Posted by
Andrews on Wednesday, April 02, 2008 10:14:04 AM
I have been seeing a lot of efforts to exonerate Reverend Wright by posting quotes from Hagee, Falwell, Robertson and others, followed by a statement such as "and Bush was friends with Falwell" or "and Hagee is McCain's pastor" or "and Robertson endorsed McCain". I may have the specific pairings of pastor and Republican wrong, but you get the idea. The Democrats are going into damage control mode and trying to tar Republicans with the racist brush, showing them to be associated with ministers every bit as hateful as Wright.
First, I don't think it is going to work. Not one of the three I listed above has a church with a website proclaiming they endorse White Liberation Theology. Not one of them has sold a video of their "best" sermons that include anything as inflammatory as "G-d Damn America!". Yes, each of them has one or two famous stupid statements, but those really ARE cherry picked quotes. Wright proclaims his most hateful speech his "best" sermons and SOLD THEM ON A VIDEO! I think that alone means that the "cherry picked" quotes are pretty characteristic of all of Wright's sermons.
But let us pretend we are Democrats and believe a single stupid statement by Falwell makes him every bit as hateful as man who spewed Black Liberation Theology every Sunday for 20 years. (After all Falwell is white, so we grade on a curve - one bad statement from him equals twenty years from Wright, I suppose.) Even if we allow that Falwell, Robertson, and Hagee are just as bad as Wright, then does the rest of the charge work?
Did Bush, Reagan, or McCain (the three most popular targets) sit for 20 years in the pews of any of the ministers? Did they call the minister their "spiritual mentor"? Did they write a book using the minister's sermon as a title?
No.
That is where this whole attempt at defense falls apart. Not one of these Republicans has the close, long-term relationship with one of these ostensibly "racist" ministers that Obama had with his America-hating, Farrakhan-honoring, conspiracy theory spouting, racist reverend. Of course, the contention that these ministers are as bad is Wright is pretty suspect, but, even granting that, not one of them has been as close to a Republican as Wright is to Obama.
There is just no comparison, either between the ministers and Wright, or between Obama and any of the Republicans.
And even if there were, what good would it do? To tar Bush or Reagan won't do any good, they are not running. And it does not appear any of the efforts to tar McCain are sticking. So the Democrats are left facing one uncomfortable truth. Try as they might, this is not going away. Their candidate was caught declaring as his mentor a man who regularly spews hate filled rhetoric that will not play well with the independents he needs to win.