I viewed Jeremiah Wright's address to the National Press Club this morning

[Jack Rabbit]

I am very happy that Pastor Wright is affording us the opportunity to become acquainted with the great mind behind those vile sound bites.

However much the media lynching of Pastor Wright may be an attack on the Black church, as he says, I still see it primarily as an attack on a presidential candidate. The attempt and method was obvious for all to see. First, find a bogey man, which was the image of Pastor Wright taken out of context from one of his sermons, and then hold Senator Obama guilty by association.

By destroying Pastor Wright, of whom most Americans knew nothing until a fews ago, the GOP attack machine hoped to destroy Senator Obama and continue their dirty little war for profit in Iraq under a McCain administration. Senator Obama responded eloquently by talking to the American people about race in what really was straight talk, and now Pastor Wright is showing us who he rally is. In the end, this Rovian tactic will backfire on the right wing and others who sought to use the false image of Pastor Wright to smear Senator Obama. Only people who think FoxNews really is fair and balanced will continue to believe this latest lie from the Republican polluters of the air waves.

Perhaps it is worth noting that FoxNews has already picked up this story and takes Pastor Wright's comments out of context in an effort to make it appear that he said the exact opposite of what he actually said. FoxNews will not let go of their Frankenstein's monster, the image of Pastor Wright created from sound bites taken out of context. This is a deliberate lie being propagated by a propaganda mill that purports to be a news outlet.

I salute Pastor Wright for having the courage to come forward and introduce himself to us after we were given to think he was a monster and not a human being. Once again, we find that the best way to fight a pack of lies is to simply tell the truth. I urge everyone to view his speech in its entirety.

[knowbody0]

1. absolutely

actually, speaking truth to Americans is often considered unpatriotic.

[prairierose]

2. Jack Rabbit, thanks for saying that...

I believe/hope that you are correct in your assessment of the outcome of these events. The corporate media and its agenda and methods are not good for anyone.

[zorahopkins]

3. TRUTH to Power!

Rev. Wright came, courageously, to the belly of The Beast -- the very Seat of Empire -- and dared to speak Truth to Power!

Bravo, Rev. Wright! Bravo!

[Wind Dancer]

4. Beautifully stated.

It seems as if some people can't handle the truth, sad to say!

Recommended!

[genna]

5. The effectiveness of Rovian tactics is really the issue at hand

You said only people who think Republican leaning Fox News is fair and balanced believe this.

Well, I have some doubts about that.

I think the media's ability to shut out voices they disagree with are at issue. Rove was not successful because fair minded people believe the rhetoric. Rove and Lee Atwater before him were successful because the fear is what drives the belief association.

The question at the back of their minds is what if he is right and Obama does believe that. What does it mean for me?

How do you combat the media's proposition when people don't even believe the tactic works?

I watched MSNBC's Morning JOE turn to PAT BUCHANAN as an expert opinion leader on the impact of these words. I haven't heard any commentator on MSNBC question the Buchanan screed on black people throughout the course of his career. They present him PAT BUCHANAN as fair and balanced on the race issue.

This is not a mere elevation of a boogie man and then the round dismissal of that erected boogie man. This is a systematic response to the likelihood that a man in his 70s is going to run against a man in his 40s who has an institutional problem. The question I continue to ask is how did the Clintons manage to get in the midst of that machine?

Republicans excel at taking Democrats' strengths and making them weaknesses. They smear. They distort and contort a truth until it looks like it is evil. Look at Kerry's military service. It is not that Bush and Cheney ducked serving in the military or in the next generation, sent more militar figures to serve in a new war effort. It is that Kerry protested the war after serving honorably.

Like it or not, the machine attacked Obama but that machine also went after a black institution: the church. Who summoned up the courage to fight Jim Crow? Members of the black church. If it does not respond to the allegation this machine is making, more than Obama will be in the cross hairs.

If Wright does not stand up in this media context, who has shown themselves willing to do so? No one is pointing out the distortion or the smear. They have said Wright has said some racist things, like PAT BUCHANAN has the moral clarity to judge, and should remain mute so that reasonable people can decide what to do next.

How does the left combat that portrayal effectively?

[Jack Rabbit]

9. You make some good points about the GOP noise machine

You make some good points about the GOP noise machine and why it works as well as it does. Fear is a very basic instict, without which no species, especially not ours, would survive in any environment.

Truth is still the best weapon, and it is best to strike back hard and soon. Senator Kerry made a fundamental error of hesitating four years ago against the Swift Boat Liars. By the time he responded, there were many people who thought that Bush the deserter had a more honorable military record than the war hero Kerry. Al Gore also made the same mistake eight years ago when he seemed to think that what was being said about him was too absurd to be believed. There may be people even now who think that Gore claimed to have invented the internet.

One can never anticipate what specific lies will be told, but by now Democratic politicians should know that the GOP's professional liars will spread falsehoods and smears little butter, be on the alert at all times and be aware of how to strike back when they hit.

