How the Wright Controversy will End

2008-03-20T22:17:25Z

The Wright controversy has "shaken (Obama) up a little bit" and so far proved to be the most lasting of all his problems. But despite the worry of some democrats, I'm inclined to predict that it will go the way of all the other so-called scandals that have hit Obama so far. Here's my prediction:

Some respected news organization (NY Times, Chicago Tribune) will conduct an in-depth investigation into all of Wright's sermons, some of which are available online. They may find more inflammatory language, though likely along the lines of what we've already heard i.e. this country is controlled by white people who oppress black people.

They will conclude that a vast majority of his sermons are not inflammatory, and that there is no evidence that Obama sat through 20 years of anti-American rhetoric. They may also find that most of Wright's inflammatory rhetoric has come in his later years, when Obama does not attend church as frequently and is not as impressionable. In sum, they will exonerate Wright and Obama, with only a few reservations.

The article will receive major play and will become the conventional wisdom. There will still be some lingering doubt among those who are immovable, as has been the case with all the "Obama scandals" so far (remember the 13% who still think he is a Muslim, the persistent concerns in the Jewish community). But the notion that Obama is "damaged goods" will be considered thoroughly debunked, and super delegates will feel free to endorse him.

That's my prediction. My only question is how soon these reviews will happen. I assume news organizations are reviewing Wright's sermons as we speak.

How the media handles Obama and Wright

2008-03-15T16:56:31Z

My concern is how the media is handling this story. Much has already been said about the double standard with John McCain. But there is also the question of providing appropriate context. M.J. Rosenberg alludes to this in his post.

Much of this controversy revolves around 3 sermons: one after 9/11, one in 2003, and one in 2008 as Rev Wright was retiring. I’ve been in church all my life (white churches and black churches) and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard more than 3 controversial sermons. If Rev. Wright has only delivered 3 controversial sermons, then he is an angel not a demon. So there’s probably more out there, and the media declares “breaking news” each time they find a new one, instead of providing the appropriate context.

In a white church in Dallas, I once heard a preacher say, “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve”, and another preacher say that Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for Voodoo and sexuality in New Orleans (this was a preacher who had a church in New Orleans).

Compared to some of these preachers, Rev. Wright’s first principles are mostly sound, though his language is clearly inflammatory, and his words are way over the line. Indeed we are responding to his language, not to his message. He could have replaced “God damn America” with “God is upset with America” for injustice to poor and black people, and we would all have agreed.

Some of his principles are unsound and based in paranoia, but not most, and I think this is what Obama tries to communicate in his video post (below). But whether the media provides this necessary context will determine how this issue is received by the audience.

gnatster's Blog

How the Wright Controversy will End

How the media handles Obama and Wright