Obama Doth Protest Too Much
Was it a setup? That’s the question on cynical political observers’ minds after watching the Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright saga play out on television this week. Wright, pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and Obama’s spiritual mentor, returned to the national spotlight with a series of media appearances during which he repeated and amplified controversial remarks from several of his sermons. The sermons were first brought to light more than a month ago and had begun to be eclipsed by other campaign news, some of it of Obama’s making, until this week. The timing of Wright’s return is questionable and leaves open the possibility that the Senator and the Reverend have engaged in a political conspiracy worthy of any adjective that the left has ever hurled at Karl Rove.
Here’s how the theory goes. When Wright’s controversial sermons–in which he said that AIDS was a creation of the Federal government to kill blacks, said the United States brought the September 11th terrorist attacks upon itself, and called on God to damn America, among other things–were made public, the Obama campaign took the occasion to have the candidate make a big speech on race relations. The speech was delivered in Philadelphia, the better to help Obama calm the fears of rural, white, working-class Democrats, to whom he now looked a little more like a sixties radical than an agent of a new kind of politics. It was expected that Obama would distance himself from his firebrand pastor. But he didn’t. In that now famous speech, Obama said that Rev. Wright was a, “part of me,” and that he, “could no more denounce him than I could denounce the black community.” Far from distancing himself, Obama drew closer to Wright with those words.
That was right after the Ohio and Texas primaries which Sen. Hillary Clinton won, saving her campaign. Obama had some six weeks to convince Pennsylvanians that his relationship with Wright was an anomaly; not a reflection on his judgment. But then Obama made an appearance at a San Francisco-area fund raiser in which he was quoted as saying that rural townspeople were, “bitter,” about economic conditions in their areas and, “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them,” out of frustration. Those comments made Obama seem like an elitist, looking down on the little people in the small towns all across America. Combined with the suspicion engendered by Wright’s comments and Obama’s refusal to disavow them, it made for a perfect political storm for the candidate of hope and change.
Obama lost Pennsylvania by 10 points on April 22nd. But more revealing is the way he lost. In every rural county in the state, Clinton bested Obama by at least 60-40. He lost whites in every age category, he lost churchgoers of every denomination and frequency of attendance, he lost every age group over 40, and he lost Catholics by as much as 50 points. Faced with the sudden realization that his campaign was foundering among rural whites, and with four heavily rural states next to vote, Obama needed a way to reach out to that crucial Democratic demographic.
But for the post-partisan Obama to suddenly turn on his pastor, mentor, and friend of more than 20 years would have seemed too opportunistic, too old politics. He needed to find a way to denounce Wright without having it be seen as politically motivated. The new controversy spawned by Wright’s renewed complaints and charges appears to have done the trick. Wright has always known that the day would come when Obama would have to cast him aside. He told the New York Times almost a year ago to the day that if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, “…he might have to publicly distance himself from me.” Wright may have made that distancing possible this week.
Less cynical observers say that the new Wright controversy is too damaging for Obama’s campaign to be a political ploy. They say that Wright is genuinely angry at Obama for the Philadelphia speech, and that Obama was truly offended by Wright’s assertion that Obama was only disowning him, “based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls.” They say that Wright is now trying to destroy Obama’s campaign. If those pundits are right, then it would be expected that Wright would appear again, sometime before Tuesday’s critical North Carolina primary, with more controversial statements, or a denunciation of his own against Obama. But it has been three days since Obama’s dismissal of Wright, and there has been no word from the Reverend. If Wright remains silent through Monday, consider it a certainty that he is executing a plan designed to give Obama the political cover to opportunistically deny him. There may never be proof of coordination, but there seems to be a lot of winking and nodding going on.
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Mark Impomeni is a contributing editor at RedState and covers the White House for AOL’s new political blog, The Political Machine. He writes a column with a conservative’s take on the state of the 2008 presidential race for Political-Buzz.com.
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[…] Obama Doth Protest Too Much - Mark Impomeni, Political Buzz Was it a setup? That’s the question on cynical political observers’ minds after watching the Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright saga play out on television this week. (tags: obama 2008) Posted at 1:36 PM in On My Radar Save to Del.icio.us Share on Facebook […]
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This is a ridiculous post. It reminds me why Obama’s candidacy makes so much sense. Because the conservative Republicanism has run off the rails, and it is in a freakish symbiotic relationship with slash-and-burn Clintonite politics. We need a new direction.
Check out “The Truth vs Barack Obama”
http://savagepolitics.com/?p=317
I saw this today, and HAD to share it with everyone. It is just a brilliantly researched and written list of inconsistencies with several of Obama’s stories. I think it should be done for ALL three candidates, but I guess this is a good way to start at finally looking at the candidates with some honesty.
