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

[nj]

Can we PLEASE let this Reverend Wright thing go? The media has shredded it to death. Now we're going to compare Oprah and Obama? Why?

Recent polling indicates that the public is sick of this issue, regardless of the candidate they support.

We've lost more American lives in Iraq this month than back in 2007, and this issue dominates the news? Let's please have respect for our families and the issues that are affecting their lives of their children, friends, neighbors and co-workers.

Thank you.

[Maxwell Hunter]

For all the meandering of words from Obama, the only plausible reason that he could give, to the discrepancy between his statement that he "cannot disown" Wright, much as he "cannot disown his white grandmother", was that, if he is not running for office, EVEN IF those Wright sermons were offensive, he implicitly endorses them (or at least would NOT have denounced them). But now that he's talking to non-black mainstream, he SUDDENLY finds Wright's comments and posturing offensive, cuz Wright hurts Obama's own position.

That can only tell me one thing: That Obama cares less about the truth (comments that are truly offensive/devisive), than about HE himself. He truly demonstrates his full ability to be a politician, so I'd tell Obama: STOP PRETENDING TO BE ANOTHER OTHER THAN THAT YOU'RE JUST ANOTHER DIRTY POLITICIAN.

[Don]

Enough already. Oprah leaves after she makes her money and doesn't want to associate with black people anymore since it may hurt her financially. I'm more concerned over the tone Hillary has on Iran. She seems a little unbalanced and pandering for me, Obama is more rational and less a cowboy.

[T. Seium]

Why isn’t the media exposing the inconsistencies of HRC on major issues in the same manner as it is done with Obama and Rev. Wright? The more Hillary speaks, the more what others said about her resonates true. This morning, I heard HRC take the opposite position on the issue of nuclear use in direct contrast with statement of the past.
"There's been no discussion of using nuclear weapons, and that's not a hypothetical that I'm going to discuss," Obama said. When asked whether his answer also applied to the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons, he said it did….By the afternoon, Clinton (N.Y.) had responded with an implicit rebuke. "Presidents should be careful at all times in discussing the use and nonuse of nuclear weapons," she said, adding that she would not answer hypothetical questions about the use of nuclear force.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html
"You can think big but remember you shouldn't always say everything you think when you're running for president because it could have consequences across the world and we don't need that right now," said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/08/sparks-fly-over.html
Do the Clintons think people have short memories? Or is it the reporters that they underestimate.
The materials are there but reporters will not expand.
More related links to show HRC inconsistencies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULxxBz-PAjg&feature=related
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/13/tim-russert-nails-hillary_n_96419.html
I am not surprised now why Safire called her once a congenital liar and Geffen: “Everybody in politics lies, but they do it with such ease, it’s troubling.”
She is very lucky now because the media is focusing on trivial issues and the Republicans currently love, defend and promote her...just until primaries are over. What will Republicans do if HRC comes out as the D party nominee? In my opinion, two words: credibility and honesty. And on this front, John McCain will look much better with all his faults.

[Fire]

I do not have a problem with a pastor having strong political views. That is fine if it deals with injustice or racism. In some ways Pastor Wright is correct. The United States of America is an imperfect nation. It was founded by imperfect human beings who were sadly often products of their times and culture. These men had an idea of freedom and equality but they did not yet understand that humanity was far more diverse then their own backyard. Our Constitution is a remarkable work given the attitudes and mindsets of these founders. It build it checks and balances to try to make a more free and equatiable society. What bothers me about Pastor Wright, Reveand Sharpton and others is that they do not see the achievement this was and perhaps still is. Across the world nations struggle to find the basic freedoms that we enjoy. Then men and women who are often the most trusted and respected in their communities rant and rave against the same document and nation that gave birth to that idea of freedom. There is an assumtion that only Africian Americans have ever suffered injustice. That is not true by a long shot. My people once ruled this land but now we share it with those who came here. Whites, blacks, hispanics, Asian, and others. Is it fair to starve in your own lands to have a 50 percent unemployment rate? NO, But the thing is our leaders do not rant from the pulpit and then our political leaders do not deny sitting and listening to said rant. I am willing to concede that it is highly likely that Senator Obama did not hear all the sermons. But admit he heard some and I have greater respect for him. Admit that maybe Pastor Wiright has a valid point or two but perhaps does not express his frustration and anger in a productive way. I not always pleased with my country. Often times I love to shake TPTB and hope some common sense comes out. But, I would never use a holy place to give that rant nor if I was a political leader deny hearing such a thing if I had. My fear is that I can not trust what the Senator says because his stepping back sounds like he is trying to buy points and popularity. My Government teacher in High School said that if you want to run for office in a new place or town go to the biggest church and join there. You get the best free press and meet lots of people who can help you out. Of course you will also get the side benifit of the service but that often is the secondary goal to politions. A part of me wonders if maybe this is not what the Senator did. He reached out to the biggest church and the most connected and then got his foot in the door. Until now it been a good symbionic relationship but ,now he finds he is with a shark who might just eat him. I not certain I like his judgement here. I think I would respect him more if he stayed in his church and perhaps encouraged his paster to seek counseling for the rage he feels. Mistake in our country have happened this is never going to change. We were founded on the innocent blood of millions. The only thing we can now do is make sure that blood buys us a better way. We can learn from their pain and sacrifice and accept that we can stop seeing color. I do not think as this event has clearly shown that we are quite mature enough to see it yet. However perhaps we are at least heading in the correct direction. I think we will eventually grow up. We finally begun to learn to play well with others at least for the most part. In time maybe Dr. King's vision will come completely true and we will be able to see only the content of character in a person and be able to look past religion and color and gender and every other reason we hate each other. Then we can accept the angry words without feeling the need to punish the messanger or his allies.

