"He is like family to me..."

[kentuck]

How many folks here at DU has a "family" member that has said something racist or divisive? Maybe a brother or sister? Or an uncle or aunt? Or even a father or mother? Have you disowned them? Have you denounced them? Have you left them out of your life?

Or have you accepted them for what they are? Is this any different than Obama's relationship with Rev Wright? Are we not demanding something different from Senator Obama than we would do ourselves?

[Dhalgren]

1. I have cut several family members out of my life because of their

rabid support of Bush. But I actually agree with Wright, so it doesn't apply to me. I do not see Obama as being about REAL change, only a slight variation of the usual, corporate line. He will have a "kinder, gentler machine gun hand"...

[NNN0LHI]

20. Ditto

[AlCzervik]

2. my bil is pretty harsh, i don't even think he realizes it. He called us not too long ago

and said something really stupid to which his brother and my husband replied "Hey Johnny, 1950 called, they said you should come back now" and that about shut him up. Thankfully he lives in Florida and we live in California so we only see him about every 5 or so years.

[jackson_dem]

3. You can't choose your family; you choose your mentor AND pastor

DU and the other blogs may not get it but the real world does. See the new PA numbers?

[democrattotheend]

7. If Reverend Wright said things like that all the time, maybe

But it sounds like these statements were cherry-picked out of hundreds of sermons. As Obama said, he never said anything racist in any of their conversations, and while he had heard him say controversial things, the majority of things he said were not controversial or divisive. These particular sermons were given in 2001 and 2007, respectively. Obama had already known Wright and gone to his church for 15 years by that point.

[jackson_dem]

4. You can't choose family but you can choose your pastor AND mentor

DU and the other blogs may not get it but the real world does. See the new PA numbers?

[Umbram]

8. You gonna keep spamming this thread, or...? (nt)

[Tatiana]

11. Family is more than just blood and genetics. n/t

[kentuck]

12. Very true...

Since Obama's father had left him early, it is possible that the Rev was like a father fiure to him?

[Tatiana]

21. I live in Chicago. I grew up on the South Side. Wright has been a father figure to many.

Feeding the hungry. Clothing the poor. Finding housing for the homeless that Daley tried to sweep under the rug, especially the vets.

It sickens me to see how the media has destroyed him, a good man who has cared for people of ALL races, including standing up for Arab-Americans who went through some very hard times after 9/11 in Chicago.

[democrattotheend]

5. My great-grandfather

At some point before he died, we went to visit my great-grandfather in his nursing home, and I was pretty shocked to hear him complain about the "colored" staff in the nursing home...he might have even used the N-word a few times. I was only 14 then and it was kind of a shock, but at the same time, I recognized that he was of a different generation and unlikely to change his mind at that point. It didn't make me not love him or not want to see him again.

[bigtree]

6. Is this really about what we 'accept'?

I think most folks here are arguing that he couldn't defend the association to the general public, not so much for themselves. I thought he demonstrated his understanding of the problems with his pastor's rhetoric and defended him well.

I didn't think pulling the one Ferraro comment into the thing (twice) was fair.

But, who the heck knows how he'll acquit himself with those folks who are just hearing of the history he spoke of for the first time, as he delivered it today? I wasn't impressed by the recitation of the problems we face. I appreciate the appeals. Who knows what impact his explanations will have? Who knows what will get highlighted? Who knows what the balance of the impact will be?

There was a sense of opportunism (and ass-covering) in the inclusion of controversies over race in the campaign which were associated with the Clinton camp. It sounded like a stump speech toward the end. Good for Obama to hold these views and values. So much for his attendance of this church and for the words (and views) of his pastor. Too bad for the inclusion of all of this in a political campaign.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. his white grandmother hurt him deeply with her insensitive remarks about passing black men on

on the street. As a grandmother myself, this one part of his speech really reach deep into my being and made me see Obama with understanding. I always understood the other parts of Obama's life but this affected me most....weird?

Jesus I can only imagine how he must have felt.

I was very very moved by his speech

He may well be the wounded healer that this country needs....but I am still very worried about his ability to win the GE.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. !

Me


:thumbsup:
You

[Jennicut]

10. My father is a Bush voting, Rush Limbaugh listening, Cheney defending rightwinger

But I could never disown him. I love him too much. He has his views and I have mine. The one thing is he has always encouraged me to speak my mind to him and we always debate things even though we differ so much. He actually encouraged me as a teenager to get involved in politics and to watch the news and read newspapers, magazines, and books about different issues. He has been a good father and husand to my mother. However, it can be hard when we differ so much politically. I got my passion for politics and world issues in general from him so we have that in common. Its never easy but I love father and my mother (who is more a moderate Republican. I hate their views most times but I love them.

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. "like" family is different than "is" family.

One chooses whom to treat "like family".

Obama chose Wright.

[kentuck]

16. How so?

And if it is a "blood relative", is it OK for them to be racist and divisive? How should we treat them differently?

[lumberjack_jeff]

22. Your point was the difficulty in disowning relatives over their faults.

My point is that Wright isn't family so BO needn't disown him. One affirmatively chooses one's associates. BO has chosen Wright.

I'm not very keen on Wright's hyperbole, but I can understand where he's coming from. I do find it preferable to that of the fundamentalists who run brand-x.

YMMV. It seems safe to acknowledge that there are voters who are more adversely affected by BO choosing associates who preach "God damn america" than me.

[truebrit71]

14. Much as it embarrasses me the older my old man gets the more "inappropriate" he gets...

...when dealing with race....

[Annces]

15. What did Pastor Wright say that you don't agree with

It as if the whole system of conforming and ignoring what is happening around is really the norm for many people even on DU. Do you ever drive around the inner cities and wonder how in the heck things are going to improve there.

I am beginning to think Obama responds to nurturing and love, and where he has found that, he has formed bonds. Whereas Hillary seems to be made of more strategy and fight ideology, not love.

As I recall, your posts about the 911 terrorists was rather limited too. As if they just appeared out of nowhere. Do you follow what is going on with Palestine and Israel.

[kentuck]

18. Perhaps you can find examples?

I have been here for 7 years. I'm sure you should be able to find a couple of isolated and controversial statements that I have said in that time?

[redqueen]

19. Exactly.

That's exactly how I see it... and I expect millions more will relate to it in exactly the same way.