Political Punch
Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper
RECENT POSTS
- Today's Q's For O's White House
- Afghanistan Offensive and Iraq Withdrawal: Obama's National Security Advisor Discusses Both with ABC News
- Who Makes the Big Bucks at the White House?
- Obama Quizzed at Health Care Town Hall: On Taxing Benefits, Single Payer System, and Costs
- Today's Q's for O's White House
- Spotlight on Non-Profit Work, Obama Calls on “Deep Pockets”
- Obama says Iraqi People Right to Celebrate
- Today's Q's for O's White House
- POTUS to LGBT: "Welcome to Your White House"
- Obama Gives Biden Iraq Assignment
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
Huckabee Defends Obama … and the Rev. Wright
March 19, 2008 8:53 PM
After joking that he's leasing a hot dog stand in Manhattan, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on MSNBC's Morning Joe early this morning defended Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on the Rev. Wright front.
And, in fact, he defended Rev. Wright, too.
You can watch it HERE.
MIKE HUCKABEE: There are two different stories -- one is Obama’s reaction, the other one is the Rev. Wright’s speech itself. And I think that, you know, Obama has handled this about as well as anybody could. And I agree, it’s a very historic speech. I think that it was an important one and one that he had to deliver, and he couldn’t wait. The sooner he made it, maybe the quicker that this becomes less of the issue. Otherwise, it was the only thing that was the issue in his entire campaign. And I thought he handled it very, very well.
And he made the point, and I think it's a valid one, that you can't hold the candidate responsible for everything that people around him may say or do. You just can't -- whether it's me, whether it's Obama, anybody else. But he did distance himself from the very vitriolic statements.
Now, the second story. It's interesting to me that there are some people on the left that are having to be very uncomfortable with what Louis Wright said, when they all were all over a Jerry Falwell or anyone on the right who said things that they found very awkward and uncomfortable years ago. Many times those were statements lifted out of the context of a larger sermon.
Sermons, after all, are rarely written word-for-word by pastors like Rev. Wright, who are delivering them extemporaneously, and caught up in the emotion of the moment. There are things that sometimes get said, that if you put them on paper and looked at them in print, you'd say, "Well, I didn't mean to say it quite like that."
MSNBC HOST JOE SCARBOROUGH: But, but you never came close to saying five days after September 11 that America deserved what it got -- or that the American government invented AIDS...
HUCKABEE: Not defending his statements.
SCARBOROUGH: Oh, I know you're not. I know you're not. I'm just wondering though: For a lot of people ... would you not guess that there are a lot of independent voters in Arkansas that vote for Democrats sometimes, and vote for Republicans sometimes, that are sitting here wondering how Barack Obama's spiritual mentor would call the United States the US-KKK?
HUCKABEE: I mean, those were outrageous statements, and nobody can defend the content of them.
SCARBOROUGH: But what's the impact on voters in Arkansas? Swing voters.
HUCKABEE: I don't think we know. If this were October, I think it would have a dramatic impact. But it's not October. It's March. And I don't believe that by the time we get to October this is going to be the defining issue of the campaign and the reason that people vote.
And one other thing I think we've got to remember: As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, "That's a terrible statement," I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think that you have to cut some slack. And I'm going to be probably the only conservative in America who's going to say something like this, but I'm just telling you: We've got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, "You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can't sit out there with everyone else. There's a separate waiting room in the doctor's office. Here's where you sit on the bus." And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had a more, more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: It's the Atticus Finch line about walking a mile in somebody else's shoes. I remember when Ronald Reagan got shot in 1981. There were some black students in my school that started applauding and said they hoped that he died. And you just sat there and of course you were angry at first, and then you walked out and started scratching your head, going, "Boy, there is some deep resentment there."
- jpt
March 19, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (184)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
A republican defends obama's Rev
Posted by: adrianepringley | Apr 12, 2008 5:58:52 PM
i wish some folks would just shut up he can lead the nation hes the realist politician ive sseen in a while and guess what rev wright was right about race i dont see america apologizing to him or my parents now if caucasions were done the same way there would be a lot of talk and folk would still be mad so dont get loud stating that his pastors remarks was offensive, they were not he told the truth im sure hillary didnt have a problem going to the white only bubbler did she did she stand up for black people then oh no she will never get my vote an mccain can kick rocks too too all others who were there when blacks were being mistreated where were you when it wa ll going on and did youprotest it no you didnt
Posted by: CROCHRELL | Apr 12, 2008 2:28:13 PM
Divided that's what keeps our country in this economic downturn. We need to wake up and tackle the issues and stop letting anyone get us off course. The decisions we make not ony affect our current situation but our children's futures and many generations to come. That's a lot more important than reliving statements by politicians. If we don't wake up and stop the back and forth and stick with a discussion of the issues our children and many generations to come will pay the price for our actions. We cannot afford to be selfish people are loosing their homes, gas is sky high, no health care, higher education, families are having a tough time. What's more important? If we make the wrong decision we can't take it back and we have only ourselves to blame.
