Ken Hutcherson: Obama has no 'black experience'

Hutch

Dehumanizing someone you oppose--and comparing him to your dog is dehumanizing him--alibis and empowers those who would do violence against your opponent.  This guy demonstrates again that he's from the gutter.

"You are the rest of the world."

---

by: TomChicago @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 06:35:41 AM CDT

How does One News Now

get away without citing anything about where or when this bigot said this, just produces these quotes out of thin air?  Is this something where you have to listen to one of Pastor Hutch's sermons of the week?

---

by: Pollyanna @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 06:50:06 AM CDT

I wonder that too,

especially since his church has been sending out "Alert" emails asking people to pray for him (he's got prostate cancer) and his ailing mother, and to not try to contact the Hutchersons this month.  They make it all sound so dire, and yet he can find the strength and the time to dehumanize Obama for OneNewsNow?  His priorities in life (and death) seem totally whacked.

Lurleen on Twitter

---

by: Lurleen @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 13:49:48 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Hutcherson is not black enough

By Hutcherson's logic that damn fool isnt black enough himself.  His entire religion that he ascribes to is not even a black man's religion.  He is a product of the white man and the white man's religion.  He is a fool to think otherwise. He is an idiot and a fucktard and we should rip his arm off and beat him silly for ascribing to these virulent beliefs. C'mon Hutcherson be a real black man and find a something to do with your life to contribute back to humanity. If you cannot do so then STFU with your idiotic statements.

---

by: texaspigeon @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 07:35:33 AM CDT

I Feel Sorry for the Dog

Even a Doberman deserves a better person than Ken.

---

by: S1 @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 08:06:37 AM CDT

Well.

I've heard this about Barack Obama for years. It had little to do with Obama's understanding of the Bibile, though, and more to do with the perception that Barack Obama was the creation of white liberals in Cambridge and the University of Chicago.

Dog didn;'t hunt then (at least not with me), it won't hunt now. Sorry Kenny.

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 08:55:38 AM CDT

That's "Bible"

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 08:56:24 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I like BiBILE a lot better.

It fits perfectly.  What could be a more accurate description?

I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.  -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

---

by: QScribe @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:34:27 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Bileble?

---

by: Charles @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 18:18:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

How awfully Christian of him.

Or is that, how awful he is at being a Christian?  

# Duty, duty -- honor is, is --
Honor, Creideiki -- alertly
# Shared, is -- Honor #

---

by: MileHighDawg @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 09:42:43 AM CDT

I sometimes wonder

how Obama feels about stuff like this. I mean really, he gets attacked by LGBT folks for not being sufficiently LGBT friendly and he gets attacked by the anti-gay bigots as being too pro-gay (which in reality is anyone who acknowledges that we exist.

Its a no win situation. That's why he should do what he thinks is best since he will get attacked by someone no matter what.

---

by: SciFi Geek @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 10:38:06 AM CDT

Those aren't equally valid points of view, though.

If you start with, say, the U.S. Constitution as a foundation, there is no comparison between equal civil rights on one side and a theocracy based on some people's interpretation of a bible on the other.

One point of view is much closer to the goals of the Constitution than the other. The president is sworn to uphold the Constitution, not somebody's interpretation of one text of one religion.

---

by: night owl @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:05:18 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Well SciFi Geek

Speak a little more on this. You and I are both in Chicago, we've seen this type of stuff about the president for a number of years.

Personally, I always liked Obama all the more when this type of crap about him not being authentically "black" came up.  

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 12:34:49 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

To me there is not much to say...

I reject the entire premise of the criticism. There is no such thing a "not black enough." That is because there is no concrete definition of "black." We are not the Borg and do not march in lock step. We come in all shades, shapes, and sizes.

Black folks live down in the ghetto, but can also live large like the Huxtables. Thus whenever I hear someone called "not black enough" I tend to roll my eyes and ignore them. Anyone familiar with black Americans know the diversity of out community.

Thus slinging that comment comes across as a silencing tactic.

---

by: SciFi Geek @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 15:02:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I agree with you 100% here.

And I think it might be for the first time. :)

Lurleen on Twitter

---

by: Lurleen @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 15:06:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Finally!

We agree on something! (lol)

(We probably agree on more than people would guess)

I always hated that criticism of the Huxtables, that they weren't a "real black family". I went to a high school that where most of the black kids lived like the Huxtables (complete with their own BMW's in the parking lot).

