Despite the general level of Obama fatigue, it is hard to ignore that more about the characters that populate Obamaland continue to bubble to the surface in the blogosphere.
Larry Johnson notes that Obama has been less than honest about his relationship with unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers. We already knew that Ayers held the first fundraiser at his home to help launch Obama’s state senate campaign in 1995, and that they served together on the board of the Woods Fund for years, giving grants to people like former PLO flack Rashid Khalidi. What we did not know is that Obama was the director of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge — a school reform organization co-founded by Ayers. He also links to a piece by Steve Diamond, law professor on the faculty of Santa Clara University School of Law, providing further background as to why this suggests Obama and Ayers may go back as far as the late 1980s. Granted, Johnson is famous for downplaying the threat of Islamic terrorism in the summer of 2001, but he has backup material this time.
At PJM, Tom Blumer collects more evidence suggesting that Obama has been less than honest in claiming he did not hear or read the hateful sermons of his spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama himself declared on Fox News Sunday that his relationship with Wright was a “legitimate political issue,” but is picking up the “out of context” defense, so please oblige Barack by listening to more of those sermons Hugh Hewitt has posted from April 13, 2004 and from September 16, 2001.
The L.A. Times has a piece on Obama’s rather cozy relationship with donor Robert Blackwell Jr., whose company got a state grant after Obama was paid a legal retainer, as well as a campaign cotribution paid one day after Obama wrote a letter urging the awarding of the state funds. There is no “smoking gun” of a legal or ethical breach (this is Illinois, after all), but it is hardly the sort of “new politics” Obama has been preaching on the campaign trail, either.
More continues to bubble up at Memeorandum.
You racist.
That really should be ALLCAPS!
And eleventy!
Calling people racist is starting to grow on me. No wonder people on the left love throwing that word around. It not only denigrates whoever it is used against, but it also makes any ideas they have moot. I mean who would want to listen to the ideas of a racist, wouldn’t that by extension make you racist as well? If only this primary season will bring us the opportunity to compare Obama or Clinton to Hitler.
Baracky fatigue is real and growing. I was watching a retrospective of his campaign and it hit me hard that I just wasn’t feeling it anymore.
– Oh yee of little faith and faint nuance.
Well we all know Obama is allowed to associate with radical racist pastors and marxist terrorist. He is just not allowed to go on FAUX news.
Fox News has some video, too. I stopped during the first segment when Wright referred to the Roman Army in Jerusalem as a Roman Marine regiment.
At least he has stopped calling them Italians.
#6
Strange, I’m watching Barack on FOX News right now. Da aimtay sewt!
O!
yes thor, and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth about it.
*sigh* I’m not allowed to post links tonight….
homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/blog/dmf231026381.html
Stop the guilt by association thing it’s ridiculous!!!!!!!
it’s small it’s shallow. comb thru everyone Sen. Clinton and Sen McCain has associated WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES.
Baracky spent his day pandering here in Indy. He made it a point to go to one of the most lilly white churches in Indy, a Methodist church. That seemed odd.
I was not feeling you until the ALL CAPS !!!!!!!!ELEVENTY!!!!!
what issues would Baracky like to talk about? Capital gains taxes? Punitive corporate taxes? Wright? Hanging out with acknowledged domestic terrorists? Surrender in Iraq? Outside of hopeyness and changeyness, Baracky has no issues.
oh, he has issues, JD. it’s just that it’s hard to tell that he’s particularly attached to them. what with the short resume and the voting that doesn’t exactly demonstrate CHANGE!
Obama and his supporters have a sense of entitlement to the nomination simply because 90% of the Blacks vote for him. When the percentage is this high, it is easy to believe that a good chunk of the Blacks vote for him because he is one of them. What Obama and his supporters fail to face the reality and stop whining and blaming everybody else being racists or whatever. The reality is that the few skeletons that are coming out are all of his doing, none of them were manufactured by Clinton or the Republicans. Nobody forces to sit in that church for 20 years or forces to speak those condescending words towards working class people.
This blogosphere is pathetic. I don’t care who Obama associated with in the 80’s or the 90’s. Get off the church thing!!! I only care what he believes NOW!! I like his even temperment, his policies are the same as Clintons, and he STILL has a fresh approach that is badly needed in our country right now.
I don’t care about what Obama believes NOW.
I care about what he believes… NOW!
No, wait, I don’t care about what Obama believes NOW.