Respectfully .

Fire

[John Lambert]

I'm an independent, and I'm satisfied with Obama's responses to Wright. Whether or not I decide to support him will be based on his stated positions on the issues I regard as most important.

[David Irby]

Why is this supposed to be such a big deal anyway? I'm a white Catholic retiree who was a union warehouseman, and I wish our good Pope Benedict had not allowed Bush to make a spectacle of him, without speaking out clearly against Bush's unjust and illegal Iraq War, which he rightfully condemned, but that won't make me quit the Church.

And who hasn't heard off the wall stuff from the pulpit. We would all be changing churches (synagogues, mosques, whatever) nearly every week if we reacted to stuff like that.

And why isn't the press going after John McCain over his association with the bigoted “Rev.” John Hagee who calls the Catholic Church something I won't even write here? Or Bush, who said his “God” told him to invade Iraq?

Let's get back to real issues, e.g. ending the Iraq War and the mess the Republicans have made of the economy. Who addresses them best? Barack Obama!

[jennifer]

Would you actually care if they did "assuage my concerns" or would you continue to spin on it anyway? You so-called journalists are so lazy, you don't even research issues that actually help enlighten the american people, on the contrary it seems all you do is help encourage the divisions, paranoia and dumbing-down of America. Maybe you should go spend a few days in Iraq to help you get some perspective on the bigger picture here. Of course, I know the LA TImes hasn't been the most credible paper of late.

[Christopher Wilde]

The comments of Reverend Wright do not bother me, I am not bothered that Barack sat in his church. I would be more bothered if he didn't. I understand what it means to sit between races and wonder where you belong. If you have ever straddled the fence between two dispirit groups, two races, rich and poor, healthy and sick, good looking or homely you have a sense of what it means.

You can read my full post on this here:
http://futureosophy.blogspot.com/2008/04/equality-to-self-criticize.html

[kevin]

.

.
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.
............yawn !
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... so, I never planned to vote for the pastor!
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.
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I'm voting for the best of the three: Barack Obama

[John]

Obama's rationale is the opposite of many Catholics like myself. We may disagree with some of the rules of the church as put forth by the Pope and the Vatican in Rome, (no birth control, no divorce), but we have confidence in our local parishes. It is the relationship to our faith on a local level that gives it strength and meaning. Our family, unlike the Obamas, chose our church by the tenor and content of the sermons and services.

[Steve]

What changed is not Wright. Now that Obama has sufficiently used Wright to make powerful Black contacts and secure the Black vote, Obama does not need him anymore, and he figures it's better to appear to "agree" with public opinion, particularly those offended by the racism, who Obama is not catering too.

If you read Obama's books and listen to Rev. Wright the same bitterness is evident in both men. Obama is bitter and hateful himself and loved Wrights extremism. Now he feels it's politically correct to denounce him, in order to pander to voters.

Seems Wright helped prop up Obama's career and now that he does not need him anymore, Obama is throwing him under the bus. Obama's not a sincere and loyal person. i'm not impressed with his character -- to say the least.

I hope Hillary can pull off a win. Obama could be worse than Bush. He's a wild card, and does not handle crisis well and seems an opportunist without much moral fiber. I like Wright better than Obama, at least he's passionate. Obama seems to have no soul and his entire platform feels like an acting job, and not real or sincere.

[Harry Grace]

You guys should just change the title of this blog to "The Obama-Wright Blog" because that's all you two seem capable of talking about, long after the rest of America has moved on (see new NYTimes/CBS poll). But, like the Clinton-McCain camp, you're going to ram this down our throats. Talk about out of touch.

[John]

A white man in Montana, I had very little concern for the views and belief's of Senator Obama's pastor at the time I heard the comments, and then again when Wright reemerged.

Following Senator Obama in dealing with the public uproar, I have even less concerns with Wright than I did before. If anything, it has probably strengthened my view that Senator Obama is a leader with the right temperament and level-headed thinking that this nation needs in a time of global peril.

[Steve]

What changed is not Wright. Now that Obama has sufficiently used Wright to make powerful Black contacts and secure the Black vote, Obama does not need him anymore, and he figures it's better to appear to "agree" with public opinion, particularly those offended by the racism, who Obama is not catering too.

If you read Obama's books and listen to Rev. Wright the same bitterness is evident in both men. Obama is bitter and hateful himself and loved Wrights extremism. Now he feels it's politically correct to denounce him, in order to pander to voters.

