Obama's cut and run from Trinity United Church

The big news today, in my opinion, is Barack Obama's resignation from Trinity United Church of Christ, spurred on by last Sunday's hateful "sermon" by Father Michael Pfleger there.

Why did Obama cut and run from Trinity now? Is he hoping that the apparent resolution of the Michigan and Florida delegate controversy tops the headlines--and the discussion on the Sunday morning talk shows? If so, I'm betting he's wrong.

When the Pfleger rant went viral, I failed to see it's complete impact. For starters, I'm used to seeing the gadfly on the television news here, and I forgot how much of a novelty the blond Catholic priest who preaches like a black man is to those who haven't stumbled across media coverage of the longtime pastor of Chicago's St. Sabina Church.

Along with Pfleger's onetime membership in the Catholics for Obama committee, and of course Pfleger's venue for his incendiary comments--the altar of Trinity United Church, the longtime roost of the toxic Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the recipe for another disaster for Obama was prepared for the voting public.

Does this put the story of Obama and the "unashamedly black" church behind him.

No.

Obama might have to worry about the black vote now. Not a lot, but part of Obama's victory plan in November is to have a massive turnout of African-American voters that would put Obama over the top in the battleground states such as Ohio and Florida. Bush won 16 percent of the black of Ohio's black vote in 2004, and 13 percent of the vote in Florida. Obama will certainly do better than Kerry did among African Americans in those states, but will Obama now be thought of as a "sell out" to black voters?

Here's what Obama said about the controversial former pastor of Trinity United Church, Jeremiah Wright, just two months ago:

I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother...

One month later, Obama disowned him.

Last month, Obama disowned him, but praised Wright's successor, the Reverend Otis Moss, as "a wonderful young pastor."

And it was that preacher who introduced Father Pfleger, a popular man among Chicago African Americans, to the parishoners at Trinity United Church last Sunday.

As for black voters, Obama will have some explaining to do. Even for a Democrat, he'll still win an astoundingly high percentage of the African American vote.

But how many will stay home on Election Day?

And by quitting Trinity United Church, it won't help Obama at all among those "bitter" rural white voters. Then there's Obama's problems with the Jewish vote...

ThirdWaveDave has more.

Related posts:

Obama's other spiritual mentors: Pfleger and Meeks

Cardinal spanks gadfly Chicago priest

Obama's problems with the Jewish vote could mean good news for McCain

Thanks for the link: It's My Mind

Technorati tags: religion Chicago Pfleger Obama politics Barack Obama Election Democrats Catholic roman catholic religion hillary clinton Hillary Jeremiah Wright race