I care about what he believes… NOW!
this is only the beginning of the skeltons in the closet of Senator Obama..the republican party will eat him up alive..there way too many unknown because it all was hidden..keep your hats on folks because if our news media finally starts being fair and equal in the reporting of negative of obama as they did with clinton, i don’t think that the undecided voters are going to like what they hear.
Patricia..obama is what his environment brought him up to be…sitting in a church with a pastor that preaches hatred of people especially white people is just WRONG..allowing his children to be associated with people like that and put into the same type of environment, they will learn the same thing. he has NO fresh apporach, he has taken money form undiserables as well as all of washington..how do you think he got where he is..he waved his magic wand?
His fresh approach is Clintons approach..however she has solutions..he has not said what he would do for our health care, economy, except to mimic Clintons solutions with a slight twist..wake up
he can’t fix the economy because he does not know how…by Hillary can because she watched her husband fix the same messed up economy left behind by president numb nuts father, bush senior
to the suber deligates, i hope you read this blog and change you minds real quick because the only one that will win in the general election is Hillary Clinton..if your brain cells have not all died do what is best for this country and the american people.
baby boomers need to unite if obama is the nominee…just us alone can force the issue and if need be write in hillary’s name…however i hate to say this, but if i have to go for mccain and change my party affiliation back to republician, where is has been for years..then i will try to get everyone family member, friends, their friends and everyone else i can to vote for mccain…….
oh by the way…THE BLACK VOTERS WHO VOTED FOR OBAMA BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN ARE THE FOLKS THAT PLAYED THE RACE CARD FIRST.
facts, experience and strength is what we need…not people associated with our countries ememies
okay, Karl, where are they coming from?
Actually, there may be a bit more to the Blackwell situation than you’ve indicated here, despite the fact that “it’s Chicago.” If the LA Times is accurate, Obama [and his former law firm] could be looking at a federal racketeering charge re: political money laundering … saw an analysis done by an attorney and the whole deal reeks. I saw some columnist who has threatened to call the FBI, but since it’s the first time I’ve ever seen this man’s name, I don’t know if he’s legitimate … but the point I’ve made here is.
I am a democrat who favored Edwards initially. When it came down to Clinton and Obama, I picked up Obama’s books with the intention of learning about the man’s life. (I had been a Clinton supporter until our NY senators embraced the Iraq resolution, against the will of New Yorkers). I was fascinated not only by Obama’s super-interesting multi-culture life, but by his inclusive philosophy where he celebrates opposing opinions and seeks a way to channel similarities rather than emphasize differences – very refreshing after 8 years of “my way or the highway” politics – refusal to even speak to those who disagree. Look where THAT concept has gotten us.
I never swallowed all of the flack about Reverend Wright, specially after making a point of listening to his sermons in their entirety, rather than the “looped ad infinitum” sound-bites at prime time. Particularly important was the interview with Bill Moyers on PBS where Wright was merely speaking and not in “preacher-mode” or at any podium. I was utterly impressed by the man’s brilliance and depth – his knowledge of scripture – and it was simple to see how this particular person actually brought Obama to Jesus many years ago. We in America have an obligation to our democracy – that is to seek the truth independently rather than lean on the superficial elements provided by our media.
My hesitation to embrace what is fed to me caused me to oppose the Iraq war from day one. Why? I actually picked up history books and other expert writings on Iraq and, without being an expert (by a long shot!), I was able to predict the present. It was really a no-brainer. I wasn’t sure about the WMD, but I was sure that the UN inspectors surely needed to complete their task after having been granted full access. I note how many have rewritten history and forget that Hussein had granted the inspectors unencumbered access and how the Bush administration’s spin commenced with “Weapons of mass destruction” then became “regime change” and finally proceeded to “liberation.”
In America we fortunate. Our democracy is a jewel because it allows us to think for ourselves and choose – and we can speak out loud. At the same time our privilege of democracy brings with it the obligation to research issues before taking a stance – and that cannot be done based upon sound bites or listening only to one side. We must seek out both pros and cons and then decide – before accepting rhetoric as fact, we must seek to obtain PROOF.
Because so many Americans jump on the sound bite bandwagon, it makes it too difficult for our candidates to actually speak deeply an honestly about the issues. The truth is, us Americans can’t take the truth! We expect a superficial slogan and anything deeper, God forbid it be taken out of context and looped at prime time, can obliterate a campaign and perhaps deprive us of just the person who would bring greatness to the White House and restore American’s honor in the world.
I am an Arab, and I tell you that Rev. Wright is misinforming his audience. Jeremiah Wright mocks the average American’s habit of associating Barak Obama’s name with Islam. He points out that Arabic is a language, not a religion. The media, he says, should “stop scaring people”.
