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The Obama Democrats' Ostrich Moment
The full-court press to force Hillary from the presidential race ain't working. She will win the West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico primaries.
But the screwed-up, patchwork system the Democrats are using to choose delegates has given small states, which are unlikely to be in the Democratic column come November, inordinate influence.
At the same time, the big states that will play an instrumental role in the November general election--New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Texas, and California--are being treated like they are Iowa and Idaho.
It will boil down to the decision of the super delegates.
I am a pessimist. Even though Hillary is the one who wins the big states that will count in the fall, the "supers" appear to be moving toward Obama. Even though Hillary has more popular votes and polls much better among the Reagan democrats, the supers appear to be moving toward Obama.
Hillary's only hope is that the super delegates will come to their senses and realize that Barack Obama's relationships with the corrupt Tony Rezko, the racist-wife stealing Jeremiah Wright, and the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers will provide the Republicans with ammunition they have never had at hand to use against the Democrats' candidate. This is particularly true of that flag stomper, Bill Ayers.
Think not? Just read what the execrable Bob Novak wrote today:
The test of Obama's strategy may be his friendship with and support from William Ayers, an unrepentant member of the Weathermen terrorist underground of the 1960s and '70s. Instead of totally disavowing Ayers as he belatedly did his former pastor, Obama potentially deepened his problem by referring to Ayers as just a college professor -- "a guy who lives in my neighborhood." He then compared their relationship to his friendship with conservative Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, just as he compared Wright's racism to his white grandmother's.Democrats abhor bringing up what Obama calls Ayers's "detestable acts 40 years ago," but they will be brought into the public arena even if that is not McCain's style of politics. A photo of Ayers stomping on the American flag in 2001 has been all over the Internet this week. That was the year Obama accepted a $200 political contribution from Ayers and the year in which the former Weatherman said: "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough."
While McCain will not demand a response from Obama, others will. How the prospective nominee handles this will help define whether he is seen as flawed or fantastic in the long campaign ahead.
We may now understand why Barack does not wear a flag lapel pin. He's afraid that Bill Ayers will stomp on him. In reality, it will be the relationship with Bill Ayers that will empower the Republicans to destroy the candidacy of Barack Obama.
This is not a question of whether or not the Republicans will use this material. They will. So what is there to find? That is the area of greatest danger for the Democrats. Obama has lied about his longstanding relationship with Bill Ayers.
Why? What is he hiding? As I have pointed out before, 1995 was a critical year in the Obama/Ayers relationship. It was in 1995 that Barack was tabbed by Ayers to be the Chairman of the Annenberg Challenge (a failed $50 million project). That same year, Barack sat at a kitchen table with Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, Bill's wife, a plotted the ouster of Alice Palmer, who Obama took down in order to secure his place in the Illinois state senate.
If the Super Delegates do not insist on a full and complete disclosure from Barack Obama about his ties to Bill Ayers, the Republicans will force the issue in the fall. It is one thing to have a name that sounds like the terrorist who attacked us on 9-11. But it is an entirely different matter to be close friends with an unrepentant terrorist who bombed U.S. Government buildings.
There is no where to run. The relationship is genuine. This is a stonewall that will not stand.
Joe Scarborough: Election Night Preview: GDP Trumps Gay Marriage
All the president's men know that a Republican sweep in New Jersey and Virginia will strike fear in the hearts of those swing state Democrats who now hold the future of health care in their sweaty moderate hands.
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That picture of Ayers is from this pre-9/11 Chicago Magazine article: http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/. Wow, Ayers isn't the monster you paint him as, though as I remember it the war he was opposing was (too much context for a Republican hit?). Quoting passages from that article:
Ayers is distinguished professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where two years ago the university named him Senior University Scholar, an award given to outstanding faculty members. He also directs the Center for Youth and Society, an organization that brings an interdisciplinary approach to working with youth—from art education to after-school programs. One of the center's recent efforts was a symposium inspired by the book Racism Explained to My Daughter, by Tahar Ben Jelloun. "We brought together people to discuss how to address racism with kids," says Therese Quinn, associate director of the center. What strikes Quinn about Ayers is "his enthusiasm and optimism," she says. "He is just overwhelmingly generous and supportive."
