Obama denounced Rev. Wright today for, in effect, exposing the basic lie upon which Obama's campaign is built: that Obama's genetic racial make-up, his "DNA," has meant that he has devoted his whole career to racial conciliation. His opening statement about "my DNA" speaks directly to the fantasy Obama has carefully nurtured:
"SENATOR BARACK OBAMA: Before I start taking questions I want to open it up with a couple of comments about what we saw and heard yesterday. I have spent my entire adult life trying to bridge the gap between different kinds of people. That's in my DNA, trying to promote mutual understanding to insist that we all share common hopes and common dreams as Americans and as human beings. That's who I am." ...
"The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. ... They certainly don't portray accurately my values and beliefs. And if Reverend Wright thinks that that's political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn't know me very well. And based on his remarks yesterday, well, I may not know him as well as I thought, either. ... It contradicts everything that I'm about and who I am. ...
And anybody who has worked with me, who knows my life, who has read my books, who has seen what this campaign's about, I think, will understand that it is completely opposed to what I stand for and where I want to take this country.
Of course, in reality, Obama's nature and (especially) nurture left him worried that he won't be perceived as "black enough," so he has devoted much of his career to working to extract money from whites and spend it on blacks (e.g., getting jobs as a community organizer, civil rights lawyer, and state legislator). That's why he joined Rev. Wright's church -- it made him feel black enough.
The problem is that everybody else keeps getting their thinking about race and inheritance wrong, because they only allow themselves to think ignorantly and emotionally about it. For example, Obama has, quite intentionally, elicited in the minds of tens of millions of white people a crude genetic-determinist fantasy that racial reconciliation is in his "DNA."
I'm sorry, but human beings are a lot more complicated than that. Obama is the product of a complex and unusual nurture -- to understand his life, you both have to put yourself in his shoes and pull way back and view him in context, knowing a lot about the sociology of race, including seemingly minor aspects like the Hawaiian view of race.
I was just about the first to put together a plausible story of who Obama is precisely because I'm interested in the same things that interest Obama about himself and so many of his fans about Obama -- the difference is that I allow myself to think logically, objectively, and empirically about "race and inheritance," while respectable people only allow themselves to think with non-rational and intentionally ill-informed parts of their brain.
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
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13 comments:
Rev. Jeremiah Wright could drop an A-Bomb on Obama by saying that Obama was present during the "God Damn America" sermon. Or even worse, Obama was present during the pro-Palestinian sermons and that Obama was on his feet screaming "Amen."
Hello President Al Gore!
Yes Steve, you do get to toot your own prophetic horn on this one.
No one can say you didn't clearly see the Emperor's new clothing from the start.
Whodathunk that just when Rev. Wright gets lucid and interesting, Sen. Obama got turgid and boring!
Probably Rev. Wright is as turned off by the Sen.'s obfuscation as we are. Just goes to show you that politicians who try to please everyone end up pleasing no one.
Your analysis of Obama and Obama-Wright has certainly been a triumph and a cpnsistent tour de force. Read it here first, read the dumbed down version in the mainstream media 4-6 months later.
Definitely you get credit for spotting this when I commented here about 6 months back wondering who the hell Wright was and why you weren't as inspired as I was by his candidacy.
The problem with Obama is that he seemed to denounce the remarks, not the person. While wright may not be the same person that Obama knew him in 1992, he WAS the same person that Obama was very close to a year and a half ago.
I am just curious to see what happens when more Republicans read his autobiography.
Ultimately, Steve, I think the problems with Obama go deeper than just the pastor. His position (which I used agree with pre i-steve) implies that the racial gaps can be eliminated and reconciliation is possible. However, we know that is not true given IQ gaps. And then radicalism sets in when biology meets reality and accusations of perpetual racism is all that's left to avoid the truth.
I suppose this epitomizes the conflict that you also speak about between Obama's heart and his brain.
What a tragedy. If he can get through this, the general election is going to be VERY entertaining.
Objectivity is in Steve's DNA.
As Steve has pointed out, Obama knew from day one what Wright's message is all about. For him to claim now that this is all news to him is as convincing as Bill Clinton saying he did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. If Obama didn't realize this would be a problem for him, and he didn't start preparing an escape route some time ago, he's too dumb to be president. This was a perfect opportunity for us to see how Obama sizes up people, anticipates problems and deals with them and so far he looks like a complete rookie.
Obama said today, "His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church."
Regarding whether Wright's comments give "comfort to those who prey on hate," Obama makes it sound like the problem is that Wright will provoke racism, rather than that he himself is a racist. Is that the way the racially transcendant figure sees racism, as something only whites are capable of?
Also, do Wright's views really not represent the perspective of the black church? Considering that Wright built up a large and loyal congregation, one which cheers his every word, I'd like to see the evidence that he is out of synch. I bet more than half the black population agrees with most of what Wright has to say.
I'm afraid an Obama presidency would be like Amateur Night at the Apollo.
Didnt Obama go to Africa to visit Qaddafi at some point when he was quite young?
Reading Steve over these last few months has been amazing. Steve's analysis
took Obama apart in a way that is totally plausible and in line with his actions, he explained him.
I doubt anyone not reading these articles will be able to reach the same depth of insight into his character without themselves conducting an exhaustive analysis, since Obama seems to understand so well the power of concealing himself in words.
The real "nugget of truth" that has emerged from this is the realization that most black Americans DO agree with Wright.
White Americans have been so indoctrinated with diversity training, civil rights schooling and political correctness that we thought African-Americans were sitting right beside us looking forward to the days when we would all be judged by the "content of our character."
But Wright has blown the lid off of that falsehood. He revealed the ugly truth that we are further apart then ever before.
We will never, ever be able to overcome the issue of race in this country because blacks will continue to keep movin' the finish line ...
No, it was Wright who went to Libya to visit Qadaffi with Farrakhan in 1984.
Poolside's insight is correct. The fallout is that Whites understand that Blacks do agree with Rev. Wright. Deeply and widely.
Has anyone seen the video of Wright? The man is a buffoon. Not only are his remarks poison, to Obama, but his demeanor as well. Five seconds of this guy is enough to make people wonder why the hell Obama was at the church. Because Wright makes Flavor Flav look like Sidney Poitier.
That is certainly going to hurt Obama. And Dems nationally as Dems become "the Black" party.
Moreover, "racial reconciliation" is a luxury good. For good times, based on sending tax money from white voters to Black organizations and race hustlers like Obama and Wright and Sharpton and Jackson, to buy "peace."
In hard times that luxury is unaffordable. Blue and White collar white voters probably just want Black race hustlers to shut up and get a job not involving extorting tax monies. Rich whites are no doubt determined to have a hip imaginary black friend as Steve has suggested. For the rest it's a naked spoils struggle on who gets what sliced out of a diminishing pie.
Not good for Dems. Since their pie-slicing strategy since 1968 has been big slices for Blacks/Latinos and no slices for white voters.
I never thought I would agree with an entire post of Evil Neo99's.
Now if we could just load the trouble makers into speedboats and have them storm the beaches of Morocco in the name of diversity...
"I bet more than half the black population agrees with most of what Wright has to say."
More like one-third (which is plenty):
http://inductivist.blogspot.com/2008/04/hwright-and-black-church-reverend.html
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