Obama can speak, but he can't unite anymore - Right Thinking - rightthinking's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Mar 22, 2008 at 12:03 PM : "The man can...

"The man can really whomp up a speech."

Would you say that about a white man? Does being offended by Barack's elequent and unifying words surprise anyone who reads your column on "right thinking"?

I think it was a great speech of important ideas for this nation to discuss. Putting it down as nonsense shows your denial that racial problems still exist in this society. I guess you think Bakersfield has solved all it's racial issues.

“Senator Barack Obama addressed the issue of race with the eloquence and sincerity and decency and optimism we have come to expect of him,” he said. “He did not seek to evade tough issues or to soothe us with comforting half-truths. Rather, he inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility.” (quote made by Bill Richardson yesterday)

Mar 22, 2008 at 12:03 PM : If I were...

If I were Marylee, I'd say we need to not dwell on the past or play the blame game, but that's not my style. I think one thing you miss that would make your article more compelling is that you could clarify that Wright didn't say that America got what it deserved on 9/11 but that 9/11 was the result of our actions. It's not the same thing nor is it a distinction without a difference. People like Falwell and Robertson actually said that God was punishing us for our wicked ways and by extension that the people who died in the 9/11 attacks deserved to die.

Wright was making a different point. He says that you can't drop bombs around the world and not expect to eventually be attacked yourself. This was not about the individual people in the towers or the Pentagon. He was saying that lots of innocents have died across the world and now innocents in our own country are dying as well.

The problem for Wright is that we are so conditioned by "right thinking" (as opposed to right thinking) people in this country who actually do believe that those people in New York got what was coming to them and the people in New Orleans got what was coming to them that we fail to recognize that Wright was saying that the tragic events of September 11th were no more horrifying than a massive attack on Hiroshima or Baghdad or Gaza or in Jakarta, Spain or Northern Ireland.

You can agree or disagree with his point, but disagreeing with a position he did not express but is mistakenly ascribed to him because of the abominable speech of the right-wing in this country is unfair.

Mar 22, 2008 at 12:03 PM : Well said both AQG and...

Well said both AQG and TomW. I've been listening to folks at this site,political pundits,reading editorials and everything else I can get my hands on about this speech. He gave a thoughtful response to issues that do exist in this country~ he did not to the "politically right thing to do"...he talked to us like we are adults. Those with ears to here and all that. This response ( Ms. Shriders) does not surprise me one bit.

Mar 22, 2008 at 01:03 PM : Sage, one of the...

Sage, one of the issues of the last eight years was that after 9/11, there was a real opportunity for dialogue in this country about our future. Everyone wanted to do something, and we were told to go shopping and go back to sleep and let big government handle things. Obama's presidency will reopen the dialog in this nation. Unfortunately for some, that dialog will change the status quo in a number of areas from race relations to healthcare and poverty issues to energy consumption and generation. It's long overdue that we began to, as you say so clearly, speak to each other as adults who have to begin making decisions for the future of our nation and our planet and stop pretending that government is something "out there" and those people will protect us, watch over us and keep us in warm bottles and clean diapers.

Mar 22, 2008 at 02:03 PM : ETBartley, it's...

ETBartley, it's interesting that you feel that way. Maybe having Obama as your president will bring you around. As for things not being equal, you're right. Too bad. Maybe in another 100 or 200 years we'll attain real equity in the system.

Mar 22, 2008 at 02:03 PM : boring

boring

Mar 22, 2008 at 02:03 PM : Because of this...

Because of this situation, I've found one Republican that I have a lot of respect for, Mike Huckabee. Wright's comments were divisive and no doubt disrespectful to America, but the last time I checked Mrs. Marylee Shrider, christianity is suppose to be about "forgiveness", not about hate. At least Huckabee has the class to be able to look at Wright's perspective, be understanding, keep an open mind, and forgive the man for what he said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTFLOu8fjxU

Mar 22, 2008 at 02:03 PM : Typical...

Typical shallow Marylee Shrider political analysis, if I can use that term. How about the pass McCain is getting?

There's a whole lot more on how the media is "sucking up" to McCain.

John Hagee and Rod Parsley

Given intense media scrutiny of controversial comments made by a religious leader with ties to Barack Obama, many -- including Media Matters -- have wondered when news organizations will devote the same attention to John McCain's ties to Rod Parsley and John Hagee.

