NPR host: Many can 'relate' to Rev. Wright's words David Edwards and Chris Tackett

Published: Sunday March 16, 2008



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Print This Email This Michele Norris, host of NPR's All Things Considered, told a panel of guests on Meet the Press that the tone used by Obama's former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, is not uncommon in many churches. Norris noted that many Americans find some agreement with Rev. Wright's sermons. She said, "When Jeremiah Wright makes these statements the Amen chorus in that church was very loud. His words resonate with a large number of African Americans and the blunt language that he used makes people uncomfortable. You know, when he talks about America's inglorious record on race. And yet, many people find something that they relate to in those words." Another panelist, David Broder of The Washington Post, said "[Rev. Wright's] tone seems so far removed from the tone that Obama has tried to strike, not just in this campaign, but throughout his political career, that it raises the question in my mind, what was it about Reverend Wright that attracted Obama when he had as a newcomer to Chicago he had any number of churches or pastors to go to?" Norris responded by saying, "You're talking about a tone and not his words. The sort of 'fire from the pulpit' is not something that is unusual in an African-American church. That is something -- in fact in many churches in america." She continued, "It's not all together different from what many people are hearing at this moment in churches all across America." The exchange can be seen below:



Transcript via closed captions :: david broader, talk about events happening, you had the situation with geraldine ferraro that i talked with nita lowey and bill bradley with reverend jeremiah wright, tony rezko, the fund-raiser for barack obama. on friday, senator obama went to "chicago tribune" and chicago sun times and sat down with both editorial boards and reporters for an hour and a half at each place and went through his relationship and the money he raised. here's one of the headlines, "obama says rezko played a bigger fund-raiser role." with reporters and editors obama disclosed rezko raised more for obama's earlier political campaigns than known, gathering as much as $250,000 for the three offices he sought, state senate, house of representatives and senator. obama collaborated on previous statements about his private real estate transactions with rezko saying they were not mistakes of judgment because rezko was under a grand jury investigation, mistake was not just engaging in the transaction with tony rezko because he was having legal problems, the mistake because he was a contributor and somebody who was involved in politics. david broader, does that issue create difficulty for barack obama? :: i think it's not a big issue at this point. but this trial is in the very early stages and we don't know what will come out. it appears that mr. rezko's real connections were down in springfield with governor rather than with obama, but the one thing we know for sure, tim, is that between now and the first day of the democratic convention, there will be events and they will impact on these candidates. :: we have bill bradley calling for bill clinton to release the list of $500 million in contributions to his library and foundation. the clinton tax returns post-presidency, which will be some significant income, and the archives information about hillary clinton's role in the clinton white house. all that might be fertile ground for journalists, perhaps for voters. :: this is a campaign that's not about policy. it's about the personalities involved. it's become about race and gender and the sort of more fis idea of preparedness for crisis. it's not about what they stand for, congresswoman lowey was saying let's talk about health care and the economy. not a lot of difference between them on that and voters will not make up the minds about the question of mandate on health care. you have to watch john mccain. he's in the position to begin running his general election campaign against the both of them in front of the democratic primary voters who will look and say, well, let's see how mccain is running against obama, standing up on the issue of reverend wright, standing up on the issue of rezko, does he look tarnished? it's the republicans who the democrats will say we have to worry about and that may work to senator clinton's benefit. :: michele, you have geraldine ferraro, reverend wroits, gender, race, must each of those candidates address these issues in bigger deal tail in terms of the impact on society and culture? :: i think they have no escape from this. it keeps coming up. barack obama dealt with this directly yesterday, saying that this is sort of a generational shift. that certain people who are -- come out of the 1960s and talking about jeremiah wright carry with them -- he said ferocious intelligence who came out of the 1960ss with whose ambitions were stymied and trying to explain some of the rhetoric there. jeremiah wright is concerned, it's interesting, if you introduced him for the first time based on the clips that were showed on this program, you don't get the full measure of this man who and who he is and why barack obama may have been attracted to him. barack obama is in a difficult position because he has said repeatedly words count. he can't diminish these words or easily step away from them. but if you just focus on the words, it seems that you ignore something very important. when jeremiah wright makes these statements, amen core russ in that church was very loud. his words resonate with a large number of african-americans. and the blunt language that he used makes people uncomfortable. when he talks about america's inglorious record on race, and yet, many people find something that they relate to in those words and that's what barack obama and hillary clinton may want to start focusing on, is the both fer regard ra dust up and the jeremiah wright seems to point to. :: many african-americans have said to me the last 48 hours, that their concern was that obama be seen not as a new kind of african-american leader, and willen caught up -- will be caught up in those comments which will frighten white americans and create difficulty for obama. :: that's why he was fresh and new, a voice without anger. :: i said to michele a moment ago, what's striking to me is that i don't know reverend wroits, except for these clips, and that's not a basis for judging his whole approach or personality. but, his tone seems so far removed from the tone that obama has tried to strike, not just in this campaign, but throughout his political career, that it raises a question in my mind, what was it about reverend wright that attracted obama when he had as a newcomer to chicago, choice of any number of churches or pastors to go to? :: when you talk about tone, though, it's interesting. you're talking about a tone and not his words. the sort of fire from the pulpit is not something that is unusual in an african-american church. that is something -- in fact n many churches in america. what you're dealing with the these statements is in part the words, but also in the way that they were delivered. you're right in noting that is very different from what barack obama hears. it's not all together different from what many people are hearing at this moment in churches all across america.



