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Barack Obama and the Politics of Violence

By Larry Johnson on April 17, 2008 at 4:38 PM in Current Affairs

Senator Obama is clueless. His inept response to the George Stephanopoulos question about his relationship with William Ayers, unrepentant terrorist, raises legitimate questions about his ability to deal with the likes of foreign bullies, like Iran’s Ahmadinejad. You cringe watching Barack insisting that he barely knows Ayers and their contact is incidental:

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Nonsense! William Ayers is not just some guy who lives in Barack’s congressional district. He helped Barack organize his run against State Senator Alice Palmer. Ayers raised money for Barack. Ayers contributed money to Barack. And Bill Ayers and Barack Obama sat side-by-side as paid board members of the Woods Fund. So don’t treat us like we are morons. We are not saying you are guilty because you knew him. We are questioning your judgment because you had more than a passing relationship with him.

But there is a theme here.

The same can be said of Barack’s relationship with his pastor, Jeremiah Wright. The “reverend” who asks God to damn America is a man Barack calls “uncle.” And I do not mean, Uncle Tom. Then there is Tony Rezko, indicted slumlord and influence peddler. Barack asked him for help in buying his Chicago mansion. What about Rashid Khalidi? The former PLO press flack and Palestinian activist. This was more than an incidental acquaintance. In fact, Barack and Ayers helped secure grants from the Woods Fund for Khalidi.

Ayers, Wright, Rezko, and Khalidi are not mainstream folks. Their politics are radical or, in the case of Rezko, his ethics are sleazy. And Barack has maintained close relationships with all four. The Republican 527s understand this point and will savage Barack with it in the fall. His whining, bitching, and crying will not save him the attacks. The attacks will come. And he is unprepared to rebut these attacks because there is no defense for hanging out and doing business with an unrepentant terrorist. There is no defense for having as your chief spiritual leader a man who curses America, blames whites for AIDS, insults Italian (garlic nosed) Americans, and verbally assails Jews. There is no defense for having regular lunches and getting a sweetheart real estate deal from a man on trial for federal corruption charges.

Why does Barack make so many wrong choices? He has no problem hanging out with men of questionable character. He has no qualms about taking their advice or their money. Yet, when it came to honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, a reverend who preached and lived and died on the message of peace and reconciliation, Barack was missing in action.  Barack chose not to go to Memphis to honor the fortieth anniversary of the murder of Dr. King.  Cornel West, an Obama supporter noted his disappointment.

There is no denying Barack’s talent at delivering a scripted message. But he has not shown the courage of conviction in linking himself to the legacy of Dr. King. His minister of choice is Jeremiah Wright. Where Dr. King challenged Americans to lift their eyes to lofty heights and dream of a society that judges men and women by the content of their character, Dr. Wright preaches a message of hate and entitlement based on separating whites from blacks. Dr. King sacrificed his life to achieve integration. Dr. Wright has wasted his life encouraging segregation. And who did Barack choose?

The Republicans don’t have to make up a thing come the fall. If they can morph the image of Senator Max Cleland into the face of Osama Bin Laden–an accusation without foundation or a shred of truth–what do you think they will do with the real ammunition that Barack’s careless associations has provided? If you think they’ll leave Barack the golden child alone I have a bridge to sell you.

  • pat of wheaton

    Thomas Ayers died last year. I believe he was living with Bill Ayers at the time. Now let’s play the guilt by association with some others based on Thomas Ayers and Bill Ayers.
    Weather Underground sympathizers based on Thomas Ayers membership:
    Commonwealth Edison
    G.D. Searles
    Northwestern University
    Sears Roebuck
    Zenith
    The Tribune Company
    First National Bank of chicago
    Chicago Urban league
    Chicago Symphony orchestra

    In addition Commonwealth Edison during Ayers reign was very aggressive in the nuclear power industry so it can logically be said that the WU supported nuke plants, hey and maybe they were seeking to turn the spent rods over to the WU so they can have dirty bombs. It might be time to take preemptory action against Commonwealth edison.

    I think we are getting silly on the Bill Ayers connection

    • beebop

      How many times do you intend to post this same thing? Every place? As many times as you can? See the thing is, we’re not talking about Thomas. We’re talking about ole “Bombin’ Bill.”

    • http://NoQuarterUSA.net Larry Johnson

      How much money did Bill raise for Thomas? How many boards did they sit on together? How much money did Bill contribute to Thomas? Are all Obama supporters as dense as you?

      • mel
      • CeeHussein

        According to Fact Check, Ayers contributed 200 bucks to Obama in 2001.

        They also said THERE IS NO RELATIONSHIP.

        • beebop

          No, that is not what they said … that is what you are saying.

        • lifelong dem leaving party

          and exactly how does “no relationship” comport with ayers having a fundraiser for obama at his house?

    • Donald from Hawaii

      I will forgive Bill Ayers’ involvement with the Weather Underground as an undertaking reflective of the divisive and extraordinary times that were the 1960s and ’70s. Further, I will rightly acknowledge and applaud his laudatory efforts as a thoughtful and forceful advocate for at-risk urban youth in America over the past two decades.

      However, I will neither trivialize nor forget that Ayers was one of the pricipals whose youthful overzealousness in 1970 helped set in motion a tragic chain of events that would eventually cost three of his young friends their lives.

