First Clinton’s campaign fundraiser Geraldine Ferraro says Obama is “lucky” to be Black and the accuses his campaign of “racism:” “I really think they’re attacking me because I’m white.” Reverse racism cannot exist. Racism is about oppression; it is a power relationship.
Now Obama is condemning the comments made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, about white privilege. Saying they are “inflammatory and appalling.”
Wright told his congregation the reason why “so many folks are hating on Barack Obama” is because he doesn’t “fit the model: He ain’t white, he ain’t rich and he ain’t privileged.”
“Hillary [Clinton] fits the mold,” Wright said, delivering a fiery tirade on how “Hillary never had a cab whiz past her and not pick her up because her skin was the wrong color,” and how “Hillary never had to worry about being pulled over as a black man driving” and how “Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single parent home.”
Yeah, all of that is true. Clinton does have white skin privilege. You can’t deny that.
Yep, Obama is a hell of a lot smarter than Bush. Harvad Law, magna cum laude v. University of Texas Law, rejection.
In a sermon following trade center bombings, Wright said, “We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye. We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant. Because the stuff we have done overseas has now brought right back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.”
Yeah. Most of that sounds about right. The US is imperialist and supports state terrorism to its financial and strategic benefit. And it relies on racist white people in the US to get away with it. Racists who think it’s OK that thousands are dying from a US-funded occupation because Palestinians are Arab. Who thinks it’s OK that millions are dying from these racist wars because Iraqis are Arab.
Todd Harris, a veteran GOP political strategist [worked on McCain's 2000 campaign and Fred Thompson's recent ploy], tells us, “There are hundreds of churches in Chicago to choose from but Obama picked the one with a racist preacher who is anti-American and anti-Israel. This guy makes Louis Farrakhan look like Hello Kitty and we’re going to have a field day with this.”
Is he just pissed that Wright said Jesus was black?
Is Obama not allowed (or doesn’t want) to admit that inequality and racism exist? As soon as a person of color points out that racism is alive and well, the white conservatives attack them as using “reverse racism”–which does not exist.
Racism, on the other hand, does exist. People can only claim “reverse racism” by ignoring real racism. As a society, we need to deal with it, to break it down, and to pull up its systemic roots. White people do have many unearned privileges based merely on their whiteness. Vast inequalities persist in the US in access to good housing, healthcare, money, support networks, education, etc. Not to mention the racist laws, unfair court system, and police brutality. Pretending these disparities don’t exist wont make them go away; in fact it is compounds the injustices and is another sign of pervasive oppression.
3 responses so far ↓
leafless // March 14, 2008 at 8:11 pm
The only way to get rid of racism is to be part of the solution and not the problem. White is obviously part of the problem. What did he hope to accomplish by making these disparaging comments? To inflame hatred between blacks and whites. Is this the way to break down the race barrier? Don’t think so.
Obama knows this for 20 years, but he appears to have not taken any actions to distance himself from the man (until the controversy comes up.) This means that Obama is also part of the problem and not the solution.
Pedestrian // March 14, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I understand where you’re coming from. But I don’t think he should have taken action to distance himself from the man.
(Although I am assuming their relationship was simply within the congregation and not more. Also, I don’t know why Wright was “anti-Israel”? Did he just criticize Israel for something or did he make explicit, racist comments?).
I may not agree with Wright, I would have certainly not uttered those words had I been in his place, but I don’t think those statements were anything deplorable.
Sad Democrat // March 15, 2008 at 3:09 am
Man, am I disappointed. I’m a WASP with a Chinese husband with two kids. One married an African American girl who was his high school sweetheart and part of our family and the other had a child with a half-Mexican guy. I’m an old white lady who thought Bill Clinton was wrong to cheat on his wife but was sick of the neo-cons who were out to destroy the good he was trying to do. After $40,000,000 they couldn’t find anything on the Clintons. HRC graduated from law school and went straight down south to register black and latino voters. I have African American attorney friends who wouldn’t do that and won’t even consider investing in the black area of town because they won’t make any money-I had suggested this and was shot down decisively. Yet this same person says she “hates” HRC and her campaign conspires to make BO’s color darker on TV commercials! To me, this obsession is a more black on black issue that a white one sometimes. I truly don’t care how dark he is. I’m a HRC person first but if he gets the nomination, I’m going to work to get him elected and I don’t care how black he is. But I am really sick about these videos and that is one of the reasons I am for HRC. You can hem and haw but she does have more life experience and until Obama came on the scene, the Clintons were beloved by the black community because they have done a lot their whole lives for the lower classes including all races. The Republicans are going to win this election because many Americans are going to be furious by the rantings of his Obama’spastor and his wife’s declaration that she is not proud of America. My father fought in WWII and I would not be alive if our country had to invade Japan inch by inch and I am incensed by this man’s claims and I don’t believe for one second that Obama is ignorant of his views and no one else withany brains will either. The fact that BO does not agree with his pastor will become moot unless the Democrats can stop this insanity and go after the Republicans and deal with what is really necessary for ALL of us to come together. It looked like Obama was NEO but not now. Sorry guys. Score for the rich white guys who rule. Stupid racist Pastor! Racism is a two way street.
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