Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The cable news media has engaged in a virtual 24/7 orgy of coverage about the words of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Wright, if you recall, is Barack Obama’s controversial former pastor. I have received a number of emails from readers asking me why I am avoiding the subject of Jeremiah Wright. While I appreciate the inquiries, please know that I am not avoiding the subject. I haven’t written about the subject because in the immortal words of Gertrude Stein, there is no there, there.
Consider:
Jeremiah Wright or, $3.70 a gallon gas
Jeremiah Wright or, the mortgage meltdown mess
Jeremiah Wright or, the falling value of the U.S. dollar
Jeremiah Wright or, rising urban crime
Jeremiah Wright or, the $9 trillion National debt
Jeremiah Wright or, off-shoring of good American jobs
Jeremiah Wright or, rising U.S. unemployment
Jeremiah Wright or, rising healthcare costs
Jeremiah Wright or, 47 million American without health insurance
Jeremiah Wright or, national security, securing our ports and borders
Jeremiah Wright or, ending Bush and Hillary’s Iraq war
Jeremiah Wright or, stopping Bush and Hillary Iran war fantasy
Jeremiah Wright or, passing the GI bill
Jeremiah Wright or, repealing all of DOMA
Jeremiah Wright or, LGBT marriage equity
Jeremiah Wright or, restoring our standing with the rest of the world
My point is, ask yourselves what is more important? Jeremiah Wright or the issues next to his name.
I think, and I believe, that for the majority of American people who see their jobs shipped to Mexico or Honduras, or a woman who ignores a lump in her breast because she doesn’t have health insurance but works 40 hours a week, or young people and the retired who now are forced to carry fuel charges on credit cards because they can’t pay cash anymore for $3.70 gas, or LGBT Americans who are in longterm, monogamous relationships but thanks to Bill Clinton’s DOMA, are treated like 5th class citizens, then outside media circles in New York City and inside the Washington DC Beltway, the bloviating of Jeremiah Wright just doesn’t resonate.
I could be wrong. I hope I’m not but, if I am wrong, then the goal of dumbing down the American people that got underway back in the 1970’s is now complete.