I don't have the answers yet, but I have learned enough to be dangerous, and ask better questions..

Wright's sermons and Obama's distance maneuver. Was this the right thing to do?

 

I listened to the full sermon, not just the sound bytes. There were some mighty harsh words in there. Might harsh. And for the largely white mainstream audience just now hearing them, they probably went down about as easy as fried dumpster.

 

Obama listened to this man for 20 years. He had to be finding SOMETHING in there to keep coming back to. Something in there he agreed with. Didn't he?

 

Does it matter what your religious leader says? Whether or not you believe in separation of Church and State, whether or not you attend any sort of service, whether or not you have a shred of spirituality in you.

 

Does this matter?

 

I think it does. This has less to do with religious messaging, and a great deal to do with social justice messages. And some of Wright's messaging is hard to hear. I agree "America's chickens are coming home to roost." Why? Because I know you can't go out there and have your way in the world as the Big Man on Campus forever without causing at least a little backlash. Rome was sacked from the outside, remember? By a bunch of 'savages'. Historically, it's happened over and over again enough times that you'd think we'd have it down. But the social justice message also pointed out White America is very racist. White America has a conspiracy against Black America, according to Wright.

 

And some of this, even a little, had to go into Obama's ears. Was he sitting in the clergy, approving, but thinking privately he really didn't feel the same? Was he sitting there thinking yes, this is exactly what I've got to do something about? Was Wright stirring a call to action for Obama?

 

Probably.

 

And therein lies the rub. Wright's messages are about as offensive, and yet carry some grains of truth. So does Rush Limbaugh. I hate the man, but darned if there isn't some truth in some of his lobs at liberals. And if we can't look at those sides of ourselves and see them as others see them, rather than get all defensive and try to cover them up...well then we're cariacatures. Jesters and social justice seekers have a right to make fun of us.

 

What do you think? Should Obama have quickly moved away from his preacher? Should he have said "Wait a second here - I know you don't like what you heard, but there IS something to the man's words. Take a listen, see if you don't find some truth in it..." Or would that be total political suicide?

What should he have done?