Well, I knew the N.L. had to kick in sooner or later. I've been saying it for weeks. Obama's dodged all types of attacks, from condescending Hillary, to that nutjob talk show host who kept calling his middle name, to those completely unnecessary photos of him in Gap khakis and a Somali headwrap. But when Minister Louis Farrakhan quietly endorsed him Sunday, I knew this might could come back to haunt him.
Last night, the other Nike dropped.
Sen. Barack Obama denounced the recent support for his candidacy expressed Sunday by controversial minister and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.The worst part of the whole exchange was when Obama was pressed by moderator Tim Russert (who played the Jew card splendidly) to say whether or not he "rejected" Farrakhan's support, he haphazardly said "I have been very clear in my denunciations of him". Distancing oneself from another person's views is one thing, but going the extra mile and distancing yourself from that person is another altogether.
“I have been very clear in my denunciation” of Farrakhan’s history of anti-Semitic remarks, Obama said at the Democratic debate in Cleveland, “I did not solicit his support.” Obama said he “can not censor” individual endorsements but said there is no affiliation with his campaign and Farrakhan. “I can’t say to somebody that he can’t say that he thinks I’m a good guy,” Obama said, citing his support among Jewish Americans and stating that he would make it a priority to soothe historically tense ties between the African-American and Jewish communities in the nation. “I have some of the strongest support from the Jewish community in my hometown of Chicago and in this campaign,” he said, describing himself as a “stalwart” on supporting Israel.
Peep the video and meet me after the jump...
That sound you just heard was a million bean pies being dropped in homes across America.
I think Obama was presented with an unfair question (he never asked for Farrakhan's support in the first place, nor does he associate him) for which he was obviously unprepared. The question was the classic lose-lose proposition. Diss Farrakhan and you will maybe gain a few skeptical white supporters and lose some blacks (maybe you drop from 80% of the black vote to, say 75%). Approve of Farrakhan's endorsement, and your political career is pretty much toast. Just ask Arsenio Hall how well that one panned out.
So, Obama took the blue pill, and now he'll have to deal with the fallout from some black folks who think he threw the Minister under the bus. I can already hear the reckless talk in barbershops nationwide today.
After mulling this over a bit longer, I look at it a bit differently though. Had Farrakhan not bothered to endorse Obama the other day, he would never have been put in such a position of having to answer such a trivial and loaded question on the eve of four primaries that could potentially end this thing altogether. Not that it will likely make a difference either way, but I suspect Farrakhan is wise enough to know that he put Obama in a trick bag with his comments, and is mature enough to not see his debate response as an insult. Just peep the Minister's comments from his address the other day.
In the past, Farrakhan has sparked outrage for his controversial comments, which include anti-Semitic statements. But in recent years, most significantly after his battle with prostate cancer in the 1990s, he has tried to strike a more conciliatory tone. His popularity among young black Americans grew significantly after the 1995 Million Man March.That said, I would expect Farrakhan to issue a statement to this effect tomorrow, which would nip this whole nonstory in the bud. If he doesn't, that's probably for the better. I would think the Obama camp wants this story in the news as little as possible.
Farrakhan said he refused to be a stumbling block to Obama's success.
"Why do you hate him so that you want to make me a stumbling block?" Farrakhan asked. "I want to see that brother successful and I don't want them to use me or that Nation of Islam."
Question: Assuming you watched the exchange in it's entirety, do you feel Obama threw Farrakhan under the bus or does it really not matter either way?
[Editor's Note: on an unrelated debate note, did anyone else catch Obama doing his best Sapphyri imitation while Clinton was discrediting his stance on Iraq? Seriously, for a good 15 seconds there, he had his hands clasped and eyes closed. I could swear he was having a "Lord, please don't make me whoop this ***** ***!" moment. I'm surprised he didn't offer Hillary any "lip chap". Ok, maybe it was just me.]
Obama's Farrakhan answer gives Clinton an opening [LA Times]
Louis Farrakhan backs Obama for president [Chicago Tribune]
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Wow.
Did Obama throw Farrakhan under the bus? Maybe.
Was it wise? I believe so.
Do I agree that Farrakhan is mature enough to get from under the bus, dust off, and not blame Obama? Probably.
Farrakhan is a controversial figure if there ever was one. I believe the average person will file this one away in the back of the file drawer under the letter "H": Happened but didn't make a darned bit of difference in my support.
And if Farrakhan continues to make statements in support of Obama, the whole thing may strengthen Obama's overall position ("gee, he denounced a controversial figure) and cause Obama to make gains with Farrakhan's constituents ("Hey, our Farrakhan still supports him so we will too").
