the surrogate, the media has shifted into high gear demeaning, diminishing and demonizing "black" anti-racism discourse. This is so much bigger than Wright and his church. "Black' activists and intellectuals cannot allow the real effects of institutional racism to be dismissed as the ravings of "black extremists" by a "white" corporate media determined to preserve the domination of the status quo in public discourse.
I haven't lived in Northern Cali in decades, PT, but kneegrows are self-serving up the same lame con games all over "black" America. Look at the newest poster boy for "black" mis-leadership and ill-telligence: Kwame Kilpatrick.
I watched the Fox ambush. I
I watched the Fox ambush. I agree, he clearly wasn't ready for that. It was a terrible venue for him.
We should fight back but
We should fight back but Rev. Wright, Rev. Jesse and Br. Al should chill. There are plenty, plenty black people who can deal with these fools. Black people should decline ongeneral principle to appear on Fox News.
Fox sucked the spinal fluid
Fox sucked the spinal fluid out of Juan Williams. All ye brown folk who enter beware.
The perfect venue
While I realize the chance of this happening is next to zero, I think the perfect venue would be Oprah's show. She's an Obama supporter, has respect (for now) among a huge demographic that Obama needs to reach (scared-of-kneegrows soccer moms), and won't ask the hard questions.
But no Rev. Wright. Let Otis Moss on the show to talk about the history and 'new direction' of the church. Let Common come talk about his experiences at Trinity. Bring the president of the UCC on. Maybe have some church elders in the crowd (but only the media savvy ones). White Trinity members would be a must. Let everyone respectfully 'eulogize' Wright, humanize him.
Oprah can give her insight about when she attended Trinity and the Black church in general. She doesn't have to delve all deep into Black Liberation theology. And she can always justify the show as a ratings getter to her nervous advertisers.
A nice, human interest fluff piece. Could even take some footage of the church services, with a focus on the 'worshipful' ways of the congregation (we've had enough pulpit shots). don't even have to mention Obama.
I just think it's time for some of Obama's big name supporters to stand up. One of his well known surrogates should have been all over television this past week giving counterpoints.
But I agree with PT. Wright's got to lay low. Real low. Maybe a local friendly venue here in Chicago like Roland Martin's morning show on WVON. Would be a great get for Roland too.
I don't think Trinity UCC is
I don't think Trinity UCC is under any threat. Members of the church, so far as I know, are not leaving or demanding that Wright be hauled before the congregation. Trinity UCC and its congregants, in my opinion, are not obligated to do anything at all. Nada. In this case, I believe, we have to refrain from explaining or feeling the need to explain anything to a larger audience. Folks just need to maintain their positions.
Black Americans are not wigging out about Rev. Wright and Trinity UCC. We and our allies, whoever they may be, need to be secure in our understanding and knowledge of this controversy. Let our enemies feed on whatever carrion they can find in the field. We do not need to fatten any frogs for serpents.
Black people must learn how to starve the MSM monster. If we do not feed it, it will eventually move on to other prey. We have the means at our disposal right now to get our story out and we should take full advantage of what we have.
Here's a "talking point" for
Here's a "talking point" for Obama supporters:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080331/ehrenreich
Trinity United Church of
Trinity United Church of Christ has put together a You Tube Channel with the full sermons of those in question. http://youtube.com/user/TRINITYCHGO
Juan Williams
Paychecks from Fox News and NPR sucked the spinal fluid out of Juan Williams. The moment he comes on any program that I am watching or listening to I switch channels or turn the dial. The view that he presents of the Black community to white America is so distorted and absurd.
ptcruiser, can you point out the moment he was infected?
Because, Juan USED to make some sort of sense. But now, he's just ridiculous. He's such a disappointment, because he used to be better than this, unlike others.
Juan Williams
I think the process was gradual and took place over a few years. He may not even noticed the metamorphasis but I'm sure that he has convinced himself that he is right and the rest of us are deluded. The problem, in my opinion, is that our views are much more carefully nuanced and comprehensive than Williams ever admits to.
A year ago Jeremiah Wright
A year ago Jeremiah Wright was ambushed by the NYT and responded thusly . The stuff the media is using to attack Obama with now is outlined in that article from a year ago. Obviously the Wright stuff has been around from day one of Obama's campaign, but the timing of a public lynching is just as important as the lynching itself.