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Should candidates for elected office be judged by the company they keep?

Submitted by Susan Young on Mon, 03/17/2008 - 19:07.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is being criticized for statements made by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the pastor of the church he attends in Chicago. Rev. Wright
report-edly gave sermons that "damned" the United States. Is it fair to link Sen. Obama with Rev. Wright? Where do you draw the line? If a candidate's auto mechanic is charged with sex abuse, is the candidate implicated?

rev wright + barack obama

Submitted by richard on Wed, 04/16/2008 - 17:40.

yes and no. rev wright was exercising his FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS,as a black man who grew up in the turmoil of the civil rights movement he had seen and experianced things no white man would understand or TOLERATE.
if barack were in bed with the corporate elite like the current administration then he would have a problem!take a look around ,I'll bet you know someone who cheats on their taxes, their wife or husband,or some other illegal activity but that doesn't make YOU bad.

Judging candidates by the company they keep

Submitted by cagord on Tue, 03/25/2008 - 22:05.

Haven't we all been judged by the company we keep at one point or another in our lives? We all learned it may not be the right thing to do but we still do it - at least to some degree.

The problem is the media won't let it go! When it happens in the community of a classroom, a fraternity, even at the office - people eventually get over it and get on with what needs to be done.

It is for the parish to decide what to do about the minister. It is for the people to decide whether Mr. Obama is the right candidate. Should it not be for the media to give us facts and then move on?

A Stretch

Submitted by bwinmaine on Sat, 03/22/2008 - 01:09.

It seems like a bit of a stretch to me to suggest that there is some pastor somewhere who holds the power to "damn" the United States. Why this focus on reactionary politics and fear mongering?

I don't always agree with

Submitted by wycevycof on Thu, 03/20/2008 - 21:42.

I don't always agree with the teachings of my church, but I still continue to go to mass. It's not the specific statements that should count, but the over-all character of the minister and the church.

Senator Obama can't police

Submitted by wycevycof on Tue, 03/18/2008 - 20:33.

Senator Obama can't police every single thing that every person on his campaign says. And unlike Senator Clinton's handling of the Geraldine Ferraro debacle, any time someone says something inflamatory on Obama's campaign, they are almost immediately dismissed.