Will this lose-lose debate question translate into a win-win in the Texas and Ohio primaries? Time will tell.
Yes, that house nicca OBAMMA threw the Minister under the bus. I hope the black community never forgets this. This traitor showed us his true colors tonight. His sole job is the kiss white America's ass. I hope HE has enough "lip chap" for that.
for the first time ever, i agree with domo. this was not a good look for obama and he will lose a lot of black votes next week in tx and oh.
I watched last night's debate in its entirety and I believe Obama made the right choice. Black folks may not want to admit it, but Farrakhan is anti-semitic. He said that "judaism is a gutter religion". If Obama does not distance himself from that, he will never win the election. So, he still has my vote and I would have been disappointed if he did anything other than what he did last night.
Black folks, we have to realize that he is running for President of America, not President of Black America. He has to look out for the interests of all americans, including jews and black americans.
I liked that he talked about wanting to restore the relationship between Jews and blacks in America and that he noted the important role jews played in the civil rights movement.
Obama did the right thing last night.
The only thing I wish is that he had just said he "rejected" his support to avoid that exchange with Hillary. I think he came back well with the "denounce and reject are the same thing in my mind." To me, the Farrakhan question was Obama's only stumbling block in a debate where he otherwised appeared presidential to a tee.
On whether or not he threw the minister under the bus, let's get real. The best way for Farrakhan to endorse Obama is to not He knows that he is an extremely divisive figure and that Obama is running a conciliatory campaign. That type of support could only have damaged him. So if Obama threw him under the bus, then good. Probably should have thrown him under faster and more decisively.
AB raised a solid question that nobody's touching yet... just HOW MUCH of the black vote does he lose behind this?
I say his numbers could drop in the short term. From say 80+ to less than 50 next week. Negroes, for better or for worse, love some Farrakhan!
puh-LEEZ!!! i didn't think twice about obama's comments. farrakhan preaches prejudice. the man represents the NATION; NOT black people.
I think he did what was right. Sorry as an african american female, I am not offended at all. I have never agreed with EVERYTHING Minister Farrakhan has said over the years. IMO he is not always right. I don't feel that blacks should go against Obama because of this. He is running for the highest office in the land. I only wish farrakhan hadn't made his endorsement public in the first place.
Louis Farrakhan belongs under the bus. Aliya has the right angle, here. President of the United States of America, not Black America... even of 50% of the black vote leaves (where do they go? Hillary?) because of this, that's about 5% of the electorate, and it's a long time until November.
If Obama is the nominee, are we seriously thinking that somebody from the LEFT is going to say "Don't vote Democrat because Obama denounced Farrakhan!"? If Obama had NOT denounced him, McCain would have shoved it down his throat in their first debate. Now that Farrakhan's support and Obama's rejection are both out there, it'll be a non-issue in the general election.
F**k Farrakhan. He hasn't been relevant since the mid 90's. Where was he when Bush was doing all of the gansta stuff to muslims? Beside recovering from cancer, he has been hiding in his mansion because he knows that Bush is not afraid to tapp that butt. His bean pie empire and paper route has dried up. Obama did the right thing to Farrakhan. I add that Obama didn't sell out his pastor or appologize for some African Americans's view on Jews. Obama is bigger that Farkhan. Get over it!
I think Obama gave the perfect answer and anybody who didn't see Hillary's attempt to label him as a Jew hater is ridiculous.
I wrote about it over on my blog.
http://ravingblacklunatic.blogspot.com/2008/02/obama-you-jew-hater.html
And I don't think he loses much black support. It's not like he's been winning in states with a heavy NOI influence. I think most black people will understand exactly why Obama gave the answer he gave. It was the only answer to give in order to get the job he wants. Any black person who works in corporate America understands that dynamic.
There is no rule that says white folks have to know everything you think. Plus, Obama didn't denounce Farrakhan as a man, he clearly had a problem with his comments. He went of his way to avoid taking a stand on whether the Minister should be muzzeled.
I have no problem with Senator Obama's response. It was necessary in the end to respond to Hillary's attempt A manipulation.
I don't care about Farrakhan. As much as The Nation of Islam 'hates' America- I don't think they would rush to vote, not even for a Black man.
I was more pissed with Senator Clinto's SNL comment. Her attempts at comedy or sarcasm have failed miserably in my opinion.
Senator Obama IMO doesn't 'need' their votes. He did the right thing.
By the way, if all Senator Clinton had to 'worry' about was who endorses her...she would not find herself in her current position.
