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30 May 2008
Obama's church choir
The chattering classes are missing a big point about Rev. Pfleger.
No, Obama needn't be tarred by his association with the despicable Rev. Wright; nor is he responsible for the inflammatory preaching of Rev. Pfleger.
But -- and, dammit, it's a big BUT -- that is his church. Those are his fellow congregants. Did you see the way the choir behind Rev. Pfleger laughed and cheered his remarks? There were no shots of the people out in front of the priest, but if the reaction of those behind him are any indication, the joint was jumping. They loved it!!!
If Obama has so much moral suasion, didn't he ever try to exercise it close to home? Or are the members of his church going to be the last holdouts in Obama's efforts to bring about his vaunted "reconciliation." Hey, if he can't eradicate racism in his own backyard, how can he do it across the country?
Just asking.
Posted by EDN on May 30, 2008 at 04:49 PM in Election '08 | Permalink
Comments
And herein lies the pitfall of injecting religion and religious affiliation into politics.
I used to fraternize with people I thought were monsters. They were certain co-workers and one particular CEO who shall go unnamed. Am I to be condemned for associating with unrepentent asshats?
Where will this stop? Forget about six degrees of separation. There are so many people in all the institutions of our lives that it's probably no more than two degrees between our own virtuous selves and some villainous knave somewhere.
There is, to me at least, a fundamental difference between Obama's participation in a church with some questionable preachers and parisioners and McCain's seeking out and acceptance of endorsements from the likes of Hagee and Parsley.
Besides, I still don't think of Wright as "despicable". Nothing he said surprised me, so I have a difficult time rousing myself to a state of high dudgeon over his Sixties-style rhetoric. It was also my impression that Wright's performances following Obama's race speech were designed to provide Obama the excuse to decisively break with Wright.
Should Obama be actively chastising his fellow parisioners for their embarrassing enthusiasms? Or should he try to lead by example? If the latter, what should he do that he isn't doing now? Should he just leave the church in a show of high-minded disapproval?
You see the problems here? All of this nonsense has made his church, his pastor, the church's congregation and the apparent necessity of Obama proving he's holier than thou into the worst kind of political footballs.
Frankly, I don't even think Obama cares that much about the church. I think he's an ambitious young man who early on realized that the church, and more specifically the black church, was part of the scaffolding he needed to support his upward climb.
There's nothing wrong with that beyond the usual measure of hypocrisy in a politician. All I know is that I yearn for an election cycle in which religion isn't mentioned once.
Posted by: Chiaroscuro | May 31, 2008 8:32:04 AM
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