Obama's Credibility & Vulnerability

[Judy]

These two latest jolts about Obama's relationships with Rev. Wright & Rezko is what I've been concerned about in terms of Obama's credibility when under pressure. Pressure about judgement can't be waved away as "mistakes" and "I was unaware"...it supports claims that you're inexperienced.

It also lacks credibility when he responded about Wright ...I mean, he likens this guy to his Uncle and has attended his church for 20 years, yet has no notion as to political and social leanings?

He's just revealed that while he knew Rezko was under investigation, he still took a quarter million from him - but that was a mistake.

I'm not so much denouncing Obama as I'm saying that this kind of stuff that is slowly evolving will absolutely sink him in a general election. I mean, talk about inflamatory...he's running against a former P.O.W. and his pastor's clips about 9-11 get run over and over -- no red blooded, flag waving American will support a man who's associated with that.

[DaveM]

I have a little trouble understanding why there is so much "righteous outrage" over this. Might be nice to take cameras to some of the churches attended by prominent Republicans. Which do you find more offensive, the factual statement that Hillary Clinton has never been called the "N-word", or the ongoing "fundamentalist" beliefs that the earth is 6000 years old, that the United States was founded as a "Christian nation", that the science of biology is based on a lie, and that there's no need to worry about how the government runs things because God is going to come back to take us all away any day now? Not to mention that women are second-class citizens and practically everything else is "an abomination".

[Wildflower Fever]

Yes, I don't understand this either, again it's people associated with Obama, not Obama. And even though I support Obama marginally over Clinton, I don't relish it when they find "dirt" on the Clinton's, like some Clinton supporters do when they do so to Obama. My problem with Hillary, as I've always said, is the way she's run her campaign, that and the fact that I think she's a closet moderate republican. Sheesh, when will this race be over?

[paularoid]

And now all the back biting, finger pointing, mudslinging, back biting, back stabbing etc. begins in earnest. Just wait until a democratic nominee finally (if ever) gets chosen and the whirlwind of political nonsense -really- gets flying. Will there be enough left over for there to be a real choice? We shall see what we shall see.

Clinton still strikes me as a sort of "Bu$h-lite". <shrug>

[lucille]

I have to say I find it very scarey that many politicians and leaders of countries keep declaring their religious faith. Instead of encouraging me, it puts me off completely. I give you this talk by Richard Dawkins:

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/113

I agree wholeheartedly with him, and am not ashamed to say I am an atheist. It is very scarey that whoever wins the presidency of the most powerful country on earth is a declared christian, who believes in the mumbo jumbo of organised religion.

Australia's Prime Minister is a catholic, but his deputy, Julia Gillard has been loathe to come out with her faith, if any. Hopefully she will be a buffer to anything that Kevin attempts which violates religion and state.

[Bat]

I think Obama has a pretty laid back attitude toward religion...his life is politics, not religious zeal, but I think he takes the good things to heart, like being an honest man, a kind person, and believes wholeheartedly in the separation of church and state from what I've been able to put together.

Jeremiah took him under his wing when he was a youngster, and Barack considers him as a kind of 'uncle' figure...and as he said, just because someone says something you don't agree with, you don't exile him from your family! I'm sure he was appalled at the latest stuff coming out, as he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would need that kind of stuff...it's what he is committed to driving out of this country: the divisive racist stuff that keeps us apart as a people.

I don't have any idea what kind of a president he will be, but I think he'll be as good as anyone who is running at this time, and might turn out to be the Good Knight that we are all looking for so desperately after the hideous last 8 years. I sincerely hope so.

[paularoid]

Take a look here as well. I've put something from "the other side" in there just to give a good look at both sides of the story.

http://www.janisian.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5354

I still think of Clinton as "Bu$h-lite" - BUT - as always there are at least two sides of the story, and BOTH sides are making sense in some of their criticisms of the other side.

[Judy]

The news conference that Obama has coming up today pretty much illustrates my point of the post. Doesn't matter whether I think all this uproar is valid or not ... it's the overall perception of the public that flares when they think you're associated with someone who's not being loyal to God, country and the American flag. Then if you plead ignorance about someone with whom you've been associated for 20 years...well, that's the credibility / vulnerability part that has concerned me for the Democratic party. I just want to get the White House back and I really don't know who's the best bet.

[Judy]

From Newsday.com re: Obama's speech:

But Republicans pounced on the speech, saying Obama's measured criticism didn't go far enough and promising to invoke Wright early and often should Obama win the nomination.

"I think it's an obligation of any opponent to use this issue, to make Reverend Wright a centerpiece of the campaign," said Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford).

"His speech was disappointing and shameful," King added. " ... This goes to the heart of who Barack Obama is. He's trying to say he represents the 21st-century view on race and here he's sticking up for this guy."

Added pollster Ayres: "The problem is the contradiction between the fundamental message of the Obama campaign about bringing America together and Wright's hate-filled, divisive message."


...like I said, if Obama gets the nomination, you can be sure this is not going away and the spins the Republicans can put on it could generate just enough hysteria to sink him.

[Bat]

Here is Obama's speech...well worth listening to in its entirety, not just what the 'talking heads' picked out for everyone to hear. Make up your own mind.

http://www.care2.com/politics/barack-obama-speech-race-politics.html

[paularoid]

*note
I (paularoid) have seen/watched it, and I've read it online and I agree with Matt.

http://www.leftinthewest.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1581

Wow -- Obama Writes an Amazing, Historic Speech
by: Matt Singer
Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 13:24:33 PM MDT
(Wow. Somehow I failed to post this to the frontpage. Oops. - promoted by Matt Singer)

I haven't had a chance to watch a video of the delivery, but the written speech is simply incredible and all of the things that our politics too often lacks: honesty, intelligence, a sense of history.

I was worried at some point that Barack Obama would succumb to pressure to disown Reverend Wright, not because Wright's statements didn't deserve disowning, but because if the man himself did, it was a situation of colossally bad judgment on Obama's part to be so closely tied to the man for years.

Fundamentally, I think it is interesting the desire to view Wright's speech through a political lens rather than a religious one. Wright's angry language is actually a Hallmark of America's religious movements, dating back to Jonathan Edwards and "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Portraying a God angry at our nation for various sins, whether inequality, racism, slavery, or abortion -- well, that's actually as American as apple pie.

Beyond that, Obama did what he does best -- he reminded us fundamentally that we are one nation, united more by common concerns than we are divided by our distrust.

A number of political minds I've seen respond are noting that we have yet to see whether his speech works politically -- that he's on uncharted ground here. He is, but it's the space he's fundamentally put himself and his campaign into.

I wrote months ago that Obama was running a uniquely Obamian campaign for President, largely predicated on the same ideas espoused in his rhetoric. Today, he proved that again.

His methods may fail. Our nation may prove that it will choose division, rancor, and distrust over faith, unity, and trust, but if that is the case, I think we'd be hard-pressed to accuse Obama of the failure.

[Wildflower Fever]

Bottom line, great speech, and once again he hasn't changed his ideals or given in to anyone in running his campaign differently. He still has a lot of crossover appeal, the youth vote, and has been partially responsible for drawing record numbers of voters at primaries. He will most likely win every state that Kerry took in '04, and probably has a better chance than Hillary to take a couple of red states as well, a recipe for victory. The Rezko issue has been put to bed, and he did the best job he could in handling the Rev. Wright situation. Anyone who doesn't think republicans have as many and more mudballs to toss at Hillary should she get the nod doesn't know the history of republican dedicated and researched hate for Hillary. She is still their dream candidate to run against. Carry on with class, once again, Barack.