If I see God as male, if I see God as white male, if I see God as superior, as God over us and not Immanuel, which means “God with us,” if I see God as mean, vengeful, authoritarian, sexist, or misogynist, then I see humans through that lens. —The Rev. Jeremiah Wright addressing the National Press Club, April 28, 2008

I watched significant portions of Wright's speech to the NAACP (transcript) and to the National Press Club (NPC) yesterday and began to wonder "Are we watching the rise of another Martin Luther King"?

Though I watched on C-Span, both Fox and CNN gave Wright's talk full coverage—a media event the likes of which I cannot remember. White liberal bloggers and commenters are bemoaning the "damage" he's doing to Obama. The commentariat on cable news—even some of the black pundits—are doing likewise. And of course the Right is rejoicing. Nevertheless the black members of the audience at the NPC welcomed Wright with a standing ovation.

Let me say that I don't find Wright "divisive." As he it put it to the NAACP, "I describe the conditions in this country. Conditions divide, not my descriptions." Anyone who addresses the state of the American underclass will most assuredly be attacked from left (liberal) and right. Not only was Martin Luther King assassinated for such effrontery, so was Robert Kennedy.

I don't know if the racist media can stir up enough froth to prevent the election of Barack Obama, but I have the feeling that the Rev. Wright is not going to go away so quickly in any event. The underclass—whites as well as blacks—have not had a leader for generations who is principled, eloquent and educated. In other words a leader who can give them a voice.

In the perfect economic storm that's upon us, that underclass, like the victims of Katrina, will be the most—and the most immediately—afflicted. They're going to need such a leader. Impossible to predict the future of course, but the Rev. Wright looks to be their best candidate. He has my support.

I think it's worth running some of his remarks as a "Quote of the Day" for a while.

Tags: news and politics Jeremiah Wright black liberation theology racism