” If Wright remains silent through Monday, consider it a certainty that he is executing a plan designed to give Obama the political cover to opportunistically deny him.” — Excuse me, but is someone smoking something illegal??? This is utterly ridiculous. —– Obama certainly has not benefitted from this recent dust-up; it’s been devastating. —— J. Wright is NOT someone you would enter into a conspiracy with. He’s not really ‘controllable,’ have you noticed? —— The video clips were taken out of context and when listened to in context were not outrageous. (For example, the “chickens coming home to roost” was quoting statements made by a former Ambassador on Fox News!!) Consequently Obama did the correct thing in giving a long-time friend the benefit of the doubt when he saw those, even though he knew that his friend was sometimes controversial. —– Wright’s statements in the Q&A at National Press Club this week WERE outrageous and inexcusable, and Obama properly denounced them and broke any remaining contact once he was able to hear them himself. ——— Does the author think that voters have NO brains??? Apparently. Why don’t you just cut to the chase and say “I don’t like Obama and don’t want you to vote for him” All the other words and incredible accusations are just window-dressing.
Lisa,
How is it ridiculous? Is it becuase Sen. Obama is somehow above political calculation? I assure you he is not. Politics is the art of maneuvering your opponent to get your way. Obama became a national figure by engaging in the sport of politics. He didn’t have it handed to him. But if he did, then maybe he shouldn’t be president.
In the end, he is a politician, just like all the rest. And if doing this would help him win the presidency, the most powerful office in the land, he would do it. Just like any other politician would.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Sincerely,
Mark Impomeni
OK. Just think about it for a minute. Obama is a good orator, and a good orator who is outraged would BE outraged in his speech. I heard no outrage. I heard lots of hesitations and ahs between his words and sentence. I saw a very subdued Obama. I, myself, thought that maybe this is some kind of setup because I read that Rev. Wright did say that someday Obama may have to publicly distance himself. This stunt could have been staged so that the Rev. Wright subject would be permanently put to bed.
There are a lot of people who aren’t buying into this whole “outraged” charade — but, unfortunately, there are a lot of people who bought into it, and that is what Obama and his chief strategist. David Axelrod, are counting on.
Interesting observation, Impy.
Perhaps the little dust-up with The Rantin’ Reverend Wright will be all Obama needs to soothe the Democrat Superdelegates enough to get Brocko the nomination.
Maybe what Obama really needs to win the general election is a massive brawl with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. He condemns Jackson and Sharpton for being antithetical to the mainstream Christian values cherished by middle America; he blames the mindset of Jackson, Sharpton, and Rev Wright for the failure of much of black youth culture to value education and the virtues of upward mobity; he even condemns the toxic Hip Hop culture. Guess whose side most of White America would be on?
Don’t expect Jackson and Sharpton (and probably the Rantin’ Rev) to go along willingly. An Obama Presidency is probably the worst thing that could happen to traditional black political “leadership,” since it would prove once and for all that the U.S. is not a racist country.
I can’t believe most of the crap I’m hearing these days coming from blacks…They are saying oh we will riot in the streets if Obama doesn’t win…OMG, some “change” he is bringing to America! America has had more than it’s share of blacks rioting in the streets years ago. I think thats the blacks answer to everything…”Give us our way or we will cause upheaval in your streets and cause torment and destruction…That is about the last thing Americans need right now!
Hillary is on the campaign trail working her azz off fighting for Americans homes that are in foreclosure,fighting to get gas prices down,fighting for ALL Americans…What do we hear from Obama and his backers? “Change” but obama never tells us what change he plans on bringing and he has yet to give Americans any form of detailed outline of his policies…thats not change.Obama has no experience,no plan to turn our economy around and his supporters are just voicing threats of rioting in the streets…Thats just intemidation! I hope Americans are smart enough not to fall for Obamas supporters threats. I fear the Super Delegates will fall for the threats from them just to avoid confrentation…
Hillary has EXPERIENCE, Obama does not.Everyone should research how Obama managed to get where he is today in the Senate…It is quite the story and very inlightening.
McCain will destroy Obama if he is the Democratic Candidate! God knows he has all the ammunition he needs to do it…
Wright,Rezko,Ayers,Sinclair,Michelles mouth,His own elietest statements about Americans! Good grief,a racist anti-American minister,friend,mentor,father-figure,Illegal dealings with Rezko,ties to Ayers,Ties to known terrorists,and ofcourse my personal favorite which I wish I would see the media take more notice of….Obama/Sinclair gay sex appointments in Chicago where they would meet for gay sex and cocaine use!
Voters really need to look into this crap before voting for Obama!
I have voted Democrat for over 15 yrs. now and if Obama is the nominee I will for the first time be voting republican which I thought I’d never do…I will not vote for someone so unexperienced as Obama is!The ONLY way that Obama would get my vote is if Clinton is on the ticket with him…I think if she was the Vice President she could pick up the pieces when Obama starts making bad decisions because of his lack of experience!