Analysis of the media on the "Wright Issue" will be seen as unprecedented years from now

[zulchzulu]

If you take a deep breath and look at the coverage of Reverend Jeremiah Wright in the mainstream media and how a former minister of a Presidential candidate is somehow more important that the other candidates running for office, you see that there is not only a double-standard but also a Rorschach Test on how racist America is.

First, let's look at Wright and Obama. Yes, Obama was baptized and married in Wright's Trinity Unity Church of Christ in Chicago. Does that mean that everything Wright says equals exactly to what Obama has "soaked in" by mental osmosis?

Look at what a former Republican Presidential candidate who was a minister has to say about the link between Obama and Wright:

"It's a little bit presumptuous to ever assume that just because the pastor says something on the pulpit that everyone in the pew agrees with it. That's rarely the case."

- Mike Huckabee (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/04/mikehuckabee.html)

Obama has come out many times saying that he disagrees with some of the incendiary comments that Wright has made. However, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and the Beltway pundits of the mainstream media continue to act like it is an "issue". If Obama has repeatedly stated that he disagreed with some of Wright's YouTubed looped comments, when is it enough for the Hillary Clinton, John McCain and the Beltway pundits?

Because neither are what I would consider honest, the answer is never.

So what does the mainstream media do when Jeremiah Wright speaks at a couple conferences? They broadcast the speeches, sometimes in full. Despite whether one agrees with Wright on the content of his statements or otherwise, exactly why does the former pastor of a Presidential candidate and of a small church get such dedicated coverage? Perhaps his speeches have longer coverage than the Pope's recent visit.

Yes, he is animated. Yes, he's loud. Yes, for many, he is profound.

However, in the eyes of someone who has never seen a black minister preach, it is also a source for stereotyping not only him but the African-American Church. Is the mainstream media now going to cover every speech he makes in every venue in half-hour blocks and then have beltway pundits give their "analysis" of what he said? There are already inferences that this coverage is "hurting" Obama and that Obama needs to cut Wright off at the knees.

The dual messages about the Democratic Presidential race have been framed in obvious form to play off each other.

First, even though Obama has won many states where working class whites supported him, the Big Question is whether he can get their support. Even though Obama chipped away a 20+% lead and lost by 9.2% and where Clinton only got less than a dozen more delegates in Pennsylvania, the message being hammered is whether Obama can EVER get working class whites to support him. Short-term memory would indeed hide that he won states like Iowa, Louisiana, Colorado and other states where he got a lot of support from them.

Secondly, the mainstream media wants to play the videos (now chock full of new soundbites to take out of context) of Jeremiah Wright to test the perception that the working class whites can handle his animated, controversial style and not just fall into classifying him as some "uppity" black.

So you see the framed messages go back and forth: Do whites like Obama and then Is Wright a Loudmouth? Repeat...repeat...repeat...

Why hasn't the mainstream media done coverage of Reverend Hagee, who McCain practically pleaded for his endorsement (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/29/john-hagees-mccain-endor_n_89189.html)? Why no coverage of Hillary Clinton's links to the conservative "The Fellowship" where she seeks spiritual solace with members of the neocon agenda (http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/09/hillarys-prayer.html)?

Why isn't the mainstream media doing full coverage of Barack Obama's CURRENT pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ, Otis Moss? You'd think the current pastor would be more important?

I know. Thankfully, there are no other problems in the World that need any investigation or intense coverage on. Wright's on!

[Scurrilous]

1. Great post.

K & R :thumbsup:

[2rth2pwr]

2. Obama chose to stay in a close relationship with this man for over 20 yrs.

He gives us an insight on Obama, a candidate who is relatively new and that we know so little about.

What would learning about Otis Moss tell us about Barack?

[zulchzulu]

4. So what Wright says is what Obama thinks?

Then what Rick Santorum says is what Hillary Clinton thinks. They were very good friends when they both prayed together at the Fellowship.

Define to me what "a close relationship" means when that person is your pastor? Do you have a pastor you go to? If so, are you responsible for everything they say including when you aren't around?

Is anyone you are a friend with post-facto who you are, even when that friend may do something you disagree with?

How far does this little game go?

[2rth2pwr]

7. Where did I say that? Finding out about Wright helps us to know better who

Obama is. Like knowing more about Michelle helps to tell us what kind of man he is.

[zulchzulu]

13. Perhaps I read you wrong

I thought you were implying that what one man thinks is what another man must think as an obvious consequence.

[tabasco]

3. Assuming we're not living in some type of totalitarian state.

We're headed in that direction with the complicity of the corporate media.

[zulchzulu]

5. People apparently don't know when they are being "gamed"

Orwell's 1984 is a comic book compared to what is possible now.

[C_U_L8R]

6. My game is to game the gamers

it's an endless source of amusement.

And yeah, what they are doing is pretty wretched.
So... we ALL need to fight back.

[zulchzulu]

12. This nonsense is actually being validated by the Royal Punditry

People are getting paid to LIE and think this is important.

[Mr. Hawk]

8. the difference between rev. wright and the Rep Attack Machine

The difference is, of course, that Wright actually mocked JFK in a speech just THIS WEEKEND and it was taped...so that is NEWS not some distorted opinion or tortured interpetation by some extremist wingnut(right or left)who has an axe to grind - he actually said/did it...and to JFK of all people.

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. What about the comments made by McCain's 'spiritual' advisors & the media silence

Top 10 Outrageous Quotes from McCain's Spiritual Advisers:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

The media is conspiratorially absent and complacent

[zulchzulu]

14. In a way, I'm glad the McCain links are not really out yet

As much as it's horrible to watch the MSM pastorbate (thanks Frenchie!), by the time the fall comes around, people will have Wright Fatigue.

As for McCain's links to Hagee and Parsley (and others), as they do in matters of war, wait for it... having McCain having to squirm in the fall would be much better. I think McCain knows that too, based on how he's trying to act like Wright's words are not Obama's thoughts in recent statements.

[TahitiNut]

10. I like Wright better than Obama.

I must be a pretty whacked-out "white boy." :crazy:

[damonm]

11. A well-deserved K&R...