In response to Steve LaBonne -- What you are hearing is not "faux" outrage -- the comments by Rev. Wright that I have heard are sick -- I am not pretending to be outraged. I believe Rev. Wright's comments are TRULY outrageous.

It is not racist to condemn hateful speech -- no matter who is saying it.

One of the sermons I heard was from a couple of months ago. This hardly goes with the thought that this was one sermon five years ago, etc.

There are a lot of strange people in the world -- they say a lot of crazy things, awful things, mean things -- but when a person is running for the presidency, we have to look at the people he/she considers to be important in his/her life. It tells you a lot about that person's judgment.

That is the point of this issue about the Rev. Wright/Sen. Obama relationship.

Posted at March 14, 2008 2:21 PM in response to Obama: I "Profoundly Disagree" With Pastor Over "God Damn America" Comments

Anyone who is defending this minister's comments (he is speaking the truth, I don't really see anything wrong with what he says, etc.) needs to read a Political Science One textbook.

There is a big difference between having a supporter say something offensive (this happens to every candidate in highly charged elections) and attending a church for 20 years (I believe I read 20 years) where a minister said the government is responsible for sending AIDS to eradicate black people, the people deserved to be killed in 9/11, etc.

Why would Sen. Obama attend such a church and listen to this for more than one sermon -- even if Rev. Wright only said such things occasionally. Why would he consider this man to be a mentor?

When someone attends a church for 20 years, that person has to be endorsing its beliefs. This appears to be a black separatist church based upon what is said on their website. Look it up at www.tucc.org.

If Sen. McCain or Sen. Clinton attended a church that was a white separatist church or had a white separatist minister, what would Sen. Obama's supporters say?

It is interesting to note that the church's official website has taken THE TRUMPET magazine off their homepage within the last few weeks.

Posted at March 14, 2008 1:38 PM in response to Obama: I "Profoundly Disagree" With Pastor Over "God Damn America" Comments

Speaking of character -- I have watched many of Sen. Obama's speeches -- I can practically repeat what he is going to say after the first few words.

The NYTIMES article in today's issue mentioned his referring to his mother as a "single mon" -- when I first heard him, he was referring to being raised by a "single, teenage mom" -- that later changed to a "single mother and his grandparents"

From what I can read about his background -- technically, ne never had a "single, teenage mom" -- according to the story, his mother married when she was 18 and, from what I have read earlier, bore the son at age 19. The father left when he was 2.

A few years later, she married again. He has a half-sister.

He wasn't raised by a "single, teenage mom."
Maybe she was a single, teenage mother for a month or so depending upon when the parents divorced.

Now -- for him to say that he was raised by a "single, teenage mom" paints a much more interesting picture of his past.

Some could argue that there is nothing wrong with white lies or embellishment.

I don't agree.

However, he also doesn't tell the truth about larger issues either.

See the NYTIMES story of Feb. 3rd about Sen. Obama's ties to the nuclear power industry (Exelon) in Illinois. Read about the bill he introduced to force public notification when toxic leaks take place at a facility. When his nuclear power friends in Illinois didn't like his bill, he watered it down. The bill has never been passed in Congress. HOWEVER -- during the Iowa campaign, Sen. Obama said that he gotten this legislation passed. He never responded to the NYTIMES as to why he had said it passed.

Now, campaigns are stressful, but I find it difficult to believe that he can't remember whether a bill he introduced had been passed or not -- considering his short time in the Senate.

I also have noted several instances where he has an excuse for something questioned -- example, saying he pushed the wrong button on some of those "present" votes in Illinois. Now if that had been true, wouldn't he have corrected the error?

The Rezco Association is another example -- he called the house deal a "bone-headed" mistake -- that was a 15 or 16 year association with all sorts of red flags -- when it was first brought up in a debate, he tried to sound like he didn't even know Rezco -- did five hours of legal work for the individual.

Why would a person of high character have a 15 or 16 year association with Rezco? All of the problems were known when the house/lot deal took place.

In an earlier campaign, he said in a campaign questionnaire that he didn't believe in individual ownership of handguns (something on that order) Recently, he said that was a mistake by an aide, that he didn't mean that...

The communication with Canadians about NAFTA is another example of not telling the truth.

Some will say that all politicians lie, etc. I have been following politics for over 40 years and I do not believe that all politicians are liars, etc. I believe there are many honorable people in political life.

From what I have read thus far, I do not have that impression of Sen. Obama though.

Posted at March 14, 2008 12:56 PM in response to So it comes down to character after all.

There really isn't much point in focusing on general election polls now -- anything can happen. Someone should check back to 1988 and see how far ahead Dukakis was in August.
After the Democrats select a nominee, then the Republicans will attempt to considerably alter the perception of that nominee -- polls might be more interesting at that time.

Posted at March 13, 2008 8:55 PM in response to Rasmussen: Hillary Ahead In Pennsylvania, Her Supporters Divided About Ferraro's Remarks

The middle-of-the-road Democrats -- the Reagan Democrats -- conservative Democrats -- will not be impressed by the words of Rev. Wright and the fact that he has served as a mentor to Sen. Obama.

This country has come a long way on civil rights since the sixties when so much important legislation was passed. Actually, Brown vs. the Board of Topeka was a major decision for civil rights.

Before those laws were passed in the sixties, black people couldn't even eat in restaurants, they couldn't stay in motels/hotels, there were separate drinking fountains, etc. in southern states.

The northern states weren't perfect either.

All the protests in the fifties and sixties lead by King and his followers conbined with the passage of the laws through the work of President Lyndon Johnson made great change possible.

This country has made great strides in civil rights.

I do not understand why Dr. Wright would need to fill his sermons with hate.

Posted at March 13, 2008 5:51 PM in response to Jeremiah Wright: What exactly is wrong with this dude?

Not to count the votes in Michigan and Florida was a bad decision in the first place. Some sort of compromise should have been worked out by the DNC. Why would the DNC insist on continuing with that bad decision? It makes no sense for the fall election.

The Democrats will have enough trouble winning Florida without this decision. Florida went to the Republicans in 2000 (via the Supreme Court) and 2004.

If anything comes out of all of this mess the DNC and the state parties (example Texas having a caucus and a primary) have brought about -- it should be a reform of the process for nominating a candidate. This should push the process towards regional primaries.

The Republicans are much smarter about their nominating process.

Posted at March 13, 2008 4:58 PM in response to Florida Revote Plan In Trouble

I find his comments to be extremely offensive. I've attended some black church services -- I have never heard a black minister say such things -- ex. saying that the United States brought on the 9/11 attacks with its onw "terrorism"

The ministers I heard talked of love, not hate. I do not recall Martin Luther King speaking hateful thoughts.

The Trumpet, Wright's church's magazine, gave an award last year to Louis Farrakkan, well-known for his anti-semitic statements.

The information about the Trumpet was on the church's website until recently.

Posted at March 13, 2008 4:45 PM in response to Jeremiah Wright: What exactly is wrong with this dude?