      And as I would hope that Sen. Obama would not be so dismissive of that mournful fact, I’d also wish that Ayers would show far more contrition than he has thus far, for what at the very least was his then-reckless indifference to human life.

      • beebop

        And he repeated the insult not seven years ago. He’s had a hell of a long time to reflect on those who were killed. I don’t hear any regret. Do you?

        • simon, too

          I think Ayers shouldn’t be looked at as a separate piece, and his current activities should be scrutinized.

          When Ayers combines with Khalidi, and Davis, and Auchi, and god knows WHAT Rezko has in his closet, along with Wright, Hamas, and Qaddafi, and Farrakhan, well, it paints a different picture of Obama, particularly as the finances here are all connected, in one way or another.

          And the picture of Rezko, from the Chicago trial is disgusting.

          Even for a corrupt fuck up he was incompetent, he seemed to be ripping off even his fellow crooks.

          Which must make people certain people unhappy…

          • beebop

            you know, he was frantic that someone went into his passport files for some freaking reason … no one is more terrified of being “outed” more than he is.

            His grades are not available. None of his friends ever speak about him. He is the man without a history — except for what he spins and packages and sells in his books.

          • Chris

            Below is an excellent article. A reminder for all voters to read.

            http://savagepolitics.com/

  • pat of wheaton

    Sorry I’ll shut up and let you girls have some fun

    • Northwest rain

      Apparently ALL Obama supporters are sexist pigs just like he is.

    • Fmr Dem not voting Obama ( formerly known as ces)

      I’d rather have a sex change (to be a woman), than vote for Obama.

      • derridog

        Yes, being a woman is so horrible to contemplate that your potential sacrifice is duly noted.

        Unconscious sexism abounds on the “progressive” blogs.

    • simon, too

      Some people have a really difficult time pulling their asses out of any given decade.

      It’s a killer, in the end.

      Heh.

  • beebop

    Thank you. Or. At least bring us girls something good to the party.

  • raymo

    I think the party will find a way to give the nomination to Obama no matter what and it will be the biggest loss since Mondale in ’84. Ayers is only one of his problems. Obama has given the Republicans a treasure trove of issues to take him apart with. And take him apart they will. It astounds me that BO’s fanboiz think what happened last night is a big deal. It is nothing.

    But they don’t care. It’s obvious now that all they want to do is destroy the Clintons.

    • beebop

      Do you think that the reek and file BOBO fanboiz have given any thought to November? They think this is the NFL …. They think they WIN when he’s on the ballot. They don’t know any better because they’re too young to remember a Democrat winning …. Thank you so much Odonna Brazile.

    • workingclass artist

      Do you suppose there were folks like us “worried” in Berlin 1933… I know it sounds a little paranoid, but aren’t things kinda lookin similar…

      • tomchaps

        If you’re serious… no, it doesn’t at all. However, Godwin’s Law is once again proven true.

      • yttik

        Yep, I’m frightened. But a big part of the problem is the attitude of many Obama supporters. They’re acting like thugs. I’m reading that this man must “win at all costs” and “there is no price too big to pay to get Obama elected.” Those are the kinds of words you hear from extremists. Throw in some death threats and whispers of possible riots and it’s a potentially scary situation. There’s a lot of rage in the country right now, mostly because of the Bush administration, and all that anger has nowhere to go.

        • fooj

          Exactly. Instead of behaving as a leader and quelling the rage…he stokes it. It’s the same type of “leadership” this country has been cursed with for the past 7+ years.

          • TeakWoodKite

            fooj , you got it. Politics of fear. So set on this obssesion, he suffer Ahab’s obbsession.

            Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.

        • Blu

          Does it goes deeper than the Obama supporters we hear from on these blogs and the call in radio programs? The DNC adopted new rules in 2006 which has language about Affirmative Action & Delegate Apportionment so the African American communities would be disproportionately represented in this nomination process. Did the DNC make these rule changes to insure that Obama would be our nominee? You combine these DNC rule changes, the Cable News networks sweeping all of Obama’s sins under the rug, the over-sampling of African Americans in the polls, the threats being made to super delegates, the threats to reporters and bloggers and columnists that dare criticize their man, voter intimidation at the caucuses, promises of revolts and riots in Denver … A paranoid person might see a pattern to this madness. Not saying I’m paranoid but …

          • yttik

            It’s not quite Berlin 1933, more like pre- revolution South America with those giant posters of Obama hanging in bus stops. It reminds me of martyrs and dictators.

            • SensibleWoman

              A little twist to this…a thought entered my mind today about Cuba beginning to gradually allow Cubans a view of the world outside of Cuba via the internet.

              Could they be hoping their youth sees youth HERE pushing for the Hope & Change nonsense in an effort to make Cuban youth think WE actually would like to have their kind of gov’t?

        • http://www.southjerseycaterer.com Amber

          *sigh* I was really looking forward to getting bush out of office, but I think the thought of obama for president is scarier than george W. as a lame duck.

    • Nicole

      You may be right, but I think she has an excellent chance of winning the nomination.

      One thing that does bother me, though, is Obama’s Daddy Longlegs (although maybe “Daddy Warbucks” is more apt): why is Soros funding Obama’s campaign? What has Soros got against the Clintons? Can anyone enlighten me with their theory on this? Thanks in advance.

