Why Oprah quit Jeremiah Wright's church and Barack Obama didn't

Early in the 1980s rising television star Oprah Winfrey was looking for a local church in Chicago. Not surprisingly, she like many blacks including four years later a community organizer named Barack Obama, was attracted to Trinity United Church of Christ and its dynamic, outspoken pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

That South Side church was THE place for upwardly mobile Windy City blacks to connect and it had an aggressive community outreach program. And attendance continued Winfrey's childhood connection with black churches and their shared sense of community and support.

As The Ticket noted Sunday morning, the same reasons caused other black clergy to steer the young Obama there, saying he'd have more luck connecting with black churches in his urban organizing efforts if he actually belonged to one himself. Obama's friends later added that alighting at Trinity with its forceful male leader was also part of the mixed-race Obama's exploration of his black identity in the absence of his father.

Things went along fine for several years, as Oprah's fame and fortune exploded and as Obama laid the groundwork in local efforts and political connections for his political career.

But something began bothering Winfrey. By the....

...late 1980s, she was an infrequent attendee at Trinity's services and by the early 1990s she had stopped going altogether.

According to a revealing article, headlined "Something Wasn't Wright," in the new Newsweek by Allison Samuels, a major reason was Winfrey's concern with Wright's inflammatory sermons, her association with them through church membership and the potential impact on her widespread popularity.

Samuels' quotes unnamed sources as saying that, Winfrey, now a multi-billionaire, knew her audience was mainstream and while Wright's anger-filled rants may have been familiar to lifelong black churchgoers, they would be nothing close to mainstream in the minds of Winfrey's millions of fans.

Ironically, while Winfrey protected herself against negative associations with Wright, her endorsement of and active campaigning for Obama last year has hurt her popularity, as noted in two recent Ticket items here and the other one here.

Questions have arisen over why Obama as an astute budding politician would have remained in the same church environment for 20 years and when Wright's shocking sermon snippets initially emerged weeks ago deny having heard them.

He clearly was aware of the danger of association with Wright, having disinvited the pastor from giving the public invocation at Obama's campaign announcement in Springfield in February of 2007 because, reportedly, Obama said Wright's sermons could come across as a little "rough."

Yet in his recent speech on race in Philadelphia, Obama said: "As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthens my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother."

Yet five weeks later after Wright's National Press Club speech and news conference performance, Obama had this to say: "I am outraged by the comments that were made, and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate.

"They offend me, they rightly offend all Americans, and they should be denounced. And that's what I'm doing very clearly and unequivocally here today."

Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" Sunday asked Obama about defending Wright a full year after he indicated Wright's words could be trouble for his campaign and what he'd learned in the five weeks between his Philadelphia remarks and last week's denunciation of Wright? The same question has been raised by numerous Ticket commenters in recent weeks.

At one point Obama said he was like millions of Americans: "My commitment, as I said, Tim, is to the church, not to a pastor."

Obama also replied:

"Well, you know, previously, there were a bunch of sermons that had been spliced from a collection of sermons for 30 years. And that's not who I thought he was. That's not what I thought defined him. He's somebody who's a Marine, he's somebody who has served
on city colleges boards, somebody who was a respected pillar in the community.

"And so I thought it was important to--for him to explain or at least provide some context for some of the things that he had said previously. But when he came out at the press conference of the National Press Club, not only did he amplify some of those comments and defend them vigorously, but he added to it.

"He put gasoline on the fire. And what that told me was not only was he interested in using this platform to continue to make statements that I fundamentally disagree with and that offend me, but also that he didn't have much regard for the moment that we're in right now here
in the United States where we can't be distracted or engaged in this divisive, hateful language.

"Instead, we've got to bring the country together to solve problems. And, so in that sense, what became apparent to me was he didn't know me as well as I thought he did, and I certainly didn't know him as well as I thought I did. And, and that, you know, was disappointing, but something that I had to clearly speak out about."

The complete Obama transcript is available here. And the full hour video is available here. The parts concerning Wright are in the first 17 minutes.

Does Obama's most recent explanation of his relationship with Wright assuage any concerns you may have had? The comments section below is open.

--Andrew Malcolm

                                                         Photo Credits: AP and Trinity United Church of Christ

Comments

[frank]

I think every Obama fan should ask this question. Are these items we want linked to a future president? I now think what has been said about him is correct (though I did not at the time), "if he were white, he would not even be given a second look" Maybe as Vice-prez, but that is too late now.

[Paul in Ventura]

I feel that there is a major difference between Obama and Rev. Wright. I though Obama handled the Meet the Press interview very well. He was betrayed by his Pastor. I thought of Roman Catholics in parishes where priests had acted in much worse ways. Most of those people remained Roman Catholics.

[mark]

Well, Oprah endorsed Obama so that means she must approve of Rev. Wright and everything he says and ever will say because she knew Obama went to his church and she knew what was being preached there. Isn't that the logic that everyone is using when judging Obama?

