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8%, Mr. Obama (Arrogant too, eh?) [Updated]

By SusanUnPC on March 17, 2008 at 1:02 PM in Barack Obama, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.

UPDATE, THIS JUST IN: Gallup Daily: Clinton Now at 47%, Obama at 45%.

Original: Ron Fournier, the noted Associated Press political observer, has penned quite a piece today. Fournier calls Obama “arrogant” and writes that Obama and his wife wife “ooze a sense of entitlement.”

On top of that, Rasmussen reports today:

Just 8% Have Favorable Opinion of Pastor Jeremiah Wright
Monday, March 17, 2008

Pastor Jeremiah Wright, who has become part of the national political dialogue in recent days, is viewed favorably by 8% of voters nationwide. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 58% have an unfavorable view of the Pastor whose controversial comments have created new challenges for Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign. [...]

Seventy-three percent (73%) of voters say that Wright’s comments are racially divisive. That opinion is held by 77% of White voters and 58% of African-American voters. In addressing the issue, Obama warned against injecting race into the campaign .

Most voters, 56%, said Wright’s comments made them less likely to vote for Obama. That figure includes 44% of Democrats. Just 11% of voters say they are more likely to vote for Obama because of Wright’s comment …

Obama’s negatives have also gone up, reports Rasmussen in another poll:

The Illinois Senator is viewed favorably today by just 47% of voters nationwide. That’s down five points since last Thursday (see recent daily results).

  • rjj

    “Noted” Ron Fournier is notable for his Slick Willie hit pieces. As he has stated, if not for Bubba he would still be back in Arkansas. At least he has switched targets — for the time being.

    • Fred C. Dobbs

      >>> Fournier calls Obama “arrogant” and writes that Obama and his wife wife “ooze a sense of entitlement.”

      Oh, Honey…do ya THINK so? I hadn’t noticed!

  • PMS

    I’ve watching the Dallas Morning New’s Editorial Board’s blog today as the paper’s Republican editorialists and the Obama Nation link hands and try to figure out how to bail Obama out of this mess. Some of the Obamatons seem to actually believe that he will magically levitate above this crass Clinton-engineered moment of hate and lead us all off to a new tomorrow. The editorialists seem just slightly more concerned that this will allow the “White Witch” to come back to challenge their reluctant champion (McCain) this fall.

    It would be funny were it not so sad (and more than a little scary).

    I saw where Rasmussen has TPM’s palms a little sweaty today, too.

  • Marilyn

    I just heard on the radio tht Obama will be making a speech in Pennsylvani tomorrow about race and the campaign. Someonone also called into this radio station from Pennsylvania and said he is constantly hearing the Obama ads telling the Republicans to vote for him and how and when to change from Republican to Democrat for the day of the primary and that they can change back afterwards. Signs of a desperate man.

    • http://noquarterusa.net/ SusanUnPC

      Major Garrett just reported that Obama is refusing to take any questions today on Rev. Wright.

      • simon

        Susan,

        How is Bear?

        Did you get him to the vet?

    • simon

      hearing the Obama ads telling the Republicans to vote for him and how and when to change from Republican to Democrat for the day of the primary and that they can change back afterwards. Signs of a desperate man.

      Actually, the other part of Dean’s 50 state strategy.

      WHAT a mess, what a tool Dean became, wth happened?

      • MarkL

        Well, Dean has certainly been a disaster for this campaign, along with Brazile.

      • MarkL

        Btw, I don’t really believe Dean’s strategy was to get people to become “Democrats for a day” just because they hated Hillary.

        • simon

          Btw, I don’t really believe Dean’s strategy was to get people to become “Democrats for a day” just because they hated Hillary.

          There is no love lost between Dean and McAuliffe, I seem to remember reading on Kos, Carville was adamant Dean not be chairman, CArville wanted to kick him out?

          Kos was very clear on that point.

          I’d be hard pressed to believe personal feeling hasn’t spilled over into Dean’s support of Obama.

          Sorry, I disagree.

          • simon

            I think Dean’s job is dependent upon Obama winning, one way of the other.

