The Wright Cost of Anger

Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Sen. Barack Obama's spiritual advisor and former pastor, holds a charter membership in the white-man-done-me-wrong, things-remain-the-same, we-feel-your-pain club.

Here's the "victicrat" mindset: Kids having difficulty performing well on standardized tests? Blame "cultural bias." Get pulled over by a cop? DWB — driving while black. A disproportionate number of blacks in prison? A racist criminal justice system that "targets" blacks for prosecution and imprisonment. Katrina? As Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., put it, "ethnic cleansing by inaction." Difficulty qualifying for a loan? Blame banks' devious plan to prevent blacks from getting "access to capital." Pay more for car insurance because you live in a high-crime neighborhood? Why, illegal "redlining," of course. High inner-city dropout rate? Bad teachers, unequal funding, racist teachers — yada, blah, etc.

We learn that Wright, from the pulpit and in other venues, sermonizes that: the government put drugs in the community; the government invented AIDS to exterminate blacks; he considers the 9/11 attacks that killed 3,000 people on American soil an understandable retribution for America's racist and unjust past; "white greed" causes America's ills; he considers Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, "Condoskeeza Rice" — a street term for whore; he condemns the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; racism built America and racism remains a substantial problem today; he considers the anti-Semitic leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, a friend and one of the "greatest voices" of the 20th century; because of their different brain patterns, blacks and whites learn differently; and much more.

Rev. Wright, after lying low for a few days post-YouTube excerpts, emerged unrepentant, either unconcerned or oblivious to the damage he continues to do to Obama's candidacy. Wright recently appeared before the National Press Club, the NAACP, and sat down for an interview with PBS' oh-so-sympathetic, I-feel-your-pain, hyper-liberal Bill Moyers. Wright not only reiterated but expanded upon his conspiratorial beliefs, and even ridiculed the accents of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. "Nobody says to a Kennedy, 'You speak bad English,'" Wright said. "Only to a black child was that said."

Once again, America asks: How could "uniter" Barack Obama attend this church for 20 years? How could Obama call Wright his "spiritual advisor," his "mentor," his "sounding board," one of the "greatest preachers in America"? How could Obama include Wright on his campaign committee of religious advisors?

Obama pleaded ignorance about much of Rev.

Wright's worldview. But there's a problem. Obama disinvited Rev. Wright from giving the invocation when the senator announced his candidacy for the presidency.

Wright said that Obama, in disinviting him, referred to a Rolling Stone article listing incendiary remarks made by the pastor. According to the pastor, Obama said, "Your sermons can get a little rough." Thus, the disinvitation. But now, says Barack Obama, he's shocked! shocked! at Wright's anger, outlandishness and offensive remarks.

Obama, to minimize the YouTube damage, went to Philadelphia and delivered "The Speech." He spoke less about why and how he attended such a church for 20 years, and called Rev. Wright a product of his generation. Instead Obama urged America to come to terms with its racist past and its continued racial "chasm" and "divide."

News Bulletin: While most Americans feel sympathy for the "black plight," they do not feel responsible for slavery, Jim Crow or legalized segregation. They resent those who continue to blame past injustices for current problems and inconveniences. And recoil at the apparent widespread victicrat mentality that forms the psyche of so many blacks, including, but not limited to Jeremiah Wright, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, et al. This includes much of the Democratic Party, that tacitly and explicitly endorses this mindset in order to get the monolithic black vote, without which the party cannot prevail.

When the Democrats hold their convention in Denver, expect Obama to enter with more state victories, and a greater share of the popular vote. If the convention hands the nomination to Clinton, blacks — trained by Democrats and sympathetic liberals to perceive racism under every rock — will cry "foul." So Obama will get the nomination.

Having conditioned blacks to view the world through race-tinted glasses, how can the Democratic Party tell blacks to meekly and mildly accept "handing" the nomination to Sen. Clinton? The Democratic Party enables people like Jeremiah Wright — now threatening to derail Obama's prospects of winning the White House — to thrive along with the likes of race-hustlers like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. These people believe, want you to believe, want blacks to believe, or America to believe, that the country of today remains the country of yesterday. This suited the Democratic Party and their needs for the monolithic black vote just fine.

Until now.

Larry Elder is a syndicated radio talk show host and best-selling author. His latest book, "Stupid Black Men: How to Play the Race Card — and Lose," is available now. To find out more about Larry Elder, visit his Web page at www.LarryElder.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

CREATORS SYNDICATE COPYRIGHT 2008 LAURENCE A. ELDER