The Religious Wright: A Curse or a Blessing?

[NYCGirl]

Interesting perspective from Al Giordano:

-snipped-

The Field takes a very contrary view to that of the conventional wisdom: Given that some public opinion polls say that as much as 13 percent of the electorate still thinks Barack Obama is a Muslim, the more focus on his Christian pastor the more that smear gets permanently erased.

As for the controversy and negatives that Wright’s statements bring for some demographic groups that might look at Obama more negatively by association, it’s a wash versus the equal-and-opposite controversy and negatives that Geraldine Ferraro, Bill Clinton and others have brought to Senator Clinton by association via race-baiting that is obvious to at least as large a population in other sectors.

-snipped-

Furthermore, when religion becomes an issue in a campaign, there are distinct reactions from different religious demographic groups. Catholics (a group that Clinton has done far better with than Obama) are famously in disagreement with the political views of their own priests and The Church (for example, Catholics support abortion rights in defiance of the Holy See, and in many Catholic households it is a badge of pride to disagree openly with the dictates of Rome or the local pastor on that and other issues). Many Jews similarly cringe at what they perceive as over-the-top anti-black statements from clergy. Most Americans are well used to living with the contradictions of being not in lockstep with clerical opinions. A somewhat embarrassing pastor is a point they have in common with Obama: a potential empathy point if played right.

The bottom line: The more controversy around Obama’s Christian pastor, and his refusal to throw him under the bus, the less Obama will have to beat back the (more potentially destructive, ‘though false) Muslim smears in the fall. One might even say that the Wright controversy is, for Obama, a gift from a god that “speaks in mysterious ways.”

Once again, people are worrying too much about “what might offend others,” a signature of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s politics. But beyond the partisan feigners of outrage, or the “concern trolls” fretting aloud about how “others” could be turned off, who is really offended out there?

We’re in the 21st Century now, when a certain amount of crazy is expected from all religious leaders.

http://ruralvotes.com/thefield/?p=893

[Cant trust em]

1. If the focus would be on Wright's Christianity, we'd have something

but the focus is going to be on his statements about race and our role in the 9/11 attacks. That's what the MSM will be talking about.

[DerekJ]

3. self -delete

wrong post

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Yep. Obama will be invited onto a billion shows to defend the sins of his pastor and

he will be able to point out that the United Church of Christ is a mainstream denomination with millions of members which include many prominent mainstream Americans as members.

Has Oprah's audience shrunk because she is a memeber of his church?

I think this is going to be a blessing, particulary because there is a long time until the election, and it will be discussed a lot.

I see it as a blessing.

[DerekJ]

4. I said the same thing.

I said the same thing right here :
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5063642&mesg_id=5063642

And people called me politically naïve. I said his numbers will climb up in the national polls (which it starting to), and they called me an idiot.
I said McCain will not go after Obama on this issue, and McCain's campaign manager Charlie Black just made his point clear that McCain will not.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/14/jeremiah-wright-obamas-_n_91555.html

[Cant trust em]

5. I'm suspicous of McCain

is he saying this to set the precedent for different smears then he can not take responsibility for them? Obama should keep this memo in his back pocket just in case.