In February, shortly before the Ohio primary, John McCain stood with Rod Parsley in Cincinnati, declaring him a "spiritual guide." Parsley returned the compliment with his endorsement of McCain, who he praised as a "strong, true, consistent conservative." Parsley has written that "America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion [of Islam] destroyed." As David Corn has explained, "Parsley, who refers to himself as a 'Christocrat,' is no stranger to controversy. In 2007, the grassroots organization he founded, the Center for Moral Clarity, called for prosecuting people who commit adultery. In January, he compared Planned Parenthood to Nazis." He has suggested that the U.S. government was complicit in facilitating black genocide.

McCain won another key endorsement in February: John Hagee, founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio.

Hagee has said of Hurricane Katrina, "[W]hen you violate God's will long enough, the judgment of God comes to you. Katrina is an act of God for a society that is becoming Sodom and Gomorrah reborn." Hagee later defended his comment by saying, "I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they are -- were recipients of the judgment of God for that. ... there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades. ... I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans."

Hagee has written, "I encourage every person who has biblical beliefs to contact their congressman and their senator on a regular basis and implore them to pass this constitutional amendment recognizing only the marriage between a man and a woman. If we fail to achieve this, the gates of hell will be opened. It will open the door to incest, to polygamy, and every conceivable marriage arrangement demented minds can possibly conceive. If God does not then punish America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."

Hagee once announced plans to hold a "slave sale" to raise money. According to the San Antonio Express-News, "Hagee, pastor of the 16,000-member Cornerstone Church, last week had announced a 'slave sale' to raise funds for high school seniors in his church bulletin ... The item was introduced with the sentence 'Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone' and ended with 'Make plans to come and go home with a slave.' " And Hagee has written "Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist" and "only a Spirit-filled woman can submit to her husband's lead. It is the natural desire of a woman to lead through feminine manipulation of the man. ...The man has the God-given role to be the loving leader of the home."

According to Hagee, McCain actively sought his endorsement.

But despite McCain's embrace of Hagee and Parsley, their controversial views have not drawn the media scrutiny that has been given to Obama's relationship with his pastor.

Time's Michael Scherer actually claimed the McCain-Hagee connection has gotten extensive media coverage: "With rare exception, the press errs on the side of making a big deal out of anything that can be considered a 'scandal.' McCain's endorsement by Hagee got lots of negative newspaper, blog and network news coverage."

"Lots" of "network news coverage"? The names "Hagee" and "McCain" have been mentioned in the same news report exactly one time on ABC -- in a comment by Democratic strategist Donna Brazile. CBS has covered the matter in two brief reports. NBC has mentioned the endorsement one time, in a report that referred only vaguely to the fact that "some of the televangelist's public remarks have offended Catholics."

"Lots" of "negative newspaper" coverage? The New York Times has mentioned Hagee's endorsement of McCain in two articles. Both times, the Hagee mention was buried at the end of an article about another topic; combined, the two passages totaled only 251 words. Neither made any mention of Hagee's comments about Katrina, or gays, or women. The Washington Post has mentioned Hagee's endorsement of McCain in only two brief blurbs, only one of which noted any controversy surrounding the endorsement -- and, like the Times, that one mentioned only Hagee's comments about Catholics. Post columnist E. J. Dionne did briefly criticize McCain for not distancing himself from Hagee -- but he, too, ignored Hagee's comments about Katrina, gays, and women.

Scherer's claim that "McCain's endorsement by Hagee got lots of negative newspaper, blog and network news coverage" was simply false; the endorsement has been all but ignored by the three networks and the nation's two most important newspapers.

By contrast, a Nexis search for "Obama and Jeremiah Wright" reveals 22 hits ... in The Washington Post alone. And 25 more in The New York Times (22 for "Obama and Jeremiah A. Wright" and three for "Obama and Jeremiah Wright.") And 15 hits in the NBC transcript database -- all since March 14. Fifteen more in the CBS database since March 14. Twenty-two more in the ABC database since March 13. That is "lots of negative coverage." And that is a huge imbalance.

While Scherer falsely claimed that McCain's ties to Hagee have gotten "lots" of attention, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough took another approach: claiming that McCain's embrace of Hagee is utterly unremarkable.