"Teaching has always been, for me, linked to issues of social justice," he says. "I've never considered it a neutral or passive profession."
cont'd from http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/:
His father, Thomas Ayers, was a long-time executive of Commonwealth Edison and served as chairman from 1973 to 1980.
One of the more amusing passages in Fugitive Days comes when Ayers recounts a generations-in-conflict conversation when his father counseled caution:
"Don't close too many doors to the future," he said. "Don't take too many steps down a one-way street."
"What are you doing to end the war?" I challenged.
"Edison isn't political," he said. "That's not our business. . . . I'd be doubtful about a group calling itself Students for a Democratic Society—this is, after all, a democratic society."
"Well, I'm doubtful about a group calling itself Commonwealth Edison," I said. "There's nothing common about wealth."
Tsk, Mr Johnson!
I'd expect such an exaggerated attack piece from the GOP, but not from a Dem-supporter. Allow me to address two major flaws in your assertions:
1. As has been stated repeatedly, performance in any state, during a primary, is NOT indicative of the General Election. I don't understand why so many still have trouble grasping this simple bit of logic. As an extreme example:
Joe & Jane are campaigning against one another to see which one will get to compete against
"The Clone of Adolph Hitler," in a subsequent General Election. Do you *really* think that if Jane
does better in ANY set of geographic areas that it means Joe will do poorly in those areas, in a
General Election?
Primaries are set to determine preferences AMONG THE CANDIDATES RUNNING. They
cannot be logically extrapolated to competitions with different candidates because that changes
the dynamics.
2. Will people PLEASE stop whining about whether Obama is "vetted" or not. IT. DOESN'T. MATTER!
Remember John Kerry, in 2004, and the smears that were launched because we failed to vet him
enough to discover that he didn't deserve his Purple Hearts!
Oh wait ... he DID deserve them! But that didn't stop the Republicans from launching lies.
Have you forgotten already that Republicans don't need "truth" to launch their smears? What they
don't have, they make up. If Obama gets the nomination, they WILL make stuff up. If Hillary gets
the nomination, they WILL make stuff up.
Let me be clear: I don't care much which of the two Dems gets the nomination. Despite the demonization going on from various factions within the Dem party, either would make a fine President, IMO. Argue their policies or personalities, but PLEASE ... stop going off into Republicanland with unfounded leaps of pseudo-logic attacks.
larry, your one of my favorites and i'm giving you a pass on this one..hillary is a likudist. she is now a shake down artist..there is no way one could even shame her. take another look at obama. hes a decent compassionate man who knows how to dialogue..we don't need some one threatening iran just to capture a few more neo-con votes. you of all people know the players. jump on board. we want you on our team... by the way, is it true that it was hillary that discovered the polio vaccine ?
Mr. Larry Johnson,
I am surpised that you would want the hit job you are doing in this article to be associated with your name for all of history. Like a number of HRC supporters, are you so afraid of a black president that you have to stoop so low? A year from now, is this the kind of nonsense you want people to associate with your good name?
It is such a pity to see people who always claimed to be supportive of diversity let their true hatred of one 46-year black dude show as he captures the nomination
Obama will be the nominee and the 44th President of the USA and he will win in landslide. The sooner you recognize this the better. Even in some of those so-called big states that went for Hillary in the primary, Obama is now ahead of Hillaryand McCain in favorability.
No matter what Clinton supporters say, the smears on him will not stick. People realize that even on Obama's worst of times, he is still way ahead of the Clintons and their scandals.