            If the democrats LOSE this election, Dean goes, if Clinton wins, Dean will most likely go, too.

            So he’s in a pickle, unless Obama wins.

            But the stench around Obama is too much, Dean should have made nice with the Clintons, anticipating how the republicans and decent people would demolish Obama.

            What else is waiting to come out?

            The more I read, the more it appears Dean may have been in on this much earlier than he let on, in the can for Obama.

            Which, as another poster remarked, would explain the DNC MI and FL decisions in regard to the primaries.

            Also, isn’t Trippi, Dean’s former campaign manager, also associated with kos?

            • TeresaINPa

              I am not really buying the idea that Dean is being a partisan for Obama. He is a bigger man than that. I think he is probably doing the best he can but made some mistakes. I don’t think anyone imagined this would go all the way to PA to be decided.

              I am a Hillary supporter, but I also admire Dean and the 50 state strategy. McCauliff and all the DLC types were wrong about Dean. If they had embraced the theory Hillary would have the nomination all sewn up by now. The fact that they did not go in to all the states in any real way is why she is struggling now. I do not blame her for that. She is going to be a great president and I am sure Dean would be as happy as anyone to have the first female president.
              Let’s let the Obamamaniacs do the hating and let us be the adults and unite the different factions. Dean is not the enemy. He may or may not even want to continue in that position. If he does I do not see Clinton trying to get rid of him. She may have advisers and friends who don’t like him but she thinks for herself.

            • Gloria

              I know that Trippi has recently become an analyst for CBS News!! He wrote a blog article for them about how NC could be a major event if Hillary won it…he says the demographics should work in her favor….

              • simon

                I’m really sorry to say, but I think Dean was in the bag for Obama, from the start.

                I hope I’m wrong, I admired the man, I thought he was set up, that whole scream thing…

  • PMS

    “I’ve been watching”… sorry. Monday thumbs.

  • sjl106

    The Super Delegates had better be taking note of the public’s reacton, if they don’t follow the rules and do what is best for the country and party and they decide to vote according to the delegate count, and give obama the nomination, hail to the chief will be McCains song.

  • JoeySky

    I take Obama’ words that he disagree with Wright’s divisive comment. But I disagree when he said he never heard those words before. He knows what Rev. Wright believe in. They know each other for over 20 years.

    Which let me to one conclusion, Obama doesn’t have the gut to make a stand for what he believes in. If he disagree with Wright, he should have make a stand 20 years ago. Not now when not doing so will hurts his candidacy. Make a stand 20 years ago when he won’t loose anything but the relationship with Wright.

  • Andy

    Juan Williams senior correspondent at NPR appeared Sunday at Fox News and he is worth listening at on the Obama and judgment question. Here is the video (scroll down to watch)

    Susan, maybe you can post this video in the/some post ?

  • http://https:/tersaona.net MoodSwingeR

    Rev. Wright deserves much higher approval than 8 percent.

    Obama does not.

    Rev. Wright has always been straight – he speaks his mind. You may be disturbed, you may disagree, but you’ve got to give it to him – he stands behind his words. And that deserves respect.

    As per Obama’s own account from “Dreams”, back in the 80s Rev. Wright gave him a fair warning about thinking twice before associating with him.

    Obama, on the other hand, has never been straight – he speaks your mind and tell you what you want to hear and what you’ll agree with. He stands behind your words. As long as it is convenient.

    If he could have only made up his mind and drawn the line, he could have gotten himself even out of this mess. He just couldn’t figure fast enough what was it that people wanted to hear.

    Obama: Judgment you can trust.

    • rjj

      ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

    • yttik

      It’s true, at least Rev Wright stands by his words, even if they’re ugly words. What Obama has done is sleezy, he backs this guy for 20 years, then he tries to pretend he never actually listened to what the guy was saying, and when all else fails, he throws him under the bus. That’s opportunistic, arrogant, self centered.

      • simon

        It’s true, at least Rev Wright stands by his words, even if they’re ugly words

        I in no way approve of Wright, his words are despicable, and racist, but to pretend or use this issue to create a bigger divide between the races is ignorant, tactically ignorant, too.

        See why the stupid neocons can’t win a war?