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 15:12:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

The Victim Card

Sounds like he is pulling out his "victim" card. The one that says "By virtue of this card, I am more victimized than you and therefore your issues don't matter."

Close the GayTM. Only give to candidates who have actually done something other than make promises - most are just pandering for our cash.

---

by: JohnVisser @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 10:50:51 AM CDT

Dreams From My Father

I'm just in the middle of reading this incredible book by President Obama and then I saw what Ken Hutcherson had to say about him.  Needless to say I was pretty enraged.  What exactly has Ken Hutcherson done for the black community in this country?  I suggest Ken Hutcherson read (if he can read) Dreams From My Father.  He may learn a little about what President Obama and his 'black experience' as well as everything he did to make life easier for people.  While Ken Hutcherson was playing football, President Obama was getting people organized for a better life.  

---

by: kkaatz @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:05:37 AM CDT

This creep is no victim - he's a bully

Rev Hutcherson has consistently and vocally opposed equality here in Washington state. He has a megachurch just outside of Seattle.  In 1997 he helped defeat a proposed ENDA law that was placed on the ballot.  In 2006 he was suspected of delaying the passage of Washington's equal rights law by 1) strong-arming a fence-sitting moderate Republican senator who had previously voted for the law and 2) convinced nearby Microsoft to take a "neutral" position on the law following his threats to call for a boycott of Microsoft products.  Microsoft had previously been strongly in favor of the law.  The result was that the bill failed by one vote in our senate.

One year later, Microsoft apologized and renewed strong support for the law.  The fence-sitting Republican found the courage to vote for it and it finally passed after more than 20 years of prior unsuccessful attempts.

Recently he's been peddling is message of hate to anyone who'll listen.  Recently he seems to have found an audience amongst youth immigrants from eastern Europe.

Unsurprisingly, Ken is listed as a key supporter in the referendum attempt (Ref 71) to roll back the recently expanded domestic partnership law.
http://www.valuesaction.org/in...

Thanks for shining a national spotlight on this piece of work.

---

by: Erick in Seattle @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:20:33 AM CDT

How mega is that megachurch really?

As I understand it, his church still meets in the gym of a private school.  He had grand plans last winter to buy/lease home space for the church in Canyon Park in Bothell, but it never panned out.  I'm wondering if he's being given credit for "mega" when credit is not at all due.

Lurleen on Twitter

---

by: Lurleen @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 13:39:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I think you're right

I certainly wouldn't want to give this creep more than his due.  I checked and you're right - he's actually renting space from the 7th Day Adventists in Kirkland (their school auditorium and their church building on Thursday evenings). He runs several shifts of services on Sundays, plus two weeknight sessions.  I'm ashamed to say this is the very church I attended when I was a child.  I guess the 7DAs really needed the money if they're dealing with him.

---

by: Erick in Seattle @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 14:23:13 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Reminds me of highschool...

There was this really nice black girl I knew.  She always made good grades, successful, was on her way to college.  She always kept to herself, studied, never hung out with the big groups..

One day after school she found her car vandalized in the parking lot.  Someone had keyed "White B*tch" into the hood of her car.

I always wondered why all the other black people considered her white.  Same goes with Obama...  no matter if he was raised by white people, he still had to deal with the outside world as a black man.  Why does having ties to white people suddenly make a black person less black?

Is it jealousy?  Or is everyone just busy having a pissing contest as to who "had it the worst?"

---

by: flyerfier @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:42:25 AM CDT

Been there, done that

I used to get called "little white boy" by members of my own family. Used to get subjected to anti-white taunts on the playground frequently. My mom told me she was subjected to it as well. So were my nieces and nephews, to an extent.

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:50:24 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm sure it happens all the time, every day

But now we can see it happening publicly, in a very visible way.

Even in the GLBT community it seems we force some on the outside just because they're a different/more successful/black/white/transgendered/genderf*ckers/the list goes on.

What do you consider drives this?  Are people trying to keep a oneness about their group in society?  Are some people threatening?  I have my own ideas as to why, but I'm curious to know other people's view on this subject.

---

by: flyerfier @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 12:10:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Well.

1) IMHO, there is a need to keep a "oneness" because of the oppression that a particular group faces. It's the xenophobia of the community.

