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[Deus Ex Machina]

From what I've read today he's been defending Wright and the church.

Speaking with reporters, Obama said the media is portraying Wright inaccurately.

"I think the caricature that is being painted of him is not accurate, and so part of what I will do tomorrow is to talk about how these issues are perceived from within the black church community for example which I think skews this very differently."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

Hopefully he can explain how us honkies dont understand that we "created the AIDS/HIV virus" to kill african americans.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Hopefully he can explain how us honkies dont understand that we "created the AIDS/HIV virus" to kill african americans.

He's said that he does not agree with everything he's said, and I suspect that line falls into that category. I think his broader point was, those comments are not representative of someone who has been preaching for ~30 years, and in that particular church for ~20. If they were, Barack would have been outta there.

 

[Particle Physicist]

Unless I'm missing something, ABC news basically pulled this story out of thin air last week. The videos are old - they could have run with this whenever they wanted to. I wonder what the missing link is.

they needed something to make people forget about Geraldine Ferraro's comments.

:.(

 

[thekad]

He's said that he does not agree with everything he's said, and I suspect that line falls into that category. I think his broader point was, those comments are not representative of someone who has been preaching for ~30 years, and in that particular church for ~20. If they were, Barack would have been outta there.

Or rather, the painting of Wright as ANGRYBLACKMAN designed to scare non-black voters is disingenuous and offensive. And why do you assholes continue to reply to topsyturvy? You're just giving her what she wants.

 

[harSon]

He's said that he does not agree with everything he's said, and I suspect that line falls into that category. I think his broader point was, those comments are not representative of someone who has been preaching for ~30 years, and in that particular church for ~20. If they were, Barack would have been outta there.

It's complete bullshit. Quoting minutes worth of words out of thousands of sermons is pretty fucking idiotic. Why don't we take Mccain's statements towards the Vietnamese and completely toss aside 99.9% of his life while labeling him as a batshit insane racist?

 

[Triumph]

Or rather, the painting of Wright as ANGRYBLACKMAN designed to scare non-black voters is disingenuous and offensive. And why do you assholes continue to reply to topsyturvy? You're just giving her what she wants.

It's a girl? Pics plz.

 

[Amir0x]

*sigh* this Wright thing is entering another news cycle, must be a sloooow week..

 

[PhoenixDark]

obama totally threw his own church under the bus. Seriously, that shit is bogus.

He threw his crazy ass pastor under the bus, which he should have done a long fucking time ago. But he did it nonetheless so it's no longer a major point on contention to me. I doubt the rest of the electorate is as forgiving as me

 

[XxenobladerxX]

I cant wait for Obama's speech tomorrow,maybe then this Wright bullshit can be put to rest. I'm really getting tired of the mainstream media pouncing on every chance to see Obama fuck up,creating vast mountains out of small molehills.

 

[GhaleonEB]

It's complete bullshit. Quoting minutes worth of words out of thousands of sermons is pretty fucking idiotic. Why don't we take Mccain's statements towards the Vietnamese and completely toss aside 99.9% of his life while labeling him as a batshit insane racist?

1) The media love McCain
2) He's not a scary black man

 

[belvedere]

Old?

New Poll

Majority of Americans Prefer Obama

Fifty-two percent of registered Democrats questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey say the senator from Illinois is their choice for president, with 45 percent supporting Clinton. The poll also suggests Democrats are more enthusiastic about an Obama victory (45 percent) than for a victory by the senator from New York (38 percent).

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted by telephone March 14-16, with 1, 019 Americans questioned, including 463 registered voters who identify themselves as Democrats or independents who lean Democratic.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/17/poll.democrats/index.html

 

[Deus Ex Machina]

He's said that he does not agree with everything he's said, and I suspect that line falls into that category. I think his broader point was, those comments are not representative of someone who has been preaching for ~30 years, and in that particular church for ~20. If they were, Barack would have been outta there.

He's only further alienating himself from the white community defending this guy. He's just keeping the wound from clotting now. The best thing he can do now is just shut up.

 

[GhaleonEB]

He's only further alienating himself from the white community defending this guy. He's just keeping the wound from clotting now. The best thing he can do now is just shut up.

Let's see how he handles it tomorrow. I think he wants to change the nature of the conversation, not that the media will let him.

 

[The Lamonster]

He needs to end this, like McCain ended the Iseman story. Go into great depth, answer every question, then drop it for good.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Let's see how he handles it tomorrow. I think he wants to change the nature of the conversation, not that the media will let him.

The media won't let him because this is a big story to people. White people hate being reminded of the civil rights era/slavery, and one of the reasons Obama has been accepted so well among them is because he has no connections to that era; there's a reason Obama keeps Jackson on a very tight leash. Stories like this only cause division and anger among many members of the white electorate, and Obama was a fool to not realize that for the 20 years he associated himself with this guy. Even if you feel Obama did nothing wrong here, you've got to realize it was stupid from a strategist point because it left him open to damaging attacks. An aide had to have told him this, but it's too late now.

We'll still be hearing about this in October

 

[RubxQub]

He needs to end this, like McCain ended the Iseman story. Go into great depth, answer every question, then drop it for good.

I don't think this is how McCain handled that situation...at all.

"I'm not going to talk about that anymore"... and *poof*

 

[maximum360]

Let's see how he handles it tomorrow. I think he wants to change the nature of the conversation, not that the media will let him.

I think it has to be done. Conservative media (read Fox News and right wing radio) is still pushing the issue big time (even though publicly most democrats are hands-off on the issue). With the church also coming back a response to the media it only prolonging the issue even further.

Obama needs to come out and push his biracial heritage and since it's out now about his christian faith (to help the ignorant folks who still think he's a muslim). He needs to explain in detail the contention between older blacks who've lived through more outwardly racist times and explain how he's trying to move beyond that. Similar to what he did in Indiana, he just needs to expand upon it.

To be honest, if he does a good job, it could actually help him in the long run and do a lot to open some people's eyes to race issues (that have been obvious to many others for a long time).

 

[The Lamonster]

I don't think this is how McCain handled that situation...at all.

"I'm not going to talk about that anymore"... and *poof*

But before that, he had a big 'ol press conference and answered questions.

 

[PhoenixDark]

NEW ORLEANS — Former President Bill Clinton told college journalists assembled Sunday by mtvU that the push for change in this election has caused experience to look like a liability instead of an asset.

“This is the first election in history that I can remember where experience — and having, actually, experience as a change maker — should be a disability for being elected,” Clinton told four undergraduate journalists from across the country at the debut Editorial Board of the College Media Network started by mtvU, a college-oriented channel of MTV.

Clinton’s frustration with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), flashed at several points during the mostly cordial 45-minute conversation in Tulane University’s student activities center.

“If you were part of making good things happen in the ‘90s and stopping bad things from happening in this decade,” he said, “then you were part of a culture of conflict and you are so yesterday. So the only way we can have a good president is to make a completely new beginning.”

Clinton also declared that he has been inaccurately portrayed as attacking Obama during the South Carolina primary. The issue is sensitive because Clinton’s aggressive campaigning has threatened his overwhelming popularity in the African American community.

“Contrary to the myth, I went through South Carolina and never said a bad word about Sen. Obama — not one,” Clinton said.

The former president took a lower-profile role in his wife’s campaign after he compared Obama’s victory in the South Carolina primary to the wins there by Jesse Jackson, another black candidate. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) told black newspaper executives last week that she was “sorry if anyone was offended.”

Asked why Obama is consistently receiving 90 percent of the black vote, Clinton replied: “Iowa happened. The minute it became possible that he could be the nominee, he was going to win the lion’s share of the African American vote. … And I never begrudged it.”

“You can’t blame the African American community for being proud of having a candidate who’s immensely impressive, who has had a lot of support in the North among non-African Americans and has generated all this excitement among young people,” the former president continued. “I don’t think it’s rocket science. … The fact that people are excited about Sen. Obama’s candidacy in the African-American community is entirely understandable.”

Clinton was at Tulane for the three-day inaugural meeting of CGI U, a new project of Clinton Global Initiative, which is part of the William J. Clinton Foundation.

The nonpartisan CGI, started in 2005, brings together 1,000 world leaders in New York every year. The university version will challenge college students and universities to tackle global problems with practical solutions. CGI U’s four main focus areas are energy and climate change, global health, human rights and peace, and poverty alleviation.

“We have the problems that are also present on a global scale,” Clinton told the students. “There’s been an increase in inequality in incomes and availability of jobs and access to health care and education around the world — and within many wealthy countries, including ours.”

The mtvU “Editorial Board” participants were senior Drew Dickson of Tulane University’s Hullabaloo; junior Joshua Sharp of the University of Southern California’s Daily Trojan; junior Vanessa Rozier of Howard University’s Hilltop; and sophomore Lily Lamboy of Smith College’s Sophian.


Clinton says he has been inaccurately portrayed as attacking Obama during the South Carolina primary.

The students were aggressive, and Clinton got a bit heated at a few points. “Wait a minute — you asked the question, so you have to let me answer,” he said when asked a pointed question about his own role in the campaign. “You don’t get to slant it, and ask me the question, and then” interrupt.

Another time, when discussing Obama’s position on money from lobbyists, he said: “Let me finish. I’m going to answer this. But I have a right to answer this. You can’t let him posit a choice that doesn’t exist.”

Clinton responded hotly when asked: “How is it that the guy from Hope is the insider from Washington?”

“I think that every election should be about hope, and every election should be about the future,” he said. “I have no problem with that. But how anybody could say I’m the Washington insider when I live in New York and I have not gotten — I’m not in politics anymore. And if you look at it, I think that all I have done is keep pushing America into the future in what I do in my post-presidential life.”

On other issues, Clinton:

* Showed detailed knowledge of the campaign’s nuts and bolts, including throwing out precise figures while complaining about Obama’s use of political action committee money early in his campaign: “He spends 40 percent of the PAC money — 43 percent, to be exact — on Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina politicians. … Those states constitute 3.7 percent of America’s population. … So therefore it’s not true that he has run a campaign without any special-interest money influencing the presidential campaign.”

* Said he believes Congress next year may “get rid of” the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowing gays to serve as long as they do not discuss their sexual orientation. lol...

“It would have been a better policy if it had been implemented the way Gen. [Colin] Powell and I agreed to implement it. … I think we may have the support now in Congress to get rid of it altogether,” Clinton said. “That’s what we should do. We should do what every other major country has done and allow gays to serve honorably in the military. … I’m not defending ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ on the merits. … Our guys came to us and said, ‘Look. If you don’t agree to this, they’re going to bury you. You will have nothing.’ ”

* Told how he came to support legalization of gays in the military: “What flipped me on this, what made me strongly in favor of allowing gays to serve in the military, was the first Gulf War. … In the first Gulf War, the military knowingly shelved plans to replace more than a hundred people in critical military positions who were gay. They let them serve and as soon as the war was over — these people had risked their lives for our country, and they served honorably — then they … kicked them out. So that plus [then-Sens.] Bob Kerrey, John Kerry and … one or two other Vietnam veterans coming to me and saying, ‘We’ll stick with you on this, because we think it’s ridiculous.' ”

A unit of Viacom and part of MTV Networks, mtvU is a channel for college students — airing on 750 campuses nationwide — that features music videos from emerging artists, coverage of student-led activism and other programming.

An edited version of the meeting, "mtvU Editorial Board: President Bill Clinton" will premiere on mtvU and mtvU.com March 26 at noon Eastern and Pacific.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9064.html

 

[Triumph]

Bill should just stfu. Everytime he opens his mouth he makes himself (and hilldog by association) look petty and vengeful.

Bill- YOU WON IN 92 BECAUSE YOU WERE THE CHANGE CANDIDATE RUNNING AGAINST THE EXPERIENCE CANDIDATE YOU FUCKING NUMBSKULL.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Bill should just stfu. Everytime he opens his mouth he makes himself (and hilldog by association) look petty and vengeful.

Bill- YOU WON IN 92 BECAUSE YOU WERE THE CHANGE CANDIDATE RUNNING AGAINST THE EXPERIENCE CANDIDATE YOU FUCKING NUMBSKULL.

zomg but in a post 911 world we need a leader with experience, good judgment, and Christian values amirite

 

[harSon]

Although completely idiotic, you can't really blame the guy for making statements that benefit his wife... even if they are completely hypocritical

 

[Gig]

zomg but in a post 911 world we need a leader with experience, good judgment, and Christian values amirite

Did you hear that on FoxNews?

 

[Tom_Cody]

It's complete bullshit. Quoting minutes worth of words out of thousands of sermons is pretty fucking idiotic. Why don't we take Mccain's statements towards the Vietnamese and completely toss aside 99.9% of his life while labeling him as a batshit insane racist?

McCain apologized for his gook comment. To my knowledge Wright has never rescinded any of his comments. I would have a serious problem being in the same room with someone if they said "The government lied about creating the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color". If someone says something crazy and apologizes I can understand (atleast to some degree). The HIV comment totally blows my mind and he hasn't rescinded these comments.

 

[Tamanon]

McCain apologized for his gook comment. To my knowledge Wright has never rescinded any of his comments. I would have a serious problem being in the same room with someone if they said "The government lied about creating the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color". If someone says something crazy and apologizes I can understand (atleast to some degree). The HIV comment totally blows my mind and he hasn't rescinded these comments.

But.....Obama is the one that would need to apologize/denounce. And he did. Why do you care what Wright did?

 

[PhoenixDark]

Did you hear that on FoxNews?

I came up with it all by myself

HarSon: Of course he wants the best for his wife/political partner, and is going to defend and protect her no matter what. But I'm saddened that he's been willing to say and do anything to get it. While people have basically always been either wary or resentful of Hillary, Bill has always been liked by many people. Hillary expected to piggybank on that support among people, and it never worked; just look at the Clinton's appearance at the Rosa Parks funeral, where Bill had near complete control over the entire fucking audience: Hillary didn't get nearly the same response, but expected it in 2008. Whoops

 

[harSon]

McCain apologized for his gook comment. To my knowledge Wright has never rescinded any of his comments. I would have a serious problem being in the same room with someone if they said "The government lied about creating the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color". If someone says something crazy and apologizes I can understand (atleast to some degree). The HIV comment totally blows my mind and he hasn't rescinded these comments.

Apologizing is not the point. I'm saying anyone would look like a complete jackass if we were to selectively quote minutes worth of what they've had to say over their lifetime.

 

[Tamanon]

Apologizing is not the point. I'm saying anyone would look like a complete jackass if we were to selectively quote minutes worth of what they've had to say over their lifetime.

Yeah, I mean look what people do to CoolTrick over his Muslim comments

 

[harSon]

Yeah, I mean look what people do to CoolTrick over his Muslim comments

CoolTrick is different Pick any page in his post history and there is likely something completely off the wall :lol

 

[PhoenixDark]

Apologizing is not the point. I'm saying anyone would look like a complete jackass if we were to selectively quote minutes worth of what they've had to say over their lifetime.

If you use even a minute to suggest AIDS was created to kill blacks...um yea, that's going to continue coming up no matter what. It's not rocket science

 

[grandjedi6]

CoolTrick is different Pick any page in his post history and there is likely something completely off the wall :lol

To be fair, I think we drove him off the edge some time ago

 

[syllogism]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0308/Florida_gives_up_on_revote.html

Florida Democratic chairwoman Karen Thurman sends out an angry email abandoning hope of a re-vote in the state:

Last week, the Florida Democratic Party laid out the only existing way that we can comply with DNC Rules – a statewide revote run by the Party – and asked for input.

Thousands of people responded. We spent the weekend reviewing your messages, and while your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn’t want to vote again.

So we won’t.

Thurman says they're not giving up, with the other options, in theory, being to recognize the earlier vote, to agree on a 50-50 split, or some compromise in between.

e:

Letter from state party chair says: “We researched every potential alternative process – from caucuses to county conventions to mail-in elections – but no plan could come anywhere close to being viable in Florida.

 

[Tamanon]

Wow, MSNBC just threw up a CNN poll taken over this weekend that had Obama with a 52/46 lead over Clinton. That's actually up from last month when Obama was behind her.

 

[soul creator]

Hopefully he can explain how us honkies dont understand that we "created the AIDS/HIV virus" to kill african americans.

in fairness, when an "angry black man" (lol) speaks about "you honkies" it's essentially just an over the top, controversial way of saying "US Government" (which just so happens to have a lot of white men in it), rather than actually thinking the average white person is part of some secret plot.

not necessarily saying he's right or anything (I think he's pretty far off the mark with the AIDS stuff), but that's generally what people like Wright mean.

 

[Particle Physicist]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0308/Florida_gives_up_on_revote.html






e:

so is it now absolutely impossible for hillary to win the popular vote? didnt she need big wins in florida and penn ?

 

[soul creator]

If you use even a minute to suggest AIDS was created to kill blacks...um yea, that's going to continue coming up no matter what. It's not rocket science

Obama said in that one video that he listens to Kanye West also...

"and I know the government administer AIDS..."

I wonder if they'll ask Obama to reject and denounce him

 

[PhoenixDark]

in fairness, when an "angry black man" (lol) speaks about "you honkies" it's essentially just an over the top, controversial way of saying "US Government" (which just so happens to have a lot of white men in it), rather than actually thinking the average white person is part of some secret plot.

not necessarily saying he's right or anything (I think he's pretty far off the mark with the AIDS stuff), but that's generally what people like Wright mean.

It's still racially insensitive and divisive. And with respect to your point about "angry black men" and their subtle word play, I disagree. This isn't much different from "city vs suburb" arguments made by certain mayors (Kwame Kilpatrick, I'm fucking looking at you): it's a subtle racial comment which divides blacks and whites no matter how you try to spin it. The mere fact that anyone is trying to play semantics to make a disgusting comment "less" disgusting is just mind boggling to me

 

[Tamanon]

A tangent, but I dunno if I can stomach an hour of David Gregory. I actually kinda miss Tucker.

 

[thekad]

It's still racially insensitive and divisive. And with respect to your point about "angry black men" and their subtle word play, I disagree. This isn't much different from "city vs suburb" arguments made by certain mayors (Kwame Kilpatrick, I'm fucking looking at you): it's a subtle racial comment which divides blacks and whites no matter how you try to spin it. The mere fact that anyone is trying to play semantics to make a disgusting comment "less" disgusting is just mind boggling to me

Except the media doesn't even care about his specific comments. They are merely playing up the idea of an angry black man yelling about white people.

RACE WAR! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?! VOTE CLINTON!

 

[PhoenixDark]

Except the media doesn't even care about his specific comments. They are merely playing up the idea of an angry black man yelling about white people.

RACE WAR! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?! VOTE CLINTON!

It wouldn't be an issue if Obama had cut ties with the guy earlier. As far as I'm concerned he brought this on himself, and some aide had to have seen this coming years ago when Obama was thinking about running. Like I said it's not an issue to me now that Obama has repudiated the comments, but it will continue to be an issue for many members of the white electorate, and WILL come back during the general election

 

[harSon]

Except the media doesn't even care about his specific comments. They are merely playing up the idea of an angry black man yelling about white people.

RACE WAR! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?! VOTE CLINTON!

Pretty much. The media seems to play the less controversial of his statements ("Hillary will never know what its like to be a black man...") the most which I find to be quite interesting.

 

[Tamanon]

Holy crap, Scarborough actually said Obama showed the signs of a great leader by getting out in front of the story. Of course, he couched it by saying Wright said we deserved 9/11 instead of what he actually said

 

[Tom_Cody]

Apologizing is not the point. I'm saying anyone would look like a complete jackass if we were to selectively quote minutes worth of what they've had to say over their lifetime.

Apologizing is the point. As I said, I would not stand in the same room with someone who had said these words, unless they were to take them back immediately.

You refer to judging someone on one quote out of a lifetime. I would never be able to think of someone the same way again after making that statement, even if it were my own father. Imagine if someone you've know personally for your entire life said that. Would that change your opinion of them? There is certainly more to Jeremiah Wright than these quotes, but these quotes are inflammatory enough to alter his legacy in any context.

 

[thekad]

Apologizing is the point. As I said, I would not stand in the same room with someone who had said these words, unless they were to take them back immediately.

You refer to judging someone on one quote out of a lifetime. I would never be able to think of someone the same way again after making that statement, even if it were my own father. Imagine if someone you've know personally for your entire life said that. Would that change your opinion of them? There is certainly more to Jeremiah Wright than these quotes, but these quotes are inflammatory enough to alter his legacy in any context.

One comment would change the opinion you have of your own father?

What is wrong with people.

 

[harSon]

Apologizing is the point. As I said, I would not stand in the same room with someone who had said these words, unless they were to take them back immediately.

You refer to judging someone on one quote out of a lifetime. I would never be able to think of someone the same way again after making that statement, even if it were my own father. Imagine if someone you've know personally for your entire life said that. Would that change your opinion of them? There is certainly more to Jeremiah Wright than these quotes, but these quotes are inflammatory enough to alter his legacy in any context.

You actually think people are sincere when apologizing? Especially in politics?

 

[APF]

BJ Clinton had executive experience.

* Said he believes Congress next year may “get rid of” the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowing gays to serve as long as they do not discuss their sexual orientation. lol...

“It would have been a better policy if it had been implemented the way Gen. [Colin] Powell and I agreed to implement it. … I think we may have the support now in Congress to get rid of it altogether,” Clinton said. “That’s what we should do. We should do what every other major country has done and allow gays to serve honorably in the military. … I’m not defending ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ on the merits. … Our guys came to us and said, ‘Look. If you don’t agree to this, they’re going to bury you. You will have nothing.’ ”

How dare he compromise like this?!! This is a cancer on the political system! A cancer! [/Mandark]

 

[Tom_Cody]

One comment would change the opinion you have of your own father?

What is wrong with people.

Yes. He would still be my father, but it would disturb me to know that my father believed the government created HIV as "a genocide against people of color".

 

[Tom_Cody]

You actually think people are sincere when apologizing? Especially in politics?

What does that even mean? You state that these comments are not reflective of his identity as a pastor (one comment out of a lifetime and so on). If they aren't reflective of his identity as a pastor he should take them back and apologize.

 

[thekad]

Yes. He would still be my father, but it would disturb me to know that my father believed the government created HIV as "a genocide against people of color".

Such a wildly outrageous comment doesn't even deserve to be taken seriously. Sure, denounce the comments as foolish and derogatory, but there would be no reason to hang the man in effigy. You, and the media, are taking this way too far.

 

[Tamanon]

Oh yeah, btw, Florida's revote is completely dead now according to the state party. DONE DONE DONE.

:lol They played Tracy Morgan's "black is the new president, bitch" bit on MSNBC after all, I'm shocked.