UCCtruths

In the latest tracking poll, Obama went from 4 points up on McCain to 5 points behind--a 9 point swing in just one day. He's toast. Working class whites will never vote for him now, and they are the biggest voting block. They despise Hustlers and Con Man because they are one hustle away from being poor.

I have been a minister for more than twenty-years and one of the characteristics of preaching is use of hyperbole (exaggeration for the sake of emphasis). While the "sound bite" approach may make for good "news" broadcasting, it certainly does not provide any sense of context in which the statements of Rev. Wright were made. As a "white" American, the comments of the minister does not influence my decision to vote for Obama as the best candidate for president.

The "dirty-little-secret" that people know but never discuss is the disconnect between what people hear in church and how they live and believe in daily life. The messages preached from the pulpit do not carry the power and influence that some would assume is the case (otherwise there would be different statistics related to divorce among Christians, and other objective standards by which these things might be measured). Church has evolved (for many) into a "social event" like attending a concert or a baseball game in which the average member is just a spectator.

I do not believe in guilt by association, nor will I based my conclusions about any candidate based upon what friends, family or religious leaders close to him or her have to say.

I always thought that the truth was a characteristic of good preaching and that "I was just exaggerating" was a pretty thin excuse for making things up.

The numerous quotations made available through the news media provide a rather clear context of the political lens through which Jeremiah Wright projects the Gospel

Along with ballpark and concert, add political rally to the various evolutionary paths of the Church.

I don't believe "Guilt by association" has anything to do with decisions made about a candidate based on how he responds to the ideas of someone he has called a close spiritual advisor and a prime source of inspiration in his life.

I think you made a mistake. Obama has not dropped by 8 points in the Rasmussen tracking polls you link to. Since his recent high water mark on Friday (at 50), he has dropped 3 points to 47 (which, BTW, was where he was at as recently as Wednesday). Meanwhile, Gallup's latest tracking poll, conducted from March 12-14, has him down only 1 point since Friday. As they write, "It is unclear if the Wright controversy is affecting Democratic preferences..."

Who knows? Perhaps this will become a problem for Obama. The Republicans will certainly try to tar him with Wright's remarks (although the Clinton camp has wisely demured). However, I for one think Obama's response has been very strong and that this will not become a decisive factor in the race.

I corrected the statement: The net swing was 7 points, -4 for Obama, +3 for Clinton.

Obama's response is anything but strong! Listen to the hesitation in his voice! He has a terrible time answering the questions posed to him, and he had to gulp a few times just to get the word "yes" out. He's really shaken up by this, and he should be!

I'll take honestly being shaken and gulping and struggling with finding a response that's both honest and political than poished and smooth b.s. :-)