On the March 19 edition of MSNBC's Race for the White House, Rachel Maddow pointed out the "double standard" in the media's coverage of the situations. Scarborough responded by claiming, "This is not a serious argument. ... This is a ridiculous argument when you consider that Barack Obama is talking about his spiritual adviser for 20 years. Hagee didn't baptize McCain's kids. Hagee didn't marry McCain. John McCain's first book wasn't based on a sermon by Hagee."

Scarborough's argument might seem to make sense -- there is no doubt that Obama has closer ties to Jeremiah Wright than John McCain does to John Hagee. But this argument is backwards. Wright is Obama's pastor; their relationship is presumably far more personal than political. Indeed, it may not be political at all. McCain, on the other hand, sought Hagee's support solely for political purposes. His relationship with Hagee is nothing but political. Hagee's political views, therefore, are much more relevant than Jeremiah Wright's, as they are the entire basis for the McCain-Hagee relationship.

Put another way: What tells us more about Mary Matalin's political views? The fact that she has a personal relationship with James Carville, or the fact that she aligned herself politically with George Bush and Dick Cheney?

Mar 22, 2008 at 02:03 PM : Osama Obama will...

Osama Obama will never be president his "speach" was whipped up by his campain staff as damage control of this idiot reverands comments. "goddamn America"? goddamn him and anybody who supports him. if he doesent like american so much feel free to leave and never come back.

Mar 22, 2008 at 02:03 PM : There was...

There was opportunity for "dialog" during the last 8 years and after 9-11, but it was repulsed at every turn by the left that vilified everything offered by this administration. Sure, the left wants to talk up "dialog" now. You mean they want to lead and control the dialog. And America is not going to be wanting anything to do with the "we are owed" dialog espoused by Rev. Wright and his congregants.

Mar 22, 2008 at 02:03 PM : A McCain and...

A McCain and Powell ticket...won't happen. Powell wouldn't put up with him.

Mar 22, 2008 at 02:03 PM : There are just a few...

There are just a few things worse than a hypocrite.

When are you and yours going to castigate McCain for what Hagee said?

Mar 22, 2008 at 03:03 PM : Looks like...

Looks like the Obamessiah has got himself a little more unitin' to do in his own party before he goes crowning himself.

Mar 22, 2008 at 03:03 PM : " Th...

" There was opportunity for "dialog" during the last 8 years and after 9-11, but it was repulsed at every turn by the left that vilified everything offered by this administration. Sure, the left wants to talk up "dialog" now. You mean they want to lead and control the dialog. And America is not going to be wanting anything to do with the "we are owed" dialog espoused by Rev. Wright and his congregants"

In case you haven't noticed, the right already controls all the dialog. The right continuously points to "liberal bias" in the media even though none of the news stations accused of "liberal bias" are actually bias, ignore the fact that Faux News is overwhelmingly conservative, talk radio is even more overwhelmingly conservative, and that the same "liberal" news channels are cutting slack for John McCain. Wright's comments came out first on ABC News, one of the so-called "liberal" news channels. Not to mention that the media didn't make a big deal about when one of McCain's supporters during a McCain rally said "Barack Hussein Osama" as a political ploy. And oh yeah, the right thinks that anyone who opposes the Bush administration or the government is anti-american, who happen to censor scientist findings (James Hanson) on Global warming.

Mar 22, 2008 at 03:03 PM : A guy on the radio...

A guy on the radio brought up what seemed to be a good point. Until I really got to thinking about it!

His point was, how many Americans left the Catholic Church just because some priests were molesting young boys?

They may not have approved, but most didn't leave their church!

I'm a Catholic. This made some introspective sense to me -- at first. Then I realized this is just as lame as all the other apologies made for Obama's preacher. He is just like his gramma, Geraldine Ferraro, McCain and Hagee, on and on it goes -- but one immutable fact remains.

None of these examples are similar at all thus they are not even analogous. The Priests and Bishops weren't shouting from the rafter tops that molesting young boys was a good thing to do. That the people in their congregations should run out and do it. It was way wrong and disgusting yes, but they weren't advocating it. Selling CDs with them ranting and raving about it like "reverend" Wright!

