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The Weather Underground False Debate
Read more reactions from Huffington Post bloggers to ABC's Pennsylvania Democratic debate
It's a symptom of the malaise of our times when ABC News during a Democratic presidential debate forces us to discuss a candidate's relations, when he was 8 years old, to a Chicago legal activist who belonged to a 1969 spin-off group of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which bombed unoccupied (hopefully) buildings in the early 1970s.
If Hillary Clinton thinks it's a big deal that Barack Obama has crossed paths with Bill Ayers, (Yes, the guy who is with Bernardine Dohrn), the political discourse is stuck in neutral. I met Ms. Dohrn and Mr. Ayers when I was a visiting professor at Colgate College in Hamilton, New York, when Nigel Young, then the Director of the Peace Studies Program at Colgate invited his former UC Berkeley classmates to speak about their work providing legal services to the poor in Chicago. It's no big deal.
Guilt By Association. For George Stephanopoulos to bring up Ayers and not talk about the social context of the early 1970s that also brought us the Black Panther Party and other groups is to misconstrue the point of the question.
What is the point of the question?
And for Hillary Clinton to run with the Ayers/Weather Underground connection betrays her "kitchen sink" philosophy. But, as Barack Obama astutely pointed out, President Bill Clinton pardoned two members of the Weather Underground in any case. And the fact is that the Clintons are of the Weatherman generation and Obama is not. It's the last gasp of Hillary Clinton's desperation.
It's also interesting that a more important and radical organization of the early 1970s, the Black Panther Party, featured Chicago Congressman Bobby Rush as its titular head at the time when the legendary Fred Hampton was the inspirational leader. The irony here is that a former leader of the Black Panther Party, Congressman Rush, badly defeated Obama in the 2000 Democratic congressional primary. "Taking on Bobby Rush among black voters is like running into a buzz saw," said Ron Lester, a pollster who worked for Obama during the campaign. "This guy was incredibly popular. Not only that, his support ran deep -- to the extent that a lot of people who liked Barack still wouldn't support him because they were committed to Bobby. He had built up this reserve of goodwill over 25 years in that community." Obama learned an enormous amount from losing big to Bobby Rush.
Why bring up Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground when Obama was 8 years old, living in Indonesia at the time, and in his first attempt at federal office lost to a former Black Panther? If times have progressed to the point where Bobby Rush is a respected member or Congress, why can't Bill Ayers and his good legal work he does for the Chicago community be left alone?
Read more reactions from Huffington Post bloggers to ABC's Pennsylvania Democratic debate
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"[A] candidate's relations, when he was 8 years old[?]" Palermo, you make it sound like Obama crossed paths with Ayers when Obama was 8. Are you really a college professor? The "relations" occurred in the 90s, and they continue today, as Ayers actively supports his friend Barrack. You know that, so it's disgraceful and you insult our intelligence by trying to make it appear otherwise.
This country is trying soooo hard to be able to vote for one of these 3 criminals,
Never even questioning why these are our candidates, when they are crocks and liers every last one of them.
We are all so screwed, none of these pig demons will help, even if they wanted to the economy.
Not one will, if they decided to, be able to get us out of Iraq in a timely manner.
They are all 3 Global Elitists, that are not worried about our borders or our constitution.
They are all major Corporate Elitists.
They are all inbreed with each others families, Obama is Chaneys cousin, and it only gets weirder when you dig deeper.
They operate in a system were they have to have major skeletons in there closets to be instated in the group.
I mean, come on people, it is time to take back our country from these criminals!
Obama has pledged 800 million dollars to the U.N over the next 12 years in an attempt to fight global starvation.
Meanwhile, the U.N just rejected the idea that water is a human right.
We will be rioting and groveling for water and food in the next 2 years.
Great blog . . . I have fond memories of the Weatherman . . . and the Black Panthers . ..oops probably shouldn't have said that . .. . as Eldridge Cleaver once said: "If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem" . . .for a long time I have been thinking this phrase summed up Hillary big time.
