Obama Blames Fox News, Email Smears For Likely Kentucky Loss

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, facing a likely defeat in next Tuesday's primary election, won't travel to Kentucky before the voting, but said he hopes to have much more time to win over Kentucky voters before the November general election.

He also blamed Fox News for disseminating "rumors" about him and said that that and e-mails filled with misinformation that have been "systematically" dispersed have hurt him in Kentucky.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[sf94127]

I heard Obama's radio comments directly and it came off totally as "KY is full of rednecks that swallow what they are fed from FOX, so I have no chance". Clearly, his Majesty Obama could care less about states like KY and WV. It will bite him in November.

I am impressed the HP ran this story; gotta give them points for that.

[Byzantium]

In the full article, Obama said, "'What it says is that I'm not very well known in that part of the country,' Obama said. 'Sen. Clinton, I think, is much better known, coming from a nearby state of Arkansas. So it's not surprising that she would have an advantage in some of those states in the middle."

Hey, why not just call it flyover country?

By the way, Senator Geography, but don't you hail from one of those "states in the middle"? One of those states that is not merely nearby Kentucky, but actually borders it

[wolf58]

Fox news yep fair and balanced. Just remember Fox news number one supporter of Bush and the Iraq war. Someone should take them off the air. Case of beer to who ever does....

[researcher]

obama dont sweat kentucky. that is a red state. ie racist. pass them by. they will race bait you and go after you like they did in tenn with the white woman that did ford in.

most white males but not all in those red states have p........ envy and to prove their manhood they go and fight in america's wars for profits. what would america's mercenary army be without the red states?

they dont care if the war is illegal just give them a gun to shoot at humans.

[PatrickforO]

After reading this string, I suspect gorillaman and Daisy1111 are republican shills on this blog. Watch out and don't let them get the conversation negative. Obama will probably be our nominee, and he needs our support, as well as all of the Democratic congressional and senate candidates. Remember, we need to:
1) stay involved at a grass roots level up to and after the general
2) elect a fillibuster proof majority of Democrats in the Senate
3) elect a majority of Democratic Representatives
4) elect our Democratic nominee President of the United States

Just like the old PBS series, we need to keep our eyes on the prize.

[CommittedDem]

Obama said this: "Sen. Clinton, I think, is much better known, coming from a nearby state of Arkansas. So it's not surprising that she would have an advantage in some of those states in the middle."

There is one problem with that statement. Illinois borders Kentucky!!!!

[sf94127]

Hillary has not been from Arkansas for quite some time.

Barry is poor on geography......bet he can't name half our "57" states.

[vippy]

Close enough I am sure he meant.

[NoahVail]

Southern Illinois borders Kentucky. This whole region stretching from Louisville to Appalachia is generally regarded as Pennsyltucky. This term was coined by Huckleberry Hound.

[KBAR]

Illinois? Is that #56 and Kentucky #57? Or is it the other way around?

[GrandpaMcCain]

The goose-steppers diseasing HuffPo are taking marching orders:

BEWARE OF FAKE COMMENTERS: The Following E-Mail To Create Dem Division Being Secretly Circulated by GOPers
IMPORTANT
This information is not to be posted to any of our usual forums
and should be emailed only to people you know personally and
completely trust.
Here is the updated game plan.
Step one: Register a bunch of user accounts on lefty blogs.
*Create false identities equally divided between Obama and Clinton
supporters. Initially play it cool. Don't make more than two
accounts per blog one for each candidate. Too many accounts
from the same ip and you will be outed as a sock puppet. Dont
do anything drastic that would get you banned. Lurk for a while
at first so you can learn how they talk. Liberals are like a
different species. Dont
start an all out flame war right away begin with small insults.
The idea is to poison the tone of discussion but do it so slowly
that they dont realize where its coming from. You want the
liberal sheep to get caught up in it and start doing our work for
us.
Step three: As the Democ-rat nomination narrows in on a
candidate crank up the heat. The loser
ident should start calling for a voter boycott on the winner.
You may not be able to peal off voters to our side but
demotivating them so they stay home is almost as good.
SPREAD THE WORD
B4B

[ema]

I've always suspected that was what was going on here. Thanks for the confirmation. I can sleep better tonight.