        Because it’s conquer and divide all the way with those people, Obama and Rove, and no greater ability to anticipate the greater contingencies.

        Again, despite all this division, Cheney has no control, in fact he’s losing control.

        And the thing stinks like it’s been in the back of my refrigerator since 1971.

        • yttik

          “See why the stupid neocons can’t win a war?”

          I don’t think their goal was ever to “win” the war. I think their goal was to keep us in an endless war. It’s very profitable for their friends this way.

          I think they are very much in control. Dividing the Dems is an excellent way to get McCain elected.

  • KL

    One thing I can tell you, I wouldn’t work for Obama if they paid me a million bucks. Heck I wouldn’t want to even be his friend, especially since he leaves them hung to dry when the going gets tough because he uses them as scapegoats.

  • Fed Up

    THE OJ SIMPSON FACTOR

    There’s a potentially big problem that has worried me for months about an Obama candidacy. It’s something that has nothing to do with Obama and absolutely shouldn’t be an issue – but in our society today I can’t help but think that it will. And in the wake of the Rev. Wright controversy it may be even larger than it was already going to be.

    Think back to the days of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Do you remember the national reaction to the verdict? Do you remember the black crowds cheering at his acquittal? Do you remember the rage among so many whites and Hispanics and Asian Americans? And do you remember how that absolutely ripped the scab off the racial divide in this country? It took a very long time for that to fade.

    As many people know, there’s another O.J. trial coming. This one is scheduled to start in September. And the timing couldn’t be worse because it going to conclude right around Election Day. Maybe even on Election Day.

    The new trial won’t be about a double murder. It will be about memorabilia, and guns and kidnapping and thuggish behavior. But it will also be about O.J. Simpson and that will guarantee massive attention on the celeb shows and cable news and in the tabloid press. You can rest assured that the media will wallow over and over again in stories about the reaction to the O.J. murder trial. And the more people remember the more it’s going to rip the same scab right back off that same racial divide.

    I can’t help but think that the Republicans will use that trial to hurt a candidate Obama. That’s what they do – just ask Harold Ford. Think about how many O.J. Simpson stories you’ll see on Fox News. And there is a certain segment of the Republican base that will be highly motivated and react exactly as intended on Election Day.

    • jenn

      Actually Bill Maher on Real Time made the same comment a couple of weeks ago.

      “Blacks will come home to Obama like they came home to OJ”.

      • simon

        “Blacks will come home to Obama like they came home to OJ”.

        Not if another leader can emerge, like Dr King.

        It isn’t a matter of decrying Wright, it’s a matter of understanding hate hurts us all, all Americans, black people included.

        AA’s ARE Americans.

        So, how can we make it better, without feeding the hate?

        I mean, the Republican fat Cheney’s are my enemy, too.

      • DEIDRE

        I think it took longer for the Black community to admit that O.J. was guilty, but they did eventually. I bet if there was a poll amongst the black community today close to 85% would say that he is guilty of murder.

        • mimi

          No they wouldn’t. Sad, but true. I know for a fact that I’m still ostracized by many for believing OJ was guilty for the get-go.

  • OxyCon

    Check this out. Obama basically said the same thing about himself that Geraldine Ferraro said.
    How’s that for hubris?
    Obama called Ferraro a racist and all she did was say the same thing he had said.
    This proves that Obama likes to call people racist in order to gain political advantage.
    A uniter would have said “Mrs Ferraro is no racist, I have said the same thing about myself.”
    A politically ambitious hack divider would say “there sure seems to be alot of racist comments coming from my opponent’s campaign”

    ———

    « Barack Obama’s pastor’s words echo through campaign | Main | In Huffington Post column, Barack Obama distances himself from minister »

    Barack Obama and the thorny issue of race
    Earlier this week, Geraldine Ferraro lost her spot as a Hillary Clinton fundraiser after offering her unvarnished take on the role race has played in Barack Obama’s political rise. The coverage led a reader to direct us to an assessment of race and Obama’s election to the U.S. Senate.