Yea, I've been reading up on this whole thing and there isnt a huge connection. I may hate this guy but Obama just because he served on a board and went to an event together doesnt make them life long buddies.
The problem with this whole Hannity and Ayers story is that Hannity only goes through his lists of crimes. and then he rereads that quote that he made saying that it wasnt enought then he says that obama served on a board and ate dinner with him.
i could care less about Obama's friendship with Bill Ayres, but Clinton's pardons of two members of the Weather Underground hardly constitutes a defense. Showing mercy is different than offering friendship.
I have met with many people in my professional life that turned out to be questionable.....or not in my best interest of advancement...
The point of this in a debate is...................
As much as it pains me to help the McCain effort, I feel obliged to support Barack Obama by heaping a little dirt on Hillary Clinton:
Obama has been attacked for some supposed 'link' to 60's African American radicals who blew up empty buildings. What about Hillary's links to Puerto Rican radicals who also blew up buildings but actually killed people? (Armed Forces for National Liberation - the FALN.) They were pardoned by Bill Clinton in 1999, after an approach had been made to Hillary's senate campaign office. It was felt the pardons would secure the Puerto Rican vote and help HRC's efforts to become Senator in NYC. So Clinton granted the pardons.
If you think I'm making this up then just google 'Bill Clinton Pardons Puerto Rican Bombers'
Exactly. Just a correction though that the Weather Underground was not an African American group. They were all or mostly white young radicals. The group did some bombings and the two that were convicted of terrorism were pardoned by Bill Clinton along with the 16 Puerto Rican terrorists who set off over 130 bombs in NY, Chicago and Washintgon DC which killed some people and injured more. The Clintons were contemporaries of these terrorists and well aware of what they were doing when they were doing it.
Why are the pundits saying Obama will be facing the Republican attack machine if he becomes the Nominee, therefore he should get used to it. Seems to me, the Republican has already started their sleazy attacks through their surrogates (Hillary, George, and Charles). Hillary seems to be saying, (if I am going down, I will make sure Obama will be going down with me). What a Clintonian integrity!
They asked Senator Obama about flag lapel pins - freaking flag lapel pins when the war is a disaster, the economy is in the tank, millions have no health insurance, the national infrastructure is crumbling and the world looks at us as if we have lost our minds and our honor - and these clowns ask about lapel pins.
Two things - all those lapel pins the MSM and the Bushies love to wear - probably all made in China.
Samuel Johnson "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel".
When the Weather Underground was brought up I felt it should have continued with a question about Hilary's connection to Barry Seal and Danny Lasater. Seriously, ABC should be embarassed, George Stephanopoulos should never allowed to moderate a debate involving a Clinton or any Clinton Supported Candidate.
The "Obama was 8 years old" defense sounds like it was thought up by an 8 year old.
And....
"why can't Bill Ayers and his good legal work he does for the Chicago community be left alone? "
Because he is an unrepentant terrorist.
unmutual...I assume you know him personally with that response. Well I guess you must be a terrorist too...you know guilt by association.
A good reason not to vote for me for president then.
A lot better that the defense "I lied about Bosnia because I was tired" The liar, not to be trusted woman had to say in front of miilions "I am embarrassed", as she should.
Ayers also teaches at the University of Illinois - Chicago. Is that a terrorist organization now?
Depends are they currently bombing goverment building's. Considering some of the socialistic view points coming from our universities I would assume this title is honorary.
He is a hippocrit of the worst kind, he has become what he despises.
