A Sticky Situation in The Tar Heel State

With the North Carolina GOP refusing to pull the Jeremiah Wright / anti-Obama ad, the otherwise mundane world of state politics has become a point of national interest. Pretty much every major news outlet (online, print, TV) has had some one or many people wax philosophical on the merits or dangers of the ad. To save you the trouble of reading them all, allow me to break them down for you.

On the Democrat / John McCain side (that's not a typo), the ad is nothing more than race baiting. The racist, bigots in the south are pulling out all the stops in an obvious effort to scare white people into voting Republican. I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure Dems and the majority of people north of the Mason-Dixon firmly believe that if the southern states could undo the various legislative results of the 1960's civil rights movement, they would, not to mention Amendments 13-15.

On the North Carolina GOP / non-brainwashed people side, the ad is an extension of legitimate questions about Jeremiah Wright and Obama's associations with the man. Questions that have largely gone unanswered by Obama. Yes, he did give quite the speech shortly after the story broke. Forgive me for not having the 13-year old girl, goose-bumps on my arm reaction that Chris Matthews and Keith Oberman shared.

I don't think any intelligent person out there is mad at Jeremiah Wright for the things he's said. At the end of the day, his statements reflect an ignorant and paranoid world view, and more than anything, I feel sorry for those people. If one accepts that anyone can be racist, not just white people, than his rhetorical themes are somewhat disturbing - racism, hate, and separatism.

The legitimate questions are about Barack's judgement and, to a larger extent, his character. Reverend Wright, evidenced by his own admission and the shear number of DVD's for sale showcasing his sermons, has been preaching the above mentioned themes for decades. Barack has sat in the pews and, despite his contention to the contrary, heard some of Wright's choice comments. To maintain that Barack did not or does not know what kind of man Wright is, is to ignore reality.

Because this is America, and we're free to associate with whom we please, Barack can pick whomever he wants to officiate his wedding, baptize his kids, and be his spiritual advisor - if he is to remain a private citizen. However, when you want to be President of the United States, your choices, personal and public, become fair game, and the voting public is going to use that to determine your character and ability to make sound judgements.

You know where this is headed, so I won't re-invent the wheel. Barack picks very interesting people to advise him, and this is something that needs to be fully addressed. But when the questions are asked, Obama's campaign and certain media outlets immediately cry "RACIST!" and shut down the conversation. It's as if race is the supreme issue in this country, and all other concerns are subordinate.

In addition, the Jeremiah Wright issues is not race related beyond the extent that Wright is black and is a pastor at a black church. The issue is that the man seemingly hates America, and Barack Obama thinks this is a good character trait.

I'm actually happy that the North Carolina GOP is picking up where John McCain refuses to go. Thanks to that groovy First Amendment, I think we'll be seeing more and more of this, and maybe, just maybe, Barack will be forced to fully explain the company he keeps.