No, all this is now is damage control, for a man that had his family attend the church of this man for 20 years, was married by him, had his kids baptized by him, and either bought into his message or is brain dead. Don't think he's brain dead.

He had a chance for unification of this country. We were ready for it, some of us a little more reluctantly or skeptical than others. Not now though............

Mar 22, 2008 at 03:03 PM : Here is an excerpt...

Here is an excerpt from Anderson Cooper's blog .

This excerpt is written by CNN Contributor Roland Martin:

"One of the most controversial statements in this sermon was when he mentioned “chickens coming home to roost.” He was actually quoting Edward Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and deputy director of President Reagan’s terrorism task force, who was speaking on FOX News. That’s what he told the congregation.

He was quoting Peck as saying that America’s foreign policy has put the nation in peril:

“I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday did anybody else see or hear him? He was on FOX News, this is a white man, and he was upsetting the FOX News commentators to no end, he pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true, he said Americas chickens, are coming home to roost.”

“We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism.

“We took Africans away from their country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.

“We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.

“We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.

“We bombed Qaddafi’s home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your children’s head against the rock.

“We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that they’d never get back home.

“We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye.

“Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day.

“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.

“Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said that y’all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said the people we have wounded don’t have the military capability we have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them. And we need to come to grips with that.”

He went on to describe seeing the photos of the aftermath of 9/11 because he was in Newark, N.J., when the planes struck. After turning on the TV and seeing the second plane slam into one of the twin towers, he spoke passionately about what if you never got a chance to say hello to your family again.

“What is the state of your family?” he asked.

And then he told his congregation that he loved them and asked the church to tell each other they loved themselves.

His sermon thesis:

1. This is a time for self-examination of ourselves and our families.

2. This is a time for social transformation (then he went on to say they won’t put me on PBS or national cable for what I’m about to say. Talk about prophetic!)

“We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a society,” he said.

Wright then said we can’t stop messing over people and thinking they can’t touch us. He said we may need to declare war on racism, injustice, and greed, instead of war on other countries."

From my perspective, all this uproar from snippets of sound-bites seven years old to an American public too busy, or bored, to research the full text and context of the speech in question, reinforces how dull the public is. People hear what they want to hear to reinforce their own one dimensional thought process and peculiar individual beliefs. It is certainly no surprise to hear that Marylee Shrider does not consider Barack Obama to be a "uniter." It certainly is no surprise Marylee Shrider would never endorse Barack Obama's candidacy.

Mar 22, 2008 at 03:03 PM : How can...

How can anybody defend what this tool said we need to start defending our country against people like this right or wrong we need to show the world we are united and Barlack Osama is not the one to do it lets all hope and pray that he is defeted along with that piece of human waste Hilliary Clinton. Lets get McCain in there to keep putting pressure on radical islam and make this country and others that choose to be free a great place to live

Mar 22, 2008 at 03:03 PM : you are...

you are wrong once again Gr8

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-07-mccain-hagee_N.htm

Mar 22, 2008 at 03:03 PM : what you...

what you allege is done by both sides Adam

it is being done to McCain as well

(people with snippets from some of his supporters projecting that on to the supportee lock, stock, and bbl)

Mar 22, 2008 at 03:03 PM : Adam, are...

Adam, are you saying that Rev. Wright was just quoting somebody else when he said those things?

Mar 22, 2008 at 04:03 PM : I will admit...

I will admit that the "snippets" from Wright may be being beat to death.

If that is what is wanted his writings are a target rich environment:

From 'Dreams of My Father',
"I CEASED TO ADVERISE MY MOTHER'S RACE AT THE AGE OF12 OR 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites"

From Dreams of My Father, " I FOUND A SOLACE IN NURSING A PERVASIVE SENSE OF GRIEVANCE AND ANIMOSITY AGAINST MY MOTHER'S RACE".

From 'Dreams of my Father', "The emotion between the races could never be pure..... the THE OTHER RACE (WHITE) WOULD ALWAYS REMAIN JUST THAT: MENACING, ALIEN AND APART"

From Dreams Of My Father, "never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. IT WAS INTO MY FATHER'S IMAGE , THE BLACK MAN, THE SON OF AFRICA, THAT I'D PACKED ALL THE ATTRIBUTES I SOUGHT IN MYSELF.

