When Did Race Become The Top Issue Of 2008?
by Steve Soto
Obama's pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Jr. managed to reignite the controversy surrounding his sermons this morning in a speech at the National Press Club. Wright told the national media that the recent criticism weren't attacks against him but rather attacks against the black church in America.
Sorry Reverend, no sale. While some of the attacks against Wright were unfair and the result of a cut-and-paste hit job by Obama's political enemies, both he and Obama should have known this would happen and also have accepted the fact that every minister in this country is responsible for their words and actions. When I criticize John Hagee and any other evangelical preacher and supporter of John McCain who uses his pulpit to smear or diminish others, I am not criticizing those churches or the faith itself; I am criticizing the leaders for spreading a divisive counter-Jesus message under the cloak of being a faith leader. Similarly, there are many black churches in this country that preach a message different than Wright's, who weren't the target of the pushback against Wright. And yet today, Wright tells us that he and his comments weren't the issue. He wants to evade personal responsibility and shift the blame to society for being against the black church.
I have to think that the Obama campaign must have known about Wright's appearance at such a notable place as the National Press Club; it would be hard for the campaign to plead ignorance of his appearance and his remarks. They may have known therefore that Wright was going to inject race once more into the campaign today, by turning the critique back towards society as a whole with a specious claim. And Wright and therefore Obama have become very problematic for the Democratic Party, in the same way that Hillary is as well.
It was essential for the Democrats to not use 2008 as some great lab experiment to settle scores or force great debates on change and race, and to instead focus on saving this country from another four ruinous years of GOP/disaster capitalist control. I realize now that running Hillary and Obama as change agents each in their own way may have been overkill this cycle for an electorate that was already primed to toss out the GOP for a generation on economic and international reasons, if only the Democrats had run "safe", telegenic, and smart choices this time around who weren't running as the first woman or first African American nominees. I understand that many of you may be repulsed at my characterization of Obama or even Hillary as unsafe candidates, but I say that in the context of what we already know the GOP and its friends in the media will do to either one should they be the nominee.
Running in 2008 for the Democrats should have been all about minimizing opportunities for the GOP to divert voters' attention away from the GOP's record, and to put McCain and the GOP on the defensive all the time. Instead of a campaign about race or gender, it should have been a campaign about missed opportunities these last eight years, and GOP negligence in placing the interests of the few above the interests of the many. In an environment of economic uncertainty and GOP-stoked fear on terrorism, I don't have confidence that the American electorate will respond positively to simultaneous messages about the GOP's failures and racism. Instead, the GOP will help voters blame others and feel comfortable with the flawed status quo.
Obama now will be forced to deal with Wright's arguments for several more news cycles, while the Mighty Wurlitzer helps McCain's arguments and narrative against Democrats. Every news cycle between now and November spent talking about race and gender instead of talking about these last eight years and the next four with McCain as president is a bonus for the GOP, and yet it seems we are destined for exactly that diversion.