Obama Does it Again

I may die of popcorn lung before the convention.

Jon Henke is guestblogging for Megan McArdle this week and he has an impressive list of recent "oops" moments for both Clinton and Obama , some of which I had never heard of and all of which are worthy of repeating.

But one that caught my eye promises to be a more than satisfactory follow-up to the Rev. Wright drama. Meet Obama's next major miscalculation when it comes to choosing spiritual counsel and campaign adivsors: Rev. James T. Meeks, another firebreathing racewarrior and a virulent homophobe.

Obama is going to face some tough questions about this guy and it will resuscitate the media's flagging interest in Rev. Wright since now we have a pattern. Meeks' sermons are just as stunning as Wright's and are also available on CD, which makes me think we'll be seeing more arm-flapping goodness in the near future. (BTW, is it common for churches to sell recorded services?)

Here's a start:

That's right, he said:

"We don't have slave masters. We got mayors. But they still the same white people who are presiding over systems where black people are not able, or to be educated."

"You got some preachers that are house niggers. You got some elected officials that are house niggers. And rather than them trying to break this up, they gonna fight you to protect this white man."

This Meeks fellow is simply amazing. In the video, he tries to claim that he doesn't see why people would be upset about him calling black members of the city counsel "house niggers." He goes on to claim that the n-word is not a "bad word" for blacks and is actually a term of endearment!

He's also got quite a track record when it comes to anti-gay sentiment, something that got Obama in trouble once before. But best (worst?) of all, this albatross is securely tied around Obama's neck:

Described in a 2004 Chicago Sun Times article as someone Barack Obama regularly seeks out for “spiritual counsel”, James Meeks, who will serve as an Obama delegate at the 2008 Democratic convention in Denver, is a long-time political ally to the democratic frontrunner.

When Obama ran for the U.S. Senate in 2003, he frequently campaigned at Salem Baptist Church while Rev. Meeks appeared in television ads supporting the Illinois senator’s campaign...

Since that time, not only has Meeks himself served on Obama’s exploratory committee for the presidency and been listed on the Obama's campaign website as one of the senator’s ‘influential black supporters’, but his church choir was called on to raise their voices in praise at a rally the night Obama announced his run for the White House back in 2007.

Interestingly, the Chicago Sun Times has also reported that both Meeks and Obama share a history of substantial campaign contributions from indicted real estate magnate Tony Rezko.

And still people think that Clinton will be easier to beat in the general. What are you guys smoking?

posted by Gabriel Malor at 01:42 AM

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