Quote:
Originally Posted by UGAalum94
I think "clinging" was the problem in the context of religion. Would you want to have your faith described as "clinging to religion"?
Personally, the Rev. Wright thing did make me question the genuineness of his faith or the genuineness of his political persona because it was hard to reconcile a freely chosen decision to go to that church with a pretty radical minister and then sell yourself as a moderate unifier. His comments about Wright didn't sell me after the fact. And the idea that he would follow up with referring to others who voted on religious issues as "clinging to religion" isn't helping either.
And I guess it doesn't make sense if you aren't already a conservative, but a lot of us don't even consider it the government's responsibility to find us jobs. So being really bitter and disillusioned about it seems unlikely to us.
I think Obama is on to something that should be discussed within the Democratic party about how to attract socially conservative, blue collar voters, but doing it in a way that suggests that the beliefs that these people consider worth voting on are somehow only a reflection of economic bitterness probably isn't going to help the overall cause.
The accuracy of what he said can be debated, I suppose; the stupidity of saying it publicly during the election probably can't. He had absolutely nothing to gain at this time.
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True, and as he said a poor choice in words, and one that has been taken so far out of context since that there's little hope of explaining it to anyone who only gets their news from the 24hr networks.
Is a radical minister that different from a very conservative one? The Catholic Church is different since there is a set hierarchy, but despite the fact that I disagree with the current Archbishop of St. Louis on every major matter, if I were still living there I wouldn't leave the Church over it, nor will I now that I'm out of his diocese. Does a disagreement with a pastor's perspective on certain issues cause you to leave? Perhaps, perhaps not. A church is more than its minister and is not easily tossed aside (one might say he's clinging right?).
I still maintain that politicians throw friends, even those who say things that they agree with, under the bus. Obama defended his friend, even though he says things that Obama disagrees with, instead.
I don't consider it the government's responsibility to provide jobs, but every politician promises to improve the lot of whoever he or she is speaking to at the time, conservative or liberal. That may not be providing jobs, but supporting industry, budgeting money, or changing policy on a national level that helps your locale. Conservative or not, there are a lot of (blue collar particularly) workers who are angry at businesses for leaving and the government for allowing it and doing nothing to reverse it.
With regards to timing, the key is that he said what he did a month ago, not yesterday. It is unfortunate that it's coming out now, but I don't know how much it will actually change the minds of his supporters.
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