From Dreams Of My Father:
"THAT HATE HADN'T GONE AWAY," he wrote, BLAMING WHITE PEOPLE,- SOME CRUEL, SOME IGNORANT, sometimes a single face, sometimes just a faceless image of a system claiming power over our lives."

From Dreams Of My Father;
"There were enough of us on campus to constitute a tribe, and when it came to hanging out many of us chose to function like a tribe, staying close together, traveling in packs," he wrote. "It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, TO SHOW YOUR LOYALTY TO THE BLACK MASSES, TO STRIKE OUT, and name names"

From Dreams Of My Father, "I had grown accustomed, everywhere, to SUSPICIONS BETWEEN THE RACES.."

Quote from Barack Obama's book, Dreams Of My Father:
"The person who made me proudest of all, though, was [half brother] Roy .. He converted to Islam."

From 'Dreams of my Father', "In Indonesia, I had spent two years at a Muslim school"
"I studied the Koran.."

From 'Audacity of Hope: "Lolo (Obama's step father) followed a brand of Islam ...."I looked to Lolo for guidance".

From 'The Audacity Of Hope, "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

From The Audacity Of Hope, "We are no longer just a Christian nation," "We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers."

source:

http://www.examiner.com/a-536474~_Trapped_between_two_worlds_.html

Mar 22, 2008 at 04:03 PM : What is all this...

What is all this "dialogue" hokee? Everyone has a right to speak and be heard. The internet is built on wackos living in their mom's basements speaking and arguing as if they are the most brilliant and eloquent thinkers ever to exist. Millions of people subscribe to blogs written by complete idiots and the mentally retarded. I even sit thru expensive commercials telling me smoking is bad (as if it is new info).

This is your "dialogue." Say what you want, when you want to.

Unfortunately, some people don't belive they are having a dialogue unless thier voice is the loudest.

Mar 22, 2008 at 04:03 PM : witbee~ You should...

witbee~ You should know better! Mentaly retarded? So old school...

Mar 22, 2008 at 06:03 PM : Had to step...

Had to step away for a bit. Let's not rewrite history. Bush had 90 percent support in the country after 9/11. He lost hearts and minds here the same way he lost them in Iraq: indifference and incompetance. If you want to understand why the anger towards this president is so strong with the left, center and traditional Republicans, it's because he betrayed America.

Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03 PM : It would...

It would seem a whole series of posts have disiappeared and I'm not even sure who's blog they were on. Anyone have a clue? Were they take off by staff or the originator of the blog?

Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03 PM : Typical shallow...

Typical shallow Marylee Shrider political analysis, if I can use that term.

You can, but it's in the same league as "Gilligan's posing routine" at a bodybuilding contest.

Mentaly retarded? So old school...

"Special Ed" is a safe term; it covers many different levels...

Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03 PM : Were they take off by...

Were they take off by staff or the originator of the blog?

Hagatha deleted them, more than likely.

Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03 PM : It looks...

It looks like the "Obama Speech" blog by SF has been deleted, all 3 or 4 pages.

Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03 PM : Interesting....

Interesting. I'll try to remember not to post on his blog from now on. I couldn't remember who started it. Oh...LOL..that's what the fuss was about.

Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03 PM : Yeah maybe that Swede...

Yeah maybe that Swede will start a blog that Pub and Saber can go to duke city on.

Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03 PM : lol. well...

lol. well the deletion is a bummer. I actually thought that thread was one of the better of the 10 or so other threads devoted to Obama's race speech.

Nancy, if you didn't see my response, thank you and have a great holiday with the family tomorrow.

Mar 22, 2008 at 07:03 PM : when...

when statistics show black on black violence kills more African Americans every year than all of the years of slavery conmbined

Where did you find such a bogus stat? How can one even gauge such a thing? Is this just a case of hyperbole?

Mar 22, 2008 at 08:03 PM : ETBartley:...

ETBartley: fortunately, someone has done just what you're talking about with the electoral votes. Check out http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

This is the first time I've seen McCain pull even in that poll and I'm guessing it's due to the Wright scandal. We'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks (though it looks like I'll be writing a blog tomorrow night extolling the wisdom of Publican based on a bet we made last week).

Mar 22, 2008 at 10:03 PM : Wait a...

