Wright Controversy Deepens Voter Divide

Washington Post ^ | May 10, 2008 | Jennifer Agiesta and Jon Cohen

[Berlin_Freeper]

Religious voters in Indiana and North Carolina held to familiar patterns in Democratic primary balloting Tuesday, with the controversy over Sen. Barack Obama's relationship with his former pastor deepening the divide.

In network exit polling, about the same number of voters in each state said they considered the situation with the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. "very important" to their vote as those who said it was "not at all important." And most who gave the issue a heavy weight voted for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), while those who said it was not a factor went for Obama, the Illinois senator, by wide margins.

In both states, frequent churchgoers were more apt to say they were influenced by Wright than were less actively religious voters. In North Carolina, among those who said they attend religious services weekly, nearly six in 10 called Wright important to their vote, almost double the figure among those who never attend services. Even among Obama's own supporters in the Tarheel state, 45 percent who attend services weekly called the controversy important to their vote; among those, a third who rated it "very important."

...Among white active churchgoers in both states, a majority said Wright was very important to their vote, and in each state about nine in 10 of those for whom the issue was very important voted for Clinton.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I don't see how Obama can win the presidency with such divisions he created. In 4 years Obama will be back but he is not a very good politician and will probably have even more baggage by then.

If McCain decides to take on Iran like Bush took on Iraq, to prevent the destruction of the Middle East while making more gains there, then he should do 2 terms.

That's my general prediction for the next 8 years.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Clinton supposedly left office with high approval numbers yet that did not do it for Gore. Bush supposedly has very low numbers but Cheney would have been hurt the most. I think Obama is going to get crushed. There is no chance Obama will take the South and McCain is even competitive in New York. All the Obama Media hype failed to seal the deal for him on the democrat side for so long now and look at all that record breaking cash he spent. I wish I were McCain.

[Nonstatist]

and look at all that record breaking cash he spent.

Oh yea, and hes got plenty left, not to mention the MSM is behind him almost uniformly, along with Soros and other 527's. This is such a terrible year to be a Republican, and on top of that the top guy is not particularly thrilled to be one , either. He doesent want to "demagogue" on ANY hot button issue, he just wants to be the old media sucking centrist who crashed a plane in Vietnam a million years ago...... IMO, I'd wait a while before picking out the drapes at the White House, if I were you..

[libbylu]

the black and the young and the left don’t care. I can’t imagine bambi losing.

[SolidWood]

I can’t imagine him winning. The bad news is McCain will be president. The good news is Obama won’t.

[jmaroneps37]

But I thought the Wright stuff was behind barack mcgovern and his ship was sailing smoothly toward the White House. I guess I shouldn’t have cancelled subscription to my local anti American rag newspaper. Oh the things you miss!