Immediately after September 11th, Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson posited that we brought the September 11th attacks on ourselves with our decadence. Many comments posted on the web justify Senator Obama's failure to publicly disavow Rev. Wright's views and to distance Rev. Wright from his Presidential campaign by pointing to the Republican politicians who pander to Pat Roberston and his ilk and accept their endorsements while failing to publicly comment on their inflammatory political views.
I thoroughly believe that Senator Obama does not share the inflammatory views expressed by Rev. Wright. Senator Obama's statements about Rev. White lead me to surmise that Rev. Wright is far more than a man who holds inflammatory views.
Senator Obama believes and speaks of the need to rise above our divided past and present. There are children in the pews of Rev. Wright's church, including Senator Obama's children. How can we as a society rise above our divisions if community leaders do not stand up to other community leaders and publicly disavow wrongheaded political views? What distinguishes a leader from a follower is the internal courage and fortitude to stand up to others even at personal risk and even if the others are those he or she cares for. Senator Obama should explain how he rises to this challenge and explain those times when he believes he's failed to do so.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Democratic Nomination Battle
As a Democrat, I am dismayed at the train wreck that the primaries are becoming. I started out not disliking Senator Clinton. I believed that of the candidates running, Senator Clinton probably would be the best President. However, I believed then and believe more strongly now, that so many people dislike her, she is not electable. My belief that she is not electable has been strengthened as I join the ranks of those who dislike Senator Clinton. Why?
1. Senator Clinton realizes that if the Democratic Party's primary rules she agreed to are ignored, she will narrow the gap between Senator Obama and herself. For this spectacular reason, she argues that those rules should be ignored. Perhaps, instead of deciding to disregard the rules, her campaign should have planned for the primaries after Super Tuesday. When did the candidate who "is ready from day one" realize (1) if Senator Obama won 11 primaries in a row, she could never catch up in the only relevant number (delegates) and (2) her only strategy would be to argue that the number of delegates won is irrelevant? How much comfort should her supporters take from this brilliant strategy? With a straight face, she explains why cheating is OK. I doubt this is the lesson she taught Chelsea when Chelsea was a little girl.
2. Senator Clinton has not released her pre 2007 tax returns. She claims she is too busy. Those returns have been sitting in a file since sometime between last April and October. What is in those returns that she does not want anyone to see? If there is nothing there, why hasn't she released them? How can anyone vote for her without knowing if there is a disaster lurking in them?
3. Former President Clinton will not release the list of donors to his foundation(s) and the amounts those donors contributed. Again why? What disasters lurk? If there is nothing to hide, why not just release all of the information? Mr. Clinton announced that he would release the information if and when Senator Clinton is elected President. That is too late - these are facts voters need now.
For these reasons, I began leaning toward Senator Obama - my state primary has not yet occurred. However, his recent performance has made me doubt whether he should be President. Why?
1. He and his campaign knew the problems Rev. Wright's inflammatory speeches would present. The campaign should have been prepared to deal with the inevitable explosion of attention Rev. Wright would attract. Instead, Senator Obama himself unbelievably stated that he had never been present for any of Rev. Wright's offensive remarks. This undercuts the entire reason for Senator Obama's campaign - that he is not the same old politician we all know and don't like. Someone preparing to be President of the United States of America does not appoint a person to a campaign committee who publicly (and on video!!!) says God Damn America. Senator Obama cannot credibly deny that he knows that Rev. Wright said this.
I do not believe that Senator Obama shares Rev. Wrights prejudices or views. My problem with Senator Obama is with the mindset that allowed this problem to fester. Our President must be far more facile than this.
2. Until now, Senator Obama has run a brilliant campaign blurring any distinctions between himself and Senator Clinton essentially asking voters whether they want a candidate they like or one they don't like. That George W. Bush is President is incontrovertible evidence that the answer to that question is that voters want the likable person. By embracing Rev. Wright, for many voters, Senator Obama loses that advantage.
Where does this leave many Democrats? Choosing between the lesser of two evils for the nomination and then again in the general election. I fear that the end result will not favor the Democrats.
1. Senator Clinton realizes that if the Democratic Party's primary rules she agreed to are ignored, she will narrow the gap between Senator Obama and herself. For this spectacular reason, she argues that those rules should be ignored. Perhaps, instead of deciding to disregard the rules, her campaign should have planned for the primaries after Super Tuesday. When did the candidate who "is ready from day one" realize (1) if Senator Obama won 11 primaries in a row, she could never catch up in the only relevant number (delegates) and (2) her only strategy would be to argue that the number of delegates won is irrelevant? How much comfort should her supporters take from this brilliant strategy? With a straight face, she explains why cheating is OK. I doubt this is the lesson she taught Chelsea when Chelsea was a little girl.
2. Senator Clinton has not released her pre 2007 tax returns. She claims she is too busy. Those returns have been sitting in a file since sometime between last April and October. What is in those returns that she does not want anyone to see? If there is nothing there, why hasn't she released them? How can anyone vote for her without knowing if there is a disaster lurking in them?
3. Former President Clinton will not release the list of donors to his foundation(s) and the amounts those donors contributed. Again why? What disasters lurk? If there is nothing to hide, why not just release all of the information? Mr. Clinton announced that he would release the information if and when Senator Clinton is elected President. That is too late - these are facts voters need now.
For these reasons, I began leaning toward Senator Obama - my state primary has not yet occurred. However, his recent performance has made me doubt whether he should be President. Why?
1. He and his campaign knew the problems Rev. Wright's inflammatory speeches would present. The campaign should have been prepared to deal with the inevitable explosion of attention Rev. Wright would attract. Instead, Senator Obama himself unbelievably stated that he had never been present for any of Rev. Wright's offensive remarks. This undercuts the entire reason for Senator Obama's campaign - that he is not the same old politician we all know and don't like. Someone preparing to be President of the United States of America does not appoint a person to a campaign committee who publicly (and on video!!!) says God Damn America. Senator Obama cannot credibly deny that he knows that Rev. Wright said this.
I do not believe that Senator Obama shares Rev. Wrights prejudices or views. My problem with Senator Obama is with the mindset that allowed this problem to fester. Our President must be far more facile than this.
2. Until now, Senator Obama has run a brilliant campaign blurring any distinctions between himself and Senator Clinton essentially asking voters whether they want a candidate they like or one they don't like. That George W. Bush is President is incontrovertible evidence that the answer to that question is that voters want the likable person. By embracing Rev. Wright, for many voters, Senator Obama loses that advantage.
Where does this leave many Democrats? Choosing between the lesser of two evils for the nomination and then again in the general election. I fear that the end result will not favor the Democrats.
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