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Friday, March 28, 2008

Will the Right-Wing Attack Machine Attack…

posted by on March 28 at 9:21 AM

Condoleezza Rice for getting Barack Obama’s back?

Condoleezza Rice today entered the race debate that has been a simmering undercurrent of the presidential campaign when she said it had been “important” for Barack Obama to give his landmark speech on race and defended the patriotism of African Americans.

The US secretary of state also decried the “birth defect” of slavery that she said has left Americans struggling to confront racism. “Africans and Europeans came here and founded this country together - Europeans by choice and Africans in chains,” Rice told the Washington Times. “That’s not a very pretty reality of our founding.”

She declined to comment directly on the presidential campaign in the Times interview, but strongly defended the patriotism of African Americans. Video clips of Barack Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, shouting, “God damn America,” ignited the race row that has been dominating the Democratic presidential race. Conservatives have also accused Obama and his wife, Michelle, of displaying insufficient love for the country.

“What I would like understood as a black American is that black Americans loved and had faith in this country even when this country didn’t love and have faith in them - and that’s our legacy,” Rice said.

And I hadn’t heard this…

Rice’s success drew heated criticism in 2003 from Reverend Wright, who dubbed her “Condoskeeza” in a sermon.

“For every one Colin Powell, a millionaire, you’ve got 10m blacks who cannot read,” Wright said at the time. “For every one Condoskeeza Rice, you’ve got 1m in prison.”

RSS icon Comments

1

What the fuck?

Posted by Mr. Poe | March 28, 2008 9:26 AM
2

I am just not sure what to make of this posting at all.... is Condi going to endorse Obama?? Now THAT would make this a really interesting election year!

Posted by Andrew | March 28, 2008 9:30 AM
3

Yes they will. Wait'll Malkin gets a hold of this...

Posted by Mike in MO | March 28, 2008 9:31 AM
4

jesus, what the hell goes on at that church?? and here i thought i was so clever and original for calling her condoskeeza.

Posted by brandon | March 28, 2008 9:47 AM
5

Hmm, an Obama/Rice ticket? I think I could be okay with that.

Posted by mattymatt | March 28, 2008 9:51 AM
6

I think this is the most intelligent thing that woman has ever or will ever say.

But her record speaks for itself - she's a moron order-taker.

Posted by Soupytwist | March 28, 2008 9:57 AM
7

brandon @3:

jesus, what the hell goes on at that church?? and here i thought i was so clever and original for calling her condoskeeza.

It doesn't speak well for Obama that his pastor for 20 years talks like a Slog commenter.

Signed,
A Slog commenter

Posted by cressona | March 28, 2008 10:08 AM
8

That Rev. Wright is some piece of work...

Posted by Hernandez | March 28, 2008 10:11 AM
9

Very interesting. Anyone else read the profile of Condi in The New York Review of Books? According to that excellent article, Rice has never been known for defending Black people in general, or becoming involved in civil rights battles of any kind.

From the article "It was obvious from Rice's many metamorphoses that her real ideology was not idealism or realism or defending the citadels of freedom, although she displayed elements of all of them. Her real ideology was succeeding."

It's very very telling that she is inserting herself in the conversation at this point. As if she too has given up on the race baiting and naked hatred of the Republican party. I'm looking forward to watching this one play out.

Posted by Gurldoggie | March 28, 2008 10:24 AM
10

I don't think she was necessarily backing up Obama. However, she should have kept her mouth closed.

Posted by McCain/Crist '08! | March 28, 2008 10:25 AM
11

OMG! It's obvious that the reason she's brought up race for one of the first times is that she's wants to be McCain's VP. This woman barely talks about race and has said in the past that she didn't experience racism in Birmingham, AL. Sudden revelation? I don't think so.

Posted by D. | March 28, 2008 10:30 AM
12

Hernandez @8. Agreed.

Of everything I've learned about Barack Obama, by far the worst thing is his association with Rev. Wright. Obviously, Obama does not share Wright's views. Obviously, he and his family joined Wright's church to gain some street cred on the South Side of Chicago. I don't begrudge Obama a little insincerity in his choice of congregation, but he at least could have challenged his pastor in some way on occasion. The irony of this is that the most admirable aspect of Obama's biography is that he became a community organizer on the South Side and went on to set up roots there, even though he could have gone to much nicer places and done much more selfish things.

Posted by cressona | March 28, 2008 10:39 AM
13

In the interest of balance, some good stuff about BHO.