So I would say that in the sense of being a pretty well spoken kid and a damn good student (and that goes back to preschool for me) I was already the "other" in this case, "white." In that way, I was just as subjected to racial prejudice ("racism"?) as any other white kid may have been subjected to. But since I am pretty obviously not "the other" it seemed to upset people. So I would be subjected to physical attacks moreso than a white kid in a similar situation.

Mind you, in my case this was still the mid to late 1970's in Detroit. The communities I lived in were still somewhat integrated (though you could defintely see white flight happening). The white kids were often in similar economic situations as the black kids. But, for the most part, the white kids didn't seemed to be threatened by me.

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 12:30:34 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

What drives this?

It is human nature to categorize and lay blame on folks who are not the same as "the group".  It's clannish, tribal and today, outmoded, but it still works to keep those in "the group" in line.  It is a form of tyranny and control by the group leaders.

History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government.-- Thomas Jefferson

---

by: Mykelb @ Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 15:53:26 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

It's all that and a lot more

There are perfectly valid reasons for criticizing Obama, but this Fundie freak doesn't have any of them.  

---

by: David Ehrenstein @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 11:51:45 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Another proof that homophobes are also racists.

Hutcherson is a friggen racist, like his neo-Nazi friends in Latvia and Russia.

This "black experience" thing is so silly.  What is this "black experience" that Hutcherson speaks off?
Do you gain "black experience"...
*by banging either Lisa Lampanelli or Kim Kardashian?
*from eating fried chicken and watermelon, or smoking menthols?  We know that Obama tries to quit smoking, but the MSM didn't say that he was smoking Kools, Salems, or Newports.
*from attending the Million Man March (we know that Hutcherson didn't show up to that)?

Hutcherson is pathetic.  First, he violates RICO laws by extorting money from Microsoft (epic fail) and now he is trying to say that Obama is not "black enough".

---

by: Blood From Machines @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 20:01:28 PM CDT

Eh, it's hardly new

I'm used to it. I heard this about Obama in the 90's "a whiteman in blackface" being the most offensive printed comment.

The question is will this the first in a long list of dominoes to fall on a national basis regarding Obama "blackness" in black communities?

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 20:06:48 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Well...

I you check Black Agenda Report, they've been attacking is blackness for a while.

What people need to remember is that there will ALWAYS be a diversity of opinion. Just because one person says this bull, no matter how prominent, does not mean that it is widely accepted.

Collin Powell, despite being a Republican and being associated with the worst administration in living memory is STILL highly respected in much of Black America. Hell, Michael Jackson quite literally spent most of his adult life doing everything possible to not be black (or in anyway associated with "blackness"). Yet in times of crisis much of Black America rallied to  him. On his death he is still embraced by much of Black America.

If MJ, with his skin bleaching and affinity for blonde hair and blue eyes can still be embraced by African Americans, Obama and undeniably black family have NOTHING to worry about.

---

by: SciFi Geek @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 21:38:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I check black agenda report too

In fact it was a white guy that turned me on to it.

Increased education funding but cut $73 million from HBCU's.

I was referring to specifically what I've heard over the course of 10 years in Chicago.

And...to be honest, I've been expecting a dustup pertaining to his blackness. I thought it was going to happen when the Obama Administration skipped out on the UN Conference on Racism. If Ahmad-whatever the rest of his name is hadn't gone off on that anti-Semitic diatribe, that whole issue may have come up again.

I've also feared that questioning Obama's "blackness" would come up if he decides to take a more active role in GLBT issues.

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 21:49:36 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Let me add

what concerns me also is the harm that Obama could do to the black community.

---

by: kevinchi @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 21:50:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

:)

because God is my God, the Bible is my playbook

SHOULD THAT NOT BE:

because God is my God, the Bible is my pay check

Love who you are on the inside and the outside will follow.

---

by: Abi Christopher @ Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 21:57:35 PM CDT

Pam, Please do not give this delusional man any more air time

He deserves no recognition whatsoever.

History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government.-- Thomas Jefferson

---

by: Mykelb @ Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 15:42:06 PM CDT

he's definitely a has-been

since his utter failure to "bring down" microsoft, nobody takes him seriously anymore, and he knows it.


Lurleen on Twitter

---

by: Lurleen @ Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 19:22:36 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I run it the way it is written.

So, when is he going to agitate for a total prohibition of divorce?  

When is he going to advocate for polygamy?

---

by: oddjob @ Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 22:59:35 PM CDT