# Jeremiah Wright Steps In It Again **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 10, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393 "2009-06-10T23:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/61 "2009-06-11T16:00:18Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Well, he was talking about specific Jews. Hrm… are we in yet another episode of Dio Is a Stubborn Ass Who Invents Non-Facts to Rationalize His Bullshit? Explain how it was “specific Jews” who were keeping Obama from seeing Wright. Further, if you aren’t totally full of shit, name those specific Jews he was complaining about. I’ll admit there may have been specifics, but I’m used to how you argue and without a cite I’m more likely to believe Der about religious/conservative people’s thought processes. Explain how Wright’s conspiratorial view whereby it isn’t Obama’s choice, but “them Jews” who are somehow not letting Obama choose who he talks with. Explain how, even if it was Emanuel and another Jewish person or two who was advising against Obama meeting with Wright, that “them Jews” becomes a good descriptor to use. If someone criticizes Obama, you’d be fine with them saying “That black guy is fucking up our economy!” Right? Nothing odd about that, eh? It’s interesting to watch you go completely off the rails as soon as a topic emotionally effects you. So far it seems to be various political matters, gender issues and human sexuality that turn you into a auto-parody at the drop of a hat. Strangely enough you’re actually able to remain fairly lucid and rational when it comes to religion. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/62 "2009-06-11T16:02:39Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Well, he was talking about specific Jews, and he’s an old black guy. _Which_ Jews? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/63 "2009-06-11T16:03:30Z")
You know Vinyl it was, erm, it was… well, it was _them Jews_. Jeez, what, do you need a map? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/64 "2009-06-11T16:09:26Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > _Which_ Jews? Well, if I remember my grammar rules correctly, only nine-fingered Jews are properly addressed using the accusative plural. So it’s either Rahm Emanuel, or somebody else who is (a) Jewish, and (b) owns a woodchipper. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/65 "2009-06-11T16:20:01Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > [**‘Them Jews’ won’t let Obama talk to me.**](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/10/wright-them-jews-wont-let-obama-talk-to-me/#more-55728) > Criminy! What a dumbass. Can’t he just STFU? > > Being as how I’m from the South, and came of age in the 60’s. I find this part particularly ironic – _“They will not let him to talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is,” he added._ Ha! And people called the Right “irrelevant”!! ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/66 "2009-06-11T16:27:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, if I remember my grammar rules correctly, only nine-fingered Jews are properly addressed using the accusative plural. So it’s either Rahm Emanuel, or somebody else who is (a) Jewish, and (b) owns a woodchipper. It was his right middle finger. Emanuel says he had to learn to talk with his left hand instead. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/67 "2009-06-11T16:32:42Z")
I would just like to suggest that it would be very hard for Wright to step in it again, seeing as how his whole approach to life is one big cow pie. I don’t have a real big problem with some his and his churches basic philosophies (has anybody here actually checked out the church’s website?). I do have a problem with what he’ll say personally to keep himself in the spotlight, never acknowledging that perhaps it was his continued public and personal actions and statements after the campaign started that slammed the door on his and Obama’s relationship – not them Jews. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/68 "2009-06-11T16:38:31Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It would be more like being a member at StormFront for twenty years without leaving. If I had reason to believe that Rev. Wright actually said things like “them Jews!” in every sermon for 20 years, then I’d see the parallel to StormFront, whose message is unrelenting and unambiguous. But people (and groups) can and do change over time, becoming more insular, more insane, more dedicated, as their audience grows. Case in point: the GOP of the present day. It doesn’t follow that the GOP will _always_ be so; pendulums swing. If we compare the crazy-ass statements of … oh, let’s say Rush Limbaugh … to those of Wright, we might have a better parallel than to StormFront. Rush has stepped in the crazy more than once; he has made hateful, inaccurate, paranoid and disingenuous remarks, but he has also (much as I hate to admit it) made some good points. He’s not pure-D 100% crazy-ass bullshit liar freak 24/7, or at least he wasn’t always so. Obama disavowed Wright when it became clear Wright stepped in the crazy himself (and, let’s face it, when it became politically inconvenient to adhere to him). Personally, I take that as a sign that the good reverend got wackier and further afield the more attention he drew. I don’t see that happening with the Republicans and Limbaugh … yet. Why is that, do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/69 "2009-06-11T16:39:11Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > As an Obama supporter, I don’t give a crap about this - I mean, Wright came out and said Obama doesn’t want to talk to him. In other words, Obama is doing exactly what I’d want him to do. Yup. The fact that he’s not talking to Wright is a bonus. > [@](#): > > On the other hand, I am deeply unhappy (and become more unhappy daily) about his decision to prop up every failing corporation in America. I understand the bank bailout, although I don’t think it was necessary to bail out the entire financial sector. The problem is that they’re all lashed together like ships; if we let one sink there’s a risk that it’ll drag more down with it (see: “too big to fail”). At least we’re getting [some of it back](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jun/10/barack-obama/obama-says-government-has-so-far-turned-profit-mon/). > [@](#): > > I’m not sure exactly what we should be doing to employ all their workers, Do we need any more large dams built? 