From The New York Times:

In an interview with WNYC today, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois appeared to endorse Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal for charging motorists for driving in Manhattan during peak times. “I think Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal for congestion pricing is a thoughtful and innovative approach to the problem,” Mr. Obama told Bob Hennelly of WNYC, in an interview that is scheduled to be broadcast during National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” at 4 p.m. Mr. Obama said that revenue from congestion pricing should not replace federal financing for mass transit, WNYC said in a statement describing the interview.

From the Scranton Times-Tribune:

Mr. Obama said he would try to aid local plans for a passenger railroad from Scranton to metropolitan New York City.

“You know, I am a big supporter of rail. Not only is it good for the environment, but it helps support a lot of communities that are sometimes left behind,” he said. “In my home state of Illinois, the rail system has been the lifeblood for a lot of rural and downstate communities. So it’s something I definitely want to look at; I want to expand our use of rail as a way to knit the national economy together. And I think a reinvestment in rail is long overdue.”

Posted by cressona | March 28, 2008 10:40 AM
14

"The War on Iraq will make it clear to our friends and enemies in the Middle East (and elsewhere) that we mean business: Free your people, reform your societies, liberalize, and democratize... or we're going to come over there, remove you from power, free your people, and reform your societies for ourselves."

Posted by Dan Savage October 2002 | March 28, 2008 10:55 AM
15

@12: that's all I'm saying. He can be angry, balck, and a preacher. But when he spouts off crack-pot theories, or calls people names from the pulpit, game over. Time for another church. Or a talking to. Did Obama ever confront him on these issues? Ask him why he would say these thigns? Plead with him to stop? Or just sit in the pews, on his hands?

My fear is that, like a normal politician, he did the latter, because it was more politically effective with his black base. So much for a different kind of politics.

Posted by fluteprof | March 28, 2008 10:59 AM
16

@14

When I wrote "we're" in the above comment I was being rhetorical. I didn't mean we like, say, me and my pal Bill Kristol going over there and doing the fighting. No, NO ,NO! We are too special. I meant we as in let the poor people fight and die and be maimed. There are too many of them anyway. Do you know how much taxes, I a nationally known columnist making bunches of money have to pay to support these breeders? Of course you don't! You are a slogger! You are here to learn how to think and what sort of attitude to have from ME!

Posted by Dan Savage October 2002 | March 28, 2008 11:01 AM
17

eh, on one hand i'm very glad she spoke up. it's a message that needs to be heard. coming from a repug would only seem to help enforce the validity of obama's take on race relations.

on the other hand, it might harm his chances somewhat. it could reinforce the flawed by often believed idea that african-americans would put race above politics. if it started to look like blacks were supporting obama because he's black recently, this only reinforces that idea. and it is an idea that many rural whites seem uncomfortable with.

Posted by infrequent | March 28, 2008 11:02 AM
18

@15

Instead of watching fox news and youtube for your info on this subject why don't you read the speeches in there entirety. Most of this shit is being printed out of context. Oh shit! What am I saying? You are just a dumbass slogger here to learn what to say and think and be entertained. As you were slogger!

Posted by slogging thru the mud | March 28, 2008 11:04 AM
19

Eh... Wright doesn't help his case but I'm less depressed than I was. Basically it's going to be trotted out A LOT. It will be decisive with folks who wouldn't vote for him anyway.

But if he runs a strong campaign otherwise people are going to ask themselves, am I going to vote against him just because of his pastor? I think it's surmountable.

Of course personally I don't care. I think Wright made some good points and I think the backlash against Obama has been unjust. (I changed that from unfair, because well, all's fair in war.)

Posted by daniel | March 28, 2008 11:18 AM
20

Zing! Man, that Reverend is one sharp political satirist.

Posted by Abby | March 28, 2008 11:27 AM
21

@18: Exactly how can you put "Condoskeeza" in any sort of context that might make Wright come off as something other than an idiot?

Posted by fluteprof | March 28, 2008 11:33 AM
22

She's setting up for her run for VP on the GOP ticket in 2012 after the neocons are sent into the wilderness for the next 40 years this year.