      Oh, and it bugs me that the learned, academically inclined, Harvard-educated Obama twice said during the debate: “…[Ayers is not] someone I exchanged ideas from…“ The proper form is to exchange ideas WITH, not FROM. A small thing, I know, but still…

      • PMS

        Don’t let Harvard fool you. It’s really not what it’s cracked up to be, academically. WAY too much inbreeding.

        • blobert

          The 4 year college is the real thing. The grad schools are scattershot. Doesn’t Bill O’Reilly have a degree from their teachera college?

          • simon, too

            why is Soros funding Obama’s campaign?

            This concerns me, too, as everything connected to Obama seems corrupt.

            I thought Soros was a little better than this.

            And Harvard?

            The degree means nothing, if once they get out, they can’t produce, well, that degree doesn’t mean a thing.

            Look at Bill Kristol, look at the mess the neocons made, look at Obama.

            All undistinguished, if not downright failures.

      • helen

        Didn”t Soros fund Kerry”s campaign? The democratic party that i knew since 1960 is gone. The republicans could not have done a better job of destroying then Dean ,Pelosi , and Brazile.

    • blobert

      I’m also worried about Republicans who changed party affiliation for the specific purpose of voting for Obama, and who will change back to Republican for the General Election.
      A couple of months ago, the proprietor of the Big Orange blog announced the PA cut off date for anyone who wanted to change party affiliation and vote in our primary there.

  • raymo

    Sorry I’ll shut up and let you girls have some fun

    Here we go with the sexism again. “Girls” as insult. It never occurs to them that they’ll need Clinton votes against McCain. Which, of course, in my case at least, they won’t get.

    Another Unity Thug for Obama.

    This is why I am suspicious of the caucus “wins.” I think his caucus people lied, cheated, and intimidated their way to those wins.

    • CeeHussein

      Girls” as insult.

      Raymo,

      Stop being silly. It isn’t an insult. Nor do we need Hillary in the fall.
      The further away she goes with her baggage, the better off we are.

      • beebop

        No. You as a girl is an insult. Actually, you BEING here is an insult.

        • CeeHussein

          Beehop,

          This isn’t your blog so STFU about who is here.

      • deke

        There has never been a candidate with the baggage that Obama brings. Starting with lying about his past, his relationship with unsavory characters, his arrogance, and lack of basic political instincts. Where do you what to start Cee when you come to a gun fight don’t bring a knife.

      • Northwest rain

        F**k you and the horse you rode in on.

    • blankcb26

      His caucus wins were because of those tactics!!! In Texas his people called all the Hillary Delegates telling them either that they were signed up as an Obama delegate so if they were for Clinton they didn’t need to show up, or they said it was canceled or moved to a different place. They bullied many Hillary people, and didn’t follow the rules of the caucus!! They really need to get rid of this system!!!!

      • workingclass artist

        True….Over 2000 complaints of voting fraud and intimidation…..Chased one poor precinct captain to the police station…It was a mess.

      • PMS

        At my precinct caucus in Texas, there were 76 Obama voters vs. 75 Clinton voters. The Obama folks controlled the sign-in sheets (with a fair amount of hollering and shoving). After the results were announced the next day, the precinct had magically gone 2/3rds for Obama.

        • fooj

          Have you noticed that things have gotten awfully quiet re: Texas?

          Did Obama get “busted” for his “win at any cost” brand of “new” politics?

        • workingclass artist

          Did you read about that poor woman in I think it was Spring Tx. She showed up to caucus and she saw OBAMATRONS pushing some white woman out of the door ( she was an HRC supporter )and then blocking it. The young womn turned around and left. She was pretty badly shaken. Also I think the New Math for Texas 40% = majority that they quit counting and just gave OBAMESSIAH his delegates was pretty digusting.

          • simon, too

            They aren’t bright, what you see with that group is what you get.

            Dont expect something other than the stupid you see.

            Really.

            Which says to me they’re being trolled by someone.

          • http://www.minfirm.com Joe

            I am blown away by this…..i have never heard any of these complaints before– I think the media is controlled by his thugs too. If hillary’s peeps did that, it would be all over the place. He scares me so much

  • JoeySky

    If he thinks that his relationship is not an issue, he could just face it head on and give a substantial explanation why it is so.

    He couldn’t do that. He only has himself to blame.

  • apishapa

    I think I heard Obama say that when he moved to Chicago he was told to “look Ayers up”. By whom?

    It sounds like Obama sought out Ayers and cultivated a relationship with him. Surely knowing he had political abmitions, he would have taken the time to research the man he was seeking a friendshp with. It does not matter if Ayer’s crimes were committed 40 years ago, Obama must have had some knowledge about his friends past. Did a politician never talk about political beliefs with a friend?

    • simon, too

      And you know, I wonder if it’s Obama’s first instinct to ignore this matter, in the hope it will go away, it’s so distasteful to him.

      I mean, does he think the press, the MSM is indicative of our law enforcement, the people who protect this country?

      What a stupid group of men, I wonder if they’re all as intellectually vapid and pretentious as k##? Or even Bill Kristol, for that matter…

      Heh.

      • beebop

        apparently not … some troll just posted a link to the campaign releasing the rehash of Bill’s commuting those two sentences.

