Richard Cohen’s piece in the WaPo on Sen. Barack Obama’s spiritual advisor — the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. — effectively giving an award to Louis Farrakhan is getting the big blog buzz right now, after the story was flagged by Slate’s Mickey Kaus and Burt Prelutsky at PJM over the weekend. At Just One Minute, Tom Maguire links to a Farrakhan interview from the church’s magazine under the title “Mickey Kaus Gets results!”, when he should be noting that Kaus was first alerted Obama’s Afro-centric church by Maguire.
Cohen’s piece, however, emphasizes the element of Farrakhan’s anti-Semitism:
It’s important to state right off that nothing in Obama’s record suggests he harbors anti-Semitic views or agrees with Wright when it comes to Farrakhan. Instead, as Obama’s top campaign aide, David Axelrod, points out, Obama often has said that he and his minister sometimes disagree. Farrakhan, Axelrod told me, is one of those instances.
Fine. But where I differ with Axelrod and, I assume, Obama is that praise for an anti-Semitic demagogue is not a minor difference or an intrachurch issue. The Obama camp takes the view that its candidate, now that he has been told about the award, is under no obligation to speak out on the Farrakhan matter. It was not Obama’s church that made the award but a magazine. This is a distinction without much of a difference. And given who the parishioner is, the obligation to speak out is all the greater. He could be the next American president. Where is his sense of outrage?
Any praise of Farrakhan heightens the prestige of the leader of the Nation of Islam. For good reasons and bad, he is already admired in portions of the black community, sometimes for his efforts to rehabilitate criminals. His anti-Semitism is either not considered relevant or is shared, particularly his false insistence that Jews have played an inordinate role in victimizing African Americans.
In this, Farrakhan stands history on its head. It was Jews who disproportionately marched for civil rights and, in Mississippi, died for that cause. Farrakhan and, in effect, Wright, despoil the graves of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and, of course, their black colleague James Chaney.
Cohen then mentions the fight between the Obama and Clinton campaigns over the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. vis-a-vis LBJ.
Thus, for those of you keeping track at home, the identity politics raging in the Democratic campaign now involve not only black vs. white and men vs. women, but also black vs. brown and black vs. Jew.
The quest for the presidency is increasingly resembling the mildly-nsfw fight scene from Anchorman. If only the Democrats had their own Mitt Romney to set the ground rules.
Update: The Politico reports that an anonymous anti-Obama e-mail campaign has been particularly viral in Jewish political circles. It’s on! (h/t Memeorandum.)
Well, if you reduce people to antagonistic tribes, don’t be surprised if they start acting like them.
Just sayin’.
(Seriously, where the hell is Jeff for all this? This has to be so delicious for him, it’s fattening.)
Of course, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and John Hagee are allowed to engage in anti-Semitism while being major players in the American political scene. But they “support” Israel, so it’s different.
who?
Percy,
If I had known you could get Jeff G to appear, I would have asked you sooner. Check the next post over.
AJB,
Aside from the tedious attempt at tu coque, are you seriously contending that candidates are never called upon to distance themselves from the positions of the people you listed? Please.
Heh. I remembered having posted about Wright’s church in the past — turns out it was a link to Kaus, who was linking to Maguire. What I had to say at the time was that “Clinton and her camp would rather wait until Obama is the only challenger between her and clinching the nomination, before nuking him.”
I’d question the timing, but…
AJB, you’ve got us. After all, PW has always been a hotbed of support for Falwell, Robertson and — who was that third guy again?
No matter, obviously we all support him too.
I had to look up the Hagee guy; he’s a preacher at one of those mega-churches in Texas and apparently broadcasts as well.
Anyway, what’s funny is that he is more supportive of Jews than he is of Catholics. Apparently we’re responsible for plunging the world into darkess or something.
I’m pretty sure, though, that NONE of these three is currently running for president.
Huckabee caught flak from Catholics for meeting with Hagee. Which was sorta my point.
Huckabee is still catching flak for questionable religious positions:
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/252062.php
Who wants to tell AJB that Falwell is currently engaged solely in decomposition?
And yes, Anti-semitic Zionists, the lot of them.
Now if you’ll pardon me, I have to catch the 5:15 moonbeam.
