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Pastor's hellfire sermons put Obama's campaign in hot water

by Amy Judd | March 13, 2008 at 06:07 pm

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It certainly has been a week of Presidential candidates having to deal with people associated with them making what could be seen as racist remarks against the other candidates.
Well, after Ferraro yesterday, the attention has shifted back to Obama today, after a video was aired on 'Good Morning America' of Obama's former pastor making some strong accusations and statements.

Although apparently this video first came to light a year ago, so the question is, why are we talking about it now?

In the sermons the Rev Jeremiah Wright, who presided over Obama's marriage and provided the title of his book Audacity of Hope, condemned what he described as a systemic effort to keep black people in poverty.

The accusations of racism could prove embarrassing to Obama who has based his candidacy around a message of unity. In his sermons Wright reportedly refers to the US as being under the influence of the Ku Klux Klan, and describes black Republicans as sellouts.

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing God Bless America. No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people," he said in a 2003 sermon which was aired by ABC television.

"God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

Obama has been a member of the congregation of Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ in the south side of Chicago for nearly 20 years.

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ojt

at 20:09 on March 13th, 2008

Rev. Jeremy Wright has made many racist remarks that I find shocking and I am suprised that it is not being talked about more. Another thing that has shocked me is that when I wrote an e-mail to the church I received an auto-response back of a long endorsement for Obama despite the fact that my e-mail was about the church and not Obama. I thought there were laws against church leaders using their church to endorse candidates. This is reverse discrimination and I cannot believe more people are not outraged.

The fact that Obama has belonged to this racist church for 20 years is frightening and I think people need to wake up.

Amy Judd

at 20:12 on March 13th, 2008

Thanks for your response! I am surprised about the reply you got back from the church - you would think that after all this came to light that they would be monitoring what goes out to the public with their name on it more carefully. I also think Obama should release a statement about the matter. As far as I have seen, he has not done so yet.