Rev. Wright hoopla

Originally posted on Wittenburg Door.com (5/01/2008) :

It suddenly occurred to me that Rev Wright is actually serving much the same purpose that Ralph Nader has. (I can almost hear people groaning...!) By insinuating himself into the spotlight and weighing in on urgent political matters (BTW, NOT the strict domain of politicians, ESPECIALLY in the midst of an election year!!!), he is raising legitimate issues, many of which folks just don't want to hear about. And if these "interlopers" manage to skid off the runway of reason, oh well. That's what public discourse is all about. Yes, true, one's a political figure and the other a religious one, but they're both social activists, and I can't think of a more APPROPRIATE time for them to speak out. If they get ignored or pegged as whack-o, that's the way the cookie crumbles. But democracy means never having to say SHUT UP!

The Rev's most explosive sound bites have been recycled over and over, and even if YouTube HAS actually done his POV justice, only Bill Moyers has had the journalistic ethics, not to mention common sense, to actually invite the Rev onto HIS show to drill deeper into his views. That's exactly what "fair and balanced" reporting refers to. Moyers is old-school, thank goodness.

Clinton's campaigners set up the Rev's appearance at the National Press Club? Hadn't heard that conspiracy theory before. And if true, it's kinda funny and darkly opportunistic, but all's fair, etc., and if I were the Rev, I'd have been on that national platform with bells on, too.

As for Obama -- if he's going to cave into the press THIS easily, I shudder to think how he'd behave in the face of a genuine adversary... No one can truly hurt his candidacy except him, which is another beautiful thing about our democracy (such as it is). Ultimately, it's between you and your ballot. -- KT