The Clinton campaign of 1992 knew what to when any of Bush the Preppy's surrogates threw mud. Do you remember? It called the rapid response team. The idea was to get the truth to all news outlets as fast as James Carville's fax machine could handle it. The technique was very simple and very effective. Why neither Gore nor Kerry used it I don't know.

[Celebration]

6. all I can say is

he totally kicked ass........................

CNN has been running lots of snippets without comment and it holds up very well.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Racists Hate Being Called Out

This "Wright scandal" has been a license for race baiting and fear-mongering of the "evil black man" by the right wing smear machines and hate radio. The Reverend Wright sound bites were a mask where bigots could hide and cast stones and then claim they were only making a "political" issue of these remarks...and through it attacking not just Obama, but the concept of a black man possibly becoming President.

This primary very much reminds me of the Chicago Mayoral election of 1983...Harold Washington had to beat two machine-backed white candidates in the primary (Jane Byrne & Richie Daley) and then against a "moderate" Repugnican whose campaign slogan was "...before it's too late." Many on Oabama's campaign cut their teeth on "Council Wars" and I hope they see the similarities.

I also salute Reverend Wright for coming forward and calling things the way they are. For those who are offended....GOOD! It's time to rip off the masks here and expose those who want to use race and fear as a tactic and call them on it. This is an attack not just on Senator Obama or Reverend Wright...but a game of blatant racism that is an attack on all of us. The beltway bubble again will overplay its hand.

[jeffrey_X]

43. 100% correct!

Great summary.

[Ronnie]

8. JFK

Was that the one wherein he made fun of JFK's accent?

[Jack Rabbit]

18. No.

I watched it again to make sure. I'm old enough to remember JFK and the time when everybody made fun of his Bostonian accent. Kennedy had a wonderful sense of humor and laughed as loud as any one at those making fun of his accent (he once said that Vaughn Meter, who had a brief whole career based on his impersonation of President Kennedy, sounded more like Teddy). Unlike any president since, no disrespect was meant to President Kennedy in telling a joke about him; so, if I were to hear some one "make fun" of Kennedy's accent, I probably wouldn't think anything of it.

[TheDoorbellRang]

21. What. Did they lift that one out of context, too?

It was part of an entire segment on speech patterns wherein he was pointing out that different did not mean deficient. His whole speech was rather fascinating, actually.

[Ronnie]

33. He also mocked LBJ's accent, among others.

But accents and speech patterns are two separate things.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

24. WTF? You've never heard anyone imitate someone else?

You must have to reach for the smelling salts when the cast of SNL is doing impressions.

:eyes:

[Ronnie]

42. SNL usually does it well.

[Uncle Joe]

10. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Jack Rabbit.:thumbsup:

[Subdivisions]

11. Yep. K & R.

[Disturbed]

12. Fox Noise should be sued.

Fox Screen Quote: " "REV. WRIGHT: WE NOW SEE OTHERS WHO ARE DIFFERENT AS DEFICIENT"

The actual statement; In the past, we were taught to see others who were different as, somehow, being deficient."

[fascisthunter]

13. This thing is Back Firing

but people in white ivory towers don't realize it before it's too late. It's why we little people call them disconnected.

PS - you can be wealthy and still try to be connected.... most republicans and corporatists are not even trying. They like looking down....

[NNN0LHI]

14. I'd have had much greater respect for them both if they had the courage to disclose this a year ago

Seems to me if Rev. Wright had such a great message for the American people to hear it would have been better to hear of it a long time ago.

Rev. Wright for VP?

Don

[Disturbed]

15. If Sen Obama was not a Pres. Candidate, Rev Wright

would never have been in the National spotlight.

[NNN0LHI]

16. The Obama campaign purposely hid Rev. Wright the day Obama announced

Why did they do that?

Don

[PVnRT]

46. They did?

How's this?

[NNN0LHI]

48. Like this

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/03/throughout-his.html

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was an early concern, Obama aide admits

<snip>But more than a year ago -- long before some of Wright’s more incendiary sermons became hot-button videos on YouTube, forcing Obama to publicly renounce his pastor last week -- the Obama campaign had a sense that Wright's sharp tongue might spell trouble for the Illinois senator.

That was the word anyway Sunday from Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, who acknowledged during a conference call with reporters that Wright was disinvited ... from Obama's official candidacy announcement on Feb. 10, 2007, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill.

Wright had been expected to lead an invocation of some kind, but never appeared.

[coriolis]

17. Which is why threads about him don't belong in GD

:grr:

[blm]

20. If Obama wasn't a candidate, Clintons would be having photo ops with him as often as possible

until she was the nominee, and then she'd forget his name for the general.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

25. How about Hillary tell us all about that creepy prayer cult she's been in for 30 years?

http://thecurrent.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/03/clinton-fellowship.php

[Karenina]

28. How 'bout "The Family" and Douglas Coe, eh?

Maybe some could get their feet wet on that and move on to the Dominionists. Those with REAL COURAGE might then check out the Christian Reconstructionists. Then get back to me about the right-on Reverend Wright.

