On not being evil

[ProSense]

This man isn't evil either. He made controversial statements that challenged America's moral standing. He did not and does not advocate denying rights to groups of people. He stood up for the poor across the world. He has a huge following. Prominent members of the religious community rose to his defense. Yet circumstances being what they were he was demonized.

Warren and Obama

(Video: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/">MSNBC: Tucker - Evangelicals Against Obama?)

There may be no room for nuance in the tussle over Rick Warren, reader notes that Warren and Barack Obama share, among other things, a rhetorical commitment to working with people with whom they disagree -- as you can hear in this 2006 interview, in which he sounds quite a bit like the president-elect talking about the virtue of building coalitions and of "working with gay people in their attacks on AIDS."

Also, at around 5:00, he calls Jeremiah Wright"one of the great, godly preachers in the black church.

"I know he's got soul because he's got a good pastor," Warren says of Obama.

[ProSense]

1. The irony in all of this

is that people, who would never defend Wright, are now apologizing and defending Rick Warren.

[Solon]

3. And many of the people who defended Wright now condemn Rick Warren...

of course, that's because we can tell the difference between a guy who, while he said some controversial things, really does have the good of humanity at heart, while on the other hand, we have a homophobic, misogynist asshole.

[alwysdrunk]

16. No one is defending Warren

People are defending Obama, and this tactical political move. There are no Rick Warren fans on DU.

[joshcryer]

20. This is very true.

[Solon]

23. Eh, I don't know if that's true or not, seen arguments saying its GREAT...

that Obama has Warren up. Also, look at the OP about Warren not being evil, and others saying we are being intolerant, OF HIM! Both OPs are on the front page.

[ProSense]

24. Nonsense.

Call it what you want to but claiming that Warren is not evil, justifying him as the choice because of his work on AIDS and poverty, all the reasons why people shouldn't be offended is defense.

Defense doesn't equal "fan."

[joshcryer]

2. They're not even comparable.

Wright condemned systems and powerful figures, Warren condemns individuals, you, me.

[ProSense]

4. "Wright condemned systems and powerful figures"

and for that he shoud be demonized?

[Solon]

5. Uhm, that's not what the poster said, now is it?

Wright should never have been kicked to the curb by Obama, but Warren more than deserves that treatment.

[ProSense]

7. I understood the point.

I still wanted to ask the question.

[joshcryer]

9. You love implicative lines of questioning.

:hi:

[joshcryer]

8. The OP is projecting. The OP probably did not see the platform Warren got this morning on Today.

I'm tempted to post a thread but I think DU is sufficiently pissed off about Warren. It was bad.

[ProSense]

10. No,

just trying to spell out the blatant hypocrisy.

[joshcryer]

11. Yeah? It's not the person you were questioning.

That's for damn sure.

[ProSense]

14. Well,

the person who would read it and is guilty of such hypocrisy ought to see it in writing.

I know that's not what you were implying, but stating the facts doesn't explicitly condemn the character assasination of Rev. Wright.

[Solon]

12. You know, its hard to point out hypocrites when we aren't acting that way.

Sorry to disappoint. :shrug:

[ProSense]

15. Hypocrite?

What are you talking about? The question was asked for a direct response and for others to read. You are the one reading more into it than is there.

Sorry, chill!

[cali]

13. Wright stabbed Obama directly in the back

he's the one who kicked Obama to the curb. At least try and pay attention.

[Solon]

17. Frankly, Wright was being used in a game of political football..

and he most likely just got sick of it. I don't blame either of them, that whole fiasco was a media created circus. Hell, I was trying to figure out, after listening to Wright's sermons, what the hell people were thinking was so controversial. Except for some minor issues that I had factual problems with, I mostly agreed with Wright.

I think the whole thing was designed to slander Obama, by the M$M.

[joshcryer]

19. Yep, the media played both sides on that one.

They did it on quite a many issues, actually.

[Solon]

21. The funny thing is that a lot of people on DU have been echoing his...

sermons in posts for years, even though we never heard of him. Not all of them, obviously, but most of the sermons about social justice, etc. could have just as easily been lifted off of DU from many different posters. At first I thought Wright may have been a DU member, from listening to him. :)

[joshcryer]

22. That's why I never chastized him, *at all* over those sermons.

And it's also why I find it delicious that I don't fit the stereotype that the OP is attempting to portray. You look at another poster, ruggerson, who said some stuff negatively against Wright, and they aren't "defending" Warren as the OP is trying to portray.

[joshcryer]

6. No. I never demonized him.

That's a fact.

[JVS]

18. But he pissed off certain people and thus Wright was teh evil.