Wait a second Ms. Shrider. Is this, or is this not, a country who's foreign intelligence service was caught bringing drugs into inner city neighborhoods to finance their own operations? (I'm not just talking about a decade ago- this happened as recently as one month ago.)

Was this, or was this not, the country that trained and financed Afghanistan "freedom fighters"?

Was this, or was this not, the country that had troops in Saudi Arabia until recently (until we declared "Mission Accomplished"), and continues to keep troops in several other countries?

Just out of curiosity, have you heard any of MLK's speeches, other than his "I have a dream" speech? He said many things that even today could be interpreted every bit as "divisive" as Wright's speeches.

Both Tom and Adam make good points which totally lay waste to your argument that Obama had to "reject and denounce" (to use a recent term) his pastor, not just his comments.

I find it interesting that you (and others like you) categorize Wright's comments as "racist", when all he has done is show that his is an oppressed race. He doesn't blame the "white man" for society's ills, at worse he blames the government at large. He has shown how his own race has been hurt, much as MLK did; but I don't here you calling MLK "racist". Can you please explain that to me? I'm just not following your "logic".

Mar 22, 2008 at 10:03 PM : Free..off topic for...

Free..off topic for a minute. I didn't see your post but take it you saw the one for you.

You have a great Easter too.

Mar 23, 2008 at 06:03 AM : yeah, Wright...

yeah, Wright is not racist. Some buy into the Sharpton defense that Wright doesn't blame white people, just the govt.

riiiight! this is pretty specific, very clear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAYe7MT5BxM

I know what Wright would call white people who buy Sharton's defense.........

USEFUL IDIOTS!

Mar 23, 2008 at 06:03 AM : http://www.y...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prhnc2fxAzg&feature=related

another Obama role model

Mar 23, 2008 at 06:03 AM : Obama's...

Obama's campaign compares the OJ trial to his campaign

We all choose our heroes and role models, don't we?

Means nothing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDaO7N-JujU&feature=related

Mar 23, 2008 at 09:03 AM : From a man...

From a man who has been discriminated against himself in a most insidious way:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDAxYTk0OTIyZWQzMzEyMmVhZjM2ZWUwODU2ODgxM2I=

Mar 23, 2008 at 10:03 AM : Well Marilee, is the...

Well Marilee, is the reverend in the election? Tell you what, we won't judge George by his coke dealer, if you don't judge Obama by what someone else says.

Mar 23, 2008 at 11:03 AM : Chico, even you...

Chico, even you aren't that much of an idiot. Wright is saying that black people are treated differently than white people. Historically, this is beyond debate. He's saying that black people have to put up with things that white people never have. Surely you can see where this (mis)treatment might cause a bit of resentment, on society at large (since it is society treating them this way).

For the first 100 years of this country's existance, there was legalized slavery (and all of the horrors that came along with it). For the next 100 years we had Jim Crow which kept blacks as second-class citizens (and all of the horrors that came along with that). For the last 50 years we've had legal equality between all people. But do you think that is enough to change the disadvantages of the prior 200 years? Is that enough to erase all prejudices, conscious and unconscious, of all members of society?

As for your second link to "another Obama role model" (Farrakhan), perhaps you were living under a rock when Obama "rejected and denounced" his endorsement. It was on tv, and in all the papers. But I'll let you claim "ignorance" on that one (as we do so many other things).

Oh Chico, as for your last link (to National Review), saying that 9/11 was caused by our foreign policy decisions is much better (and accurate) than saying it was caused by a vengeful god in retribution for gays (or other "wicked" people); and FDR should have known about a coming attack (if he didn't actually know), and the CIA has been running drugs into American inner cities (and continues to to this day). So.... I fail to see the point, other than that conservatives are really having to ignore history as well as distort intent in order to bring someone down these days.......

Mar 23, 2008 at 12:03 PM : I may not be...

I may not be that much of an idiot but i unfortunately cannot give you the same level of largess.

You are one of the pseudo-intellectuals who think they are the only ones who really "get" it and as such are better and more enlightened than the rest of us.

I can only chalk this up to your own woe full lack of real world life experiences, however this is only exacerbated by your own lack of the ability to rationally analyze things without resorting to calling others idiots. Even if in a backhanded way.