[NNN0LHI]

34. How about Edwards? Have you been able to dig up any dirt on his religion?

Because if the Obama relationship to Rev. Wright relationship had been exposed a year ago Edwards could very well be our nominee now.

And we as progressive Dems wouldn't have to be in the position of defending these God people who I think are all nuts anyway.

Don

[mrreowwr_kittty]

37. If we didn't have RACIST double standards, Obama's minister wouldn't be a problem

John Hagee sounds like Adolf Hitler on the pulpit and yet McCain can still accept his endorsement. HRC can belong to what is for all intents and purposes, a cult. One whose principle tenet is that Christianity should be the law of the land.

I'll take Rev. Wright any day of the week over that, yet he's who the MSM is obsessing about.

[LanternWaste]

45. I imagine that to assuage the curious sensibilities of the politically biased

I imagine that to assuage the curious sensibilities of the politically biased, all church goers should immediately disclose any and all things said by their pastors-- both former and present....

[robcon]

19. Wright is a disgusting hater.

Zionism=racism is a clue. Praising Farrakhan is a clue.

Lying about what Farrahan said about Judaism is a clue. Lying about the UN resolutions (did not claim any religion is a gutter religion) is a clue.

"Louis (Farrakhan) said 20 years ago that Zionism, not Judaism, was a gutter religion. He was talking about the same thing United Nations resolutions say, the same thing now that President Carter's being vilified for and Bishop Tutu's being vilified for. And everybody wants to paint me as if I'm anti-Semitic because of what Louis Farrakhan said 20 years ago. He is one of the most important voices in the 20th and 21st century; that's what I think about him. . . . Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in slavery, and he didn't make me this color."

Wright is a bigoted proponent of hate.

[Karenina]

22. As you wish.

:crazy:

[ThomWV]

23. That's one opinion, but not mine.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hans]

29. Not so fast

As an older white man about the same age as Rev. Wright, I was delighted with the speeches and sermons he delivered over the last few days. I found him to be brilliant, funny, charming, and profoundly inspiring.

Your use of the word hate in this context says much more about you than it does about Rev. Wright. It says you are not ready for "reconciliation". And I doubt any of this will hurt Barack Obama any where near as much as many people think it will. In fact, it may very well help him. That is my hope anyway. Hans

[scarletwoman]

30. What part of that statement is not true?

"...Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in slavery, and he didn't make me this color."

I happen to think zionism=colonialism. And I abhor colonialism.

sw

[Phx_Dem]

40. This part:

"Louis (Farrakhan) said 20 years ago that Zionism, not Judaism, was a gutter religion."

JW knows that Zionism is not a religion and there is no doubt what Farrakhan said about Judaism. Why JW choose to be disingenuous I don't know.

[Truth2Tell]

32. Wright is a disgusting hater. ??

Hannity? Is that you?

[cayuga]

26. Why Wright must be destroyed

by the right wing media. He talks too much about stuff. Like the fact that the US sold the biological and chemical weapons to Iraq and then accused Saddam of having biological and chemical weapons.

He talks too much about the blowback of our covert operations to control other countries...and the consequences if those people don't like us meddling in their business.

He talks too much about the monumental amount of unanswered questions and outright absurdities surrounding 9/11.

He talks too much about the government's experiments on unwilling guinea pigs.

He is the only person I have heard who knows the truth and the government knows he knows. He must be destroyed.

[TNOE]

36. You Hit the Nail on the Head here

I think that's exactly it.

Welcome to DU Not This Time! :hi:

[Shoelace]

47. AND, he reminded us that Cheney was a Chickenhawk!

oh I love that one! How many Republicans served in the Armed services in Bush's endless number of cabinet members both former and present? Not many at all. Rev. Wright served 6 years, Cheney, none.

Check out the Republican "Chickenhawk Deck of Cards" and feel free to use it close to November elections.
http://www.chickenhawkcards.com/


Here's Cheney's card:

[ihavenobias]

31. K & R

[robcon]

35. Wright's statements are pure hate.

He gave it away when he said the media (read: the Jews) "made" Obama distance himself from Wright's bigoted/crazy statements.

[hokies4ever]

38. read the Jews?

stop spinning so much. When he said the corporate-owned media, he MEANT the corporate-owned media, not the Jews. You're an idiot.

[kwassa]

44. So, you now make up words to stick in Wright's mouth to make him a bigot?

How incredibly dishonest of you.

[sampsonblk]

39. I definitely support Jeremiah Wright's ministry

His Press Club appearance wasn't his best. But his ministry, and his teachings are exceptional -which is why he has been so successful.

[barbtries]

41. you've convinced me

i was already on his side, but your post has convinced me i need to listen to his latest speech as well. after watching him on bill moyers i can say that he is an extremely well spoken, intelligent man who is probably less cursed by bigotry within himself than anybody i personally know. i aspire to that fullness of comprehension.

[spanone]

49. this whole episode is a media concoction....from the youtube showing to today