04-28-2008, 08:28 PM
[quote $tevie] I don't understand why the "joke is on...the 'flock'"? There are 8,000 members of that church, surely if they didn't want this to occur they could have stopped it? I don't believe this was any sort of secret or surreptitious purchase. This is the way the church has chosen to honor the man who grew the parish from 87 members to 8,000. I don't think it's anybody's business how they chose to handle his retirement, it's their money not ours.
No one suggested his flock was "tricked" into buying him a 10,000 sq ft. house in a rich community, or that it was done without the congregation's knowledge or consent. But to claim that Wright's habits or lifestyle is not anybody's business in naive. Wright is not a private citizen or little-known minister in some average American community, he's a high-profile civil rights activist and outspoken public figure on the National stage. We're free to think whatever we want.
The larger point here is that guys like Wright pale in comparison to the leaders who's torch they claim to carry, figures like Martin Luther King. Compared to King's legacy, Wright is a self-aggrandizing pretender. A midget.
In order for an up-and-coming African-American political figure to be accepted in the community he wants to represent, it's necessary to win the acceptance of key members of the Official Black Leadership (Wright being one example, Jackson and Al Sharpton being others) in order to gain access and be taken seriously. To believe that Obama chose this church and Wright's guidance for purely spiritual reasons, to "find Jesus" (there are many who actually believe this) is also naive. It's part of the political process, it was done for purely practical reasons. Obama could never have succeeded politically in Chicago's black community without Wright's blessing and support.
It's ironic that the more conservative media figures like Sean Hannity attack Wright, in an effort to discredit Obama, the more it strengthens their resolve and sense of purpose. If Wright was a polarizing figure before, now he's a figure of unity, galvanizing and fortifying the community. It's hard not to enjoy the fact that Sean Hannity is getting the opposite of what he's aiming for, he's actually helping Obama's base become stronger and more unified. I think that's great, Hannity's actually working for their team now, without even realizing it. Which is part of why Obama can't risk distancing himself too much from Wright. To do so would risk alienating a critical part of his base of support.
No one suggested his flock was "tricked" into buying him a 10,000 sq ft. house in a rich community, or that it was done without the congregation's knowledge or consent. But to claim that Wright's habits or lifestyle is not anybody's business in naive. Wright is not a private citizen or little-known minister in some average American community, he's a high-profile civil rights activist and outspoken public figure on the National stage. We're free to think whatever we want.
The larger point here is that guys like Wright pale in comparison to the leaders who's torch they claim to carry, figures like Martin Luther King. Compared to King's legacy, Wright is a self-aggrandizing pretender. A midget.
In order for an up-and-coming African-American political figure to be accepted in the community he wants to represent, it's necessary to win the acceptance of key members of the Official Black Leadership (Wright being one example, Jackson and Al Sharpton being others) in order to gain access and be taken seriously. To believe that Obama chose this church and Wright's guidance for purely spiritual reasons, to "find Jesus" (there are many who actually believe this) is also naive. It's part of the political process, it was done for purely practical reasons. Obama could never have succeeded politically in Chicago's black community without Wright's blessing and support.
It's ironic that the more conservative media figures like Sean Hannity attack Wright, in an effort to discredit Obama, the more it strengthens their resolve and sense of purpose. If Wright was a polarizing figure before, now he's a figure of unity, galvanizing and fortifying the community. It's hard not to enjoy the fact that Sean Hannity is getting the opposite of what he's aiming for, he's actually helping Obama's base become stronger and more unified. I think that's great, Hannity's actually working for their team now, without even realizing it. Which is part of why Obama can't risk distancing himself too much from Wright. To do so would risk alienating a critical part of his base of support.