Just to clarify, it's a stupid argument to judge someone on an association as benign as being at a gospel church of 8,000 members that does God's work in Chicago just because the Pastor is over the top. If that was a deal breaker very few Americans could get anywhere in life.

[Tom J]

Why can't we put Wright on trial in Salem? The original witch trials were held 1692-1693, but they practiced a form of waterboarding to get witches to confess, so it's not a lot different tfrom today. Do you think the wingnuts would be satisfied with that? John Hagee, Rod Parsley and Pat Robertson could be the judges - I expect they ahve a lot in common with the original Salem judges. Maybe they can get burning at the stake approved as not being cruel and unusual punishment. If this Administration can fire federal judges for political purposes, that shouldn't be a stretch. Who says there hasn't been any progress in the last 300+ years?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials

[Jenna]

Ugh, more grist for the mill? I am a Hillary supporter and even I am sick of all the Rev. Wright stuff. Look we get it. To some this is not a big deal, to others it shows a lack of judgment. At this point there is no more to add. People can make up their own minds about how they feel. We don't need to hear anymore storied to figure out what we think.

[Hillary Fan]

This latest from Obama only reinforces what I've thought all along, that he'll say anything to get ahead. The media have been overly kind and hands-off with Obama and unfairly mean-spirited with Hillary. The Wright controversy is just too blatant even for the media to ignore. In the end Obama may still get the nomination but his true colors have been revealed and he's not to be trusted. Will he re-embrace Wright if he gets to the White House and invoke Christian forgiveness as his reason? I wouldn't be surprised since Obama has been forgiving Wright for his outrageous comments for many, many years.

Hillary in '08!

[Paul Stewart]

I note that you are quoting a third party article with respect to Oprah that is based on quotes and comments from two unnamed and unidentified "sources". Much of what is written in that third party article is implied to be said by these so called sources but that is not clear either if it is. I note that the third party article makes it clear that Oprah would not comment. I guess the purpose of your article is to propagate hearsay? It is doubtful it is the truth. If it is to relay facts, you should first do a little homework before laying this all out here don't you think?

[Dorrett]

We need to get over the Wright drama. Obama did not say those words. His very DNA indicates that he could not share Wright's view. Enough is enough; let us look at the issues facing this nation and the world. Wright's issue is minor to the price of gas and the lies the politicians will tell folks to get elected. Here we have a serious candidate for president who tells us the truth and will bring our troops home and we are jeopardizing this because of some crazy stuff his pastor said. Mark my work; this is going to back fire because people are getting tired of politics as usual and want real change. We are tired of the red & blue divide and the Wright’s drama only continue this divisiveness. Help us bring the country together to solve real issues.

[Vincent DiCarlo]

It's hard to imagine what Senator Obama could say or do to erase the fact that Wright said what he said, Obama knew it, and yet stayed and supported him for many years.

[Nancy]

OK, so Obama explained all about Wright. And he explained it well. I supported him before and I support him still...always will...no matter what the next hit is. Now can we finally put this Wright issue to bed? Thank God MSNBC has the decency to not play the sound while reporting on ths last Wright issue. I applaud them.

[C. Adams]

I don't care about Wright. With the Iraq War, Afghanistan on the brink, Iran, torture, recession, health care crisis, baby boomers retiring, and you are still peddling this story about Wright?

Stop peddling presonality distractions and stick to the issues. What is with the media...we get non-stop coverage about gaffes, haircuts, and guilt by association.

Why don't you cover the military analysts scandal? You know, do some journalism for a change.

[Genevieve Fraser]

Oprah was familiar with the Black church style. She's an AfroAmerican and was raised in the Black community. Barack was raised by his white American mother and grandparents. His father - who abandoned him - was from Africa. He needed to learn what it means to be Black in America. His time at the Wright church was valuable in terms of teaching him about the Black community. His goal is to become a bridge between the two worlds and to heal the racial divide. I pray he gets the opportunity as our future president.

[kerrie madison]

I think that Obama has done an amazing job to handle all that has been thrown at him over these last couple of weeks. Truly, I am impressed...I was leaning toward Hillary, but as we get closer to this primary...I sense that I may very well cast my ballot for Obama. He seems to truly care about honesty and integrity. And if the truth be told...can anyone really know everything about another. I don't know everything about my husband!!!

[Kim]

You judge a person by their actions, not by their words. Mr. and Mrs. Obama's actions clearly show they wanted to have a close relationship with Rev. Wright all the way up until David Axelrod and severl super delegates explained to both of them how it was "inappropriate". The choice of the Obamas to have had a relationship with Rev Wright for over 20 years clearly identifies a poor lack of judgment on both of their parts if they wanted to represent themselves to the rest of the country as agents of change. They didn't change when they should have, they changed when they were forced to. Poor judgement indeed.

