Barack Obama had no choice but to further distance himself from his former pastor and his incendiary rhetoric, claims a Clemson University political science professor.
An outraged Senator Obama (D-Illinois) held a press conference on Tuesday to inform voters that Pastor Jeremiah Wright does not speak for him, but rather "directly contradicts" everything Obama has done in his campaign and in his life. Obama strongly denounced comments made by his former pastor earlier this week at the National Press Club. During his appearance on Monday, Wright praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and defended his belief that Zionism is racism and that the U.S. was to blame for the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Obama referred to Wright's speech as a "bunch of rants" that "rightly offend all Americans." He also labeled the comments Wright gave at the National Press Club as "divisive and destructive" and said that they "give comfort to those who prey on hate." Clemson University political science professor Dave Woodard says Obama could not have continued identifying with Jeremiah Wright and survived as a presidential candidate. "The black liberation theology that Jeremiah Wright preaches is ... Marxist-based, and it has a completely devastating effect," he maintains. "[B]arack Obama has to present himself as someone who is above race, and Jeremiah Wright is making race the main thing that he is talking about," Woodard continues. "And so he [Obama] had to do this -- there's no doubt about it." Woodard says even though the Democratic presidential frontrunner categorically denounced Wright's latest incendiary remarks, the controversy is not likely to subside anytime soon. The educator still believes Obama has the upper hand in the Democratic presidential race, but argues that if the Illinois senator were to barely win next week's primary in North Carolina or even lose it, that would demonstrate he is no longer the "superstar" he was when he rattled off 11 consecutive victories after Super Tuesday in February.
An outraged Senator Obama (D-Illinois) held a press conference on Tuesday to inform voters that Pastor Jeremiah Wright does not speak for him, but rather "directly contradicts" everything Obama has done in his campaign and in his life. Obama strongly denounced comments made by his former pastor earlier this week at the National Press Club. During his appearance on Monday, Wright praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and defended his belief that Zionism is racism and that the U.S. was to blame for the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Obama referred to Wright's speech as a "bunch of rants" that "rightly offend all Americans." He also labeled the comments Wright gave at the National Press Club as "divisive and destructive" and said that they "give comfort to those who prey on hate." Clemson University political science professor Dave Woodard says Obama could not have continued identifying with Jeremiah Wright and survived as a presidential candidate. "The black liberation theology that Jeremiah Wright preaches is ... Marxist-based, and it has a completely devastating effect," he maintains. "[B]arack Obama has to present himself as someone who is above race, and Jeremiah Wright is making race the main thing that he is talking about," Woodard continues. "And so he [Obama] had to do this -- there's no doubt about it." Woodard says even though the Democratic presidential frontrunner categorically denounced Wright's latest incendiary remarks, the controversy is not likely to subside anytime soon. The educator still believes Obama has the upper hand in the Democratic presidential race, but argues that if the Illinois senator were to barely win next week's primary in North Carolina or even lose it, that would demonstrate he is no longer the "superstar" he was when he rattled off 11 consecutive victories after Super Tuesday in February.
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