😉 > [@](#): > > of course, although if I had my druthers we’d be offering low-interest loans to other automakers willing to step in, with the option of some protective tariffs. Who are these other automakers? Apart from FIAT, I mean. > [@](#): > > ETA: While I’m throwing it out there, I’m also dismayed by the decision to allow “don’t ask, don’t tell” to remain in place. Same here. I’ve said elsewhere that he may be postponing the gay-friendly bits of his agenda to avoid undermining his credibility with the Muslim world (see: his speech in Cairo) but there’s only so much leeway I’m willing to give. > [@Shodan](#): > > It would be more like being a member at StormFront for twenty years without leaving. Yes, because the main purpose of the United Church of Christ is to hate them Jews. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > There comes a point where silence can be construed as assent, especially for someone you dedicate a book to. As I said above, I’ve got inlaws whom I like as people and are warm, welcoming and friendly even though they hold some repugnant views. There are certain topics that we don’t discuss because it’s clear we won’t agree. I believe that “don’t ask, don’t tell” is a common family dynamic. > [@](#): > > If a pastor of a church I was a member of spouted the kind of racism that Wright has done, I would leave the church and find a different one. As a matter of fact, I have left churches where the preacher’s sermons contained what I considered unacceptable views. Without knowing what sort of social dynamic was involved, it’s hard to say whether this was a reasonable action for the Obamas. Did all his close friends attend the same church? Did they agree with the occasional loony outbursts, or did they tolerate them to avoid making waves? Don’t know. > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Obama’s family reference to Wright makes a lot of sense to me. I don’t doubt that Wright may have made racist comments in the past in Obama’s presence, but it seems to me the degree of apparent conviction in those comments are likely on par with what we hear every day amongst the common people including our own family members now and then. > > Again, not in my experience. But it is in mine. > [@](#): > > FWIW, being a member of a congregation is not as strong a bond as being part of a family. Depends entirely on the church. Some are _very_ close-knit, especially (I believe) in the African-American community. > [@](#): > > I don’t feel that is an unrealistic standard for myself. Therefore, it is not an unrealistic standard for a Presidential candidate. Heh. You think your life could withstand the level of scrutiny his has had without _anything_ questionable turning up amongst any of your current and former acquaintances and family? I highly doubt it (not just for you, but for anyone). > [@](#): > > The best possible face I can put on it is, Obama did not think the racism was enough to interfere with the very close relationship he had with Wright for several decades. Yup. > [@](#): > > Even if you spin it as hard as you can for Obama, it still doesn’t look very good. Matter of opinion. As has been pointed out, he spends a lot of time with “them Jews” for an purported anti-Semite. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/70 "2009-06-11T16:42:56Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > _Which_ Jews? I assumed Rahm Emmanuel. Other than that I don’t know. It’s ludicrous to think he was referring to a holistic Jewish conspiracy, though. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/71 "2009-06-11T16:45:05Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Who are these other automakers? Apart from FIAT, I mean. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes (although given how the DaimlerChrysler thing went down, presumably they’re not up for it) or VAG… or hell, even Ford. For that matter, I’d have no problem with entirely new companies springing up to fill the void. One of the big problems with the US auto industry is that the Big Three were so big - having to compete with such deep pockets is a bigger barrier to entry than any other you can imagine, other than perhaps a government-enforced monopoly. It would be interesting to see, say, Apple or Sony or Nike or Time Warner enter the motor industry- and even more interesting to see some actual small-scale domestic automakers building mass-market cars rather than exotics or electrics. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/72 "2009-06-11T16:53:28Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I assumed Rahm Emmanuel. Other than that I don’t know. It’s ludicrous to think he was referring to a holistic Jewish conspiracy, though. He may have also been referring to adviser David Axelrod. Far be it from Wright to keep his name straight (or Emmanuel’s, he’s only the WH Chief of Staff). “Them Jews” is pretty much all the same. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/73 "2009-06-11T16:54:13Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Hrm… are we in yet another episode of Dio Is a Stubborn Ass Who Invents Non-Facts to Rationalize His Bullshit? > > Explain how it was “specific Jews” who were keeping Obama from seeing Wright. > Further, if you aren’t totally full of shit, name those specific Jews he was complaining about. I’ll admit there may have been specifics, but I’m used to how you argue and without a cite I’m more likely to believe Der about religious/conservative people’s thought processes. > Explain how Wright’s conspiratorial view whereby it isn’t Obama’s choice, but “them Jews” who are somehow not letting Obama choose who he talks with. > Explain how, even if it was Emanuel and another Jewish person or two who was advising against Obama meeting with Wright, that “them Jews” becomes a good descriptor to use. If someone criticizes Obama, you’d be fine with them saying “That black guy is fucking up our economy!” Right? Nothing odd about that, eh? I assumed he meant Emmanuel and probably Axelrod. Is it a good descriptor to use? Well, it’s not a _graceful_ descriptor to use, but it isn’t some kind of smoking gun proof of bigotry. I’ve known a lot of older white people who for some reason always feel the need to identify minorities by race without necessarily intending any malice. They’ll talk about going to the bank and talking to the black teller or hiring the Mexican neighbor kid to mow the lawn. I’m not prepared to declare somebody a bigot on some a slim item of evidence. As far as I know, Wright has no history of making antisemitic or racist remarks before, so I’m not going to get my knickers in a bunch about this. George W. Bush has said worse withoit getting accused of antisemitsm. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/74 "2009-06-11T17:06:39Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > If I had reason to believe that Rev. Wright actually said things like “them Jews!” in every sermon for 20 years, then I’d see the parallel to StormFront, whose message is unrelenting and unambiguous. But people (and groups) can and do change over time, becoming more insular, more insane, more dedicated, as their audience grows. Case in point: the GOP of the present day. It doesn’t follow that the GOP will _always_ be so; pendulums swing. > > If we compare the crazy-ass statements of … oh, let’s say Rush Limbaugh … to those of Wright, we might have a better parallel than to StormFront. Rush has stepped in the crazy more than once; he has made hateful, inaccurate, paranoid and disingenuous remarks, but he has also (much as I hate to admit it) made some good points. He’s not pure-D 100% crazy-ass bullshit liar freak 24/7, or at least he wasn’t always so. > > Obama disavowed Wright when it became clear Wright stepped in the crazy himself (and, let’s face it, when it became politically inconvenient to adhere to him). Personally, I take that as a sign that the good reverend got wackier and further afield the more attention he drew. I don’t see that happening with the Republicans and Limbaugh … yet. Why is that, do you think? I agree with this. Wright is as much of a gets-it-right-sometimes nutwad as Limbaugh They both try to be as wild-eyed and out there as they can because the audience (read, the people who pay his bills) sways easily to the tune they play, no matter how formless it gets. This, frankly, makes Obama look better for cutting the ties when he did. Now as **RNATB** points out, this bailout thing is nutso. We spent how much money on not only the banks, which is another fishy kettle, but GM and Chrysler as well, only to have them go tits up anyway? THAT was foolish. Now this ‘cash-for-clunkers’ deal? Where’s THAT money gonna come from? I find myself wanting to grab someone by the lapels and shake them until this makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/75 "2009-06-11T17:08:46Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I have been a member of an established congregation for most of my life, and this isn’t my experience at all. > > If a pastor of a church I was a member of spouted the kind of racism that Wright has done, I would leave the church and find a different one. As a matter of fact, I have left churches where the preacher’s sermons contained what I considered unacceptable views. Compare and contrast my parents, who have stayed with the same Catholic church, and even stayed active on the church council and as organist, and then bitterly complained each week for a solid five years about the insanity the priest spouted from the pulpit (until his untimely death). In that case, it wasn’t so much racist or hateful spouting as it was just completely non-Catholic doctrine (the guy in question preached a belief in reincarnation, and his sermons about teens and sexuality were, shall we say, quite lurid), but it does serve as an anecdote of some very deeply religious people who chose to ride out a bad moment in the continuity of pastoral activity for the sake of staying with a congregation. And for that matter, both my parents applauded the man personally for being a great guy who poured his heart and soul into a little-liked charity (he operated a shelter for homeless and destitute men in small-town Appalachia) even when they decried the more out-there aspects of his doctrines. This, of course, is only relevant if either that the Obamas joined that church in spite of Wright, was willing to ignore Wright’s foibles because despite his mouth he’s good at the general job of being a pastor, or that Wright got more insane at some point after the Obamas were sufficiently part of that congregation that it would have been jarring to leave. I don’t really think we have the information to speculate on which of those three it might be. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/76 "2009-06-11T17:09:37Z")