Posted by: Vern | Apr 8, 2008 3:07:04 PM
Eric:
you have the realized that America is in a war that should have never taken place anyway and that America lied on Nelson Mandela HELL its true do your research. Rev. Wright spoke the truth.
Posted by: Brian | Apr 3, 2008 4:18:28 PM
For those of you who can't seem to put the sound bites of Rev. Wrights sermon into perspective, think about this, A more complete version of Wright's 9/11 remarks have surfaced. I found a copy on digg. It seems the controversial remarks, including the now infamous 'The chickens have come home to roost' were quoted from former Ambassador to Iraq Edward Peck, as Wright warns against the payback mentality of Psalm 137. Hillary's camp put this out there to be used against Obama and hurt his chances of becoming president, but look what God can do. He turned it all around for good. As a result, we've heard this wonderful and inspiring speech from Obama that has led us to REAl conversations about race that can only help our nation. It has also led governor Richardson to endorse Obama. He said he was moved by the speech to do so. AS an avid church goer, I can tell you that the words of Wright are not the worst thing you will hear from a pastor. I know a pastor who told his own congregation that he would pray and ask God not to bless them. He was angry because many of them had not contributed to a fundraiser benefiting him and he did not care that these particular people could not afford it.
Posted by: keepin it real | Mar 25, 2008 8:43:19 PM
When does the Obama/Wright bashing stop?
The two snipets that have been aired in continuim have points that seemingly have been missed. The HIV controversy/conspiracy theory (did someone forget about the Tuskeegee experiment; black men deliberately given syphllis, the power structure in america (white men). Oh yeah I guess the truth doesn't count, so lets get on this unamerican, racist kick.
Posted by: bill | Mar 23, 2008 12:35:40 AM
Silly! I am so afraid for this country right now! I was an avowed Hilary Clinton supporter! I was. But her will to win at any cost is scary. Reading about her secrets scare me! She is being sued for hiding campaign donations. No news! Why? A man that she called a "Jew Bastard" passed a lie detector test. I gave the Clinton's credit for NAFTA, and Bill merely signed the bill. Hilary won't release her tax returns? Why? I am afraid of her! Very afraid. She tells us that she and J. McCain are ready to be president, excluding the only other democratic rival? Simply dirty and highly unethical! I was voting for Hilary because I really wanted Bill! Now I want no part of her or him! Google people! The truth is out there. Let's get back to real issues. O'Bama is no racist. He is also no African American. He is not a descendant of Slaves! He is Both White and Black! He more than likely looks at our mutual anger as Bizzare! A mixture of both, he realizes that his existance proves that skin color is only melanin and that he feels no less human for the combination. He is the middle, hoping to bring the two together. Those who are White and see only his Blackness are blind. Those who are Black and see only his Blackness are blind. Those Black and White who do not see his wisdom are Blind. Wake up America and see us. We need to take back control of our country. Go back to we the people. What better person, than a brilliant man who is a combination of us all! For America's sake! Turn the page!
Posted by: shaaronie | Mar 22, 2008 9:43:54 AM
I like Huckabee, I am an Obama supporter, I think Huckabee and Obama both listened to the words of Jesus more closely than a lot of the people criticizing them. Judge not, lest ye be judged.
Posted by: ames | Mar 22, 2008 3:33:59 AM
For those of you who can't seem to put the sound bites of Rev. Wrights sermon into perspective, think about this, A more complete version of Wright's 9/11 remarks have surfaced. I found a copy on digg. It seems the controversial remarks, including the now infamous 'The chickens have come home to roost' were quoted from former Ambassador to Iraq Edward Peck, as Wright warns against the payback mentality of Psalm 137. Hillary's camp put this out there to be used against Obama and hurt his chances of becoming president, but look what God can do. He turned it all around for good. As a result, we've heard this wonderful and inspiring speech from Obama that has led us to REAl conversations about race that can only help our nation. It has also led governor Richardson to endorse Obama. He said he was moved by the speech to do so. AS an avid church goer, I can tell you that the words of Wright are not the worst thing you will hear from a pastor. I know a pastor who told his own congregation that he would pray and ask God not to bless them. He was angry because many of them had not contributed to a fundraiser benefiting him and he did not care that these particular people could not afford it.
