Obama’s Wright Problem
Keith Olbermann points out how much self-interest Jeremiah Wright is dealing here by going out into the media again. He has a book deal and it’s supposed to come out sometime around election day in November. I don’t know if the American public will pick up on that, but it needs to be repeated. This is a man who has decided to promote himself over someone who chose him as a mentor, someone who has a chance to be the first black President.
Jon Stewart Mocks Wright
Be sure and watch the Daily Show Thursday to see Howard Dean’s appearance.
Where’s Teddy?
Is it just me or is anyone else wondering where the anointer of Obama is these days? The most recent spotting of him that I could find was this interview he conducted in Harrisburg the Sunday before the primary. He was in town to give a pep talk at the Obama Headquarters. He did not appear on the trail during any of the Pennsylvania campaigning.
In fact, I don’t recall seeing him at all on the trail in the last month. It would be nice to see someone like Kennedy out there reassuring the Democratic “base” that Obama is their guy.
For that matter, where’s Oprah?
Wright Adding Fuel to Fire
I think Jeremiah Wright has a valid point, and I’ve been saying it for awhile: the use of Obama’s middle name implies that Arab people are bad. If Americans are fine with that, it’s a disgrace to us, not to Reverend Wright. HOWEVER, this is Presidential politics, man! Giving a speech like this, while starting out with a beautiful point, does nothing to help Senator Obama (go about 3 minutes in):
“Please run and tell my stuck-on-stupid friends that Arabic is a language — is a language, it is not a religion,” he said. “Barack HUSSEIN Obama,” he said, emphasizing the Illinois senator’s middle name dramatically, “Barack HUSSEIN Obama, Barack HUSSEIN Obama. There are Arabic-speaking Christians, there Arabic-speaking Jews, Arabic-speaking Muslims and Arabic-speaking atheists. Arabic is a language, it is not a religion. Stop trying to scare folks by giving them this Arabic name like it’s some disease.”
He also decided to HORRIBLY mock John F. Kennedy, LBJ, and Teddy Kennedy (as well as all of the people living in Boston):
NOT HELPING!!
For the Mizzou Hating Jayhawk Fans
I thought you might enjoy watching Missouri’s One Shining Moment.
Hillary Strangelove
When Hillary said she would nuke Iran into oblivion, I said it was one of the most irresponsible statements on foreign policy I had ever heard from a candidate. As Slim Pickens character said in Dr. Strangelove: “Well, I’ve been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that’s the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones.”
The Boston Globe now has a blistering editorial condemning Clinton for her remarks and reaction to them around the world:
A presidential candidate who lightly commits to obliterating Iran – and, presumably, all the children, parents, and grandparents in Iran – should not be answering the White House phone at any time of day or night.
Wright Battles Bill for Worst Campaign Surrogate
Jeremiah Wright, having seen that Obama lost in Pennsylvania, has decided to do what little he can to help him lose a few more elections.
From Politico.com:
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright said Monday that he will try to change national policy by “coming after” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) if he is elected president.
The pastor also insisted Obama “didn’t denounce” him and “didn’t distance himself” from Wright’s controversial remarks, but “did what politicians do.”
Wright implied Obama still agrees with him by saying: “He had to distance himself, because he’s a politician, from what the media was saying I had said, which was [portrayed as] anti-American.”
But Wright talks of their relationship in the present tense. “I’m a pastor; he’s a member,” he said. “I’m not a ‘spiritual mentor.’ “
From the “coffee shop” conversations I have heard, this is a campaign killer for a lot of white America. If a white voter is uncomfortable voting for a black President, they can easily point to this as a “reason” why they shouldn’t vote for him.
Maybe when Obama and Hillary are sitting in the Senate after McCain wins the general election than can compare war stories over whose campaign suffered the most: Hillary because of Bill or Obama because of Wright.
Update:
From Joe Klein:
And furthermore, I’ve been to dozens and dozens of African-American church services over the years, including the investiture of one of my friends as an AME minister two years ago, and I have very rarely, if ever, heard the kind of rants that are part of Reverend Wright’s canon. Yes, as many have pointed out, Martin Luther King Jr. gave some angry, angry sermons–especially about the obscenity of the war in Vietnam–but for Wright to say the attacks on him are an attack on the black church is to offer a straitened and solipsistic view of that grand institution. Black liberation theology is not the black church.
And worse, Wright’s purpose now seems quite clear: to aggrandize himself–the guy is going to be a go-to mainstream media source for racial extremist spew, the next iteration of Al Sharpton–and destroy Barack Obama.
Why Some Voters Make Me Like Hillary
You couldn’t pay me to vote for Hillary Clinton. Her character issue is one that I can’t get past. I couldn’t possibly stomach another eight years of lying and spinning and changing of positions. It’s just not going to happen.
However, that being said, there are times when I want to march straight into the voting booth and vote for her. Why? Comments like these: “stupid bitch.” Which is usually followed by some logical statement such as “she should just go crawl in a hole and die.”
Why is it all right to call her a bitch? There is no other word that you can use to degrade a man in the same way that “bitch” is used against women. I was trying to think of one. There is nothing that is targeted at the male gender in the way that the word “bitch” is used to degrade women. Hillary is a lot of things, and I can’t stand her, but I’m tired of hearing people use the b-word.
Why can’t you keep politics about the issues: character, policy, leadership skills. Why does it have to delve into sexist comments? Or racist comments for that matter? If you like her, vote for her, if you don’t, don’t. You don’t have to call her a bitch. You’re wasting anger and energy and degrading women at the same time.
Obama on FOX
Hillary Strikes Out
Hillary, I guess in an attempt to compete with Obama’s basketball skills, is trying out the sports metaphors. My favorite so far, from CNN:
“We’re going to hit some of those balls out of this stadium and out of our country stadium,” she announced, wielding a bat. “We’re going to round the bases, we’re going to score a lot of runs and we’re going to feel really good about the home team, namely the American team, the team we’re all a part of!”
Some may dismiss this as, well, she’s a woman and what does she know? However, as a woman, and a woman who comes from a long line of female sports fans, I feel qualified to make fun of her.
First, what the hell is “our country stadium?” That doesn’t even make sense. Most importantly, she tried to describe a home run without ever just saying, “This campaign is going to hit a home run in Indiana and beat Barack Obama.” Instead it’s: we’re rounding bases, scoring runs, feeling good about our team. How about, “We’ll pitch a perfect game in the remaining primaries and beat Obama!” How about, “I’m ready to hit a Grand Slam and bring home the nomination.”
My next favorite attempt, also from CNN:
“I will be the best quarterback I can be for our country,” Clinton told guests at an April Democratic dinner in Pittsburgh where she received a Steelers’ jersey and a Terrible Towel. “We’re going to start calling some good plays. We’re going to go on offense as well as playing defense.”
It starts out well with the quarterback reference. But then, like all things Hillary, we go off the rails. “We’re going to start calling some good plays.” Uh, okay. How about, “I’m ready to make an audible at 3am.” (As an aside, when was the last time the Chiefs called any good plays? I digress). Then it’s, we’re going on offense and playing defense. I thought she was the quarterback. Who was the last great two-way quarterback? Sammy Baugh? How about, “I’m as versatile as Kordell Stewart, only I plan to win the Super Bowl.” How about, “Ben Roethlisberger won’t be the only one throwing a touchdown strike if Iran pisses me off.
Either way, I think Hillary aught to just cede sports to Obama. If only she knew how to do that.
