Enter the Sympathy Vote

Many of us have been agonizing over the impact of Jeremiah Wright's controversial comments and today's public repudiation by Senator Obama himself.

I watched the entire press conference with a combination of nerves and sympathy. In my opinion, Obama has been taken aback and thrown off message by the grandstanding narcissism of his former minister. I am not going to defend Reverend Wright because I too believe that some of his remarks were inexcusable and clearly designed to inflame certain segments of the electorate.

What we are being forced to confront as religious liberals are the fringe elements that misrepresent our point of view. It is an unfortunate tendency of human nature to think that only the extreme voices of our opposition correctly represent the ideals we hold dear. We have a tendency to think that every conservative voice secretly espouses reactionary right-wing radical views and, in that same spirit, our Republican brethren have the same tendency to see us only in terms of the radical left-wing voices that often get the most press attention.

The extremes speak for themselves only. Most of us are moderates, but with a decided bias to either the right or the left.

The truth of the matter is that scandalous, abrasive, and off the wall political causes have a novelty factor and sell papers and online subscriptions. There is a sensationalist aspect to our media that thrives on spectacle, half truth, and controversy. That has never changed.

Imagine if you were running for public office and a former trusted confidant decided to ride your coattails for the sake of fame. Imagine if Reverend Wright had been your minister. Indeed, when I was a member of Congregationalist faith groups, I did not agree with everything my minister spoke from the pulpit. One of the reasons I converted to Quakerism is because I had been burned one too many times by the frequently overreaching views that came booming out of some of the churches I've attended over the years. The ministry of all Friends seems an appropriate response to the very human tendency to use a bully pulpit to advance personal, individual causes. Lest I seem to be clandestinely advancing the cause of my own faith group, let me qualify my statement.

I do not completely fault Jeremiah Wright, since the short-term rewards of fame or even infamy appeal to the less than altruistic side of humanity that is greedy and desirous of wealth. I seek not to be piously and hypocritically critical and judgmental.

With an unabashed liberal voice in serious contention for the Democratic nomination for President, those very same fears that have kept us the Loyal Opposition for the past thirty years are beginning to rear their ugly heads yet again. It is up to us to reframe the debate in its proper context. I do not wish to be painted into a corner yet again by fear. It was inevitable that we would be called to task by those who do not truly understand what it is we stand for.

It seems to me that you can be dominated by fear or dominated by trust these days. The right has used fear as its trump card for the past eight years and I would like to encourage my fellow Progressives to dare to trust again. Idealism and optimism have been decried as foolish and little more than wishful thinking--and it is up to us to have faith again that what is right will win out in the end.

We are up against the dual forces of fear and cynicism, which are a powerful cocktail that has effectively paralyzed our ability to make successful change. Let us not be discouraged. Life is not easy and it is never fair, but it can often be good. With a spirit of cautious optimism and pragmatism I go forward and aim to continue the good work of Barack Obama.