I watched the debate in its entirety and I believe Obama did the right thing but denoucing the Minister. What the Minister said was anti-Semitic to its core and Barack needed to make that point.
What's lost in all of this is Barack's idea of strengthening the ties between African-Americans and the Jewish community. He most definitely gave a history lesson last night on that.
People are saying that Barack missed his "Sista Souljah" moment. That I don't believe.
@ cinco: I agree, that SNL comment was out of line. Her complaining about speaking first was out of line.
The look on Barack's face was priceless at points. He looked like he wanted to f*** her up...
This post pretty much confirms what I've always thought about this AverageBro guy. He's white, or really wrapped up in some house nicca self-hatred. The same goes for all the pickininies here who basically parrot the nonsense he says everyday.
What in the hell is wrong with you people? This man goes on TV and discredits the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. What the hell has Obama done to help the black community besides take money from a slumlord and pass it off as community activism? Yet he gets on nationwide tv and softshoes for the man. Fuck Farrakhan?!? Naw, Fuck OBAMA!!!
You self righteous Negroes disgust me.
@ Ciara;
So true...I know I was pissed. It appeared that she was whining...again. In the questions that were presented to both of them, it appeared that she 'jumped' in first anyway. I believe the media has actually counted and in her debates @ least with Senator Obama, she's been offered the first question six times...big deal! If only many of us had seen this type of vigor from her in the public view when good old Bill messed up, perhaps some would look differently at her potential. I think she's losing her appeal as assertive and portraying a manipulative, whining, 'emotional' woman. I don't want our next President to appear like they can't handle any 'words' or 'deeds' without 'losing it'!
@ the last Anon;
You can continue to support them-buy some more bean pies; buy a 'paper'...become a member and help solve the killing of the California journalist and others. One thing this country and this world has plenty of....lunatics. One more won't matter.
As to your comments about AB and the responders...you must be new; people disagree with AB all the time. But with the hate you appear to spew...positive feedback doesn't appear to be an asset.
As I wrote about on my blog, Obama did exactly what he needed to do, and he did it well. He was actually laughing at Hillary in th exchange, and he made the audience laugh too.
We have Hillary to thank for this. She kept pressing the issue by bringing up how she renounced the Independent Party in the City. What a threat that rejection was to her campaign. She's friends with Bob Johnson who's a sellout, she didn't address the statements of Robert Ford (D-SC), nor did she reject the statements and question from . She's in no place to get all high and mighty
I don't understand why Farrakhan would test Obama's "Blackness" by coming in with his endorsement knowing that he stands a good chance at winning the nomination.
No, Obama did not throw Farrakhan under the bus, he was just steering the one that the Minister has already thrown himself under with his controversial and divisive comments over the years.
Anyone who can't see that Obama is a brilliant, charismatic leader who has ingeniously run his campaign right to the top by steering clear of controversy and pettiness needs to have their eyes checked by anyone other than Hillary's optician.
She tripped me out with her sorry attempt to jump in on Russert's comment and create an "ah-ha"! moment that made her seem even more desperate and frustrated than she already looks.
@ Domo..........never mind, you're not even worth it. I'ma pray for you brudda.
To Anon
YOu must be stupid.
NOI is the biggest fucking pyramid scheme in the world with it's mandatory sales quotas for newspaper and bean pies.
Shit, the Minister had a march?
Didn't Muslims make fun of marches during the Civil Rights era?
Man, y'all don't even vote, how y'all gonna complain about politicians. Just wait for God to come back in his spaceship and vanquish Yacub's children and leave us house niggers alone.
Dumbass.
hilarious.
but for real ya'll, don't get all bent. we're all playing into the media's game- to second guess obama, turn against each other, etc., etc. here's why it's all BS:
1) BILL CLINTON endorsed farrakhan as recently as '05!!!! check out: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=6C349393-C54C-4E2F-9630-78531E58938D
2) hillary clinton and the media are so concerned about obama "rejecting" farrakhan's endorsment but HAS SHE REJECTED ANN COULTER'S endorsement??????????????? that woman is as racist as they come.
I think Senator Obama handled the situation very well. And, according to eveything I've read about the minister's saviours day address--Farrakhan didn't really out and out endorse Obama. He basically said that Obama was having a transformative effect on the country, and that he admired the young man. He also accused Hillbilly of playing dirty politricks (but the media didn't report that).
Now God knows, I loves me some bean pie--but I think most folks know this is bigger than bean pies and Final Calls. It was Hillbilly who tried to make an issue of it, and it only served to make her look like even more of a hater. I think her antics have pretty much cooked her goose, and mark my words, her political career is all but over if she loses the nomination because she has really shown her ass (true colors). I've gone to hear Farrakhan speak several times, and he makes some valid points about black folk and self-empowerment. However, like anonymous, I don't agree with everything he says.
