'World
Obama's Methodology
Don't blame me. I just pray here!
Philadelphia
E
very time his foes think they've
got Sen. Barack Obama in a tight
spot, he turns to his strong suit:
the ability to communicate complicated
subjects in a way that combines high-
toned eloquence
with a common
touch that makes
it feel as if he is
speaking to every
one of his listeners
as individuals.
When the
Democratic
Party's presiden-
tial front-runner
began to speak in
Philadelphia at the
Constitution Center
on March 18, quot-
ing the preamble to the Constitution, the
hot topic was why Obama chose to belong
to an institution that promoted toxic hate
for America and Israel.
When he finished, the discussion had,
as he intended it to do, radically changed.
By disassociating himself from the
positions of Rev. Jeremiah Wright while
attempting to place them in the context of
the history of American racism, Obama
performed a rhetorical form of jujitsu,
whereby the onus of the discussion fell
upon those who questioned his connec-
tions to a hate-monger, not the association
itself.
Our Original Sin
As Obama rightly pointed out, racism is
America's original sin. Slavery still haunts
us — and it should. But has any American
politician ever skillfully touched all the
bases of America's various hurts and
grievances as the senator from Illinois
did?
Obama asked us to view race not as a
spectacle, but as an opportunity to genu-
inely bring the country together in the
spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., while
acknowledging that we have made great
progress toward that goal.
It was, as writer Timothy Noah wrote on
Slate.com, "about rejecting identity politics
while honoring the nobler aspirations of
the identity politicians!' He did this, as
Noah added, "without displaying an ounce
A32 April 3 • 2008
of false piety or bitter-
people are a part of
ness or sentimentality
me. And they are part
or denial or self-righ-
of America, this coun-
teousness!'
try that I love."
Thus, it is little won-
It's a nice turn of
der that many were
phrase; but still a
soon lauding it as if
problem since as,
it was the best speech
Anti-Defamation
given in Pennsylvania
League head
since Abraham
Abraham Foxman
Lincoln began a cem-
noted, by giving
etery dedication with
Wright and Trinity a
the words, "Four score Barack Obama and Pastor Wright
pass because of past
and seven years ago."
injustices, what he
But before the text
was doing was "excus-
of the Constitution Center speech is etched ing and rationalizing bigotry."
in stained glass, it behooves us to ask
Many of Obama's defenders have said,
whether, in fact, the premise of this grand
with justice, that anyone who raises these
and beautiful summary of American race
issues should look not only at the things
sensitivity is the
their own priests,
issue we should be
pastors and rab-
discussing instead But Obama's responses
bis say but the
of some more mun-
presence of other
about his choice of Wright divisive figures
dane queries.
Such as, for
within the ranks
and his church are
instance, why the
of supporters of
heck someone
other candidates.
as obviously as
ultimately unsatisfactory.
Have we held
thoughtful as
the (mostly
Obama would
Republican) can-
choose to belong to a place that thinks
didates who cozied up in the past to Rev.
Hamas manifestoes are suitable fodder for Pat Robertson or the late Rev. Jerry Falwell
their church newsletter, or employ a pastor accountable?
who blamed the 9-11 attacks on American
Both political evangelicals have uttered
support for Israel and disseminated lies
scores of screwy pronouncements on
about the U.S. government being behind
world events and other faiths.
the scourges of AIDS and inner-city drug
Republican Sen. John McCain, who will
use.
oppose Obama in the fall if he wins the
It's all well and good to condemn these
Democratic nomination, hasn't rejected
things, as Obama has done, but why would the support of Rev. John Hagee, a pro-
he choose to raise his daughters in a place
Israel evangelical who thinks the pope is
that has promoted such libels?
the anti-Christ.
He tells us that he can no more disown
In other words, the critics of Obama's
Wright and the church than he would his
connections to Wright and his Trinity
white grandmother, whom he claims has
Church are being told that they should
uttered comments about blacks that made shut up or face condemnation for being,
him cringe.
at best, politically motivated, or, at worst,
Leave aside his willingness to throw,
racist.
as many have noted, the grandma who
But are these fair analogies?
helped raise him under the bus or the
McCain, who condemned Hagee's anti-
false analogies between her or former
Catholicism, isn't a member of Hagee's
Democratic vice-presidential candidate
church nor is he the Arizonan's mentor.
Geraldine Ferraro and Wright.
And it is doubtful that any presidential
The salient point here is that, for all
candidate who belonged to, say, Falwell's
of his eloquence and rectitude, Obama
Liberty Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va.,
simply can't draw a bright line between
for as long as Obama belonged to Wright's
himself and those who hate be6use "these would escape condemnation.
Which brings us to the key word about
religious affiliation in 2008: choice.
A Pew Forum on Religion and Public
Life survey published in February showed
that nearly half of all Americans have
either left the faith of their childhood
or switched denominations. Even more
are likely to jump from one church or
synagogue to another depending on the
circumstances, including a distaste for
the politics or theology of their religious
leader.
That is not to say that Americans won't
attend a church or synagogue whose spiri-
tual head says things they disagree with.
But it does illustrate that dropping out of a
religious community because of issues far
less weighty than Wright's hateful (and not
merely "controversial") sermons is quite
common.
Unsatisfactory Answer
We have all, as Obama said, "cringed"
when we heard some in our own commu-
nity say awful things. But if we called the
people who said these things our mentors,
and if we refused to join another house
of worship once it was clear that it was a
place where racially motivated lies were
disseminated, then people would have a
right to ask us why.
Obama doesn't believe in Wright's
"liberation theology" and appears willing
to condemn the man's statements about
Israel, his ties to Louis Farrakhan, and
anything else he has ever said as often as
anyone likes.
But Obama's responses about his choice
of Wright and his church are ultimately
unsatisfactory.
Race is a good answer to many ques-
tions that can be posed about America.
But it was not an apt reply to those put to
Obama.
The senator has flawlessly jumped
through the hoops set for him about sup-
port for Israel and other issues. But those
who seek to hold a man who might be
president accountable for ties to a profes-
sional demagogue are not all racists or
even die-hard Republicans. Even after
an undeniably brilliant speech, we are all
entitled to a better answer than that.
Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of the
Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia. He can be
e-mailed at: jtobin@jewishexponent.com.