Jeremiah Wright says President Barack Hussein Obama tried to get him to keep quiet about things Wright knew pertaining to the then-presidential contender, and that even one of Obama's closest friends tried to financially bribe him as well.
The NY Post reported Wright saying, "Barack said he wanted to meet me in secret, in a secure place."
Wright declined the invitation to hide in secrecy when he was used to meeting Obama in public settings or his own home setting.
He did agree, however, to hear Obama out during that 2008 campaign period, inviting his previous congregation member to visit him, as he had done in the past, at the parsonage living room of Trinity United Church of Christ.
Obama accepted, which speaks to his great desire to try and influence his former mentor into not ruining his election chances back then.
"I really wish you wouldn't do anymore public speaking until after the November election," Obama asked the pastor, making it clear that he didn't want John Q. Public knowing just how deep his feelings about controversial issues really went—or how much he had supported Wright's radical views.
And, as one might expect, he had a vested interest in asking the preacher to forgo his speaking engagements, the Post reported.
"It's gonna hurt the campaign if you do," Obama pleaded.
Wright, on the other hand, wanted to remain very public and non-secretive about what he thinks on any number of issues, and on the issues he espoused from the pulpit of the church Obama attended willingly for years.
So the older man didn't feel he should hide his words now, telling the future president that "I don't see it that way."
One of Obama's closest friends attempted to buy the preacher's silence, he said, with a $150,000 bribe, but that didn't work either.
"I'm sorry you don't see it the way I do," Wright says Obama told him.
Of course Obama would be sorry that Wright wouldn't see it his way. He's been sorry the U.S. Supreme Court hasn't seen several issues his way too...and the Congress...and the states....and the public...
This was a period in which America didn't yet know about Obama's obsessive and all-passionate desire to "have it his way" no matter what, though. And the soon-to-be president wanted to keep it that way, according to Wright.
If the country could have listened in to that conversation then, however, it's citizens might have rethought the presidency of such a man given what Wright told the Post next.
"[Obama said], Do you know what your problem is?"
And Wright said, no, with Obama telling him that the preacher was under the unfortunate position of "always having to tell the truth," which was an unfortunate position for the man wanting to be president.
But Jeremiah Wright said that telling the truth was "a good problem to have." And it is, isn't it? So why didn't Obama want the preacher to do so?
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Comments: 27 ( 1 removed by Hillary Hill )
We must rely upon our own discernment.
"Jeremiah Wright says Obama, his former church congregational member, tried to get him to not tell the public anything during the election of 2008."
Except that is not what Rev. Wright said according to Klein. What he quotes Rev Wright saying was:
“And one of the first things Barack said was, ‘I really wish you wouldn’t do any more public speaking until after the November election.’ He knew I had some speaking engagements lined up, and he said, ‘I wish you wouldn’t speak. It’s gonna hurt the campaign if you do that.’
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/the_bribe_to_silence_wright_io9jneobl3fUF0cb7LpcNM#ixzz1usmXeR57
Obama requested he cancel and not make any further speaking engagements. This aspect of the story is not new and appeared in another book on the campaign back in 2009/2010.
As to speculating why Obama would make that request, I think it is pretty obvious. Because Obama must have been pretty sure that Rev. Wright would receive very little fair and unbiased coverage of what he said in any of his sermons or speeches.
Its pretty clear that that has turned out to be the case. In fact the biased and distorted coverage of Rev. Wright continues to this day.
Wright encouraged blacks to damn America in God’s name and blamed the U.S. for provoking the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by dropping nuclear weapons on Japan in World War II and supporting Israel since 1947.
I'm quite familiar with Rev. Wright's sermons, speeches and writings. Scrutinize away, just don't do it as the media tends to do in a superficial manner.
Because I am familiar I know that Rev. Wright has not "encouraged blacks to damn America in God’s name ." In his sermon "Confusing God and Government" he was a asserting that Governments (all Governments not just the U.S.) can not do some of the things they do expect God's blessing, that God condemns those actions.
