Wash. Times reprinted portions of Investor's Business Daily attack on Obama's faith
SUMMARY: The Washington Times reprinted portions of an Investor's Business Daily editorial smearing Sen. Barack Obama's faith, including the editorial's charge that "[a]t the core of the Democratic front-runner's faith ... is African nativism," and the false assertion that the "Black Value System" espoused by Obama's church "encourages blacks to group together and separate from the larger American society by pooling their money, patronizing black-only businesses and backing black leaders." In fact, according to a document on the church's website, the Black Value System urges members to "Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions."
In its January 17 edition, The Washington Times reprinted portions of a January 16 Investor's Business Daily editorial smearing Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's [IL] faith, including the editorial's charge that "[a]t the core of the Democratic front-runner's faith ... is African nativism." The Washington Times also reprinted the editorial's false assertion that the "Black Value System" espoused by Obama's church in Chicago, Trinity United Church of Christ, "encourages blacks to group together and separate from the larger American society by pooling their money, patronizing black-only businesses and backing black leaders." In fact, as Media Matters for America documented, according to a document posted on Trinity's website, the Black Value System urges members to "Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions," but does not, as the Investor's Business Daily editorial claimed, "encourage[] blacks to group together and separate from the larger American society" in doing so.
As Media Matters noted, other portions of the Investor's Business Daily editorial not reprinted by The Washington Times questioned whether Obama would "put African tribal or family interests ahead of U.S. interests" and echoed widely debunked allegations that Obama is, or ever has been, a Muslim.
While discussing the editorial on the January 16 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann criticized "the editorial writers at Investor's Business Daily" for "publishing a blatantly untrue, wildly racist editorial today about Barack Obama."
This is not the first time The Washington Times has reprinted false information about Obama. In a January 17, 2007, column for The Hill headlined "Obama's First Blunder," syndicated columnist Dick Morris falsely attacked Obama for voting against "a Senate reform banning the increasingly widespread practice of legislators hiring their family members on their campaign or PAC [political action committee] payrolls." As Media Matters noted, Obama actually voted against a motion to table, or kill, the amendment. In a January 17 entry on The Hill's Pundits Blog, Morris acknowledged that he had been wrong, retracted his allegations against Obama, and apologized to the senator for his "mistaken reading of the record." Nevertheless, The Washington Times reprinted Morris' assertion the day after Morris retracted the claim, as Media Matters documented at the time.
From the January 17 "Inside Politics" feature of The Washington Times:
Obama's faith
"Since we first drew attention to Barack Obama's Afrocentric church a full 12 months ago, other media have weighed in. And additional disturbing information has come to light," Investor's Business Daily said Tuesday in an editorial.
"At the core of the Democratic front-runner's faith ... is African nativism, which raises political issues of its own," the newspaper said.
"In 1991, when Obama joined the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, he pledged allegiance to something called the Black Value System, which is a code of non-Biblical ethics written by blacks, for blacks.
"It encourages blacks to group together and separate from the larger American society by pooling their money, patronizing black-only businesses and backing black leaders. Such racial separatism is strangely at odds with the media's portrayal of Obama as a uniter who reaches across races.
"The code also warns blacks to avoid the white 'entrapment of black middle-classness,' suggesting that settling for that kind of 'competitive' success will rob blacks of their African identity and keep them 'captive' to white culture.
"In short, Obama's 'unashamedly black' church preaches the politics of black nationalism. And its dashiki-wearing preacher -- who married Obama and his wife and now acts as his personal spiritual adviser -- is militantly Afrocentric."
A mainstream conservative publication reprints parts of a racist, xenophobic article from another mainstream conservative publication?
I suspect the Democrats are behind this somehow.
If the WT wants to repeat nonsense about someone else's "faith", let's discuss the "faith of the owners of the Washington Times.
That should be a hell of a bigger story than Senator Obama's religious beliefs.
How long now have conservatives been saying that it is up to the black community to fix their own problems and stop claiming persecution and victimhood?
And look what those same conservatives now say when a black church tries to do just that.
Well said.
Bloody ironic, isn't it?
This is fun! Anyone can play this ridiculous game.
Hillary Clinton is a Methodist. The Methodist church officially supports abstinence from alcohol. Will a Clinton presidency mean a reinstitution of prohibition?! They oppose gambling; how com she's even running in Nevada? Will she make the American Indians give up their casinos? Methodists are opposed to the death penalty and yet Hillary is not -- flip-flopper or heretic? Finally, the Methodist church does not allow openly gay individuals to be ordained. Can she be trusted with the gay vote?
A round of Bash the Baptists or Curse the Catholics anyone?
I am never surprised at White Conseratives and their minority allies, These neo-cons complain about black crime, poverty, hip- hop and separatism and in the next breath whine about a chruch who does that thing that the Manhattan Institute, AEI, and Hoover groups lectures African- Americans to have a "white nuclear family" and save your dirty crime - ridden neighborhoods. And when a black male role model attends a church that esposues black empowerment , commitment to the neighborhood, Strengthing the family, and reaching out to Africa then it's racist.
Let me ask you white neo- cons and minority allies what good, proper church should African- Americans and Senator Obama attend that will make "you people" comfortable, because now Black Empowerment must be "racist" to you conservatives. White Conservatives are never satisfied when it comes to the African- American population, why don't you cons talk about racist Pat Robertson, John Hagee and the rest of those southern men of the cloth with their white nationalist agenda.
There is no reason to believe Obama will act selfishly and not in the best interest of the country. Theoretically, the best interest of the country should also be his best interest. Think, some sort of overlapping venn diagram. We should hope this is the case anyways, as history says he will win. www.WhyTheDemocratsWillWinIn2008.com
Is Obama Half-white or half black?
Is he a Muslim or Christian?
I know he is a Socialist with hos policy! Leave BIG government out of my life! If a liberal gets scik, go to Canada or England!!
Big Government out of your life....wow. You may not know, but a big government program called the Iraqi OCCUPATION, is going on in your name, and costing you, your children and grandchildren thousands of dollars. And how about all those corporate subsidies so that your neighbors' jobs can get shipped overseas?
Suckers like you keep voting the fat cat corporatists who suck the U.S. economy dry. But you won't notice until it hurts you personally.
This is utter rubbish. Why do the rules always change when it's African Americans. Had this been a Jewish candidate, this wouldn't be an issue, because that's exactly what they do. They support there communities and policies that favor their communities. If this had been a Hispanic candidate - no issue. Again, this is exactly what they do. Have we not seen the growing unity amongst Hispanic, who are here illegaly, attempting to receive amnesty? So let's say Obama's church does promote blacks buying from black businesses and backing black leaders. Isn't that what everyone else is doing? WTF?
I know he is a Socialist with hos policy! - AKACRAZY
I didn't know this about the senator. I would love to know more about his Socialist "hos policy".