Seems Wright helped prop up Obama's career and now that he does not need him anymore, Obama is throwing him under the bus. Obama's not a sincere and loyal person. i'm not impressed with his character -- to say the least.

I hope Hillary can pull off a win. Obama could be worse than Bush. He's a wild card, and does not handle crisis well and seems an opportunist without much moral fiber. I like Wright better than Obama, at least he's passionate. Obama seems to have no soul and his entire platform feels like an acting job, and not real or sincere.

[Willie Graham]

I have taken a break from reading the papers, and looking at much television. So after a week of beeing away I come back and where still talking about Mr. Wright, I am wondering if the news paper industry is really in such bad shape ? I am still trying to figure out who I am voting for, and this is not news worthy, I could careless.

Willie

[Joe]

Give it a rest...........

[Mark]

I'm heartened by Mr. Obama's very-late-in-the-day realization that the Rev. Wright preached divisive, racist, humbug. Barrack now says, "evidently I didn't know him as well as I'd thought."
It will take time for the American people to decide whether we know Mr. Obama as well as we'd thought. He's an inspiring speaker. But, he sat in the pew for 20 years listening to the Rev. Wright.
Is his move to distance himself now, a true realization that associating with and failing to denounce hate mongers - whether or not they are part of his political support system and whether or not they are Black - is wrong? Or, is this just an election year move to be politically acceptable to blue-collar whites, as the Reverend, himself postulated?
In time we will know ... four years or eight. But not yet. Until he's better tested, Obama shouldn't be elected as the leader of our nation.

[fandfeboris]

I always thought Obama was a pretty sharp person. Maybe like he said earlier I didn't know him like I thought I did. He sat in church for 20 years and, apparently, he didn't have a clue what Wright was talking about. Or if he did get the "message" he agreed with it. He certainly didn't distance himself from the good reverend for twenty years, Rev Wright was right there when Obama was married, and even baptized his children. I think it is a little too late to put Rev. Wright on the back burner. You are already guilty by association

[Luke Wilbur]

I am just wondering why you have not covered that Senator Clinton's pastor supports Rev. Wright.

[Sage]

Obama's explanation is right on. The news media has found 3 or 4 inflammatory sermons from Wright, which means he went a little too crazy on four separate occasions. It's completely believable that Obama missed those four sermons, hell he probably missed dozens or hundreds of sermons.

I'm sure Wright got "rough" in his sermons just by showing his anger over past segregation, and playing up the old school angry black preacher act. When Wright went to the Press Club and refused to apologize for some of his dumb comments, Obama had no choice but to cut ties with him. Wright should have apologized, but he didn't, so Obama had to let him go.

I think Obama showed a lot of class trying to give Wright a second chance, and Wright blew it.

[Otis Page]

Obama has presented himself since his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech as a leader who can unite America across the political and racial divides. Obama's long association with minister Wright contradicts this assertion.

While invoking God and Black Theology in the pulpit, Wright says the federal government manufactured the AIDS virus to kill black people, celebrates Louis Farrakhan as a great man, and likens American soldiers to terrorists. While Obama has admonished Wright for these comments he definitely tolerated them for a long time.

This suggests if not proves Obama is a divider and not a uniter. Obama’s association with Wright has unintentionally but effectively employed the "race card". Why? Ninety eight percent (98%) of blacks in Pennsylvania voted for Obama, a statistic that is believed to be repeated nation-wide! This is an exemplification of racial politics that along with Black Theology is expressively anti-white!

Does Obama admonish blacks to be objective in their voting? Has he specifically admonished Wright for his politically motivated anti-white diatribes.? Absolutely not. Obama relishes the dedicated black vote. Are Democrats serious that this man should be their nominee for president? Obama has probably ruined Hillary's once certain election to be the next Democratic president. Way to go, Obama!

[emeka o]

pastors are not political experts they are spiritual leaders who submit like their congretion to the authority of the bible and it is mischeivous for anyone in modern day America that we admire so much to judge a man's political inclinations by that of his pastor and even more ridiculous to Assume that the next president of america should be a perfect clone of a Pastor.

[diana]

Why is Hillary's 15-year membership in the Family rarely mentioned? An expose will be published on May 20 (see last link), but the MSM doesn't seem interested.

http://blackcommentator.com/271/271_col_clinton_repudiate_ties_christian_right.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-g-brant/say-hillary-what-about-t_b_93435.html
http//www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/09/hillarys-prayer.htmlcom/doc/20080331/ehrenreich
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060559799?ie=UTF8&tag=blackcommenta-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0060559799

[Lasith]

I have no concerns prior but I would like a full expose on the last time Hillary and McCain went to church and what the pastor talked about. It is my understanding that they go only for photo opportunities, and is McCain a Catholic, because the catholic vote is definitely going to know longer be in Hillary's sails anymore. I am only half-heartedly kidding. I think we should judge the man's politics by his actual political work and his church experience with his knowledge of the gospel and good works which in my opinion has been excellent. But I guess talking about the economy or Iraq is boring so keep up the spice!