When this pastor Wright flap hit, some on this blog gave Senator Clinton props for having the class not to jump on that ridiculous bandwagon. This was judging by her surrogates' statements on the weekend shows. I gave her the benefit of the doubt that her restraint was because of her character, not strategy.
Yesterday, Julie noted some new statements from Senator Clinton which show me the folly of giving Senator Clinton the benefit of the doubt. Clinton now feels it's a worthy issue in the campaign, and finds it important to note that she would have left the church, had that been her church.
Well, now her pastor is defending Wright against the distortion of his character. From a published comment on the matter --
To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence.
Hat tip to David on this story. What an opportunity for Senator Clinton to step up and show us what she really thinks instead of just telling us. Her pastor is defending Wright on strong terms. Will Hillary stand for this?
Senator Clinton hopes to keep the story in the news, perhaps preferring it to the suggestion that she's been lying about specific experiences in her experience -- a subject nobody has, before now, even mentioned on this ostensibly Hillary-hating blog. I think it's clear by now this isn't about Hillary hate. It's a kind of political karma. She's throwing mud and it keeps splashing back on her.
8 comments:
Some sick part of me is thrilled by this revelation. The rest of me is disgusted as usual. She had her chance to take the high road, but it seems like she just couldn't resist another low blow.
As for giving her the benefit of the doubt, you'll notice it took her more than a week to get around to commenting on it. It calls her sincerity into question (if you were still hoping she had any).
The timing is certainly suspicious.
Sit back, see how big a mess it is. Uh-oh, things seem to be dying down! Drag it back into the spotlight!
You know, if she wins the nomination I'll be pulling for her partly because I want to see all those conservatives who hope she'll be easier to beat decide that maybe they shouldn't have been so eager. Hillary's a master of media manipulation and timing, which are huge assets for a president in our media-driven society.
But, at the moment, I'd like to aspire to this country having something greater in a leader.
I still keep hearing Kristen Wiig's Penelope character (the one who one-ups everybody) whenever Clinton speaks. She never should have referenced that SNL skit.
"Um... I have a Church and if that had been my Church I would have left the Church... I would have denounced and rejected... um
"I have a white grandma. Um... I have two white grandmas. My two white grandmas are more racist than Senator Obama's one white grandma...
Ugh.
Sorry to comment two in a row, but...
I never fail to be unimpressed by this "smart" woman's playground-quality remarks.
Obama gives one of the most beautiful and intelligent speeches certainly in the history of my lifetime, when he was expected to just "denounce and reject" he gave a deep, thoughtful treatment of the subject, and all she can think to say, one week later, is "I would've left the Church"??
What does that mean? I think it means, "I would do what you want me to do in order to make the press happy." Or, of course, "What's that over there?!!"
I read an opinion piece, I'm sorry I didn't post it because I don't know where I read it now, that said, "No! We do not need a discussion on race right now. We need a discussion on the economy. We need a discussion on war." While I understand the sentiment, sometimes we don't have a choice. With an African-American running for president, maybe we have to have a discussion on race, whether it's the right time or not.
We need a discussion on a lot of things. And, apparently, there is a lot of room for different discussions, considering people can bash Obama *and* watch American Idol in the same week.
By posting here about the Wright story and continuing to discuss it, I worried "am I also perpetuating this story?" but it didn't take me long to conclude that these discussions must play themselves out and it's better to get as many opinions in here as possible.
Ignoring this crap doesn't work. See: John Kerry's handling of the Swift Boat scoundrels.
Like it or not, people have decided Pastor Wright is an issue, so it's an issue until people get tired of discussing it. You may as well weigh in with your opinion. If you don't you concede the field.
Maybe the "I would have quit the church" is supposed to strike us the same way as Obama's "I would have voted against the war." Both statements are easy to make, and there's no reliable way to prove or disprove either of them.
However, Clinton's statement has an additional layer of fantasy because, having no firsthand knowledge of the black experience, she can't compare herself to Obama in a racially-oriented situation.
We do have a hint as to how she'd react, though. Although she's quick to criticize Obama for not using the correct words/actions to distance himself from people who say questionable things, she's been awfully slow to criticize the people on her side who say disturbing things.
For example, has she weighed in on Carville's comparing her to Jesus yet?
I think it's obvious that Clinton isn't Jesus or else all of the rapturites would have disappeared by now.
Well, heck, maybe they have... has anybody done a head count?
Clinton probably should have held off a little longer before commenting on Pastorgate, because it turns out that nobody cares.
Post a Comment