Yes, Arabic is a language, but “Hussein” is a Muslim name. According to Sharia Law (the theocratic rule of Law in any Muslim Country) since Obama’s father was a Muslim, Barak Obama is a Muslim.
Research this, if you like: according to Sharia law, if Obama converted to Christianity later in life, he is a traitor and apostate, the punishment for which is death.
Scary enough?
The loons are out in force here. Hillary will save the world! No, only Baracky can save the world, because of his inclusive thinking! And the soundbites. Oh, the soundbites. How they take everything out of context.
Marti your had some nice points. I also did a lot of reading about the war before it happened and everything I thought would come true did. I was always against it. I understand the need to get proof and information about something before it happens and that is why I agree with Lois comments. I did a lot of research on Obama because he and Clinton had such similiar policies. I also wanted to find out about the experience he says he has.
What I found out was very contrary to what Obama puts out as a candidate. There were no sound bites for me to get to sway me, the press wouldn’t report anything negative about him. I started checking him out at the beginning of the race. When you do that you stop hearing his message of hope or what he projects and writes in his books because it is counter to what his actions are. What you end up hearing is hypocrisy.
Obama has not wanted to address the truth about any of his past. His association with Tony Rezko is lenghty. The problem is, the most the Senator would answer about it during one of the debates was “She (Clinton) is referring to the 5 hours of work that my law firm did for Mr. Rezko. That is what she is referring to.” He knew that response was not the truth. I realized then that he would not clear up his past and leave the Democrats vulnerable were he the nominee. The Republicans can and will tear him apart. For those of you who feel the Clintons have thrown the kitchen sink at him, once you do some real research you will find out how much they have never said but could have.
Hope and change comes through actions, not just words. That is what Dr. King taught me so many years ago which is why I wrote a speech about him being the public figure I respected the most some 32 years ago. This also why so many of the people who followed him threw their support behind Hillary Clinton. If you do not know that she fights for all Americans, has a great reputation for working across party lines, has the support of 2 former Joint Chiefs of Staff and 1 Vice Chair along with most of the high ranking military generals, or that she is the most prepared for the presidency then you are the ones guilty of only listening to the sound bites.
JD:
Did you catch the footage of Obama playing some pickup b-ball? Or, that he visited the Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle?
One can almost hear the campaign meeting:
Obama: So, what are the hot-button issues here in Indiana?
Staffer 1: Well, our research shows us that you’re a lock in Bloomington, because three quarters of the population were flash frozen in 1968. They refer to the city as “The Berkeley of Southern Indiana.”
Obama: OK, OK, what else?
Staffer 1: Uh, I got nothin’.
Obama: Come on, people, there’s got to be other fertile ground for my hopey-changeitude!
Staffer 2: Uh, basketball? Yeah, the rest of the state is strictly Hicksville–but they loves them some roundball!
WTF are you talking about? “Refusal to even speak to those who disagree”?
And, seriously, a guy who sat in Wright’s church for 20 years, who listened to the bile spewed from that bigot’s mouth and admired the man, is someone who “channel[s] similarities rather than emphasize[s] differences”?
Cowboy – That is all I think about every day. He played 3 on 3 with some volunteers and some WNBA players. We are a simple minded folk here. Go to a lilly white Methodist church and we will forget all about that racist pastor Baracky has had for the last 20 years. I keep waiting for his add where he claims to be a better 3point shooter than Hillary, and a lifetime proponent of man-to-man defense and the motion offense. Baracky is a honorary member of the All-Airport team.
[…] previously noted, Obama has been less than honest about his relationship with unrepentant domestic terrorist […]
Here is a piece on Obama’s work with the Annenberg Project with Bill Ayers, which in large part is already covered by the link to Larry Johnson. It linked to a analysis of the effectiveness of the Annenberg Project Here is the summary of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge Experience. (271 page .pdf) (I apologize in advance for any mistakes in my typed transcription.)
IOW, Obama chaired a project that handed out $50 million in grant money for improvement in Chicago schools, and the $50 million had no result. That doesn’t say much about Obama’s abilities as an executive. It also stereotypes the stereotype of liberal solutions for social problems: throw some money at it. One can see why Obama has apparently not been inclined to volunteer to inform about his experience with the Annenberg Project.
[…] political coming out party to Hyde Park. Moreover, the NYT never asks how Obama ended up as the director of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (a school reform organization co-founded by Ayers in late […]
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