First time I have ever disagreed with KO's Worst Person selection

[proud2BlibKansan]

I have always liked Jeremiah Wright. And I agree with most of what he says. But I understand why Obama had to separate himself from Wright. He's just too extreme and those voters in the middle never would have voted for Obama if he was still attending Wright's church. I get that.

Yes the stuff he said about the Jews keeping him from talking to Obama is crazy.

But Wright is right about the ethnic cleansing in Gaza. And AIPAC.

Ok, flame on. Popcorn being served. :popcorn:

[Fuzz]

1. Once you start throwing around how Jews 'control things', you are worst persons list.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. You got it

and counting for thread to be locked

[Faygo Kid]

17. Agreed. Unlike the Reich Wing, we can actually criticize those they hate when deserved.

This was deserved.

Oh yes, most definitely.

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. I'm not saying he shouldn't be criticized

The stuff he said about Jews keeping him from Obama was crazy.

But I agree with him about AIPAC and Gaza.

[cali]

68. pure anti-semitism which is pure bigotry.

David Duke also criticizes Israel and is supportive of the Palestinians. You must support him too.

[Oregone]

61. Yeah, but what if I deny he ever said that?

[LeftishBrit]

62. Entirely agree

If you don't like AIPAC, you should say 'I don't like AIPAC'.

If you don't approve of Israel bombing Gaza, you should say 'Israel shouldn't have bombed Gaza'.

Neither justifies going off into rants about 'them Jews'.

Just as disapproving of Clarence Thomas or Alan Keyes wouldn't justify going off into rants about 'them blacks' and disapproving of Sarah Palin or Maggie Thatcher wouldn't justify going off into rants about 'them women'.

[madokie]

66. no 'bout adoubt it.

[scheming daemons]

2. Jeremiah Wright is an anti-semitical ass hat

He should not be defended.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TahitiNut]

Yeah ... because every time anyone says "Israel" we just KNOW they mean "Jew"!

There's bigotry and there's BIGOTRY.

:eyes:

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. Your loss.

:)

[oldnslo]

4. Wright is wrong more than right, and is still an overall shitheel.

[JI7]

5. he wasn't named worst person for criticisms of AIPAC or ethnic cleansing

he was named worst person for "the jews are keeping me away from him" .

[MADem]

15. No, no, no, no, no, no!!! (To quote the Rev)--it was THEM Jews!!!! nt

[Trajan]

7. Wright ....

Von Brunn .....

Yeah ..... It's da JOOZE ! ....

Sorry Bud, but I agree with KO on that one ....

That is one bell that cannot be unrung ...

[TahitiNut]

8. No flame here ... I fully agree.

I like the guy. I'd attend his services if I were in the area.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

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[Swede]

20. You said you fully agree with what he said about the Jews.

He never said a thing about Israel. BUt you'd go listen to him. Got it.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Swede]

25. Yeah,what's a little racism between friends?

What's the harm,nudge nudge wink wink.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Swede]

30. You're quite a piece of work.

Sickening.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. I would go with you

If there was a church around here like his, I would be a regular attendee. LOL

[scarletwoman]

35. I've got your back, TN.

I'll take your front, too, if you'd like. :D

sw

[TahitiNut]

38. Thanks, luv.

We got some real head cases that just love to play the ____-card ... and trivialize all manner of evils by acting like hall monitors.

The "vigilantism" gets almost intolerable sometimes.

[timeforpeace]

Agree with KO.

[Swede]

9. Some racism is okay with you.

Got it.

[scheming daemons]

13. +1. The OP is basically saying that a LITTLE anti-semitism is ok with him

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. No I am not saying that

Please explain why agreeing that AIPAC is too powerful is anti-semitic. Or believing the Israelis are brutally cruel to the people in Gaza is anti-semitic.

[TahitiNut]

34. It's not ... and those eager to slur others with the antisemite card TRIVIALIZE that evil.

It's a despicable propensity.

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. It's like when people call those who don't like Obama racist

Granted, racists do not like the president. But it's silly to claim that all of those who don't like him or didn't vote for him are racists.

[LeftishBrit]

64. True. But if someone has gone into a rant about 'Them blacks!' then one might start suspecting that

they are racist!

[cali]

71. sorry. what Wright said was plain old anti-semitism.

you can deny it and be an apologist for it to your heart's content, but you can't escape being called on your apologism for hate. And what Wright said was hateful.

[LeftishBrit]

63. Neither is antisemitic.

But saying that 'Them Jews are keeping me from Obama' is antisemitic. And paranoid.

[cali]

70. You[re an apologist for an anti-semite. You've said it. You own it.

[leftynyc]

88. But that's not what he said

Your defense of his actual words is fucking pathetic.