        A “normal” person would probably leave it alone and not poke at the hornet’s nest … but this is the guy who just flipped Hillary the finger today, so thugs don’t think like the rest of us.

        • Kathy

          The two women who had their sentences commuted by Clinton had already served six years. Didn’t they only transport something in a car? They both apologized I think. This is completely different that hanging around with someone who got off because of a technicality and has never paid his debt to society or even said he was sorry. I don’t see where one thing has anything to do with the other.

  • pat of wheaton

    I offended people by using the term “girls” it was wrong and I am sorry. Although not preplanned I see the sexism of it and I apologize.
    To the party I request to add this.
    I grew up on the south side of Chicago and if the Khalidi grant is to the IMAN group located at 63rd and Western. They are a pretty good group. They run a clinic among other functions and they are just publishing a grant from the Doris Duke foundation.
    I admit Obama has his problems, but guilt by association doesn’t make this Berlin 1933.
    Again my apology.

    • simon, too

      Actually, Pat you brought up a lot of good information in terms of whom Daddy Ayers was connected to, so thanks.

      • pat of wheaton

        thanks Simon
        the old man was a lion the son during the last decade generally an a hole

  • AF catfish

    OT but OK on the Newshour today they’re talking about how negative the questions were last night.

    Can we nominate somebody this delicate?

  • typical.white.person

    Off Topic:

    Pa. woman who grilled Obama during debate explains why she finds him annoying

    McCabe sympathizes with working-class people who got in over their heads during the housing boom. She opposes the Iraq war and thinks President Bush has hurt the country. She doesn’t support Republican John McCain because he’s too close to Bush.

    On paper, her stances make her as likely to support Obama as Clinton.

    But she sees a difference between the two. In Clinton, she sees someone who has struggled for years, just like her, and has earned the right to be president. In Obama, she sees someone who rose like a rocket, always has a smooth explanation for everything — whether it’s about his former preacher or the flag pin — and who makes it all look too easy.

    “That’s what upsets me about Barack Obama,” she says. “He takes everything so nonchalantly.”

  • Mary

    I only have one thing to point out here. Don’t think even for a minute that the little bit Hillary has said about Obama’s background is what will defeat him. She has actually said very little of what is out there. Even her campaign surrogates have said very little in proportion to what is easily available.

    But the Republican attack machine has resources we have never fathomed, because if all else fails, they will steal their information. Wiretaps… no big deal. Breakins… no big deal. Hacking… just the newest potential addition to their toolbox. It’s their history, their normal MO.

    I know they are already hard at work on this, and anyone who believes otherwise has his head inserted in an anatomically difficult place.

    • Catriley

      You’re absolutley right. The thing I found laughable today is the exploding heads at the Orange Satan who were upset that Hannity gave George S. the idea to ask about Ayers.

      As IF all of the D.C. wonks don’t know about that connection already. I think Obamacrats are quite naive.

  • Wendy!

    Just received a little action alert. ABC’s number was published by the Orange menace and they are being bombarded with hate calls by Obama supporters. It would be nice if we left them some positive feedback and let them know we appreciated them making Obama play fast pitch instead of slow pitch.

    I spoke with a nice lady who said she couldn’t take it anymore and so gave me the direct line to the comments voicemail but you can use the first number to talk to a real person…let them know some of us think they did a good job. She says positive comments are in the minority…so help out if you’d like.

    Live person: 1-818-560-1000

    Direct to comments for news specials:

    818-460-7477

    Option 2

    Option 6

    That will let you leave a 30 second comment on a news special.

  • IndayHill

    At last night’s debate, Senator Obama’s true color became obvious.He ignored to answer truthfully the question asked of him regarding his association to the shady characters, like “Rev.”Wright,Rezko,Ayers, Khalidi. Instead, he turned to make negative charges to Senator Clinton, who was humble & intellectual in her answers.She even apologized for her Bosnia gaffe. Did Obama expressed any apology to his several mistakes, intentional or not? NO!!
    I DO NOT TRUST SENATOR BARRY OBAMA!!
    VOTE SENATOR CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT!!!

  • blobert

    What do Blowing up buildings and anarchy have to do with anything?
    Can we please get back to important issues?

    • beebop

      WTF?

      • yttik

        I’m going to guess bobert is being sarcastic.

        But I had to laugh, I got nearly that same comment in another group and it was delivered in all seriousness.

        Yeah, that’s going to be a hell of a come back in the general election. I can just picture Obama trying that weak excuse, “Wahhhh, I shouldn’t be judged by the company I keep. Can we please forget about my shady friends and talk about the real issues?”

        • blobert

          definitely sarcasm :-)

  • Catime

    Maybe I’m late to the party, but did you see Obama flip-the-bird to Hillary in his speech today? 1:19 in.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlR9DNfqGD4

    • beebop

      YES YES YES …. What a fuckhead he is. Mr. I’m never negative …. BOBO the clown is not nearly as adorable when he’s not wearing his red nose.

  • justsomeone

    Excuse me for veering off topic: does anyone know why Obama has gone from proposing 24% tax on cap gains, divs & interest up to a roarin’ 28%? Has he offered any explaination?

    • beebop

      Numbers. Just numbers. ;)

      • simon, too

        Hey, he’s got a lot of graff to pay out.