It's funny that Obama can work closely with Bobby Rush who was the head of the Black Panther Party in the early 1970s in Chicago and is now a respected Congressman, but crossing paths with Bill Ayres is a big deal. Bill Ayres is justing trying to help his community and has long ago paid any debt to society for his past crimes -- he and Ms. Dorhn are a quiet couple who have dedicated themselves to serving their community and trying to make the world a better place. The context for the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers is the important thing. RFK and MLK were dead, Nixon was escalating the Vietnam War with no end in sight, it looked like American society was going to turn into something fascistic, and the sheer murderous violence the US was perpetrating in Southeast Asia is inexcusable and criminal -- the Weather people operated like Earth First or the Animal Liberation Front later on -- it's really no big deal -- so some middle class kids dabble in revolutionary politics during a severe crisis in America's legitimacy? So what? Germany had Beider Meinhoff, Italy had the Red Brigades, France had all sorts of groups in 1968 -- they all seemed to survive and even elected many officials later who were involved in those groups as youths. Why is America so weak and incondifent in itself it has to dredge up stuff like the Obama-Ayres issue? Get real America.
But you have to remember, this is SEan Hannity's baby. Sean Hannity has been trashing Bill Ayers for months now, trying to make him into something that he is not. My hope is that Bill Ayers somehow sues Hannity and Fox News. To have these so called christian white men and women trashing people's lives in the name of racism and politics has to be the most degrading aspect of an american's personality. You see, Sean is friends with Hal Turner, to trash people the way that he has is of the utmost in hypocrisy. Fox should be taken off the air and George S. should be ashamed of himself for identifying with a racist like Sean Hannity.
Sean Hannity has to be the biggest asshole on TV and one of the most hated. I bet he's always looking over his shoulders and sleeps with one eye closed and one eye open,cause he's so damn scared that someone will jump him. Boy...what I wouldn't give to see that!
Does it matter that it is all factual. He was a terrorist, he has no remorse for what he did.
That this is a fact is undeniable. He has said all that and more publiy, but who am I to judge a murderer. And yes you are judged by the company that you keep.
The context for domestic terrorism??? I hope Obama gives that as his reason for supporting Ayres.
supporting him how proof please. are you friends with everyone you work with or meet in the process of you doing your job.he has not given him any money in his run for president.do you have any proof that they say played ball together.or maybe you got pictures of them out to dinner together no then stop helping the media spin.
Listen, in the late 60s, I attended an SDS convention at which Dohrn, Mark Rudd (he was big then on the heels of Columbia) and probably Ayers and lots more were present. And here's the really insidious aspect of the whole thing: I'm voting for Obama!
It was probably brought up because Ayers raised money for Obama's campaign, and they ran in the same political circles even after Obama denounced Ayers's and Dohrn's activities. He could have just continued to reiterate that. This article is full of FA's (1970s political context, really? Bobby Rush? your meeting with Ayers?), typical HuffPo. Mild acclamations for the author in trying to point out a potential FA and another logical fallacy: guilt by association; but not recognizing an unrepentant Ayers is a potential GE problem for Obama earns the argument a thumbs down. Additionally, bringing up the Blank Panthers might remind the readers that Obama has received the endorsement of the New Black Panther Party--none of this is politically strategic, if you're an Obama supporter.
Ayers DID NOT raise money for the Obama campaign. He donated 200 dollars to his Senate election campaign and ONCE held a meeting at his house.
It's the Disney station, okay? This was a planned attack to destroy the Democrats' chances at the White House AGAIN! If this shit had happened at Faux News, it could have hardly been any worse. Let's face it: The MSM is determined to give us President John McCain (with Jeb waiting in the wings to follow in 2012 or 2016, depending on Mac's health). They will stop at nothing to make this happen. We're being screwed again, folks.
I think you have an excellent point here. I am still trying figure out how we got flummoxed twice with GWB? This time the junk they are digging up just makes things murkier and discourges peole from participating in the process.
We are losing our shirts and folks are still hemming and hawing about getting out of Iraq. Heath care costs are eating us alive and there is little serious discussion on that issue either. Of course you cannot pay taxes if you have no job so employment is not discussed for the very folks caught in changing business systems that are waving their jobs goodbye as they fly off to foreign cheaper places to exploit.
Finally, even if you are not religious prayer is being given as you use old outdated and now dangerous bridges, sewers, levees, and public buildings. Let's have a serious debate on these issues and not the fake stuff the media suckers us into haggling about.
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