Some of us have done things you can have no real comprehension of. But you are so blinded by your own misplaced idealism that you cannot accept any other viewpoints. For this reason you feel the need to resort to veiled insults with no life experience to back it up. Anyone with such experiences you attempt to denigrate. It remains impossible for anyone to have a rational discourse with you due to your bureaucratically engendered "I know everything, I read it in a study" persona.

Mar 23, 2008 at 12:03 PM : Chico, it is...

Chico, it is nice to have a person like you here who never uses insults. Thanks for your always positive contributions.

Mar 23, 2008 at 12:03 PM : de nada

de nada

Mar 23, 2008 at 12:03 PM : You're...

You're not kidding....

Mar 23, 2008 at 01:03 PM : http://www.r...

http://www.republicansforobama.org/?q=homepage

Republicans for Obama Movement

Mar 23, 2008 at 01:03 PM : Why Obama...

Why Obama

Fellow Republicans,

When deciding which candidate is best to now lead our nation, we ask that you consider supporting Senator Barack Obama. The U.S. faces serious challenges that are not being addressed by our political leaders. Elected officials of both sides have found it easier to appease their parties’ fringes to win elections, and media companies choose to shock, amuse and divide us. In the meantime, the problems we face as a nation grow as they are passed on to future generations.

We need a leader who can lay the foundations of another American Century—someone who can get past our partisan and ideological divisions, as we strengthen our standing in the world and tackle the challenges we face at home. We need a leader who understands our differences, but who also knows the importance of finding common ground. While we continue to debate and address many issues on which we all have strong opinions—abortion, gay rights, the relationship between church and state, to name a few—we need a leader who can command the support needed to break our government’s paralysis and meet the growing challenges we face as a nation.

Senator Obama is the one candidate who can unite the American majority that wants to move forward and improve the long-term economic well-being and independence of our nation.

Mar 23, 2008 at 01:03 PM : ...

Hillary's honesty

Fri, 03/21/2008 - 2:40am — Barbara Gordon

Gallup reports Hillary is perceived as far less honest than either Barack Obama or John McCain. Hillary was also weak in the categories "shares my values" and "is someone I would be proud to have as president."

Mar 23, 2008 at 02:03 PM : Glad to see you can...

Glad to see you can actually "rationally analyze" the facts of the situation instead of resorting to solely name-calling in defense of your position, Chico. You are truly a shining beacon in the darkness for others to follow.

Mar 23, 2008 at 03:03 PM : ...

Mattlochian logic ergo "enlightened acceptance"........

Mar 23, 2008 at 03:03 PM : The shining...

The shining beacon on the left

To many a lefty, this makes sense.

Mar 23, 2008 at 03:03 PM : Well,...

Well, Drilnlift, we are used to having to decipher the internet postings of the right. :)

Mar 23, 2008 at 04:03 PM : Hillary caught with...

Hillary caught with her lying lips moving again, this time it's about her trip to Bosnia

About the Video...."In a speech on Iraq policy delivered Monday at George Washington University, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recalled facing "sniper fire" on her 1996 trip to Bosnia to visit U.S. troops on a peacekeeping mission. But reporters traveling with the then-First Lady made no reference to any "sniper fire" at the time, and pictures of Clinton arriving at the main air base in Tuzla (see video) don't show anyone ducking or covering."

Mar 23, 2008 at 04:03 PM : She...

She shouldn't have taken Sinbad

Mar 23, 2008 at 04:03 PM : An Iraq...

An Iraq War protester

Mar 23, 2008 at 06:03 PM : McCain can run, but...

McCain can run, but would he be able to serve, if elected?

If what Firedoglake is reporting is true, McCain may be commited to other obligations, The report is that... "According to the latest Federal Election Commission report, John McCain has now spent $58.4 million dollars. McCain applied for public financing, and according to FEC chairman David Mason (in a letter to McCain), he can't withdraw without permission of the FEC. So he is now legally in violation of campaign finance law. "

Mar 23, 2008 at 06:03 PM : Any time you...

Any time you want to get back to the subject at hand will be fine with me, Chico. I responded to each of your arguments/links with those of my own. Your "response" was to ignore everything I said and focused solely on name-calling. If you can't come back with anything better than that, well, I guess I'll consider it "game over" and move onto the next subject.

Good day.