A public denouncement by Obama of this situation could only help his cause but I think it's unlikely to happen.
He already did.
He denounced Farrakhan last February in his debate with Hillary Clinton. This is all very old news:
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/02/26/obama-denounces-farrakhan-endorsement/
Look, Farrakhan is trying to curry favor with blacks--the sole population from which he recruits for the Nation of Islam. It would be safe to say far less than two percent of the nation's blacks are NOI members. Low end estimates of the size of the organization total about 10,000 members. Compare that with the population of where you live. That's roughly 200 members per state on average...of course we can safely assume that Montana and Alaska would not reflect the mean.
Farrakhan is an egocentric loudmouth with no political influence other than what the media grants him. They give him quite a bit because people tune in to watch him. He doesn't drive any narrative--he adds a flavor to it. He causes whites and jews to take quite justifiable umbrage, and it gives the media meat puppets plenty to talk about. It fills time on cable news. It outrages. It entertains. It drives ratings up.
If you want to use this to rationalize your collection of reasons for not voting for Obama, by all means, do so. However, finding notable wingnuts who come out for Obama forces you to cherry pick quite a bit...with the end result allowing you the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thinking. Intellectual honesty be damned.
Note the following endorsements for Obama that carry far more weight than that of Farrakhan's:
The Chicago Tribune, whose editorial board is one of the most conservative in the nation. It hasn't endorsed a Democrat since its founding in 1847.
Conservative Christopher Buckley. Buckley's father Bill was dean of the modern conservative movement and founder of the National Review.
Conservative talk show host Michael Smerconish, of Philadelphia's WPHT.
The San Joaquin Record, which hasn't endorsed a Democrat since 1936.
La Opinion, the nation's largest Spanish language newspaper, which originally supported McCain in the primaries.
The Stockton Record, which is endorsing a Democrat for the first time in 72 years.
Conservative Texan and magazine publisher Wick Allison.
Former Reagan policy adviser Larry Hunter.
Susan Eisenhower, a lifelong Republican and granddaughter of President Dwight Eisenhower.
Former Republican congressman Jim Leach, and Republican Jim Whitaker, a former Alaskan legislator and Fairbanks mayor who supported McCain in 2000.
Linwood Holton, former Republican governor of Virginia; former mayor of Los Angeles, Republican Richard Riordan; Bill Ruckelshaus, who served in he Nixon and Reagan Administrations; Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughter of Richard Nixon; Douglas Kmiec, who was head of the Office of Legal Counsel to Reagan and George H.W. Bush; retired Air Force four star general Tony McPeak.
I'll stop there.
Regards,
Steve
References below.
http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/17/obamas-hometown-newspaper-endorses-obama/
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a.KXcz7Vf0zE&refer=us
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/conservative-talk-radio-h_n_135684.html
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10748482
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080928/A_OPINION01/809280301/-1/A_OPINION
http://www.dmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod...s&tier=3&gid=B33A5C6E2CF04C9596A3EF81822D9F8E
http://loomisnews.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/major-republicans-endorse-barack-obama/
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/gopendorse/
http://www.newsweek.com/id/107476
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/13/nation/na-trailleach13
http://loomisnews.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/major-republicans-endorse-barack-obama/
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/gopendorse/