[UnbiasView]

The real reason Obama hasn't closed this out has nothing to do with Fox news, it has to do with Obama not getting the majority of the white vote.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21660890/

[MCANTI]

I'm just curious, what race is in the overwhelming majority in Oregon?

[StillIRise]

HerbTee: I can't comment to your post directly, but it is so right on! You have captured the dynamics of the FEAR that many white Americans are experiencing in a very eloquent and comprehensive way that addresses an understanding that many do not want to see or accept, but it's a reality that will not go away simply by closing our eyes to it.

[HerbTee]

Still I Rise, thank you. Just trying to keep it real. :-)

[StephenS]

So Obama believes many or most Kentucky Democrats get their news from Fox News. Interesting. So I guess it's a good thing that Obama was interviewed on Fox News in late April.

[NoahVail]

No, he said that Fox News has disseminated false rumors about him.

[UnbiasView]

Basically Obama just insulted the stupidity of everyone in Kentucky but that seems like a great strategy.

[MCANTI]

you should read what you just wrote from behind the eyes of a person that speaks and writes english.

[dtrain51]

We told Sen. Obama he can'r trust FOX NEWS, well he went on and did o.k. but remember they can't be trusted

[StillIRise]

Obama met the challenge, and in his classic eloquent and intelligent manner, he did very well, but it wasn't because of Fox that he did well; it was because of who HE is.

Nevertheless, he would be a complete fool to trust Fox News!!

[AnotherTry]

2008 will be the year that the fear of being perceived a racist trumped the fear of being perceived a sexist.

Another banner year for the democrats. You guys really make losing an art.

[pupbayer]

As Will Rogers said, "I don't belong to any organized political party. I'm a Democrat."

[Flagal]

How are the dems losing? Last time I looked dems were picking up seats in traditional republican strongholds.

[Daisy1111]

If you really understood Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy you would understand that his wing of the party is more interested in winning local, Senate and House seats than he is interested in winning the presidency.

He wants progressice DEMS taking GOP seats, the presidency isn't really important to him.

[nclayla]

Get back to me about the middle of November, AnotherTry. It WILL be a banner year for the Democrats - just not in the way you meant!

[ghop]

Why does HuffPo always use the most inflammatory language in it's headlines? "Obama Blames Fox News, E-mail Smears for Kentucky Loss" is just misleading. If you read the article, Obama says that misconceptions about him (ie: he's a Muslim) are making it more difficult, but that the real problem is the lack of face time with voters. This is just as bad as the "Hillary Slams Media" headline. It's obvious that a lot of commenters don't even bother reading the articles, they just react to the headline and start posting.

[UnbiasView]

The article also states Obama didn't even try there so to bring up the whole Muslim or Fox news thing is just an excuse for a beating on Tuesday.

[peggio]

Again, as a Kentuckian may I remind you Republican wizards.

Delegates:
Kentucky: 51
Oregon: 52

So how about the Hillary loss in Oregon and the huge delegate deficit?

Barack Obama 75,000 to 80,000 in not so black Oregon.
Hillary drawing a couple of hundred at the Makers Mark factory where free samples were no doubt being offered. I know I'd need one to listen to her drone on in her currently Southern accented monotone.

[Promisin1]

In the general election for the past 30 years 85-92% of Blacks have voted for White democratic candidates. Why weren't you complaining then? Bill Clinton received nearly 90% of the Black vote both times he ran. I don't recall complaints from democrats. However, some repugs were complaining.

Yes, we can!

[UnbiasView]

Bill Clinton got a lot more of the white vote though.

[ejay579]

And the last Democrat to get the majority of white votes was LBJ. The white vote as a percentage of the whole declines every election.

[PorkBelly]

Too bad he did not campaign more there. Fox & email smears are a small part of the problem but certainly not all of it.

I don't pretend to be a political strategist but my guess would be he is trying to drive down turnout. I also don't think he want to re-enter race based politics, which the media would focus on even more if he did campaign there.

I hope when he goes on the Edwards poverty tour this year, they spend a good amount of time in Appalachia.

It would help Obama and, hopefully, Appalachia as well.

[aliceblue]

And Fox didn't play the Wright tape night and day?