        IL has the highest tax rate in the nation, due to Obama’s homeboys.

        Who did you think was going to pay for it, silly?

        Why, the taxpayers…

        Heh….

  • Amalia

    It’s not guilt by association…the relationship between
    Ayers and Obama is real.(like the relationship with Rezko
    and the toast to Auchi.)

    anyone who cares to post over on TalkingPointsMemo (I know, I know) should know that they have the facts wrong on Ayers in what they claim is a fact memo.
    They claim Obama was introduced to Ayers by the State Senator
    he was replacing. People who were involved then say Ayers introduced Obama around.

    also, Obama and Ayers have appeared together on forums, even one at U. of C. organized by Michelle (apparently, cause she works there) and including Bernardine Dohrn. did Dohrn have any involvement in Juvenile Justice reform? why did Barack not want penalties to increase for juveniles? Please publish his voting record in the State Senate. Soft.

    do as i say not as I do Obama’s style, time to post on it at
    TalkingPointsMemo. tell the truth Obama.

    • tomchaps

      Yes, she runs the juvenile justice legal clinic at Northwestern; it’s been her career for the last decade or so.

  • tomchaps

    Okay, let’s disaggregate this silly “Ayers, Wright, Rezko, and Khalidi” grouping. He had a close connection to Rezko, and it’s going to be an issue in the general election, no doubt. He is close to Rev. Wright (while disagreeing with him), and that will hurt him even more in the general election. There’s a good reason to push Obama on these, since he has real and politically unfortunate connections with them.

    But Ayers and Khalidi? The connection is not that they are “not just some guy who lives in Barack’s congressional district”, correct. But they are just some guys who are part of the political landscape of Hyde Park. Did anyone actually read the original Ben Smith Politico piece, or Cass Sunstein’s quote? Ayers and Dorhn are not forgiven their pasts, but they are very much part of the–not just crazy liberal, but the fairly mainstream academic/nonprofit community. I helped organize a conference in Chicago on the history of juvenile justice a few years ago for a wonderful elderly Social Service Administration professor, Peggy Rosenheim and guess what? We had coffee one morning at Medici with another organizer of the conference, Bernadine Dorhn. And yes, I found and find her 1960s and 1970s politics odious–heck, even unrepentant radicals do far more than wince when they think back to her central role in destroying the SDS from within with narcissistic infighting. But did I send faxes to her assistant at Northwestern to help arrange things for the conference? Why, yes I did.

    The point is, Ayers and Dorhn are part of the political community in Hyde Park, and to simply attend a gathering at their house doesn’t imply either sympathy to their past or any notable level of friendship. If you want, I can gather the list of people who attended that conference; it included a number of prominent judges and I believe the head of the Carnegie Endowment. Being on a board, accepting a $200 check all rise to the same level: not a meaningful relationship.

    I have to go now, but I’ll post about Khalidi later. And yes, as a graduate student in History at the University of Chicago, I worked tangentially with him, too.

    • Salo

      So you are a dem in Chicago.

      Well I guess we’ll keep that in mind.

      • tomchaps

        I don’t live in Chicago anymore, but yes, I’m a Democrat. (Aren’t we on a site devoted to electing Clinton?)

    • Catriley

      I appreciate all the info. But there is no way in hell, if I were running for office, that I would accept money, help, or hospitality for someone that plotted to blow up an Officer’s Club and kill people, get off on a technicality, then speak unrepentently about it. It’s a matter of values for most peoople. Most people climb the stairs to become president, Obama took the escalator, and it’s coming back to haunt him.

      • simon, too

        Khalidi was a former press OP for the PLO.

        AAN (Arab Action Network?) still sends money to to Palestoine (isn’t Auchi connected to this)
        and did, I believe, as Ayers and Obama gave them 100,000, through Woods. Didn’t Alison Davis also get a grant?

        For starters.

        All of these links, this money activity, is very current.

        I swear, I can’t tell who is being trolled here, the desperate Obamabots can’t seem to see the bigger picture.

        • lifelong dem leaving party

          this kind of funneling money to terrorists usually ends people up in guantanamo. how did obama avoid this?

          • ChrisXP

            this kind of funneling money to terrorists usually ends people up in guantanamo. how did obama avoid this?

            Simple: Dean, Pelosi and Reid.

            • workingclass artist

              Well…..I just threw up in the trash can….Oh well, being informed is important if sickening.

    • laurie

      But you aren’t running for president — and neither is teh head of Carnegie. I think this shows that Obama is either really stupid or really arrogant because all associations come out in a presidential campaign. He could have smartly spoken out against Ayers’ unrepentant comments and gone on the record to say he passionately disagreed with him on the issue of violent revolution. Heaven knows he loves a chance to make a speech. He could have made a big deal about NOT attending a function at Ayers house. In my opinion, he is so narcissistic and cocky, he thinks he can play ball with anybody and not be considered part of the game. That’s what bugs me the most about him.

      • tomchaps

        Look, I’m obviously not saying that Obama should have anything to do with Ayers or Dorhn. I’m just saying that noone is well-served by overemphasizing the extent or nature of the connection. It is nothing like Rezko or his pastor.