An you left wing nuts said the same about McGovern, Mondale,Dukakis and Kerry. How many terms did they serve? NONE Obama is perfect for the republican smear machine. They only need to suppress a few percent of white voters and they win.
I think that the Ayers thing should be terribly important. After all, what a candidate does when s/he's 7 years old just might be THE key to what s/he'll do as Prez.
For example, did Candidate A ever wet the bed? S/He might pee all over the Constitution! Did the candidate ever steal a nickel from his/her Mom's purse? S/He might loot the Treasury! Was the Candidate ever in the same state as someone who turned out to be a mass murderer? S/He might send troops off to be killed in a stupid war!
True, the Repubs will fight dirty. I just hope the Dem candidate will try to keep to the high road, but fight dirty if necessary. Let the REPUBLICAN skeletons be unveiled. And please, please, let the masses recognise those skeletons as Genuinely Factual Bad Things rather than fiction.
Don't change bush in the middle of a date - vote for McCain in 2008!
It's basic math and demographics if the Republicans can suppress white voters for Obama they win. If their efforts can keep Obama's white vote percentage below 45% McCain wins. Whites makeup roughly 65% of general election electorate.
Kerry vote total broke down roughly 43% white 90% of Blacks and 60% of Hispanics and Asians in a losing effort. So, far Obama's appeal with whites,asians and hispanics has been weaker than Kerry's in percentages. Until he shows more strength with working class whites, latinos, hispanics and asians we should be worried. I hope there is no October surprise with Obama because 4 years of McCain will be hellish.
The republicans will fight a hell of allot dirtier than Clinton. The right wing talking heads and religious leaders will pound white audiences with anti-Obama messages. They have already used left wing loon, Communist, Muslim, terrorist lover, Arab lover and etc... They don't give a care if they offend AA voters and egghead liberals. Republicans do not depend on black voters or eggheads. McCain and big business will try to exploit the hispanic/black tensions. Hispanic groups will be bombarded with "do you think Obama will look after latinos and hispanics when he owes the brothers." McCain will wink and nod immigration. Pretend he'll get tougher for white voters and secretly cut deals with hispanic and latino groups telling them nothing will change.
"do you think Obama will look after latinos and hispanics when he owes the brothers."
Eek! That is EXACTLY what my redneck nephew-in-law said!
I bet he pick that up from a republican talking point. My cousin thinks Obama is an islamic sleeper agent. I asked where she heard that BS. Her evangelical preacher was the answer.
Oh noes, do you think obama had something to do with the kennedy assassiantion???
Let me go get my tin-foil!
Come on Larry you are ridiculoous. As if none of the millions of dollars brought to the Clintons by the Chinese and other potentially nefarious countries will be brought up by the Repukes if she were the nominee. I will grant you that BO needs to address this but only because Hannity et. al. will be screaming about it. I do think it's a minor association. I know with your background you must realize how much more they could attack Hillary and Bill for their connections and ties to the Chinese and that is a much more important point with regards to National Security and a much bigger fault.
For you to suggest otherwise is disingeous at best.
Thrash all you want about how outrageous you may this post is. Get all mushy and emotional about it. Jut out those chins in moral indignation. Call Clinton names and anyone who doesn't worship Obama uncompromisingly a fool, a racist, a Nazi or worse. But in the cold cruel light of day one thing is clear. This Ayers issue is not going to go away because you will it so. This "yeah, yeah, well so is your grandmother..." approach to this election is going to produce next fall's Dukakis. Those of us who fell in love with McCarthy, John Anderson, Gary Hart, McGovern have learned from our romantic excesses. We lived to regret it. Votes were wasted on Quixotic candidates and all we succeeded at was throwing election after election to the opposition with devastating consequences. Romance produces exciting but failed outcomes. Pragmatic coalitions win elections. Winning has to be our first priority. You can't win by ignoring the elephant in the room. Obama cobbled together a strategy to win largely by virtue of winning caucus states and those with large AA populations. Most, if not all of those caucus states will support McCain. Must win Florida, Ohio are almost certainly out of reach for Obama. This is a reality. If you were serious about WINNING every warning bell in you head would be screaming right now. How many progressives must we promote before we realize that this is a formula for disaster?
