Obama, Jeremiah Wright, and Trumpet Magazine
May 12th, 2008 at 01:19pm KMorrison
Jeremiah Wright’s ‘Trumpet’ by Stanley Kurtz of the Weekly Standard informs readers that Trinity Church’s church newsletter (created by Wright) entitled ‘Trumpet’ shows that Reverend Wright based the church’s doctrine around his extreme leftist and Anti-American beliefs. Thus questioning how it’s possible that Senator Obama or any attendee could claim ignorance of the radical teachings of the church.
To the question of the moment–What did Barack Obama know and when did he know it?–I answer, Obama knew everything, and he’s known it for ages. Far from succumbing to surprise and shock after Jeremiah Wright’s disastrous performance at the National Press Club, Barack Obama must have long been aware of his pastor’s political radicalism. A careful reading of nearly a year’s worth of Trumpet Newsmagazine, Wright’s glossy national “lifestyle magazine for the socially conscious,” makes it next to impossible to conclude otherwise.
Wright founded Trumpet Newsmagazine in 1982 as a “church newspaper”–primarily for his own congregation, one gathers–to “preach a message of social justice to those who might not hear it in worship service.” So Obama’s presence at sermons is not the only measure of his knowledge of Wright’s views. Glance through even a single issue of Trumpet, and Wright’s radical politics are everywhere–in the pictures, the headlines, the highlighted quotations, and above all in the articles themselves. It seems inconceivable that, in 20 years, Obama would never have picked up a copy of Trumpet. In fact, Obama himself graced the cover at least once.
Even some of Wright’s famed “good works,” and his moving “Audacity to Hope” sermon, are placed in a disturbing new light by a reading of Trumpet.
Reverend Wright further muddies the water by stating that he sees no line between religion and politics…
[T]here was no separation Biblically and historically and there is no separation contemporaneously between ‘religion and politics.’ . . . The Word of God has everything to do with racism, sexism, militarism, social justice and the world in which we live daily.
Wright views the United States as a criminal nation. Here is a typical passage: “Do you see God as a God who approves of Americans taking other people’s countries? Taking other people’s women? Raping teenage girls and calling it love (as in Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings)?” Anyone who does think this way, Wright suggests, should revise his notion of God. Implicitly drawing on Marxist “dependency theory,” Wright blames Africa’s troubles on capitalist exploitation by the West, and also on inadequate American aid: “Some analysts would go so far as to even call what [the United States, the G-8, and multinational corporations] are doing [in Africa] genocide!”
Full Article Jeremiah Wright’s ‘Trumpet’
Entry Filed under: Barack Obama, Uncategorized
16 Comments Add your own
1. Joe | May 12th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
ANOTHER Rev Wright post?
5 straight anti-Obama posts.
Is there nothing good to say about McCain or is it just that you back McCain because you can’t stand Obama?
Hey… I heard Obama isn’t wearing a flag lapel pin!
2. congressive | May 12th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Hey, I hear lots of good things about McCain that don’t get much press here. He’s a staunch believer in global warming, and pledges to cut emissions, including car pooling in his wife’s jet, he’s on his second marriage so he’s not too much of a religious fanatic, and he’s got the cleanest mind in politics because he changes it so often.
He’s proved that he’ll listen to Democrats by letting Lieberman correct his gaffes on international tv, too.
Obama still hasn’t shouted out “Wright, you are dead to me”, so he’s still fair game. Odd, though, because the more you talk about Christian Reverend Wright, the more you confuse those who think Obama is a Muslim.
3. Matt DiBari | May 12th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
I would have voted for John McCain regardless of who he was up against. It just so happens that he’s up against an classic Daley-style Chicago sewer politician.
And if the national press is not going to call Barack Obama out on his series of lies, half truths, and the overall hypocritical nature of the Obama campaign, we need to spread the message as best we can.
4. Sunny | May 13th, 2008 at 8:24 am
If you are going to call out Barack Obama you had better find a better issue than the Rev. Wright or former board memebers. Guilt by association just isn’t working. Maybe it is time to argue the issues instead of personal attacks. The latest attack is now his wife, Michelle. I doubt that the Republicans want John Mccain’s wife to become an issue in this election.
5. KMorrison | May 13th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Everyone makes their judgements about what is relevant. The fact that he was assosciated closely with this man for over 20 years then gave an excuse that he didn’t realize that Wright had radical beliefs I not only think is relevant, but it diametrically opposes how he portrays himself. Understand why his supporters don’t like it, but I think it speaks to who he is.
BTW - If he came out and simply said I joined the church for political reasons, the issue likely would have passed by now.
6. Sunny | May 13th, 2008 at 10:02 am
How may Catholics quit their church because of the scandal with child molesting priests? Even in those parishes where their priest was one involved? I would venture to guess that very few of them stopped attending services and financial support of their churches. And what about those evangelistic who attended or sent money to the mega churches of Pat Robertson and other controversial churches? I am guessing that there were few if any who stopped supporting those churches. So, you can “judge” a person for attending a church for 20 years with a minister who preaches in a controversal way, but do you ignore all of the other ministries in your church that you believe in? It never occurred to me to castigate those Catholics who left their churches after the charges and convictions of their priests. A minister, preacher, raibi or priest is not a church or synagogue but it is the people.