        He has spoken out against Ayers and the Weather Underground, immediately and forcefully, but in my opinion not forcefully enough. Instead, he’s somewhat understandably emphasizing his distance from them and the issue, with his “I was only 8 when it happened” line.

        His spokesman said: “Senator Obama strongly condemns the violent actions of the Weathermen group, as he does all acts of violence. But he was an eight-year-old child when Ayers and the Weathermen were active, and any attempt to connect Obama with events of almost forty years ago is ridiculous.”

        The much-ballyhooed meeting at Ayers house happened in 1995, before Obama was elected to anything. He was being introduced by the current state senator from the district (who obviously didn’t have a problem with it) as her chosen successor. He wasn’t anywhere near running for president at the time, Ayers hadn’t published his stupid memoir or made those stupid NYT comments. Since then, they served on an eight-person charity board together, Ayers gave $200 to Obama’s reelection campaign, and they were on an academic panel together. That doesn’t even rise to the level of “hanging around with”, but (as I attempted to show in my earlier post) a reflection of Obama being the state senator from a small district and academic community where Ayers/Dorhn were accepted members of the community.

        Again, I think the Obama campaign could do a better job emphasizing the “of course Obama loathes what the Weather Underground stands for” than the “what’s the deal here?” side of their statement. But I also agree with the “what’s the deal here”…

        • workingclass artist

          Tomchaps….It is the chain of associations which are increasingly making this OBAIMPOSTER unelectable in the general and making a big part of the traditional democratic base pissed off…The way this thing is appearing rigged is the reason so many of us show up here.

          • tomchaps

            Yeah, I mostly agree: I don’t think he’s unelectable, but I think that some of these associations (Rekzo and Rev. Wright) will make his election much, much more difficult than it would have been. What I object to is lumping Ayers–although he is a more toxic figure than Rezko or Wright–in with them in a “chain of associations.” His degree of involvement is an a completely different level.

            Why do you think the primary is rigged? Who would rig it?

            • beebop

              If it is no big deal, and if he is the “positive” player, why bring up the Clinton commutations and call them pardons? Seems to me he should focus on his own negatives and not worry so much on trying to be so cute. It’s not really his best move.

              He’s either stupid or just a dirty politician. You don’t get to pick the best possible light every time you want to … it’s kind of like saying that he “admired” her when she said she wasn’t going to stay home and bake cookies. He threw that out there to raise the issue again, not as a piece of flattery. I mean, after all, she’s only “likable enough,” right?

    • helen

      Having been in a position where a live bomb was placed in room upstairs from where i worked that could have killed hundreds, I can find no reason to associate or respect Ayers or Dorn. Only no-class cowards plant bombs to kill people then run. They hid for 10 years and then got off on a mistake made by the FBI. They in there sick minds are proud of what they did. They would hurt this country before they would help it.

  • http://hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com Uppity

    Try to count his blinks in the video.

  • http://www.madinthemiddle.blogspot.com churl

    The trolls are out; I’m getting away from this bridge!

    • beebop

      They are every where. And they are still PISSED about how bad BOBO looked last night …

      • simon, too

        HA!

        And they are clueless.

        Right now, someone is LAUGHING at their dumb asses, circling round and round, feeding the very thing they’re trying to defeat.

        Never mess with a master, never, never.

        And some old goofy PR guy is not a master, no matter his pretensions.

        IMO.

        A true master never betrays his country.

  • laurie

    I just read this released by the Obama Campaign:

    http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/04/16/clinton-has-bigger-weather-underground-problem/

    How best do you think Hillary can handle the inevitable flack that will come from it? I remember being really shocked at President Clinton’s pardons of Susan Rosenberg and Linda Evans — and I don’t think I ever learned why he commuted their sentences — but it seems that this is the reason Hillary hasn’t brought up Ayers before.

    I agree that neither Rosenberg nor Evans are hosting dinners for Clinton and Obama is a complete idiot for not realizing that you can’t party with and accept donations from terrorists. I just don’t want Bill’s pardons to muddy the waters for Hillary here. What does everybody think?

    • beebop

      it’s been discused upthread … you might want to go there …. :)

    • beebop

      And the word is COMMUTE … both of those people served time. And their sentences were commuted.

      Bill Ayers was not tried on a technicality.

      Funny.

      BOBO the frown clown is digging hard to find an Ayers equivalent … I thought there was nothing there … ???? oh, right, and his hand writing wasn’t on the questionnaire either.

      • helen

        Since Obama graduated from Harvard Law School and does not know the difference between a pardon and commuting a sentence, if I ever need a lawyer I think I should get one from Community College. Don’t they have classes in public speaking? How would he ever convince a jury with his ahhhs, umhhh and you knows? do anyone remember when Ronald Reagan was called the “great Communicator”? After his speechs people would come on tv and say well he said this but he meant that. Remind anyone of todays WORM, what Obama really meant.

  • Arabella Trefoil

    What a liar. I’ll bet he lied about experimenting with drugs. He wants street cred. But he doesn’t want people to know he smoked/s cigarettes. Odd.

  • Ugo

    “Yet, when it came to honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, a reverend who preached and lived and died on the message of peace and reconciliation, Barack was missing in action. Barack chose not to go to Memphis to honor the fortieth anniversary of the murder of Dr. King.” My point exactly, when Sen. Hillary Clinton said that, “Running for office is not a game…” That is what she ment. America need to wake up and stop Barack. Americans have always corrected the wrong. I hope you wake up in time, Office of the presidency is not about feel good thing, it is about the Country.

