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Go Home Pastor Act Ii: Back In The Habit

THE PLANK APRIL 14, 2008

Pastor Act Ii: Back In The Habit

BY DAYO OLOPADE

ABC News reports that Jeremiah Wright has broken his silence
regarding his now-ubiquitous criticisms of America that landed Barack
Obama in hot water about a month ago. The happening bears out the
thesis of a psych-profile I wrote a few issues back, about why Wright can't bring himself to zip it. Relevant portions:

Having
lived for so long at the center of a world he built, Wright may
simply not be used to restraining himself. (Indeed, during the past
year, even as he had to know that Obama's high profile could bring the
press to his pews, he continued to evangelize against the government.)
But it isn't just that Wright is self-centered, although that seems to
be the case; it is also that his worldview doesn't recognize firm
boundaries between religion and politics, or really between religion
and anything.

Saturday, Wright spoke at Trinity for
the first time since his February retirement--eulogizing a friend, and,
naturally, offering his take on today's media and political culture:

[Pincham befriended] Jews, Muslims, rabbis, imams,
fathers in the Catholic church and Farrakhan in the Islamic
faith....   Fox News can't understand that. O'Reilly will never
get that. Sean Hannity's stupid fantasy will keep him forever stuck
on stupid when it comes to comprehending how you can love a brother
who does not believe what you believe.

I
personally have no beef with anyone who's willing to call out the
"freak show" for what it is. But the voluble Wright should certainly
not be the one making these accusations--not just because taunting
right-wing cable hosts is like bringing a slingshot to a nuke fight,
but because Wright should know to shut up by now. Chastened by
the initial uproar, Wright went incognito for a bit, even canceling an
appearance in Florida when swarms of reporters found out. I asked then:

Does this mean that the pastor has finally taken Obama's hints and
resolved to shun the spotlight? Somehow, I doubt it. Like other people
who believe the world revolves around them, Jeremiah Wright never seems
to stay quiet for long.

The
man just can't help himself. But if he cares at all for the message
Obama is bringing to the country, the peacock in Wright has got to go.

--Dayo Olopade

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15 comments

For all you non-Chicagoans out there, Eugene Pincham once said that any African-American who didn't vote for Harold Washington for mayor "ought to be hung."  

- Lymon1

April 14, 2008 at 1:40pm

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Ya know what I get that Rev Wright should just stay quiet right now, but what I find more sad about this story is that Wright was speaking at a private funeral of a firend, and a reporter "snuck" in or paid someone with a recorder to record the eulogy.  To me that seems more disrespectful and insulting to the deceased and the deceased's family, all in the name of a story.

- lamh31

April 14, 2008 at 1:42pm

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"...the peacock in Wright has got to go"?

William Blake wrote, "The pride of the peacock is the glory of God."  And, a few stanzas later, "Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement are the roads of genius."

Obama without Wright is not Obama, and Wright not being Wright is not Wright, and not right.

"Prudence is a rich, ugly old maid courted by Incapacity."

- williamyard

April 14, 2008 at 1:58pm

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lamh31 is right -- the fact we even have this quote, from a closed-door, private funeral--is disturbing.

- davisbanimal

April 14, 2008 at 2:00pm

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I don't know how closed-door it was- Eugene Pincham was a judge, a very public figure.  But I am not sure the media nature of his funeral.  Just throwing it out there.

Lymon, I had never heard that Pincham quote.  Interesting.  

- boneill

April 14, 2008 at 2:48pm

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Why was he talking about Fox and Hannity -- and, indirectly, himself -- during a eulogy? Perhaps that's what the family was looking for when they asked Wright to speak, but I suspect Dayo's speculation ("the man just can't help himself") is probably right.

- Androscoggin

April 14, 2008 at 3:13pm

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"Saturday's funeral at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago was closed to reporters but Sun-Times had a reporter inside the church. The newspaper's Web site Sunday carried a recording of Wright's remarks at a eulogy. "  

blogs.abcnews.com/.../obamas-controve.html

- lamh31

April 14, 2008 at 3:14pm

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That's right, kill the messenger.  Blame the media for actually putting a news story out there bad for Obama.

If something derogatory against Bush was said at a funeral, would the first thing you bitch about be the lack of privacy??? Or would it be, "oh shit, Bush is client #11!"

Face it, this "reverend" wright hates white people.  How much of Obama agrees with him remains to be seen although my guess is that the majority of non-partisan white folks in the midwest would rather not chance it.  Especially when compared to a sterling pro-American, all American boy like McCain.  Quite frankly, white Americans (aside from leftist aberrations) are sick of hearing how they've oppressed black people.  Today's generation has oppressed no one and they're sick of being held accountable for sins even their forefathers may not have committed (italian immigrants? germans?).

- jwl2672

April 14, 2008 at 3:24pm

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From what I gather, the reason he brought up Hannity was in reference to what Lymon said about Pincham.

"[Pincham befriended] Jews, Muslims, rabbis, imams, fathers in the Catholic church and Farrakhan in the Islamic faith....   Fox News can't understand that. O'Reilly will never get that. Sean Hannity's stupid fantasy will keep him forever stuck on stupid when it comes to comprehending how you can love a brother who does not believe what you believe."

- lamh31

April 14, 2008 at 3:27pm

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At the funeral of my father-in-law, a former minister (and we're all white), the minister turned it into a worship service, and actually asked at the end if anyone was willing to accept Jesus right then.  That was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen, but as we can tell above, not unique.

- anonevent

April 14, 2008 at 3:33pm

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Hey jwl2672,

To quote SNL:  "SIMMA DOWN NOW"

Nobody is defending Rev Wright.  This eulogy has nothing to do with the statements from before.  All I was sying was that this was a eulogy for a friend.  Not a public venue.  Not a pulpit.  Heck,  not even a "Hate Whitey" rally.

Your angry comment is misplaced.

- lamh31

April 14, 2008 at 3:43pm

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Nobody should prevented from telling the truth about Fox News. They are happy to report distortions and sensational maybe-truths about their political opponents. Letting them do their stuff without calling them out is defeatist.

Dayo, you are assuming that Fox's crew will behave themselves if only Wright is quiet. But they won't.

- JEFF FREY

April 14, 2008 at 5:58pm

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Frey: I dislike Fox News as much as the next guy, but Dayo is absolutely right. If Wright wants to help Obama, he needs to be quiet. And it's not like a leftist wacko slamming Hannity at a private funeral does anything to bring down Fox. As far as I can tell, Wright is like Jamie Kirchick -- any position he advocates immediately starts to sound less attractive. So as an Obama supporter, I'd really appreciate if he'd keep his mouth closed.

- Androscoggin

April 14, 2008 at 6:50pm

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I love this: "Sean Hannity's stupid fantasy will keep him forever stuck on stupid when it comes to comprehending how you can love a brother who does not believe what you believe." I mean, I love how he says Hannity (who he disagrees with) can't love people who disagree with him while calling him "stupid" twice in one sentence. Heal thyself, Rev. Wright!

Also, it was inappropriate for the paper to get a journalist in there, but it was also inappropriate for Wright to turn this guy's funeral into an excuse to, basically, talk about himself and his political troubles. Classy.

- Ivanova

April 14, 2008 at 8:17pm

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Mr Y - I believe our favorite Swedenborgian wrote " *the lust of the goat* is the glory of God."

- teplukhin2you

April 15, 2008 at 1:52am

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