    The source is what caught our eye. It’s a 2005 Chicago Tribune profile. Posted on his Senate website. A key passage:

    “We have a certain script in our politics, and one of the scripts for black politicians is that for them to be authentically black they have to somehow offend white people,” Obama said in an interview. “And then if he puts a multiracial coalition together, he must somehow be compromising the efforts of the African-American community.

    “To use a street term,” he added, “we flipped the script.”

    In winning the Democratic Senate primary in Illinois, Obama drew as many as two white votes for every black one, showing nearly unprecedented crossover appeal for a black candidate in a statewide race.

    Obama acknowledges, with no small irony, that he benefits from his race. If he were white, he once bluntly noted, he would simply be one of nine freshmen senators, almost certainly without a multimillion-dollar book deal and a shred of celebrity. Or would he have been elected at all?

    – Scott Martelle

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/03/barack-obama-an.html

    • PMS

      Obama acknowledges, with no small irony, that he benefits from his race. If he were white, he once bluntly noted, he would simply be one of nine freshmen senators, almost certainly without a multimillion-dollar book deal and a shred of celebrity. Or would he have been elected at all?

      Pure gold! Well done!

    • Andy

      Wow, great catch OxyCon

      • simon

        I don’t know, trying to divert Wright’s words from indicating a lack of judgement on Obama’s part to tactic of divide and conquer is repulsive, isn’t it?

        This never works, I wonder why the need to encourage racism?

        This tactic never works.

  • Jack

    Let’s just keep this up. And we will be in Iraq for 100 years, at least 4 of them under John McCain.

    Yeh, Obama is young, perhaps not as experienced as Hilary. But, he is smart, and has engaged a key demographic of young voters and college educated, not to mentioned the highly energized black vote. Not to mention he had the right idea about Iraq from the beginning.. that is, STAY OUT.

    I dont dislike Hilary, but I think she has shown that she planned a poor campaign, and believed the good press last fall that she was the inevitable.
    Also spent way too much money in thinking Super Tuesday would mark the wrap up of her triumphant march to the nomination. No contingency plans. So we saw 12 straight Obama victories.

    Right now, I see the Clinton campaign as the dog in the manger.. We cant eat the hay, but no one else will either. Who knows, maybe killing all chance of a democratic Presidential win this time is her plan.. Let McCain/Bush take the wrap for the meltdown of the economy, and she can come in as the savior in 2012.

    • Rob Gard

      He has the Republican “Democrat for a Day” voters, to be sure, and the few able to attend caucuses, and those in sure-fire “Red” states, but big state DEMOCRATS from must-win traditionally “Blue” or “swing” states, not so much.

    • simon

      Let’s just keep this up. And we will be in Iraq for 100 years, at least 4 of them under John McCain

      After that, your comments were garbage.

      You gave predictable tired specious arguments, showing no greater understanding of the statistical conclusions you quote as FACT, accepting what you see as gospel.

      YOUR REASONING is why we’re losing Iraq, the infallible belief in the statistic. You quote it, showing no understanding of the HOW, and the WHY, or even questioning accuracy.

      What is the bias of the statitician?

      This is one of the reasons the Russians lost Afghanistan, btw, an belief in the statistic, which was being skewed and sampled incorrectly, not accurately reflecting the reality of the war.

      And if the statisticians head is a little loose, well, you know, anything goes.

  • mostest

    How can the democratic party nominate a presidential candidate that has a 20 year close personal relationship with a man who believes God should Damn America?

    If they do,

    How can the President of the United States have a 20 year close personal relationship with a man who believes God should Damn America?

    If the Democratic “leadership” allows Obama to be the democratic nominee, we have to ask WHY?

  • yellow dog dem

    Doris Kearns Goodwin mentioned that Obama himself said he benefited from his race to Tim Russert on his MSNBC show in a discussion about Ferraro’s comments. That’s the only time I heard it brought up on TV. It was mentioned in passing on a low rated show so even if you watched the show you probably missed it (I just read the article on his website just moments before the show which is probably why I caught it). Elsewhere on TV it’s never mentioned, the pundits too busy castigating Ferraro for saying the same thing!