Because I am familiar, I know that on Sept 16, 2001 Rev Wright gave a sermon cautioning his congregation about seeking revenge and thereby perpetuating the cycle of violence, because as the bible says you reap what you sow and the targets of the revenge may turn out to be innocent civilians and children. I also know that the section of the sermon that you referenced is Rev. Wright paraphrasing former Am. Peck's statements from Fox News on Sept 12, 2001. Rev. Wright never asserted that the U.S. deserved the attacks or that others were justified in attacking the U.S. In fact, I'm unaware of Rev. Wright ever calling for or justifying an act of violence against anyone.
As to the "Bribe". It depends on the nature of the offer. Before passing judgement, I would like to know the details. It would appear that Rev. Wright didn't feel the offer was acceptable because he rejected it. This all assumes that Klein has accurately reporting what he was told. As I wrote previously, the fact that Obama met with Rev. Wright in April 2008 to encourage him to drop his speaking/preaching was reported several years ago and I have heard Rev. Wright talk about it publicly several times.
No matter how you slice that, it is manipulative and sinister by a politician and his supporters.
We can only speculate on what Obama's motives were. I would assume his primary concern was the campaign. However, I wouldn't totally dismiss that he was concerned for Rev. Wright. Rev. Wright tends to give long answers to many questions, which doesn't play well in the sound bite media we have today. I think Obama understands this much better than Rev. Wright. I think Obama knows that the media will be looking for a juicy sound bite and will use it even if it doesn't accurately portray the intent of what was said. Therefore any attempt by Rev. Wright to explain his positions further would not improve the situation, not because his positions are so outlandish, but because the media likes the controversy because it sells.
Perhaps Klein will actually release the tapes of what was actually said, or perhaps the email will be produced. Until then I think there is a lot we don't know about the situation. Klein right now is trying his hardest to present the information in his book in the most controversial manner. Why because it increases sales. I would bet that under scrutiny not everything Klein has asserted or written in his book will hold up. So far there is zero evidence that the Obama team even know about the offer to Rev. Wright.
I do adhere to the old "Where's there's smoke there's fire." And I don't doubt in the least that an Obama friend tried to buy off the Wright reverend (couldn't resist that pun), or that Obama didn't play upon old relations to get Wright to keep silent.
Obama wanted to win the presidency and he had been engaged in church activities that go way outside the real church of God when it comes to speech. Of course he didn't want true Christians or conservatives in the country (who he did get some to vote for him last election) to know he was really harboring some of those mindsets. But they do now. And this election will be different because of that--and his same-sex support.
Even recently in another news article he plainly states he didn't want his same-sex position to come out now, or the way it did. He's still trying to hide stuff from the public, choregraphing when it gets "released by him." What a manipulator he has turned out to be.
Yes speculation and self serving manuscripts are par for the course. Which is why I don't tend to read most books of the type Klein has written. I just don't want to spend the time to figure out where I'm being lied to for a marketable story.
Hmm, "real church of God" and "true Christians?" Who is say what is and is not the real church of God or who are true Christians? Frankly I think when a person or persons get to self assured that they and only they speak fro God, they are most likely in a dangerous place and going down the wrong path. Christians themselves can not agree on what makes someone a true Christian, which is why we have so many different denominations. I suspect that we would have disagreements on what "those mindsets" really were.
If you were paying attention 2008 you would know that Obama was supportive of the LGBT community.
Manipulator or a politician which is what Rev. Wright characterized him as in 2008.
And while you say that Obama was "supportive of the LGBT community" in 2008, I'm sure we can agree that his "support" then was so little that they themselves were decrying it up until he came out and made his forced confession of support on the heels of Biden's statement.
Let us be clear: Obama's own words said he didn't want to address this issue, in this way, or at this time.
He wanted to gain office and then bash Americans' heads with it later, when they couldn't give him the boot.