[Sinistrous]

47. Congratulations.

Your exchange with the OP of this thread is the worst example of either abject stupidity or intellectual dishonesty I have ever read on DU.

I am so glad I will never have to read your crap again.

Bye bye, dolt.

[cali]

69. you mean anti-semitism is OK. let's be specific.

[NYC_SKP]

10. KO ain't perfect, but I agree with him on this one. Wright is just a wee bit....

...like a crazy uncle.

Just when we had the Wacky Right pretty much owning anti-Semitic hate speech, up pops Uncle Jeremiah.

[aquart]

11. Ethnic cleansing? Of Jews or Arabs?

Seems to me there are lots of Arabs in Gaza. When, exactly, were they "cleansed"?

Perhaps you mean the "collaborators"? Or have they returned to their homes?

It's good that you have AIPAC to demonize. God knows who your victim would be else.

[MADem]

12. It's not a question of "flame" or "popcorn." You're excusing virulent racism. That's a problem.

Maybe he's nice to puppies, too. Maybe he helps old ladies across the street.

That said, it doesn't excuse virulent racism. And anyone who suggests that he should be forgiven for being a racist because he holds other views that you approve of, is not thinking clearly.

For all you know, David Duke might be in favor of single-payer. Is he then to be forgiven for his views because he gets one thing "right?"

Come on. Lame argument. Pretty offensive one, too.

[redqueen]

91. It seems like more than a few DUers are okay with it.

Wow.

[MADem]

98. I don't get it, myself. It's never "OK." I can't buy the parsing.

It's like saying "David Duke was good to kittens" as an excuse for his behavior. Very few people are "evil" 24/7--even that Phelps idiot with his vicious church and awful signs probably recycles his trash, or does something that's "normal," or "human," or even "kindly" at times.

Racism is an essential character flaw, IMO. It's pretty sick when it comes out of a guy who used to tout for a "tolerant" church and called himself "liberal" in many of his views. And it's not just "them Jews" that have a problem with him, either.

[babylonsister]

Did Wright listen to the speech in Egypt and the response?

Obviously not. Had he, he would never have said what he said. So at best, he's ignorant. He still sounded horrible to me.

[JI7]

19. he is just a bigoted attention whore now

[Tangerine LaBamba]

32. Bingo .......

I've always thought that he, like so many redneck white guys, is intensely jealous of Obama. He just can't help himself sometimes, and it spills out in the ugliest ways.

Remember when he made his appearance at the National Press Club, and he was accompanied by "bodyguards" from the Nation Of Islam?

Nation Of Islam = anti-Semites.

Wright very conveniently conflates "Jews" with "Israel" to make his bigotry look academic and parsed, but his biases trump his attempt when he's caught on tape using language like "them Jews," and that is all entwined with his desperate envy of what his former parishoner has accomplished.....................

[EFerrari]

48. Wright was getting press before Obama was Obama.

Calling him an attention whore is like calling out a chorus girl for dancing. It's what he's always done to promote his church.

[panader0]

14. That kinda talk has gotten people tombstoned here at DU

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Interesting argument you have there.

LOL

[Cant trust em]

27. Good on you for posting.

Speak your opinions and let the criticism come if that's the way it is.

:fistbump:

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. Well I was hoping I had been here long enough to not be accused of anything crazy

I am not a racist. I am not anti-semitic. I just believe AIPAC has way too much power and I tend to side with the Palestinians in Gaza. That's not racist or anti-semitic. My sister is Jewish and she agrees with me. I would hardly call her anti-semitic.

But what Wright said about the Jews keeping him from Obama WAS crazy. I just don't agree it was Worst Person worthy.

[Cant trust em]

53. Some people are always going to be offended.

Keep on rockin' is what I always say.

[cali]

75. yes indeed, it's just outrageous that people would dare be offended by

bigotry. How dare they?

[Cant trust em]

92. I don't think that the OP was particularly bigoted.

I think that we need to be careful when we use those terms. What I saw out of the post was more of a tough opinion than a specific intent about a people.

[cali]

72. I'm sure you're not a racist or anti-semite. you are an apologist for one if

you can't even recognize that what Wright said was blatantly anti-semitic on its face. Not just crazy. Anti-semitic. Bigoted.

[proud2BlibKansan]

84. I am able to separate his racist statements

from the statements that are not racist.

I am not excusing his racism. I just believe he is correct about AIPAC and Gaza.

[LooseWilly]

102. +1

I was trying to figure out where my conclusion would fit... and here it is already written out by you.

Thanks for saving me the trouble of walking that intellectual tightrope my own self...

[scarletwoman]

33. I assumed he meant specific Jews are keeping him away from Obama, such as Rahm Emmanuel.

It was a stupid and crude remark, no doubt, but in the context it seemed to me that Wright was referring to the inner circle around Obama. If Obama had a bunch of Irish people in his inner circle, Wright might have said "those Micks are keeping me away."