[Russ]

Has anyone considered the possibility that it was arranged that Rev Wright purposely repeat his inflammatory remarks at the National Press conference for the sole purpose of allowing Obama to finally and completely denounce him as the political pundits were saying Obama should have done in the first place? Ie, the Reverand fell on his sword for Obama.?

[Suzanne Weaver-Goss]

I believe that Obama joined this church in order to understand the black community that he was working in and for spiritual purposes. Religion is controversial and therefore has no place in our government or our politics. Some of what Wright said is not controversial in the religious setting. We seem to forget that. This is the problem with religion and why it should be separate from politics. I don't like the fact that George Bush has religious leaders advising him in the White House.

[Loren Crow]

I am personally disappointed that Mr. Obama has denounced Dr. Jeremiah Wright's comments. As a white man who has studied James Cone and other important African American thinkers, and who for many years taught Religious Studies at an historically black college, I can attest that Dr. Wright's ideas are not in any way out of the mainstream of African American theology and preaching. They were, to my mind, quite cogent and reasonable, certainly not fundamentally different from what I have heard and read from non-white preachers of many sorts. Indeed, as I watched the National Press Club speech I found myself agreeing more often than not. So then the question is, why has Mr. Obama reacted so strongly to Dr. Wright's statements? The only reason that makes any sense to me is that Mr. Obama is trying to do damage control for his image, namely that he is, as it were, between the races. In general I support Mr. Obama's campaign. But I am disappointed that he has not had the strength of character to tell the truth. The truth is in fact pretty close to what Dr. Wright has said: white Christianity is almost totally ignorant of black Christianity, and generally it is black Christianity (like other third-world Christianity) that is where God does God's best work these days.

[jonah]

You journalists like to use poisonous insinuation to crucify righteous Obama. Does it ever enter your conscience that you are destroying a man who wants to dedicate his life to IMPROVING yours? Clinton found a poison dart in Wright and used it to attack the integrity of Obama through insinuation and association. How stupid America is to buy into the con job offered by Clinton and Clinton's media machine. She owns the media. Do you think Americans can't see though the bullshit lies? We are human beings. We know the real thing, and we know the phony con artist. Obama is the real thing. Knock off the bullshit lies and insinuation. It ain't gonna work, and if it does, guess what America, we will have BLOWN it again just as we did when we re-elected that buffoon who's president right now.

[A J]

Since when does anybody care what somebody's pastor has to say, except when its a black candidate. People who don't live sterilized lives will from time to time have associations that all of America may not approve of. Let's examine the entirety of the associations of Clinton and McCain as well.

[roddy]

Give Barack a break. We all know that Barack was a part of that church because of Michelle. Rev Wright hates America and so does Michelle, but let me remind the voters, she isn't running for president, so let's move on and get over it already.

[Pat Coope]

Absolutely not! Either Obama is stupid or he thinks the American public is worse than stupid. Too late for damage control. He clearly knew and condoned such messages of hate from his pastor of 20 years.

[Dan Bright]

Strange Bed Fellows

How is it that Barack Obama's integrity and values, and potential nomination to run for President is being rattled over concerns of associations with his pastor (which he has addressed forthrightly and denounced unequivocally), while nothing is being said concerning Hillary Clinton's continued marriage and intimate campaign partnership with a man who: 1. had sexual relations outside of his marriage 2. lied under oath to the Congress of the United States, 3. and was impeached! Yikes!

Why hasn't Hillary had to publicly denounce, rebuke, shun, and distance herself from Bill Clinton, and how is it that she has remained a loyal member of his household all these years? What kind of skewed values are we to assume are floating around in that fellowship? If we hold her to the same standard being presented to Barack Obama then are we to assume that she condones acts such as lying to Congress under oath, extra marital affairs, and impeachment proceedings? Unfair comparison, you say? Really?

Surely we would have experienced the Bill Clinton Presidency differently had the Monica Lewinsky thing never happened. The Nation could have focused our attention on the issues and concerns of the moment that truly mattered, while avoiding the debilitating folly of scandal. The same could be said about the current distraction the Obama/Wright non issue is causing to those who have difficulty deciphering the titillating and opportunistic world of tabloid hysteria from pertinent, long term issues of substance and national importance.

[deBeer]

More back tracking from Barry O. Again it is shown that he is just another politician. That being the case, with his lack of experience and judgement how can anyone think he is even remotely qualified to be president?

[James]

The issue for me is this...

Barack Obama did not know for 20 years that Rev. Wright was encouraging hate? That is scary.

Now, 20 years later Barack Obama expects mt to believe that he now gets it? That now when he says that those comments "end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate." - that he just NOW gets that?

Sadly, I once was a supporter. But now, I understand that the campaign of "Hope" is really a campaign of Hate. Just look at the comments section of the blog at his campaign website.

A man that inspires so much hatred (condoned because it is directed at his opponent) is a dangerous role model.

[Harry Kuheim]

Obama it turns out is a gullible educated idiot.