by Fran Eaton
Barack Obama attributes the title of his book, "The Audacity of Hope" to his pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ's Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., who he met 20 years ago. Wright is an outspoken critic of George W. Bush, and calls those who voted for him "stupid."
From the UCC denomination's website, a 2005 in-depth interview tells a little more about the influence Dr. Wright has on Illinois' junior senator:
Obama says that Wright is not only his pastor, but he also is his friend and mentor. And Wright is one of the people to whom he turns help him explain how his liberal positions jibe with his faith.
The fact that Obama chose Trinity UCC is no accident. In a sea of conservative black churches, Trinity stands out in that it has welcomed in gay members, done outreach to people living with AIDS and advocated progressive positions on many social issues.
In 1977, the church had a "Free South Africa" banner across its front and, in the 1990s, it responded to Louis Farrakhan’s Million Man March by creating a committee to work on local social issues.
Today, Wright is quick to call those who voted for President Bush "stupid" and chastise the public for letting issues like housing for the poor "fall off the radar screen."
For those who continue to characterize Illinois' junior senator as an "unknown quantity" and a "blank slate" politically, where he is on social issues is no secret.
Now, whether you agree with him or not is fair game for discussion -- that's what politics and debate is all about. But let's not blur the issues with flowery speech. Barack Obama is a radical liberal -- and proud of it.
The only way to keep a radical liberal out of the White House is to offer an appealing conservative voice in the wilderness. So far, one hasn't emerged to lead this lost tribe to a parting of the Red Sea.
If America wants a charming, raging liberal for President, we'll deal with it. We have before.
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