I seriously doubt that Rev. Wright is into any grand paranoid delusional notions about "Jews controlling... (whatever)." He's just a crude and impulsive blurter-outer with extraordinarily bad timing.

sw

[TahitiNut]

36. Agreed.

As usual. :fistbump:

[scarletwoman]

43. Thanks. I like Rev. Wright, I'd go to church to hear him speak, too.

He's totally outrageous -- I have a fondness for outrageousness in the service of justice and truth.

sw

[EFerrari]

39. Yep. n/t

[JI7]

50. it implies the whole "jews are in control" bs, Obama has many people around him who aren't Jewish

i don't see how your explanation is any different

[scarletwoman]

52. That's your opinion. Mine differs. (nt)

[JI7]

54. he could have easily said Rahm instead of Jews

[proud2BlibKansan]

55. He should have said Rahm instead of Jews

[JI7]

56. but the fact he said jews instead of Rahm

shows it wasn't just about Rahm with him and he exposed his bigotry.

[scarletwoman]

57. He also could have said nothing at all. Like I said in another post, he's a blurter outer.

He's no doubt genuinely unhappy that he gets no contact with Obama. So his mouth runs off with something stupid.

It's sad and unfortunate, because I see him as an otherwise intelligent and insightful person. He has some serious blind spots, though, especially around his personal emotional reactions to certain stuff.

sw

[JerseygirlCT]

100. Doesn't it trouble you that even if he meant Rahm

he said that? I mean, at the very best interpretation (yours), he's still looking at Rahm not as the former congressman, not as the COS, but as a Jew. That's what he is to Wright: a Jew.

Sorry. It just doesn't come close to passing the smell test. And Rahm has nothing to do with it.

[cali]

73. If he'd said "those Micks...", it still would have been blatantly bigoted

and sorry, reverend wright is into all kinds of crazy and hateful theories- such as AIDS was invented by whites to kill blacks. he's nutty and hateful.

[JerseygirlCT]

99. No. Sorry. He doesn't get a buy from me on this one

Even with your reasoning, what he said or would have said, is still bigotry, plain and simple.

He doesn't get a pass for not being able to control the anti-semitic thoughts in his brain. There were there before they were out. His only problem was letting the whole world see what's contained in there. And it's not pretty.

I defended him often throughout the whole ruckus during the campaign. I have no problem with a preacher railing against the government - a government that has done great wrong, no matter that it's ours.

But this? No excuse. There is none. It wasn't an "oops". It was bigotry.

[undeterred]

37. Jeremiah Wright has had plenty o chances to prove he aint crazy.

And he keeps blowing his chances.

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. I agree

He certainly isn't winning any fans.

[EFerrari]

42. He sounds like someone who isn't very good out of context.

Compare this awful remark to the educated, nimble, nuanced man of the Moyers interview. It's like a different person.

Some people seem to need to stay with what they know and away from the press. Wright is one of those.

[undeterred]

44. Good assessment.

He's clearly a very intelligent and passionate man. But there's a bit of arrogance, anger, and lack of self control thrown in. A congregation may be able to look past his flaws and get a lot of good from him- apparently Obama did at one time. As president he doesn't need someone with Wright's flaws hanging around.

[scarletwoman]

45. I think he gets wound up and lets his mouth get ahead of his brain.

A bit of an ego problem, too. I see him as a fundamentally good-hearted man. Thanks for bringing up that Moyers interview -- I watched that and was truly impressed with his intellect and passion.

sw

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

46. Ok you like racists.

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. And you like broadbrushes

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

51. They are easier to paint with.

[Dramarama]

58. Mind if I use that?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

60. Be my guest.

[lbrtbell]

59. I agree with Keith on this one, too

I don't agree with everything KO says, but he's right on target in this instance.

Anyone, ANYONE, who starts laying blame on "the Jews" for anything, deserves any slings and arrows they receive.

It's one thing to say, for instance, that you disagree with the Israeli GOVERNMENT's policies. That's fair game.

But when someone uses Jewish people, in general, as a scapegoat...that's just hideous.

And considering how Keith has faced anti-Semitic hatred, himself--even though he and his name are actually of German origin, not Jewish at all--it's understandable why anti-Semitic people are among KO's least-favorite slimeballs.

The Worst Person award is fully and richly deserved, in this instance.

[Berry Cool]

65. You said it, lbrtbell

KO has been on the receiving end of anti-Semitic crap for a long time just because of his German surname. Anytime he dares to speak out against anti-Semitism, some crackpot assumes it's because KO himself is Jewish, and transfers a piece of their hatred to him. He used to get lots of hate mail from these crackpots--probably still does. He has no patience for their garbage, whoever it's directed at, and I can't blame him one bit.