Your first statement was that “he was talking about specific Jews.” (notice, no probably or maybe or kinda. You made a definitive statement. In other words, you were bullshitting, again. Stop doing that shit.) Your second was that you “assumed Rahm Emmanuel. Other than that I don’t know.” Why do you even engage in such behavior in the first place? Instead of stating definitively “He was talking about specific Jews” why not just say “Gee, I have no clue, but I’d like to believe he was talking about specific Jews.” Of course, even if true that for some reason he was specifically talking about Emanuel and Axelrod, you’ve totally avoided the fact that it betrays that Wright holds some sort of paranoid conspiracy if he believes that Obama is being _kept from_ speaking with him by anybody, at all. As if Obama isn’t even allowed to decide who he talks to, due to the overbearing influence of “them Jews”. Stop rationalizing a position you’ve already adopted based on emotion and actually think about this for a moment. Instead of saying that Obama has chosen not to speak with him, he’s alleging that _the President of the United States of America is having his actions controlled by "them Jews._ Stop reflexively defending Wright long enough to wonder why exactly myths of Jewish control of the US government aren’t exactly, ahem, kosher. Meanwhile, stop bringing up Bush. It was an obnoxious tactic when “but Clinton!” was used during Bush’s presidency and it’s an obnoxious tactic when “but Bush!” is used during Obama’s presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/77 "2009-06-11T17:10:40Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I assumed he meant Emmanuel and probably Axelrod. Is it a good descriptor to use? Well, it’s not a _graceful_ descriptor to use, but it isn’t some kind of smoking gun proof of bigotry. Having just done some intrepid sleuthing (okay, Googling and searching the ADL webpage for mentions of Wright), it’s not as clear as I thought that Wright is an anti-Semite. He hasn’t actually said anything that could be construed as anti-Semitic. That said, according to the New York Times he once referred to Zionism as “white racism”, and he’s on record as a big fan of Louis Farrakhan (and the church’s magazine, The Trumpet, gave him what amounts to a “Man of the Year” award in 2008). ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/78 "2009-06-11T17:11:50Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I assumed he meant Emmanuel and probably Axelrod. Is it a good descriptor to use? Well, it’s not a _graceful_ descriptor to use, but it isn’t some kind of smoking gun proof of bigotry. > > I’ve known a lot of older white people who for some reason always feel the need to identify minorities by race without necessarily intending any malice. They’ll talk about going to the bank and talking to the black teller or hiring the Mexican neighbor kid to mow the lawn. I’m not prepared to declare somebody a bigot on some a slim item of evidence. As far as I know, Wright has no history of making antisemitic or racist remarks before, so I’m not going to get my knickers in a bunch about this. George W. Bush has said worse withoit getting accused of antisemitsm. Yeah but, Wright ostensibly knows better. This wasn’t him talkin’ shit at the diner or barbershop, this is him getting out in front of the public talking this madness, knowing full well what he’s saying. He’s an attention whore that cares only for his own petty notariety and nothing for Obama. He deserves no quarter. You sound terribly like you’re making excuses for this windbag. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/79 "2009-06-11T17:12:02Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > He may have also been referring to adviser David Axelrod. Far be it from Wright to keep his name straight (or Emmanuel’s, he’s only the WH Chief of Staff). “Them Jews” is pretty much all the same. Seems pretty doubtful, considering all three are Chicago political fixtures. When I was a hack at a Chicago PR agency/lobbying firm in the early 2000s (run by a woman who orchestrated Obama’s anti-war speech and would later become one of Obama’s chief bundlers), each of these names were pretty familiar and not likely to be confused by anyone with any political cred, which includes Rev. Wright. He’s not the bumpkin you seem to think he is. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393/80 "2009-06-11T17:25:00Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Stop rationalizing a position you’ve already adopted based on emotion and actually think about this for a moment. Instead of saying that Obama has chosen not to speak with him, he’s alleging that _the President of the United States of America is having his actions controlled by "them Jews._ Stop reflexively defending Wright long enough to wonder why exactly myths of Jewish control of the US government aren’t exactly, ahem, kosher. Well, he may be partly correct. The WH CoS controls access to the President (and advises him), and if I were Emanuel and Wright called, I’d tell him to go away, and I’d certainly tell Obama that I didn’t think it was a good idea to see or speak to Wright. Now, the fact that he used “them Jews” as the identifier is certainly an issue, but I think you’re reading a bit too much into this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeremiah-wright-steps-in-it-again/499393.md?page=5)