  • orionATL

    ah, mary (17:31)

    [ I only have one thing to point out here. Don’t think even for a minute that the little bit Hillary has said about Obama’s background is what will defeat him. She has actually said very little of what is out there. Even her campaign surrogates have said very little in proportion to what is easily available. ]

    i don’t know what you know, but your comment brings to mind a comment i recently heard karl rove say in a weblog video:

    “barrack obama is extreme left wing”.

    i do not know if that is true, but a fact does not have to be true to be “actionable” by karl rove.

    thus arises what can be called

    “the democrats’ dilemma” :

    does the republican party, including karl rove who is “informally” advising mccain, hold strong cards against obama or are they bluffing?

    the questions asked in last night’s debate offered some hints to democrats, but nothing more.

    shall we ask obama to assure us publicly that he has no skeletons in his closet, just as if he were a possible cabinet appointee?

    or shall we appoint him to our “cabinet”, i.e., nominate him,

    and hope for the best?

    in short, shall we demand to know what’s there?

    or piously continue bury our heads “in an anatomically difficult place”?

    • ChrisXP

      “barrack obama is extreme left wing”.

      i do not know if that is true

      Ah, Obaba makes Ted Kennedy look like Pat Robertson.

      He’s the most liberal senator in Washington — when he’s even in Washington to cast a vote!

      • laurie

        He’s actually NOT left wing. Not where it counts, anyway. His economic advisor is AUstan Goolsbee — about as radical Friedmanesque Chicago School free-market as they come. Obama praises Reagan. Obama says he’ll put Rightwingers in his cabinet. Obama called Paul Wellstone a “gadfly.” He says that anti-choice opinions should be “respected.” Obama is NOT a liberal.

        I am a liberal, and I consider it an insult when people say Obama is liberal. He is all faux-progressive talk with none of the heart of true progressives and none of the sense of a true centerist.

        Go Hillary!

        • ChrisXP

          I am a liberal, and I consider it an insult when people say Obama is liberal. He is all faux-progressive talk with none of the heart of true progressives and none of the sense of a true centerist.

          His 2007 voting record is indeed the most liberal in the senate.

          • laurie

            He voted in 2007 with an eye toward getting the Deanite/Naderbot bloggerrati behind his campaign. Hillary was the most liberal senator in 2006 and he was clearly aiming to steal her far left base.

            Obama and Clinton have had strikingly similar voting records overall. Of the 267 measures on which both senators cast votes in 2007, the two differed on only 10. “The policy differences between Clinton and Obama are so slight they are almost nonexistent to the average voter,” said Richard Lau, a Rutgers University political scientist. CHeck out progressivepunch.com to see exactly how they measure up. But the voting record is not what I’m talking about.

            Obama is NOT liberal:

            In 2005 he was planning to vote to confirm John Roberts as chief justice. What liberal would do that???

            He supported a McCain-sponsored immigration plan.

            He is extremely hesitant to state positions on gay causes, won’t be interviewed by the gay media and has homophobe freaks like Meeks around him. Not liberal.

            He 0pposed filibuster efforts against nominated Supreme Couirt Justice Alioto. How is this liberal?

            He doesn’t support truly universal healthcare.

            He voted for a business-friendly “tort reform” bill.

            He wrote that conservatives were right about welfare.

            He is willing to put rightwingers in his cabinet.

            He opposed efffort to censure Bush administration for illegal wiretapping

            He voted to make John Negroponte the National Intelligence Director.

            He voted for a nuclear energy bill that included money for bunker buster bombs and full funding for Yucca Mountain.

            He won’t rule out first strike nuclear attack on Iran.

            He received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006.

            He went to Connecticut to support Joe Lieberman in the primary against Ned Lamont.

            He wupports federally funded ethanol.

            He refuses to take a position on the anti-constitutional Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act.

            He called Pakistan “the right battlefield … in the war on terrorism” Threatened to invade Pakistan.

            He opposed putting heating fuel assistance for low income in stimulas bill.

            Obama is NOT LIBERAL. Real liberals know this. Hillary is the true liberal’s friend. She understands walking the line between liberal idealogy and common-sense centerist approaches. Obama surrounds himself with radical advisors on the far right AND left. Goolsbee Right/Wright Left) But his philosophy is much farther to the right than Hillary. And he shows no sign of giving a crap about unions and the working poor — a true liberal’s causes.

  • http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/04/17/barack-obama-and-the-politics-of-violence/#more-2212 waldenpond

    Dick Morris (ugh) went off the deep end (as usual) with his CDS on Fox tonight about Clinton’s ties to terrorists. According to him, Clinton is much worse than Obama. He was trotting out the American Muslim Alliance and the ‘thousands’ of dollars they gave to Clinton. O’Reilly wants to know why Obama doesn’t have this info. Expect Obama to be calling Dickie boy tonight.

  • Bill Delyon

    “Don’t treat us like ‘Morons’ “…..

    Sorry Larry, you are sadly now nothing more than a Moron…

    Congrats….

    • ChrisXP

      Sorry Larry, you are sadly now nothing more than a Moron…

      Congrats….

