The System Done Me Wrong
I had my say about Jeremiah Wright last week and we’ll know today if Wright is just a distraction for Obama’s campaign or if their 20 year association says something important about Obama’s judgment and character.
All the talk over the past week has been about how Wright will effect the Obama campaign, but no one is talking about what effect Wright and his ilk are having on the community they claim to be serving.
Gary MacDougal, who was chairman of the Illinois governor’s Task Force On Human Services Reform has seen the damage done first hand and writes about his experience in The Washington Post and states outright that Wright, and those like him “rob thousand of listeners of the American dream: hope that through their hard work they can have better lives.”
Imagine how you would feel if your spiritual and political leaders told you:
**That white America sees black women useful only for their bodies
**That the job market is stacked against you and that the jobs that are available aren’t good enough—that you are entitled to more
**That prisons are the white man’s genocide used to keep blacks down
**That you should not work jobs that don’t pay overtime for Saturday work because that is racist and abusive behavior on the part of an employer
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Taxpayers are doing their share to help the problem of poverty and unemployment—every year the federal government spends billions of dollars, amounting to more than $10,000 per poor person for welfare, Medicaid, earned-income tax credit, job training and food stamps. Spiritual and political leaders who discourage individual responsibility and instead preach victimization are hurting the very people they say they want to help.
MacDougal has the last word:
“Life isn’t fair for people of any skin color. And sadly, in America today, many blacks face barriers such as economic insecurity, scarece jobs and poor schools, which create even higher hurdles for them to overcome. There is no cure-all for this inequity. But the effect that Jeremiah Wright has on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is far less important than the effect of the terrible message that Wright and others like him send to their congregations.”
It isn’t just dreams and hope Wright is robbing. The man is like too many other religious leaders out for the money. Wright has a million dollar mansion and drive two Mercedes Benz. Wright is part of the money-changer culture that has invaded the churches. Whenever I hear of some preacher/priest driving around in fancy cars and living in fancy houses, I have little faith in them being grounded in faith. The bible I read did not put much glory in the accumulation of riches.
Comment by thescoundrel | May 6, 2008
The democrat primary has become hugely influenced by racial presences. Obama continues to pile up big numbers because the black sectors vote 90%+ for Obama. While the white and other ethnics vote their preference by issues. Those numbers seem to evenly split between the two candidates.
Comment by thescoundrel | May 7, 2008
I agree—it looks like the Democrat Party is breaking off into The White Democrat Party and The Black Democrat Party.
This is the consequence of a generation of playing identity politics—the Dems were more than happy to play the race and gender cards against the GOP, but when they began playing with and against each other, it widened the already existing divisions within the party.
Can’t say I feel too sorry for them though—-live by the sword, die by the sword, and all that.
Comment by qcexaminer | May 8, 2008
I do not think it will hurt the Democrats in this election. The Republican party has pretty much shot themselves in the foot for awhile. But if there was a real viable third party in most districts the knowledge could be useful in changing control away from a two party system.
Comment by thescoundrel | May 8, 2008
I agree—most Dems will rally around whichever candidate wins, but maybe the GOP can win back some of the white working class voters they have alienated.
Comment by qcexaminer | May 8, 2008