I’m gonna hafta break out my ‘Tu Quoquesucker’ label again, aren’t I?
The Dem primary should be titled “When Interest Groups Collide”
From a political standpoint, Obama would be better served dealing with this issue now. However, he can also expect that the MSM will be his spear carrier and not push this issue should he make it to the general election.
This issue could be a real tar baby for the Dems.
Especially the articulate ones.
[…] OBAMA’S Church, the Nation of Islam and more Identity Politics…. […]
[…] me to observe that Obama’s comments would be taken more seriously had he directed them to his own church. Posted by Karl @ 1:25 pm | Trackback Share […]
[…] raise more high-profile questions about his membership in an “Afrocentric†church that bestows awards on Louis Farrakhan and practically defines itself through race-baiting. Macsmind is the only blogger to note it so […]
Here are a couple of quotes from Obama’s Church.
Quote: “We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian… Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain “true to our native land,” the mother continent, the cradle of civilization.â€Â
Based on this statement, it appears that their focus is on the fact that they are black above all else, including being supposedly Christian. It would seem that anyone attending this church would not feel welcomed, if they are any race other than black. This is not the type of church that the Bible says we should be! Can you imagine if a mostly white church had the statement “We are a congregation which is Unashamedly White and Unapologetically Christian”? They would be labeled as racist! The Bible also says that when we put something before God, that is a form of idol worship and when an entire group of people do that, it is a cult!
Quote: “The fortunate who are among us combine forces with the less fortunate to become agents of change for God who is not pleased with America’s economic mal-distribution!â€Â
This statement seems to indicate that they are in favor of socialism or the government redistribution of wealth, rather than teaching people personal responsibility and a reliance on God. This church seems to be about striving to increase the size of government, in order to help people obtain more freebies from the government, rather than striving to teach people on how to be hard working, productive members of society. If Barack Obama really believes what this church evidently teaches, and based on his voting record and campaign speeches, he does, then why would any real Christian, of any race, want to vote for him?
Mostly it just sounds like at one point Baracky chose a church for how it resonated with him politically. That’s kind of weird, really, but there’s lots that do that. Me I’m big on landscaping. And old ladies who bring cakes.
My church believes in literal-Biblical creation, so I feel somewhat in a forgiving mood of late.
I would not vote for a Man who lies to the people of the United States. A man who say’s on National T.V. that he is not a going to a church of Islam and believe it or not a Church that he say’s is Christian but, a White Man or Women can not walk into because, they will be turned away at the FRONT DOOR. Is this a man you want to run our COUNTRY. NOT ME!!!!!!
WOULD YOU ATTEND A CHURCH THAT GIVES A LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO A ANTI-SEMITE AND A OUT RIGHT RACIST. BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, HAS KNOWN REV. JERIMIA WRIGHT JR. FOR 20 YEARS. WRIGHT IS OBAMA’S CONFIDANT. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF ALL THAT?
I will not vote for a man or woman that will not pledge our Flag.If he does not honor our Flag he does not honor our Country. I think our Country is in for a lot of trouble. That will be a good way for McCain to win. But I think that is what will happen. Sorry.
Obama is a RACIST. Can you imagine ANY other candidate having the associations with racist scum like his “spiritual advisor” Wright who gave Farrakhan a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD!!! Obama and his family have gone to this ‘church’ for 20 YEARS!! You have to be a complete IDIOT to believe that Obama is opposed to ANY of HIS {Wright’s} views. Why does Obama just now “condemn” these remarks? Can you say DOUBLE-STANDARD??? SIMPLY BS!
Anyone who believes this guy is good for anyone but BLACK RACIST America is going to be sorely disappointed…and all will look back and say why did I let the liberal media BRAINWASH me?
So if you want more SOCIALISM and RACISM as key political values, vote OBAMA and HIS RACIST POSSE into the White House…maybe Farrakhan will be his chief of staff….begin the partying in the Middle EAST!!
WAKE UP!!!!!!!!
I hear that Obama has throw you under the bus. How can that be? You have been under something from the start. I dare say perhaps that was a rock? And now you are crying because you have to go back under it where you belong. Mr Wright……God is watching you and you will be held responsible for all your ungodliness. Beware the second coming dude