7. Joe | May 13th, 2008 at 10:21 am
BTW - If he came out and simply said I joined the church for political reasons, the issue likely would have passed by now.
No…. if he said he joined the church for political reasons you would be screaming that he is trying to use the church for political reasons. So either way, you get to yell about something.
By the way… I am still a Catholic (40 years) and attend church despite the Priest scandals. Does that make me bad?
Keep yelling about the Rev Wright all you want. The only people that get fired up over this are the 28% staunch Republicans that are still Bush-supporters and put party over country.
Do you yell when Obama doesn’t wear a flag lapel pin too?
8. KMorrison | May 13th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Picking a candidate is all about ‘judging’, that’s what a good voter does. You can divert from the issue by bringing up family members or the lapel pin matter, but go ahead and check my writings, I don’t criticize family members and I think the lapel pin thing was silly.
Jeremiah Wright, however, is an issue. Hate speech coming from the pulpit is a serious problem whether it comes from the left or the right. If one associates themselves with someone who does this they should be given a hard time particularly if they run for president. Senator Obama’s rationale for staying in that church has a decisive ring of old time politics, and if he’s going to run on ‘hope and change’ then he needs to explain himself better.
9. Matt DiBari | May 13th, 2008 at 10:43 am
If Barack Obama is going to run on “judgment” (because he can’t run on anything else) the fact that Barack Obama willingly associates himself with terrible people is a legitimate issue. No one has given me a legitimate reason for why Barack Obama launched his political career in an unrepentant terrorist’s living room. That sure seems like awful judgment.
Besides, when someone attacks Obama on an “issue” (NAFTA, his foreign policy, his state senate and US senate record) Obama responds by lying and his acolytes tow the line.
10. Joe | May 13th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hate speech coming from the pulpit is a serious problem whether it comes from the left or the right.
So you don’t look at the context of the speech or the background of the person giving the speech? Is it right to just look at that one 45 second spot and pass judgement of another person’s life?
NAFTA, his foreign policy, his state senate and US senate record) Obama responds by lying and his acolytes tow the line.
Remind me of those “lies”?
Are you talking about the NAFTA thing with Canada just before the PA primary? The one that Canada said was “untrue”?
Please do remind me of those “lies” so I can address them and not just make a blanket statement that he lies about everything. Thanks.
11. KMorrison | May 13th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
The whole point of the article is giving context and background. The Trumpet articles show that this is not an isolated instance of a few radical speeches, it is a consistent pattern of radicalism that Senator Obama would have to have bee blind not to see. He was even on the cover of one of these publications, how could he not know that he was supporting a radical preacher who repeated espoused hateful divisive remarks? There is a stark contradiction in his close association with this man and who he now proclaims to be. That is the issue that I would like to see him address.
12. Joe | May 13th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Fair enough KM. But what would be an acceptable explanation in your eyes?
If he says he disagreed with the radical things that Wright said, you would say he should have left the church.
If he says he agreed with everything, you call him a racist.
If he says not even close to all of Wright’s sermons had any racism included you would call him a liar.
Above you said he should admit that he joined for political purposes. Then you would claim he is using the church for political purposes.
Would there be any acceptable explanation for you?
13. KMorrison | May 13th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
You have a point Joe, his extended close connection with Wright leaves few suitable explanaions. However, if he said that he joined for political reasons at least that would be somewhat understandable. He wouldn’t be the first politician to make a bad choice for political expediency. The biggest problem comes if he even tacitly accepts the radicalism espoused by Reverend Wright, and so far his that’s what he has left people with. I simply don’t think his, I didn’t know what he was preaching explanation is even close to acceptable or honest.
14. Matt DiBari | May 13th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
It was of course, later determined that the story was “untrue” because the Obama Campaign was talking to the Canadian consulate-general and not the ambassador.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/03/obama_parses_his_words.html
The meat of the story, that Obama was talking out of both sides of his mouth and lying repeatedly about it, remained true
There is also Susan Rice’s assertion that Obama never promised to meet dictators without preconditions. Which, of course, Obama said repeatedly.
Or the time he denied filling out the questionnaire that had his handwriting on it.
15. Freedom1 | May 14th, 2008 at 1:34 am
(See Trumpet Cover Pix) - Rev. Wright’s Trumpet Magazine Featured Obama on Cover with Farrakhan
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/29931_Rev._Wright_Magazine_Featured_Obama_on_Cover_with_Farrakhan/comments/#ctop
16. Freedom1 | May 14th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
(See Another Trumpet Cover PIX) - Farrakhan Featured on Cover of Rev. Wright’s Trumpet Magazine Three Times
Caption reads: “Empowerment: The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan”
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/29943_Farrakhan_Featured_on_Cover_of_Rev._Wrights_Magazine_Three_Times/comments/#ctop
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