      Congrats, Carrot Top, for gracing us with your presence.

      Now go insert yourself in Obama’s rear end, and hee haw like a good little jackass, right on back where you belong.

      • Bill Delyon

        Yawn…

        Thats all you got?

        You guys are such a classy bunch…

        Hillary must be so proud….

        Keep em coming..

        • ChrisXP

          Yawn…

          Thats all you got?

          Coming back for more?

          How about me pushing your head further up Obama’s ass?

          Will that finally make you feel at home?

          BTW, I have zero respect for Obamatics. Personally, I would have them drawn and quartered and their heads mounted on pikes in front of the DNC headquarters.

          But I’m nice, I’m only a moderate Traditional conservative.

          BOO!

  • Ugo

    But the thing that I do not understand how most of the journalist are finding answer for the questions he refused to answer and at the same breath are very dissmisive of others. what is going on.

    America wake up.

  • Ugo

    Obama claimed that he has better JUDGMENT.

    How come you don’t get it?

    Does Obama has the Judgment of any thing?

  • Fleaflicker

    Indeed Barack Obama is clueless. I wish he could read my mind and know exactly how I really feel about him. Damned shame if ya asked me!

  • Eddie

    The Obama bashing is exactly what is wasting our time… Last I heard there is a war that is costing about a billion dollars a month, in a country that is nowhere near where we are fighting. Oil prices are are going through the roof and the value of the dollar against other currencies is shrinking, that’s INFLATION.
    If you think Hillary can get us out of this mess than Obama then that’s who you need to vote for. But it is insulting to any working american to waste our time time whining about knowing someone that did something heinous nearly forty years ago. While at the same time Bin Ladin’s plan to bankrupt the United Srates continues to unfold.
    My question is who has the best plan to clean up this mess along with the personality to galvanize congress to get these things done. The current president has a great pedigree but look where it got us.

  • pm317

    From savagepolitics: this is interesting..

    As a curious side-note, if you go to William Ayers’ main website (CLICK HERE), you will notice a very prominent name in the middle of the page: ABU-ZAYD. For those of you who are not familiar with Islamic culture, the name means “FATHER OF ZAYD” and it is Ayers OTHER name. As you may have noticed above, Ayers has two children which he raised as Muslims (Malik and Zayd), a fact that he openly exalts by applying to himself an honorary Muslim name.

    Nonetheless, as Obama stated in ABC’s debate, if we simply suspend our reason and knowledge of how politics ACTUALLY works, then we must assume that being associated to Rev. Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers is not sufficiently substantive to ascribe to him the same and exact philosophical views of the world that they have. But, even if this was absolutely true (for the sake of argument), these unwholesome friendships and partnerships, at the very least, open the possibility of interpreting Obama’s own political policies through the same lens that his friends and their views have established for him (thus their friendship and support of Obama).

    As the Castillian saying goes; “tell me with whom you are with, and I will tell you who you are”.

  • http://vbonnaire.wordpress.com vbonnaire

    Funny, all. I’ve been a lifelong Dem, and yet I’m only beginning to “learn” about the New Left from the blogs and web. Maybe we need to understand what this faction is after? Truly, because the more you look into it, the more frightening it seems and the whole thing seems to be tied to the Middle East.

    My own politics look like this—try and end the war, balance the budget like Clinton’s did, restore diplomacy and Peace Corps style help to poor countries while taking care of the US first. Sort of all the things Hillary Clinton is talking about every time I hear her. The Green Industry (something CA is already very big on) is a good model to create all the jobs…

    Plus, we have got to take care of our veterans. We can’t let them die for lack of care regarding PTSD.
    All of these things are huge, and pressing, and difficult things to do. Guess who has already got the plans? Only Hillary. Without a doubt this is the most disastrous election I have ever seen since the Reagan years, or four years ago.

    It’s like chaos? When the country needs calm and a smooth transition right now. He is very much like a facist and economically these times mimic previous eras when facism ruled. I’m quite worried, you guys!
    Really worried. Anyway, this New Left? Who are they?

    • tomchaps

      New Left = 1960s student radicals, such as the Students for a Democratic Society. While a few dinosaurs from that era are left (i.e., Ayers), the party as a whole has moved far on, more towards the Clinton-style pragmatism.

      Don’t let internet forum postings skew your view of either party–we (myself included) tend to be more on the edges than the center.

      • beebop

        I ran into a friend of my sister’s on his way to the Cav’s playoff game viewing. 46 years old. No war background. Great education. Out of work for two years. Voting Republican for the first time this year. He’s the kind of guy who should be building this party, not leaving it.

    • Eddie

      Amen To all except the new left. Who cares? There are fringes in every direct. As long as they remain on the fring it is ok. I believe in free speech.

      • Eddie

        Correction:
        Amen To all except the new left. Who cares? There are fringes in every direction. As long as they remain on the fringe it is ok. I believe in free speech.

        (Need to use my specs)

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  • tan

    I feel that instead of focussing on the little stuff or the accusations you need to focus on the good that he is trying to provide for the people.I feel that Bush and Obama or two different presidents and one could not compare to the other ones democrat and ones republic. And he as a United States citizan has the right to say what he wants to say without him being compared to Bush or his preacher.