Is Rev. Wright deliberately trying to hurt Obama’s campaign?
Newt Gingrich thinks so:
ABC News’ Nitya Venkataraman Reports: In a Tuesday appearance on Good Morning America, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., suggested that controversial pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright is angry with parishioner Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and may be deliberately trying to hurt his presidential bid.
Saying that Wright “went out of his way to weaken Obama” during Monday’s address at the National Press Club, Gingrich told Barbara Walters “I think Reverend Wright has a greater interest in his self-importance.”
Gingrich described Obama former pastor as “hard-line anti-American”, and said “if Rev. Wright continues to talk that the burden that Sen. Obama carries becomes bigger and bigger. ”
Gingrich described Obama’s challenges as “two-fold”, citing “left-wing relationships” calling the Illinois senator “disingenuous” about them.
The full interview can be viewed here.
I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Wright may be making a conscious attempt at stalling Obama’s campaign, for the reasons Newt mentioned, plus one I don’t know if he did or not since I haven’t watched the interview: I think in Wright’s mind, an Obama loss in the general would “prove” him right about America’s supposed “racist” attitudes towards black people – in spite of the fact that he is winning over rich white liberals in states all across the country. The Rev. is a narcissistic type who doesn’t think he’s wrong about anything and it would be a feather in his cap to be “proven” right about a black man’s chances at getting elected president in America. Ironically, if Obama doesn’t get elected president, part of the reason why will be because of the lack of good judgment he exercised while sitting in the pews of TUCC for 20 years listening to his racist spiritual mentor’s rantings and ravings about how awful this country is, and not speaking up about it.
In other words, those same “racist” voters Wright believes would never elect a black man as president may be the same voters who reject Wright’s very real racism by casting a vote for Obama’s opponent, seeing Obama’s silence in the face of the Rev’s rants for 20 years as essentially condoning them.
It could be a self-fulfilling prophecy for Wright … sort of.
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