Posted by Will in Seattle | March 28, 2008 11:46 AM
23

As probably one of the few blacks on here, let me inform the majority about what blacks think of Condi. Does anyone remember the Dave Chapelle skit where they're having the Racial Draft and Condi gets sent over to Whites? Well there's a reason for that, she's publically denounced affirmative action, didn't stand up for Colin Powell when she probably knew that the intelligence given to him about Iraq wasn't legitimate, and to make matters worse, while hundreds of people, most of them black, were drowning in New Orleans, she was in NYC shoe shopping and attending Broadway shoes and didn't give a damn about them (http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=24885). I was shocked when I heard her publically say in 2000 that she was against affirmative action. Clearly, she has benefitted from it even though she is brilliant as hell. Without affirmative action in place from the 60s to now, do you think a talented, extremely intelligent, and ambitious black woman as herself would be in such a position as she is in today? She's selfish in the sense that she doesn't want to see minorities or women with the same attributes as her triumph through the privileged WASP male society and workplace.

Now for Wright to say that about her, I don't disagree with him at all. To my friends, black and white alike, I call her Auntie Tom. Clearly, Condi and Clarence "Uncle" Thomas don't care about black people at all and know the black community rejects them because of this.

Posted by apres_moi | March 28, 2008 11:48 AM
24

@7
actually, his pastor is talking like LeRoi Jones a.k.a. Amiri Baraka, playing on a line from his poem "Somebody Blew Up America:"
"Who know what kind of Skeeza is a Condoleeza."

Posted by nerdy english major applying her knowledge | March 28, 2008 11:56 AM
25

Well, that settles it. I'm not voting Jeremiah Wright for president, should he ever run.

Posted by tsmt | March 28, 2008 12:15 PM
26

every time i hear more useless bullshit about this random preacher guy, i can't help but think about this:

http://www.buffalobeast.com/125/rev.wright.html

"Obama: I really can’t believe this shit. All this bullshit just because an atheist can’t get elected to so much as a fucking school board in this country.

Wright: Atheist?

Obama: You’re damn right I’m an atheist, you dumb motherfucker. But oh, I gotta go into politics, so I gotta go to some stupid church, pretend I’m a goddamn simpleton for the stupid voters. So hell, what church do I go to, right? The big one! The one all my constituents go to. After all, they’re all bullshit, what possible difference could it make? Shit. It’s bad enough people are calling me a Muslim—now I gotta deal with this Professor Griff bullshit?"

Posted by dan | March 28, 2008 12:41 PM
27

@11: Agreed. She is going for VP slot. Brilliant really, since she has lots of cred with the GOP, she can pull the african american vote away from Obama slightly, and she is historic in that she is a woman and she is a minority. BAM.

She also has more experience than Obama, so who knows how people in the middle will vote. Plenty of them still like McCain...and Condi doesn't go to a "american hating' chuch (note, I don't think that, but that is what the press will dub it no doubt.)

Posted by Original Monique | March 28, 2008 12:51 PM
28

more experience than obama? really? you mean like when she pushed a document titled "osama bin laden plans major attack on US" from one side of her desk to the other in august '01? is that the "experience" you're referring to? as oprah said, "if you're not accountable for the mistakes you've made, your experience don't mean shit." i'm paraphrasing a bit here, but you get the idea.

condi should have been FIRED, but instead she got a promotion. she's not very widely respected in the GOP -- and neither is mccain -- so i really don't think she's going to be his choice for VP. he needs to shore up his credibility with the base, and in that regard she would be one of his worst choices.

Posted by brandon | March 28, 2008 1:16 PM
29

apres_moi, what do you think of condi now that she's backed wright's description of the african-american experience a bit?

your writing seems to be a big vent against her. to apply this to the topic, i would guess you are saying her gesture means nothing because you believe she clearly has put her own position, or her own political beliefs, above her loyalty to her race.

i guess i think you can provide a perspective here that i would like to hear more of...

Posted by infrequent | March 28, 2008 1:30 PM
30

oh, as a VP... interesting. i think she would make a good repub VP. and from a dem perspective, there are certainly worse choices. it is long overdo that we had a minority pres or vp. that doesn't change just because of party affiliation, as long as they are qualified. as a repub, she seems qualified.

Posted by infrequent | March 28, 2008 1:34 PM
31

@#29:
how did skeeza back up wright @ all? i guess she aknowledged that slavery happened but i think we all came to a consensus on that one.
she did recognize the import of obama's speech and thats cool.

but no, condi's g-pass got stamped long ago. she could tell me she likes my outfit but i sure as hell wouldn't give her my seat on the bus.

Posted by lar | March 28, 2008 1:50 PM
32

@23 - I missed that, but I did like the take on Condi by a certain Oregon-based Cartoon Network late nite show about black kids sent to live with their grandpa.

Posted by Will in Seattle | March 28, 2008 1:52 PM

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