Spot on! This election will feature John McLame in the role of Dukakis.
mhj555, I think you are reinforcing Prism's point. Name calling will not make McCain a less effective candidate. Somehow, the Republican party is about to nominate the one person who could run against the Republican's own image and still win the election.
You don't have to like him, but you should respect him and plan accordingly... that is how we win elections.
Finally a pragmatist! I thought I was the only one left in the party! Thank you.
Larry, I heart your pain, but the facts don't support your speculations and, as the fellow said, you aren't entitled to your own set of facts.
Please note, characters like Bob Novak don't run the Democratic Party, shouldn't be permitted to dictate its decisions, and, in any case, are easily countered. Frankly, who in their right mind has any respect left for Novak? He himself is damaged goods.
What is it about the Clintonistas? To put it another way, people can talk all they want about the great New England Patriots last year, much better team than the Giants, eh? Crunch the numbers one more time Mr. Johnson--the Patriots lost.
It's over.
Anything the Republicans could throw at Obama is trivial compared to what they could throw at the Clintons. Every time I think if a Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office I think of cigars. Eeeeewww!!
How vile and vulgar does Hillary Clinton have to become before the higher ups in the democratic party step in and tell her in no uncertain terms that appeals to racism will not be tolerated. Her and her surrogates are trying to take us back in time when racism was alive and well within the democratic party. Her vision of america is reactionary and depressing and extremely dangerous. I thought the Strom Thurmand's had left the democratic party but obviously I was wrong.
I find it encouraging that pundits like yourself are scared of Obama. I'll take him over the other two proven losers any day of the week, and I don't give a damn about any of your guilt-by-association stuff. Hillary & McCain both have a closet heaped full of skeletons. I saw a video a conference call in which Hillary clearly violates a Federal Campaign law that is making the rounds on Youtube. Why she has not been prosecuted for this crime is a mind-blowing testemant to the power of our corrupt and complicit Government-Corporate-media-military complex. If the whole Rev Wright thing wasn't such a low smear, it would almost be funny to hear the 24-7 shrill pundit class whining about it for two straight weeks to the exclusion of all other news coverage. We don't care about Rev Wright, Mr Centrist Stands for Nothing blogger, we care about Obama, and about Americas future. We can't survive another bad President, whether its a war-mongering dinosaur or a lying unprincipled monster. Go ahead and get those Swift Boat ads together. You are betting on the shallowness and fearfulness of the American people, and there is no doubt that many of them are just that. I'm HOPING otherewise
CyrusBeaucephus, Oh course he will not give to you but his should be HUFFPO'S pick!!
Why don't you get it - she lost!!
Don't worry, after a while you will come to appreciate the healtcare, improved schools and more equitable economic system that President Obama will bring us.
That is if you can pull YOUR head out of YOUR ass stop clinging to a lost cause.
here are two more SD for Obama:
CNN) — Barack Obama won two more superdelegate endorsements Thursday, narrowing his deficit with Hillary Clinton to seven.
North Carolina Rep. Brad Miller and Washington Rep. Rick Larsen both announced they will cast their superdelegate votes for the Illinois senator.
"The decision was not easy," Miller, a two-term congressman, said in a statement. "Senator Clinton has run an impressive campaign, and has spoken eloquently to the concerns to working and middle class American families. She is one of the great leaders of this generation.
"Senator Obama understands that he has the chance not just to win the election this year, but to be a great president," he added.
Miller's district, which includes Raleigh, overwhelmingly voted for Obama Tuesday, 63 percent to 35 percent.
Larsen, a three-term congressman whose district lies in the northwest area of Washington state, praised Obama as the "best candidate to turn our country's hopes for a better future into reality."
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