Posted by: keepin it real | Mar 21, 2008 5:13:10 PM
For those of you who can't seem to put the sound bites of Rev. Wrights sermon into perspective, think about this, A more complete version of Wright's 9/11 remarks have surfaced. I found a copy on digg. It seems the controversial remarks, including the now infamous 'The chickens have come home to roost' were quoted from former Ambassador to Iraq Edward Peck, as Wright warns against the payback mentality of Psalm 137. Hillary's camp put this out there to be used against Obama and hurt his chances of becoming president, but look what God can do. He turned it all around for good. As a result, we've heard this wonderful and inspiring speech from Obama that has led us to REAl conversations about race that can only help our nation. It has also led governor Richardson to endorse Obama. He said he was moved by the speech to do so. AS an avid church goer, I can tell you that the words of Wright are not the worst thing you will hear from a pastor. I know a pastor who told his own congregation that he would pray and ask God not to bless them. He was angry because many of them had not contributed to a fundraiser benefiting him and he did not care that these particular people could not afford it.
Posted by: keepin it real | Mar 21, 2008 5:13:00 PM
I'm so sick of Barack Obama, his finger-pointing and screaming racism and the like. I don't care if Obama is black, white, yellow or purple-green, I think he'd be a very ineffective president and all these glorious promises he's making to get elected will fall to dust if he is elected; just like all the rest of them.
Posted by: Sid | Mar 21, 2008 3:17:55 PM
The pastor thing is just the tip of the racist iceberg that is obama, just wait until the next big story is what he said today about "typical white people comments" that are racist...sorry obama but not everyone is as racist
Posted by: chris | Mar 21, 2008 2:48:13 PM
This entire controversy surrounding Reverend Wright only makes me like Senator Obama even more. Certainly, some of the Reverend's words are despicable, but how many of us haven't said awful things we later regret, and how many of us haven't heard loved ones do the same and loved them anyway?
Posted by: Thank God for Karma | Mar 21, 2008 2:00:54 PM
I disagree with Huck on many issues, and don’t think he’d make a good Prez but I like him, and he seems like a nice guy, who’s likable and liberal on governance, if Right-Wing on religion.
Something like this only reaffirms why I like him.
Posted by: GMH | Mar 21, 2008 11:51:00 AM
A more complete version of Wright's 9/11 remarks have surfaced. I found a copy on digg. It seems the controversial remarks, including the now infamous 'The chickens have come home to roost' were quoted from former Ambassador to Iraq Edward Peck, as Wright warns against the payback mentality of Psalm 137. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is furtively calling superdelegates using these remarks as proof that Obama is unelectable.
I'm not a churchgoer, and as a stuffy old white guy, I'm a little self-conscious about 'testifying', but after listening to these remarks in full, I can say I'm proud to have Jeremiah Wright among us.
In the coming months, hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent through 527's in an attempt to manipulate public opinion like we've seen here in order to protect the economic interests of the people who pay for them. Judging from some of the remarks on this blog, that will be money well spent.
If you want some controversy, how about this? "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just." -Thomas Jefferson
Posted by: Elmhurst,IL | Mar 21, 2008 10:07:03 AM
Glad you all do listen to Rush. He won't explode-he'll simply say that Huckabee is trying for the vp nomination for the dems. I'm REpublican - will not vote for a DEmocrat, or an American hater. I want somebody with experience, somebody levelheaded, someone who cares about our country, not their political career. Support your troops, vote Republican!
Posted by: Aaron | Mar 21, 2008 7:19:12 AM
I'm a democrat and for Obama but I like Mike Huckabee too. I had hoped that he would win the nomination on the Republican side. Since he didn't, I would love it if Obama would choose Huckabee for his for his running mate.I would not vote for Hillary Clinton under any circumstances. Obama did say he wanted an administration inclusive of all parties and I agree. I think government works best when its not dominated by one party, but has a balance.
Posted by: linda | Mar 21, 2008 3:19:14 AM
When Obama takes office I know most Republicans will not be upset. Obama's an intelligent, once in a life time leader -he will listen to all parties.
Posted by: Ken | Mar 21, 2008 1:54:20 AM
Some people would not accept a defense of Obama from Christ himself. I swear, if had to turn my back on anyone who ever uttered a racist remark or stereotype...I dont know where I could go. Those folks who have decided that they cannot accept his explaination of where he finds himself in the ongoing stalemate of race relations in this country needed an excuse to voice their innability to accept him in the first place.
How difficult and confusing it must be to grow up and live between two cultures that both have elements of hate within them towards the other. But at the same time, there is no one with better credentials for understanding the plight of both and providing both with an understanding that no one else could. I have immense respect for the principled man that Barack Obama is and I hope and pray that the small minds of America do not destroy his and America's future.
Posted by: Kevin | Mar 21, 2008 12:04:35 AM
I never realized how many people suffered from having a god complex. It's not right to judge. I guess no one here ever uttered a stereotype in their life or have been the victim of discrimination. People's experiences form their thoughts and actions and you can't be angry with someone for who they are or what they believe. We all live in glass houses!!!!!
Posted by: ceci | Mar 20, 2008 11:44:10 PM
Post a comment