Wright is way WRONG on this one. Anyone who can't separate what Israel does from their feeling about Jews in general, or about individual Jews, is a deserving WPITW.

[cali]

67. He's a bigot. And Stewart is dead on right. good for him

but hey, you want to support a bigot, go for it.

[pecwae]

74. KO is correct.

Wright is a bigoted headcase.

[LostinVA]

76. I am not antisemitic in the least, but I do disagree with some of what the Israeli Government does

I would never ever ever ever say "Them Jews," "You Jews," etc. I have had GLBT called (both on here and IRL),"You People." I know what that kind of talk means. I also know how the word "Zionist" is usually used as a "code word."

What he said was bigoted. This even above his stupid AIDS Creation urban myth. I consider both bordering on hate speech.

I also think the Rev's association backs up those of us who feel he's probably antisemitic.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

77. Thank you for managing to connect all Jews to being Zionist thugs. As a Jew who has been

appalled for most of my life at the behavior of the Israeli government and more recently with AIPAC, I thank you, NOT!!!!

[cali]

78. The OP is essentially saying that the kind of bigotry- anti-semitism

that Wright expressed, is not a problem. She's denying it's bigotry. Sickening and not liberal or progressive.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

79. The OP said it right in the subject line of the thread by saying she disagreed with

Olbermann calling him the worst person in the world. KO had it dead on.

[konnichi wa]

80. Oh, Kansas

Makes perfect sense.

[proud2BlibKansan]

93. Cause everyone knows all Kansans hate Jews

:sarcasm:

[konnichi wa]

94. No but some of them are morons.

...

[proud2BlibKansan]

95. The word is moran

and they are everywhere.

[marshall]

81. Wright's statement is ill-timed in juxtaposition with the Holocaust Center shooting

Somebody in the public eye has to be careful about how these things are timed.

[MADem]

101. Which happened on what would have been Anne Frank's eightieth birthday. nt

[QueenOfCalifornia]

82. Wright

making outrageous claims about how the jews will never let Obama see him reeks of anti-Semitism - He sounded like a nutty white supremacist ---

He should stfu...

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

83. I wanted to add...

that you sure must be bored over there in Kansas to click the "post" button after writing this OP...

I happen to know for sure you are not a racist nor do you tolerate racism but you are not correct this time IMHO.

Keep on pissin' the DU off though - it's what makes this place amusing. :D

[Quezacoatl]

85. I wanted to like the Rev but

the more he speaks the less I like him. His bigotry trumps anything else he may be right about.

KO is right on this one.

[izzybeans]

86. Wright was wrong, Olbermann was right.

I like(d) Wright too. But I can't support what he said. It sounds like jealousy, stupidity, and bigotry wrapped up in a tight little "Worst Persons in the World" package to me. He deserved it.

[question everything]

87. Please remind me: has he talked about Darfur?

about all the atrocities in Zimbabwe? Rwanda? The Congo? Or is genocides of blacks on blacks is OK? What about the Muslims in Kosovo?

Has he ever talked about the human rights violations in China that we have to keep quiet because China allows us the huge budget deficit?

No, it is always the Jews. Israel did not succumb when it was attacked in 1967, Israel did not let the European "intelligentia" to mourn the "brief experiment" of a Jewish homeland so it has to be condemned and punished.

It would have been nice had you bothered to get your information from real sources, rather than rants of a crazy black.

[proud2BlibKansan]

89. As a matter of fact he did talk about Darfur in his rant this week

And he has mentioned human rights abuses frequently in his sermons.

[redqueen]

96. "a crazy black"

Wow.

[WI_DEM]

90. Wright's comment about jews made no sense

he belonged on the list.

[PopSixSquish]

97. Ya Know, I've Seen Plenty of DUers Get Themselves in a Righteous Swivet

over the fact that they're going to criticize Obama when he says or does something they don't agree with because it is their right to. Well, for me this is the exact same thing. You (not the OP, but generally) may like Reverend Wright and agree with most of his beliefs. I like all of my friends and agree with most of their beliefs but if they say something ridiculously stupid, I am going to say "hey, that was ridiculously stupid"...

I said this on another thread, for me "Them Jews" = "Those People" and neither is appropriate AT ALL.

KO didn't give Reverend Wright the "Worst Person" selection because of anything other than that statement...

[Veruca Salt]

103. You're just like those freepers who were cheering for Von Brunn's

article about Obama before the guy went on his murderous rampage.

Hate to have to say it, but it's true. If you want a spokesperson to highlight Gaza and AIPAC then I'd find another. There's definitely non-racist non-bigoted one's out there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5824939

[proud2BlibKansan]

104. When did I say anything about wanting him to be a spokesperson?

:crazy: