Obama issues statement repudiating Wright, may appear on Hannity & Colmes; Update: Wright leaves Obama’s campaign; Update: “You can get kind of rough in the sermons”
posted at 5:34 pm on March 14, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Not sure about the H&C rumor but DU looks to have picked it up from Hannity’s radio show. Gateway Pundit says Major Garrett’s going to do the interview, which makes me wonder when it’ll be on. I’ll update once I know.
Here’s his statement, posted appropriately enough at HuffPo. A three-pronged defense: (a) he didn’t know, (b) he condemns what Wright said without reservation, and (c) the guy’s retiring anyway.
Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it’s on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue…
Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he’s been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.
The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments. But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church.
That’s a nice, lawyerly dodge. Is he suggesting that in 20 years’ time he never heard Wright say anything along these lines? Or is he merely suggesting that he was never personally in attendance when Wright said it, as if that would matter remotely to his decision to stay with the church once he heard about it secondhand? Note how he limits the scope of the matter, too, to only the statements Fox and ABC discovered in going through tapes of Wright’s sermons. That’s not the issue; the issue is whether Wright has a habit of spitting poison like this and whether Obama was happy enough to let him do it so long as there weren’t political consequences. If the media starts going through old sermons week by week, with new and ever more nuanced conspiracy theories emerging periodically, is he going to roll out weekly statements to the effect of, “Nope, never personally heard him say that, or that, or that either”?
Oh, and is he saying that he would have quit the church over this rhetoric if not for the fact that Wright was retiring? The media’s task is simple, then: Go through his old sermons systematically, pick out the ones that were especially, ahem, “fiery,” and check them against Obama’s old schedules to see if he was there. Or, failing that, interview some parishioners and find the earliest sermon you can where Wright said something nutty so that we have some gauge of just how recent this purportedly recent habit of crackpot remarks is. Who wants to hold their breath with me?
Update: Johnny Dollar says in the comments that the Major Garrett interview will be on H&C and Greta, in separate parts. We’ll have video later, I’m sure.
Update: Like Geraghty, I question the timing.
Update (Ed): I think this is about as good as Obama can do with this, but there is at least another glaring problem apart from AP’s excellent analysis above. Here’s a portion of the statement from HuffPo today:
In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he’s been my pastor.
And here’s Obama in the Chicago Tribune in January 2007:
Obama says that rather than advising him on strategy, Wright helps keep his priorities straight and his moral compass calibrated. …
Though Wright and Obama do not often talk one-on-one often, the senator does check with his pastor before making any bold political moves.
Last fall, Obama approached Wright to broach the possibility of running for president. Wright cautioned Obama not to let politics change him, but he also encouraged Obama, win or lose.
Those two statements clearly conflict, so the question becomes this: is he lying now, or was he lying then?
Update: Now that we’re into “what did the Messiah know and when did he know it” territory, watch for the left to move the goalposts by wondering what it is, precisely, that’s so terrible about what the old man said. So he thinks America’s responsible for HIV. A lot of people think a lot of things, y’know? Can’t “an old black man have his anger in the privacy of his church”?
Update: Hiroshima, Sharpsville, and “white folks’ greed”: Rich Lowry reads from Obama’s memoir.
Update: It’s a media barnstorm as Johnny Dollar e-mails to say he’ll be on Olbermann’s show tonight too, where he can expect the sort of tough questions that only a man who donates to his interview subjects’ charities on camera can provide. Or can he? J$ notes that Alison Stewart’s scheduled to sit in for Olby tonight. Will Kayo stay home, raising hopes for a substantive segment? Or will he show up and give Obama a warm bath before he faces Major Garrett?
Update: Did he jump or was he pushed? Either way, formal ties between Obama and Wright are at an end.
Update: Sweetness & Light digs up an old chestnut from the Times about what Obama knew:
Mr. Wright said that in the phone conversation in which Mr. Obama disinvited him from a role in [his presidential] announcement, Mr. Obama cited an article in Rolling Stone, “The Radical Roots of Barack Obama.”
According to the pastor, Mr. Obama then told him, “You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we’ve decided is that it’s best for you not to be out there in public.”
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evenkeel,
How could they NOT hear. They can pick up the MTV New Zealand.
ConstantSorrow on March 14, 2008 at 11:06 PM
Exactly. And Democrats tell dark-skinned Americans all the time that “Republicans are Racist”.
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:06 PM
John McCain now leading Obama and Clinton by six points.
And he hasn’t had to lift a finger.
Just keep those vids of Rev race-baiter Wright comin’ on!
Pax americana on March 14, 2008 at 11:08 PM
The person most upset with Obama’s pastor? Mitt Romney.
THE CHOSEN ONE on March 14, 2008 at 11:10 PM
Ok, I hear you, I just get knots in my stomach over them and their dirty doings over time.
AprilOrit on March 14, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Quelle tool……..
omnipotent on March 14, 2008 at 11:14 PM
Thanks April, if I may call you April. Will you go to the Prom with me?
ConstantSorrow on March 14, 2008 at 11:14 PM
Sorry for the miscommunication…I wasn’t maligning you or your church. I was just quoting the same Obama text that you were quoting in your post. It’s Obama who could be Jihadist, not you of all people (how could “Buy Danish” be Jihadist?) No offense was meant to you.
you and I are in
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:15 PM
What happens if Obama gets the nomination and McCain chooses Hillary as his VP? (Assuming, of course, that Hillary doesn’t “Vince Foster” Obama to get the nomination back)
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Joking aside, ;) Even if Clinton is our next Prez, I trust God, my neighbors and BushMaster to keep me safe.
ConstantSorrow on March 14, 2008 at 11:18 PM
David Gergen is a fool, a sour bottomed liberal sap. The wheels are coming off the wagon very quickly and the liberals for BHO are grasping at their lying to save him. Hillary and her campaign are salivating, sharpening their knives and figuring how do we put all this red, bloody meat together and nail the coffin shut. The American people are the losers because we, the ordinary people, have lost the ability to choose a decent presidential candidate on either side. Between the money, MSM and too many years of liberal indoctrination the system has been sabatoged perhaps beyond repair.
wepeople on March 14, 2008 at 11:21 PM
I can’t, I am engaged. And I am older than you think.
AprilOrit on March 14, 2008 at 11:21 PM
AprilOrit on March 14, 2008 at 9:14 PM
I don’t quite know what this has to do with the topic du jour, which has been about God Damn America, the KKK, chickens coming home to roost, and so forth. To the best of my knowledge, No one has mentioned homosexuality, not a commenter, not Obama, not Reverend Wright.
You may want to do a little wiki search. Perhaps “a shining city on a hill” will ring a bell. I brought him up because he is featured on the UCC website as someone they proudly refer to in the churches’ history, but he is someone Wright would abhor.
Good For You! Sheesh.
Buy Danish on March 14, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Bravo! Standing ovation!
…So will Michelle Obama will soon be kicked off Obama’s staff???
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:23 PM
McCain could now nominate Juan Hernandez as vp and get away with it. lol
THE CHOSEN ONE on March 14, 2008 at 11:24 PM
While you are correct when thinking with a Republican mindset, you may be incorrect when thinking with a Democrat mindset…
This could backfire on Hillary because in the Democrat world the race card trumps all. Obama could paint Hillary as a racist, and that strategy would probably work. Crazy, but likely true.
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:28 PM
I was answering someone who said it was a militant black church, in theory the UCC is not - my point.
Could care less, glanced over the website, didn’t read to deeply.
Still love my faith, Shalom, baby.
AprilOrit on March 14, 2008 at 11:31 PM
I didn’t think you were accusing me of being a Jihadist or maligning my church. I thought you were implying that Obama is a Jihadist, and on that point I parted company with you. Although the hijacking thing was kind of funny, so maybe you were kidding.
This website is quite different from the one I referred to earlier, which stressed it’s founding history.
Buy Danish on March 14, 2008 at 11:35 PM
Yes. The Clintons must have dirt on McCain. They controlled the FBI and IRS for 8 years, and probably still have lackeys there.
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Nothing about Obama can withstand cross-examination. This is the first time he’s had to go through it.
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:43 PM
Hannity called him Obonga. LOL!
SaintOlaf on March 14, 2008 at 11:44 PM
The Obama campaign reminds of that alien movie, “The Arrival”, with Charlie Sheen (”would you like to see the ruins my friend”). Someone just dropped on of those sphere things into the war room at Hope HQ, and it’s starting to spin. Implosion in 5..4..3.. cue Ross Perot for “giant sucking sound” soundbite.
Over30 on March 14, 2008 at 11:48 PM
Hillary “made” Obama into who he is…the game plan since early 2004 was for him to be her VP in 2008.
What she didn’t count on was his “rebellion” and trying to “steal” “her” Presidency.
I explain this in a lot of detail here.
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:49 PM
AprilOrit on March 14, 2008 at 11:31 PM
You could [not] care less about American history?
Buy Danish on March 14, 2008 at 11:53 PM
You didn’t know that Hussein Obama IS a dangerous jihadist?
Why do you think he’s not a jihadist?
Because the world is such a pure and wonderful place and something like that could never happen in the democratic party?
Only the left would produce a bonafide nation of islam jihadist as their candidate and never look twice(or once) at him due to fear of being “racist”!
SaintOlaf on March 14, 2008 at 11:55 PM
I do, but as I said, I am rusty on The Puritans. I didn’t even know that link was on their site, I didn’t look closely.
I was looking more to see if they were associated with the Disciples of Christ, which they are intertwined, because of Jim Jones and The Peoples Temple connection.
I was more interested in the horror of that association.
AprilOrit on March 14, 2008 at 11:56 PM
If this is what ends his campaign then I don’t think that’s right. Elections are suppose to be about issues. If his nutty pastor is what ends makes him lose support then what does it say about our country. In America if you want to run for political office make sure there’s not one person you associate with that has crazy ideas?
I would prefer that if someone is going to exit is going to because they have wrong ideas about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, taxes, health care, etc.
terryannonline on March 14, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Heh. True. They HATE Fox News. Which is why Bill Clinton did a hit-piece on Fox in Sept. 2006 to protect Hillary’s 2008 campaign.
Red Pill on March 14, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Huckabee is starting to look better all the time…
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 12:02 AM
Why?
Buy Danish on March 15, 2008 at 12:37 AM
I hear you want a revolution, yeah.
peacenprosperity on March 15, 2008 at 12:42 AM
I’m voting for ralph nader. But seriously, I don’t think that would ever happen but if it did Mitt would jump in as an independant or write in candidate and he would be the next president.
peacenprosperity on March 15, 2008 at 12:44 AM
I have never understood why that idiot is on tv.
peacenprosperity on March 15, 2008 at 12:45 AM
Mitt won’t run as an Independent, but Bloomberg would.
Buy Danish on March 15, 2008 at 12:58 AM
I was surprised that the UCC, a relatively liberal church that welcomes all and advertises as such, didn’t reel Wright in with his hate speech against white America.
when Jones started to turn into a loon they disassociated with him, was my point. He wasn’t allowed to fester for 20 years ranting and raving from the pulpit.
I wondered why the UCC wasn’t taking a harder look at him, I mean he was there for 20 odd years, right?
That was my point, the UCC presents itself as a donimination open to all, and that is not what Wright was preaching.
AprilOrit on March 15, 2008 at 1:03 AM
If the opportunity arises don’t be surprised. Mitt knows conservatives are not happy. If barry and hillary continue to make a mess of it and mccain selects a totally unacceptable vp there might be an opportunity for a third party candidate and I doubt it would be a liberal. America goes for the celebrity liberals not unknowns. Celebrity, a known entity, is what gets them. Bloomberg woiuld not have a chance. he wouldn’t get as many votes as perot.
peacenprosperity on March 15, 2008 at 1:04 AM
he was my first choice until everyone here started trashing him.
AprilOrit on March 15, 2008 at 1:04 AM
I heard today that barry’s church was not associated with ucc only that it sounded like it was.
peacenprosperity on March 15, 2008 at 1:05 AM
Please, please, please, please PLEASE! Don’t bring up that idiot. He is as much a creation of the msm as barry. He was a backstabbing, no principles politician in arkansas. He kept all of clintons appointees throughout his time as gov. When the dem who followed him was asked why he didn’t replace all the dept heads after huckster his response was,”They were all clintonappointees.” The huckster is jsut another jimmy carter.
peacenprosperity on March 15, 2008 at 1:09 AM
I sincerely wish political death on Obama.
awake on March 15, 2008 at 1:11 AM
LOL, Wright sermons are starting to disappear from Youtube.
top link, gone.
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=Jeremiah+Wright+violence
p0s3r on March 15, 2008 at 1:25 AM
I think you heard wrong, where did you hear it?
AprilOrit on March 15, 2008 at 1:30 AM
I thought Hillary’s place of worship is her mirror.
Political mercenary / shill David Gergen can easily be explained by three letters. PBS. The freeloader repository for burned out or sold out socialist blow hards like Dan Rather, Judy Woodruff and Bill Moyers. Like so many parrots trained to quote philosophy they are only present to say things not to comprehend the things they say.
viking01 on March 15, 2008 at 1:34 AM
We need to enjoy these March Madness Shadenfreude days. Generals are always rough so let’s raise a glass and watch the Dhimmicrats self destruct.
Shadenfreudelicious.
Mojave Mark on March 15, 2008 at 1:39 AM
Agree 100%, however, ‘wrong ideas’ is a relative issue. What is a wrong idea to 49% is the right idea to 51%, simplistically anyway. Which is right? The one w/ the most votes, or the one that is ‘correct’? A great debate topic.
Character and ideas are valid issues. I think his character is flawed b/c I find it unbelieveable (subjectively) that he didn’t know about the vast amount of venom his pastor spewed over many years, thus Barack demonstrates (to me) that he is not credible - and credibility is an impt issue to me.
On the issue of ideas, I disagree w/ many of his stances on health care, taxes, etc. But that doesn’t undermine him; I just don’t agree w/ him. What does undermine him, and his campaign, is his ministry with that church. As a member of a Christian church, you become a diciple of its’ teachings, i.e. you are compelled to spread its’ word. But the word it spreads is hate and racism and spectacularly outrageous claims that foment the aforementioned hate and racism.
Ideas and topics aside, I’ve seen enough to recognize when a devisive issue (Wrightly or wrongly) will sink a campaign. Unfortunate? Unfair? Maybe. Welcome of the world of politics. I wish I could change it, but I cannot. I just call ‘em as I see ‘em.
Over30 on March 15, 2008 at 1:59 AM
I don’t think this will really hurt Obama. The right-of-center has been too well trained by the Left to dare speak the truth about where the real hate in this country comes from. There will be polite accusations and tons of platitudes, but no one will dare state the truth - that the entire “Left” is based upon, not compassion, but hatred (self-hatred not the least). Getting to the root of what makes “progressives” tick is the only remedy we have to fix things, and no one I see is anywhere near even attempting that. A new kind of leader is sorely needed, but I think we’re going to have to wait a while.
Halley on March 15, 2008 at 3:02 AM
An “old chestnut” is a saying or idea that keeps popping up but is of dubious or limited worth. It originally came from a stage-play nearly two centuries ago.
It doesn’t mean “a good nugget”.
Tzetzes on March 15, 2008 at 3:49 AM
Hogwash!
Obama has known this bum for many years . . . he knows what he is and what he stands for. Now, he’s trying to deny him in order to save his phony butt. He’ll fool some people but with any luck he won’t fool too many.
rplat on March 15, 2008 at 7:43 AM
For Hussein Obama to have said on H&C he “never” heard one of the racist hate speeches at one of these weekly hate meetings is a bold face lie.
He’s been a member for twenty, and from his own admission, has known that hate monger for thirty.
One thing is for certain… he didn’t show the level of confidence when on the spot that he does when talking about how bad America is on the campaign trail.
madmonkphotog on March 15, 2008 at 7:44 AM
I forget, LegendHasIt, which branch of the military service were you in where you learned to defend yourself and not be “offended”? Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m betting NONE! And if I am wrong, you seem to have forgotten the discipline we were taught.
Yes, I am reporting you again.
Tommygun on March 15, 2008 at 7:46 AM
Obama is sooooooooooo weak on H+C!
I would only point out one of Obama’s pathetic, rambling statements: that the “excerpts” of Pastor wRight-Racist shown on TV were “the statements that have been strung together are compiled out of hundreds of sermons” he had given over his lifetime (starting in the clip at 04:12).
OKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY…
…which means the Pastor always wore the exact same clothes and had exactly the same people around him in exactly the same clothes (sounds like that would be a “coincidence” to me…),
…which also means the Pastor has made outrageously racist and anti-American statements at least hundreds of times in his sermons (sounds like a tendency/habit/pattern to meeeeee…),
…which also means that Obama didn’t attend these “hundreds of sermons” BUT that ALL OTHER SERMONS had ABSOLUTELY NO RACIST OR ANTI-AMERICAN content in them (gee, that sure doesn’t seem very likely or credible to me…).
Can we take THIS excerpt out of the interview, give it some open air, and dip it in the “stink-o-meter” test?!
Lockstein13 on March 15, 2008 at 8:49 AM
You’d lose that bet, tommygun.
LegendHasIt on March 15, 2008 at 9:06 AM
Awesome! Thanks for the analogy…you’re spot on!
Obama can deliver a great prepared speech, but he falls apart in a Q&A!
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 9:45 AM
I agree completely. I’ve always said “Obama ain’t got game”. Hillary, on the other hand, has a proven track record of overcoming adversity and winning at all costs. She has a proven track record of destroying her enemies. She abused her control of the FBI and IRS. I’m convinced she has dirt on McCain that’s she’ll leak in October.
Republicans should not be voting for Clinton in Democrat primaries. WAKE UP, PEOPLE!
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 9:51 AM
Okay, I finally understand what your point was. I don’t know anything about the UCC church, but according to Wiki it allows its churches a lot of independence and whatever oversight there is appears to be minimal. It’s very loosey-goosey and appears to be even more liberal than so many mainstream Christian churches who have moved way to the left. They probably see differences as a positive thing - all part of America’s ‘diversity’.
But again, what struck me was that the UCC at least showed deference to its role in early American history, while Obama’s church outright rejects that stained by as white Eurocentric interlopers (except that it was convenient for Barack to cite the Boston Tea Party as it makes him look oh-so patriotic).
I would like to hear from someone in the church hierarchy as to how this could happen. Although, I have a feeling that they believe that if it’s a.o.k. with Barry and Oprah, who are they to judge?
Buy Danish on March 15, 2008 at 9:52 AM
…while Obama’s church outright rejects that [as stained by] white….
Buy Danish on March 15, 2008 at 9:54 AM
Republicans should not be voting for Clinton in Democrat primaries…
Ok, so due to dishonesty and voter suppression by McCain and the MSM, McCain is the “presumptive nominee”. But the Republican party will not have an “official nominee” until the convention. I will not concede that my prediction is wrong until we have a President-elect. I’ve changed my VP prediction from Thompson to Michael S. Steele because Thompson does not support the Human Life Amendment.
Huckabee/Steele is the winning ticket. Even with Clinton as the Dem nominee. Huckabee knows better than anyone what kind of corruption the Clintons lived by as Governor of Arkansas. When Huckabee took office, the Arkansas state government was 90% Democrat. Huckabee had a lot to do with cleaning up that government and helping Arkansas turn from a blue state to a red state.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Don’t let Hillary fool you. They are both radical leftists. Back in 2004, Hillary hand-selected Obama to be her 2008 VP because they are birds of a feather. Obama rebelled and now wants to challenge her for the Presidency.
I repeat that they are both radical leftists. They are two of only 22 senators who voted against the confirmation of both Roberts and Alito. That alone shows you how far left they both are. Don’t be fooled into thinking that Hillary is more moderate. She’s not.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Huckabee is just as liberal as McCain and his foreign policy would be as disastrious as if a democrat was President. Huckabee wants to turn the other cheek first. The problem with that policy when dealing with the terrorists is that they will behead you in the process.
evenkeel on March 15, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Obama was offered the V.P. spot! Or Else? This is the beginning of “Or Else” from the Clitons.
The Clitons must destroy him now to get nearly all of the white vote. The only way she can steal the nomination.
She assumes the black vote will follow along in the general as good slaves to the dem party as they always have. Sweating and toiling to give the dems the power, in order to earn their token salaries in the form of gov’t handouts. She may be right.
The republican party assumes the same of conservatives dragging ourselves across broken glass to vote for a broken candidate a Republican-in-Name-Only.
Third party Mitt, Third party!
dhunter on March 15, 2008 at 11:02 AM
So this may already have been mentioned, and I don’t have a link to back it up, but I remember hearing that Wright was cut from the program at Obama’s campaign kickoff in Springfield last year. That suggests, of course, a concern that he’d say something inappropriate, which makes a hash of his “I didn’t know” defense. Anyone else recall this?
gstevens97 on March 15, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Yes, it has been noted. Obama told Wright that his sermons were kind of “rough”.
Buy Danish on March 15, 2008 at 12:32 PM
Obama is a LIAR! I don’t believe for a second that he was never in attendance when pastor Jeremiah “I hate White people” Wright was spewing that hatred. Even if he wasnt in attendance he would have at least heard what his pastor was saying. Obama is backpedalling and lying now that the sermons are out there.
This man is not fit for public office let alone the presidency.
Erockk on March 15, 2008 at 12:42 PM
I’m going to assume now that Obama HAS heard these rantings he and Michelle and the 2 kids won’t be attending anymore.
SouthernGent on March 15, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Excellent! Presuming that is correct, you will understand my point in this whole thing: When “we” insist upon holding to rules which our enemies ignore, we are at an immediate disadvantage. Too many are unwilling to sacrifice the hope of the ideal for the chance that actually exists. The classic example of this is how many pro-lifers will simply not vote for a pro-choicer, regardless of the fact their failure to vote might lead to the victory of someone far worse. The threatened conservative boycott of the November election is another. We must work harder to simply hold the enemy off, let alone make gains. I disagree with McCain on many issues, and most of where I do agree with him, I find him weak. But I will support him, because, at this point, the best we can do is vote GOP and hold the line.
By pointing out your “insult”, I hoped in part to demonstrate you doing, as the Christian Scriptures put it, “biting and devouring one another” (Galatians 5:15). Had you attacked a liberal on here, that would be fine. They are the enemy, and as far as I am concerned, “we don’t need to be worrying about their rights. It’s not an equal relationship”. But instead, you attacked someone who actually wants the same basic outcome as yourself apparently. Ultimately, you resorted to absolutely intentional and willful insults. Instead of working with people on your side with whom you had disagreements or who you believed had erred (which is all I mean by not being “purist”), you resorted to immature rants.
If only conservatives could face down their actual opponents with such anger and determination. If only more would actually physically go to “anti-war” demonstrations, get in those traitors’ faces as they do to us, and verbally take them down. But many Republicans, even veterans, say they just don’t think such actions are right–”I fought for those people’s right to say what they’re saying”, they tell me. They let some sort of “holier than thou” application of that “principle”–”Those people have a right” and “We must respect their patriotism”–prevent them from acting to preserve that very principle. They let the Left shape the public spirit. The result: The enemy got a victory in 2006, and we got Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House.
I’ve done this. I’ve faced those things down. Far more than suffering an insult, I’ve been verbally and physically assaulted for it. But I kept going back. Also, I sacrificed my time and money–both of which I would much rather have spent doing “my” things, like being with my aging family. Then, I actually enlisted, at age 35, because so few conservative young adults apparently had the guts or willingness to sacrifice to do so.
So with all due respect, I can take your insults. And I would suggest turning them toward our common enemies, not each other.
Tommygun on March 15, 2008 at 1:59 PM
Obama definitely have skeletons in his closet. The media is trying to hide it and only if they would look closer, I am sure that people will realize that he is a radical leftist. God save us if he becomes President.
mariloubaker on March 15, 2008 at 2:34 PM
Obama’s supporters will follow their leader. Blindly. If Obama loses the remaining primaries so badly that Clinton can claim the nomination legitimately, Obama may accept the VP slot and his supporters, while unhappy, would vote for the Clinton/Obama ticket in November.
There are four possible outcomes on the Dem side:
1) Clinton/Obama
2) Clinton/somebody else (most likely Edwards)
3) Obama/Clinton
4) Obama/somebody else (most likely Edwards)
Scenario #1 (Clinton/Obama) is the most dangerous to Republicans.
Scenario #2 would happen if Hillary won the nomination but Obama refused to accept the VP slot. That would be very divisive to the Democrat party and would be the best for Republicans.
Senario #3 I don’t believe Obama would offer Hillary the VP slot. If he did, the only reason she would lower herself to accept it would be if she had plans to “Vince Foster” Obama and then blame it on a “vast right-wing conspiracy”.
Scenario #4 is likely if Obama gets the nomination, but I’ve been saying for well over a month that it would be fairly easy to defeat an Obama/Edwards ticket. They are both 1-term senators who have nothing to offer but empty rhetoric.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 3:01 PM
Spot on. When Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh are encouraging conservative Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton, something is seriously, seriously wrong. How can Republicans be fooled into voting for Hillary Clinton? I readily admit that I am biased on this, but I stand by the assertion that conservatives in Texas would have been much, much wiser to have voted for Huckabee instead of Clinton. Even if Huckabee had still lost, that would have at least done something to draw McCain further to the right. Voting for Clinton only made Republicans a party to Hillary’s 2008 Presidential game plan! You do realize that, right? If Hillary wins the nomination and the general election, you conservative Republicans who voted for her helped her do it! And if and when she takes office, she will immediately go to work abusing executive power to attack you!
Don’t think she couldn’t win in November. I’ve already explained how her game plan included McCain as her Republican challenger. She seems to have succeeded on that part of her game plan. What’s left is she needs:
1) To win the nomination in a way that is perceived as “fair” (that’s more likely after Obama’s performance last night)
2) To get Obama to accept the VP slot (If Hillary wins the nomination fairly, Obama will have a decision to make. If he doesn’t accept the VP slot, he will be blamed for creating a schism in the Democrat party. If he does accept it, he gets a better platfrom from which to run for president in 2012 or 2016. He has shown a lust for power. He would accept Hillary’s VP offer, and his followers would blindly follow him. Bad news for Republicans, because now McCain loses the identity politics battle: old “white” man vs first female President and first “black” Vice-President.
For all of those who feared and Obama/Edwards ticket, you missed the real threat: a Clinton/Obama ticket.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 3:35 PM
re. Wink, Here’s what I can’t figure out. How in the world did the Clintons miss all this.
They didn’t is my guess. I think it was too hot for them to handle. They’ve already been accused of race baiting.
They were hopeing someone else, not connected with Hillary for Pres. would drop the bomb.
2theright on March 15, 2008 at 4:11 PM
Very interesting…Obama and his pastor plagiarizing Malcom X…
We know Obama likes to “reuse” material from other people in his book and speeches. His book title “The Audacity of Hope” came from the title of one of Rev. Wright’s sermons. Obama got in trouble for lifting the “words, just words” speech. Now it’s interesting that both he and his pastor are on record repeating Malcom X’s words.
For those too young to remember who Malcom X was, here’s what wikipedia says about him:
Now remember that Obama says the Muslim call to prayer is “the most beautiful sound on Earth” and he can recite the prayer perfectly.
Then remember an associate of Obama’s, Bill Ayers, said in an article published by the New York Times on September 11, 2001 (how ironic!)
”I don’t regret setting bombs. I feel we didn’t do enough.”
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 4:17 PM
For those who think it is unfair to criticize Romney’s “religion” but not Hussein Obama’s, here’s the real truth…It is both fair and just to look at both of their “religions”. And both should have been disqualified immediately.
Yes, some of you are thinking,”mormons aren’t comparable with muslims” but the sad truth is they are comparable and worse.
Yes, muslims strap bombs to themselves and murder innocent civilians and are intending on detonating nuclear bombs in American and European cities…but think about this…
when a muslim blows up a Christian in a crowd, that Christian’s soul will still go to heaven, you can’t kill one’s eternal soul with a bomb.
But when a mormon “missionary” goes to Christians and leads them away from Christ and towards a false christ and false god..only then is that Christian’s eternal soul at real danger of death.
Who is worse?
The fact is romney should have run in the democratic party.
Right now he would be beating the Hildebeast and would be runner up to Hussein O.
Romney promised that he would do more for the radical homosexual agenda than Ted Kennedy himself!
He would be on the dem ticket right now and would not have flushed $100 million dollars down the drain like he did in this election…you know he’s thinking that now.
SaintOlaf on March 15, 2008 at 4:17 PM
While I agree with you that’s it’s wrong to stereotype and say that all of a party is racist, I’m really talking more about the leadership of the party than I am about all of the people who vote for that party.
It’s a known fact that the Democrat party routinely gets about 90% of vote from the Demographic group of Americans with dark skin.
(Those frequently called “black” or “African-American”, both of which are misnomers…they aren’t “black” and they aren’t immigrants from Africa. They are Americans just like we all are Americans. And every American has generational roots that go back to other continents. Even “native Americans” are believed to have crossed the land bridge from Asia).
That demographic group is routinely told, and generally believes, that Republicans are racists. I know this from first-hand experience interacting with people in this demographic group.
What this group, as a whole, tends not to realize is that the Democrat party leadership behaves in ways that are directly analogous to how the plantation owners behaved towards their slaves. Certain slaves were allowed to be “slave leaders” over other slaves, but they were never allowed to be the plantation owner. A fantastic book, written by an American who happens to have dark skin, is:
It’s a great book. Very eye-opening.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 5:20 PM
Hillary recruited Obama to be her VP, and made him a Senator.
Now the “slave” wants to own the plantation, and “Miss Hillary” is mad as hell!
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 5:21 PM
It’s true I suspected you work for the Obama campaign. I agree with a lot of the things you have posted to this particular thread, so I think it’s more than likely that my guess was wrong.
In a very bizarre way, though, it’s still possible that an Obama staffer could put down Obama in this thread and say that Hillary is the real threat (which she is) as a way of preventing Republicans from voting for Hillary in future primaries (and instead voting for Obama).
Let me ask you two questions directly:
Who would you like to be our next President?
Of all of the people initially in the race, who was your first choice?
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 5:28 PM
Obama’s followers will blindly follow him wherever he goes. If Hillary wins the nomination and he accepts her offer to be her VP, Obama’s followers will vote for the Clinton/Obama ticket.
This division only works in our favor if he turns down the VP nod or if he wins the nomination outright.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 5:35 PM
The fat lady hasn’t sung yet.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 5:36 PM
All things being equal, I think the people of this country will figure out that for our country, the candidate who is better than McMaverick, the Glacier, and Oprahbamamessiah is the candidate whose taken this stand on the issues.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 5:42 PM
Ok so the Hildebeast wins the nomination and puts Hussein O on the ticket….then we have 8 months left to completely destroy Hussein and take her down in the process.
She may very well not put the weak link on the ticket in the first place.
She will pick the traitor Wes Clark (the architect of the serbian war).
SaintOlaf on March 15, 2008 at 5:43 PM
What did Democrats use as their “October surprise” in 2006 that led to them taking control of both the House and the Senate?
Sex scandals and the mantra of the “Republican culture of corruption”.
Now let’s see what could conceivably be used as an “October surprise” in 2008:
Sex scandal? Check. McCain was alone with Vicki Iseman on Paxon’s corporate jet. He said the relationship with Vicki was not “romantic”, but neither was Spitzer’s relationship with “Kristen”. No one has yet asked McCain if the relationship was “inappropriate”.
“Republican culture of corruption”? Check. McCain was part of the Keating 5 in the Savings and Loan scandal.
Those are just the things we know about. What else could Hillary use the FBI to dig up? McCain has been a senator for a long time. It’s highly probable that Hillary has dirt on him.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 5:50 PM
He doesn’t have it clinched yet. He picks a totally unacceptable vp and get ready for a third and even fourth party candidate. I will not cast a vote that puts charlie crist anywhere near the White House or for that matter lindsey grahm either. clinton and obama may win it after all if mccain completely screws up. Oppositely, if he picks a strong conservative vp he will win. The leftists, liberals and minions are too splintered to rebound.
peacenprosperity on March 15, 2008 at 5:53 PM
If Mccain picks Mike Huckabee as VP then he will win.
It is the only way he will get the evangelical vote that is right now opposing him.
It is also the only way he will bring enthusiasm into his campaign, maybe then a miracle will happen.
SaintOlaf on March 15, 2008 at 6:03 PM
1. Think “left edge of liberal Protestant churches who still mention Jesus Christ from time to time”.
B. But remember that the national leadership of these churches is always far more liberal than the typical congregation, and they have little in common. It’s true in every case.
This church’s leadership has been in the vanguard of those seeking to accept homosexual ministers and leaders, and promoting homosexual “marriage”. It isn’t a controversial topic there, as it is in the Methodist, Episcopal and Presbyterian churches; it’s widely accepted doctrine.
Jaibones on March 15, 2008 at 7:17 PM
Great call! No better way to generate some enthusiasm than by bringing the most despised candidate in the race into your fold. But that kind of enthusiasm might be counterproductive.
Maybe it would be smarter to find someone that evangelical voters respect, and that the rest of the conservatives don’t hate. Religious bigots are so … divisive.
Jaibones on March 15, 2008 at 7:47 PM
So because Mike Huckabee is a true Christian, who preaches the Gospel in the Spirit….that makes him a devisive religious bigot?
Hey, atheists are only roughly 10% of the population and most of them are definitely in the democratic party, who cares?
SaintOlaf on March 15, 2008 at 7:53 PM
No Republican should ever underestimate the Clinton Machine. They will mow down anyone or anything in their path to gain her presidency.
This has been proven by history - it is fact. We cannot dispute it.
Those who are aiding and abetting her to become the nominee are out of their minds.
Crossing over in the general is the wrong approach for non-democrats.
I was originally for Huck and I got flogged and ridiculed here for it - here - then I was talked over into Fred. Now I will vote for McCain becuase he is our nominee. Voting for Nader is a wasted vote and I would never vote for Bloomberg, if he does get in, because he is my mayor and imho not a good choice for President. I really doubt he will get in, he doesn’t want to blow his money at this point.
AprilOrit on March 15, 2008 at 8:04 PM
Hillary’s supporters are almost like zombies out for the kill.
I have this picture in my head of feminist separatist poet types and their men marching forward into battle wearing stiff pantsuits with berkinstocks, carrying the Clinton war flag, first on to Obama and then on to the big one - with McCain.
They are very loud, very shrill, they embody the type that will talk over your differing opinion, trying to drown you out completely, rather than allowing you to speak.
Or they will physically attack you and silence you that way.
AprilOrit on March 15, 2008 at 8:17 PM
Obama:
1) The Christian Right is not “eager to exploit what divides us”. Obama is “eager to exploit what divides us”.
2) Evangelical Christians are the Christian Right, so is he suggesting we are schizophrenic when he says, “At every opportunity, they’ve told evangelical Christians”?
Is he suggesting that we talk to ourselves? The man isn’t even smart enough to understand who makes up the Christian Right. (But he’s a Christian…right?) :-)
3) “At every opportunity, they’ve told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their Church”
… that’s because Democrats do disrespect our values and dislike our Church.
4) “while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion”.
People in this country do care about abortion. The more people learn the truth about abortion, the more people are against it. Level Four Ultrasounds have shown many women who were considering abortions that what was growing inside them truly is human and not just “tissue”. New studies are revealing truth that Planned Parenthood doesn’t women before they get abortions: abortions can lead to mental illness. Isn’t that an important “women’s health” issue? Why aren’t women told that? Why aren’t they counseled to carry the baby to term and then give it up for adoption if they don’t want to be a parent? Many couples in this country pay tens of thousands of dollars and fly halfway around the planet to adopt a child. Don’t tell me that there aren’t families waiting to adopt the children who are currently being aborted.
Now a word to any woman who has had an abortion:
God hates abortion, but He LOVES you!
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 9:03 PM
April, thanks for your openness and honesty. I officially and openly apologize for suggesting that you may work for the Obama campaign.
I am glad to hear that you supported Huckabee. I don’t understand why more Jewish/Hebrew people didn’t support him, as he is the only candidate who openly supports Israel in the war that was declared on Israel by Iran (via Hezbollah) on Valentine’s day.
It tuly saddens me that commenters here at Hot Air “flogged and ridiculed” you. That belongs at DailyKos, not here at HotAir.
You switched to supporting Fred Thompson, which is where I started out.
When Fred dropped out, I researched more about Huckabee and found that he is “the real deal”. I wish more people had done the same. Yes, he raised a gas tax for road construction…but 80% of the voters supported it! He is the only candidate who will build the border fence. He is the only candidate who will nominate conservative judges. He is the only candidate who supports the Human Life Amendment.
I know exactly what that feels like to be “flogged and ridiculed” for supporting Huckabee, but it never diminshed my support for him. I’m persistent as anything, and I know Huckabee is the man that we need as our next President. Don’t be fooled into thinking that McCain is the Republican nominee…he is still the presumptive nominee until the convention officially picks our nominee. A lot can happen between now and then.
I believe that the general election is the time that you “compromise” if need be. Primaries are not a time to “compromise” (or worse yet, vote in the other party’s primary!) Primaries are the time to vote for the candidate who best represents your values. I plan on voting for Mike Huckabee when my state holds its primary.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 9:25 PM
What if Huckabee jumped in as an independent or write in candidate?
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 9:33 PM
Such well-reasoned arguments, backed up with links to prove your point. /sarc
“that idiot”, as you call him, has written books that provide wisdom to address some important issues.
Rather than just writing an audacious book about hope, he wrote this.
Tired of school shootings? Read this.
Concerned about obesity? Read this.
Interested in fulfilling Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream? I remind you that his dream was that we would judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Now, since you are so keen on calling other people idiots, please tell us how many books you have written.
I bet you’re a summa cum laude graduate of a top 10 university, right?
Your arguments are intellectually weak.
When you point the “idiot” finger at Huckabee, there are three “idiot” fingers pointing back at you.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 9:50 PM
LOL. That’ll leave a mark…
It’s only funny because it’s true…
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 9:55 PM
Such erudite reasoning. /sarc
“That idiot” as you call him, has written books to address some issues that need to be addressed in this country. Since Hot Air doesn’t seem to be allowing multiple links in comments anymore, I’ll need to split them up in separate follow-on posts. But for now, let me ask you: how many books have you written? I’m sure you are a genious, right? You are a summa cum laude graduate of a top 10 university, right?
Your arguments are intellectually weak, and when you point the “idiot” finger at Huckabee, three “idiot” fingers are pointed back at you.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Rather than just write an audacious book about hope, he wrote a book about real hope.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Tired of school shootings?
Read this book.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 10:03 PM
Concerned about obesity?
Read this book.
Red Pill on March 15, 2008 at 10:04 PM
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