And for those that feel Obama threw Farrakhan under the bus, what makes Farrakhan any different from Rebbn's Al & Jesse? Obama has kept his distance from them too. I agree with hawa; this incident won't change most peoples opinion of Obama one twit. Can't say the same for Hillbilly though.
Hey, anonymous... if you vote, vote Nader!
He's the real deal.
I am so uplifted over your take on the Farrakhan/Obama Issue. I personally saw it as a non-Issue but then again I am African-American and understand the variety and diverity of out communities.
I know that the N.O.I and Farrakhan have supported Obama in his past political accomplishments so the Endorsement was no surprise. I also know that the Nation of Islam have endorsed politicians in the past and has allows respected the US Government. Anyone remotely knowledgable of the life of Malcolm X know that his silencing was partically due to the Nation of Islam keeping peace with the Government then.
But then there are those that are bank rolling Obama's campaign. Although it is PEOPLE driven, many of those dollars are Jewish Dollars and so are the Political organizations that are getting the world out in their communities. My Grandmamma once said, when you are hungry for food, sometimes when you eat the bird, you eat the egg as well ... meaning you sometimes get two for the price of 1. Obama wants to be President, well as much as he might want that Muslim vote (because American Muslims do vote like everyone else) you have to take take that EGG OF A JEWISH VOTE to get that BIRD OF A PRESIDENTIAL NOD. Its all part of the rule and the Multicultural game.
I personally don't think that the endorsement will die, the damage has been done and it will only get nastier. Clinton knew this and she played it by Passive Aggressively Making Obama PUBLICLY REJECTING the N.O.I. That was Clinton's only win in the debate and like you said, a small percentage of Black votes and a small gain in White votes. Now the question is ... what about the national Vote?
Obama said what he had to say in order to win. Farrakhan understands this, as does Jeremiah Wright, who's next on the hit list. This isn't going to stick though as it cuts both ways: McCain has ties to the PTL, Pat Robertson, and he got blasted last week for his endorsement from pastor John Hagee, who blamed Catholics for the Holocaust and called it a cult.
By the way, since Farrakhan doesn't have Will Smith's lawyers, let me reconfirm his complete quote--which has been taken wildly and intentionally out of context for 25 years now--was "If you can justify the slaughter of innocent Palastinians as God's will, then you are practicing a gutter religion." Despite his may olive branches to the Jewish community, the ADL needs him as a boogeyman the way the right wing needs Hillary Clinton.
Did he throw Farrakhan under the bus?
No.
Will black voters withdraw from supporting Obama as a result?
I seripusly doubt it.
@mwanga; If Farrakhan is under the bus, it's his own doing. Period.
Thank God the election is over. Now, we should pray for President-Elect Barack Obama because he has a helluva weight on his shoulders now. I just happened to find this blog so many months later. First let me say that some of you are so uninformed about Min. Farrakhan and the NOI. There has been a purposeful media blackout of Min. Farrakhan since 2001. He has spoken throughout the Bush presidency very critically. He wrote Bush two letters warning him of the consequences of war with Iraq and everything he warned them of came to pass. You can find these letters online as well as the many speeches he gave condemning the Bush presidency and the neocon ideology, so he wasn't scared and never has been. There are no mandatory bean pie and newspaper sales in the NOI. The so called mansion he lives in was the home of The Hon. Elijah Muhammad and the title is in the name of the NOI, so whoever the National Representative of the Nation is, that is the home that is provided to them. Lastly, Farrakhan never ever said that judaism is a gutter religion. That has been an oft repeated lie for over 20 years now. It is well known that he never said that yet they always write and put it in quotes as if he was actually quoted as saying that. It is an outright lie and if you do your research you will see that he never ever said that "judaism is a gutter religion". Obama did what he had to do to get to where he wanted to be. Like many of you, I agree that it was a non issue. I just get offended at the blatant ignorance that people have of the NOI and the lies that people repeat instead of researching the truth for themselves.
History is best qualified to reward your research. Respect the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. (RESPECT,the ETYMOLOGY of respect is:
From Middle English, regard, from Old French, from Latin respectus, from past participle of respicere, to look back at, regard : re-, re- + specere, to look at; see spek- in Indo-European roots)
Get on the way back machine and pull up the actual text of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan lectures.
goto this link http://www.noi.org/webcast/
It's Chess not checkers
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