  • Jack

    Check out Frank Schaeffer’s op-ed in Huff Post today, with the striking title:

    Obama’s Minister Committed “Treason” but when my father said the same thing he was a Republican Hero.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obamas-minister-committe_b_91774.html

    “When Senator Obama’s preacher thundered about racism and injustice Obama suffered smear-by-association. But when my late father — Religious Right leader Francis Schaeffer — denounced America and even called for the violent overthrow of the US government, he was invited to lunch with presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush, Sr.

    Every Sunday thousands of right wing white preachers (following in my father’s footsteps) rail against America’s sins from tens of thousands of pulpits. They tell us that America is complicit in the “murder of the unborn,” has become “Sodom” by coddling gays, and that our public schools are sinful places full of evolutionists and sex educators hell-bent on corrupting children. They say, as my dad often did, that we are, “under the judgment of God.” They call America evil and warn of immanent destruction. By comparison Obama’s minister’s shouted “controversial” comments were mild. All he said was that God should damn America for our racism and violence and that no one had ever used the N-word about Hillary Clinton.”

    Instead of trying to destroy Obama, we should be hanging this salient point on the Republicans.

    I am so sick of Republican misadministraion and crony capitalism. We need to get them out of office. Destorying our own candidates is not the way to do that.

    Jack

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obamas-minister-committe_b_91774.html

  • McKinless

    (Sigh) Not an Obama supporter. And I’m a while male ‘Merican. But also the pastor of a mainline congregation. And I don’t think Wright’s all wrong. Read the book of Amos in the Hebrew Bible, especially what he says to Israel and Judah. America the Ideal is not the experience of a lot of black folks, and Wright’s saying so. ALL THAT SAID, Obama’s distanced himself from Wright’s “excesses” and I’m willing to accept that. Obama’s a Democrat and a good one. And I’m a Hillary supporter. And she’s a good authentic Methodist–which I respect and appreciate.

    • simon

      Obama’s distanced himself from Wright’s “excesses” and I’m willing to accept that.

      You are rationalizing, again, the whole slew of troll today has been specious reasoning.

      Does this have to do with St Patrick’s Day?

      (This is, btw, the reason we lost the war in Iraq, specious thinking, an inability to understand how and why. Instead of Obama, insert Sunni, and Cheney, say, and you have the reason as to why we do the things we do…Pelosi is to Obama, as Cheney is to Iraq).

      You are trying desperately to xerox a premise, (and here is where those critical thinking skills come in) without understanding or recognizing the problem, the thinking that went into the original argument you are trying to refute is beyond your ability to understand. And because you cannot recognize the greater problem, you stand no chance of ever solving it, stuck with desperate mediocre PR attempts, as a means of temporary control. A full eruption of denial.

      The one thing about Cheney, and Obama, neither has control, ever, despite all their underhanded methods to win. They’re both always struggling with defeat, never ever truly in charge of a situation, always putting out fires.

      Given you are what you say, you sound like the woman who refuses to recognize she’s married to an abuser.

  • yellow dog dem

    I think the point is not whether Wright is right or wrong, it’s how he is perceived by the electorate as a whole, and it’s none too good! The media is even downplaying it as less controversial than Ferraro’s comment (even though she echoed Obama himself), so the reason Wright is so disapproved of is the tapes themselves. His remarks are pretty raw. You have to believe that Obama will likely be damaged by this if he gets the nomination, I know the Republicans will run ads with those choice snippets ad nauseum. There’s no way to spin this in Obama’s favor (or even neutral) to the general populace.

  • bob h

    You can’t have it both ways: that religion is important to who you are, that Wright is the man who “brought me to Jesus”, but that you do not subscribe to his message.

  • Cee Hussein

    Tsk,tsk. More jealousy and backbiting.

    And who is Ron Fournier? A long-time friend of the Clintons from Arkansas. Gee, do you think that could have anything to do with his dislike of Obama? From SourceWatch:

    “Fournier began his journalism career at the Hot Springs, Ark., Sentinel Record in 1985. He transferred to the Arkansas Democrat in 1987 and began covering then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton a year later. In 1989, Fournier was hired by The AP, which transferred him to Washington, D.C., after Clinton’s election in 1992.