This Hillary suppporter thinks that the DNC is treating Hillary’s supporters like second class citizens.

To say that Harriet Christian is upset is putting things mildly. when she says that “the Democrats are throwing the election away”, it was obvious that she didn’t think too highly of Sen. Obama. By the time she called Sen. Obama “an inadequate black male”, it was abundantly obvious that she wouldn’t be cutting the DNC a check anytime soon. when se said “God damn the Democrats”, I was fairly certain that she wouldn’t be on Howard Dean’s Christmas card list. When she said that “they think we won’t vote for McCain. Well I’ve got news for you. McCain will be the next president of the United States”, I’m relatively certain that Ms. Christian will be on John McCain’s Christmas card wish list.

I said here that there’s some serious divides within the Democratic Party. This is proofthat those divisions run deep and that they won’t easily be healed. The next step is the circular firing squad.

Technorati Tags: Hillary, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, DNC, Howard Dean, Harriet Christian, John McCain, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Earlier today, I said that it was ironic that Democrats had gone from the mantra of “Count every vote” in 2000 to making votes count little in 2008. Now it’s official: the DNC has voted to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations before ruling that each delegate’s vote would count as 1/2 a vote. Here’s what the AP is reporting:

Democratic party officials said a committee agreed Saturday on a compromise to seat Michigan and Florida delegates with half-votes after Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton failed to get enough support to force their positions through.

Clinton’s chief delegate hunter Harold Ickes angrily informed the committee that Clinton had instructed him to reserve her right to appeal the matter to the Democrats’ credentials committee, which could potentially drag the matter to the party’s convention in August.

“There’s been a lot of talk about party unity, let’s all come together, and put our arms around each other,” said Ickes, who is also a member of the Rules Committee that approved the deal. “I submit to you ladies and gentlemen, hijacking four delegates…is not a good way to start down the path of party unity.”

It’s predictable that Hillary wouldn’t accept such a deal because it essentially cedes victory to Sen. Obama. That said, there’s definitely merit to her argument. Here’s what TNR is reporting on the unity front: (continue reading post »)

The Hill magazine is reporting that Sen. Obama has left the church he vigorously defended just 3 short months ago. Here’s what they’re saying:

Democratic front runner Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), weathering the storm from another controversial pastor, resigned from his church Saturday.

The senator is leaving Trinity United Church of Christ after remarks made by Father Michael Pfleger surfaced last week showing the Catholic priest mocking Obama’s rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).

Earlier this year, Obama was hurt by inflammatory remarks made by his longtime pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and his handling of the controversy.

My question is simple: What’s Sen. Obama’s motivation for leaving TUCC? To the unbiased observer, it appears as though he’s essentially leaving for political considerations. Shame on him for that.

Here’s another question national journalists aren’t asking: Why didn’t Sen. Obama leave when he saw his fellow congregants dancing and applauding during Jeremiah Wright’s racist sermons? A truly post-racial, postpartisan politician would’ve left long before the YouTube videos appeared. That’s allegedly what drove Oprah from TUCC.

Why should we believe that Sen. Obama is a post-racial, postpartisan politician? What proof do we have that verifies his claims? I’d suggest that they don’t exist. I’d further suggest that a truly post-racial, postpartisan politician wouldn’t have stayed at TUCC for essentially political reasons.

Sen. Obama only got upset with Jeremiah Wright when Wright embarrassed him at the National Press Club. That tells me that Sen. Obama didn’t take offense with Jeremiah Wright’s words until they were directed at him. After all, churches are one of the places where you ‘vote with your feet’. In that instance, words don’t mean much.

Obviously, Sen. Obama’s apologists in the national media will say that this proves Sen. Obama is beyond partisanship.

Quite he contrary. He’s proven that it’s all about politics with him.

Technorati Tags: Obama, Jeremiah Wright, Michael Pfleger, Hillary, TUCC, Partisanship, Oprah, Racism, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Less than eight short years ago, Gore-Lieberman attorneys argued that every vote should count. It was so repetitive that “Count every vote” became a punchline for comedians. Against that backdrop, it’s ironic that Sen. Obama’s people will be arguing against seating the entire Michigan delegation. Here’s what the Detroit Free Press is reporting:

Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer is delivering the argument for restoring the state’s lost delegation to this summer’s nominating convention, saying the state has already suffered a penalty from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton not campaigning in the state during the primary.“Michigan’s Democratic voters have already been punished enough for what has occurred over the last year,” he said.

Brewer also argued that not restoring Michigan to full strength puts it at risk of being captured by Republicans. In the last four elections, Michigan has gone for the Democratic presidential candidate but there are worried it could be lost if the delegation, lost in a scheduling dispute with the national party, is not restored in full.

Said Brewer: “Michigan has been completely bypassed. Every time (presumptive GOP nominee) John McCain visits Michigan or Republican officials campaign on his behalf, they never fail to remind the voters how the Democrats have ignored Michigan.”

Several points must be made. From the Democrats’ standpoint, Chairman Brewer is right that the state has been punished by Hillary and Obama campaigning there. That said, they’ve been punished because Chairman Dean laid things out in a very straightforward way what would happen if Florida and Michigan moved their primaries up before SuperDuper Tuesday on February 15. (continue reading post »)

As is always the case, there’s more to the Obama case than meets the eye. I just found a post where Pastor Michael Pfleger invited Louis Farrakhan to speak at his church last year.

Last week the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan spoke at The Faith Community of St. Sabina, which is pastored by Father Michael Pfleger. The May 25 speech was Min. Farrakhan’s first time speaking publicly since Mother’s Day.

This was great to see because it brought two of my favorite people together. Minister Farrakhan who was on his death bed from cancer last year, reportedly spoke for an hour at St. Sabina and in a powerful way. Pfleger spent many hours with Min. Farrakhan during his illness.

Father Pfleger and Min. Farrakhan have shared an long friendship as they both have labored to uplift the African-American community in Chicago and throughout the country. Anyone who actually listens to the Minister as opposed to relying on sound bites knows that if his heart has any hatred, it’s a hatred of evil and injustice. The Muslim minister and Catholic priest know that what matters most is doing God’s work, especially for the least of these, my brethren.

This begs the question of what Sen. Obama really thinks about Louis Farrakhan. Here’s what he recently said about Farrakhan:

“I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan,” Obama said in a statement released by his aides. “I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree.”

How is it then that his church of 20 years has honored Farrakhan? How is it that someone who’s preached at his church admires Farrakhan enough to invite him to preach at his church? What are Sen. Obama’s true beliefs about Farrakhan? I’m not convinced that we know yet. I’m not certain we ever will.

Israpundit has a great collection of who Michael Pfleger is. You’ll want to read it.

Technorati Tags: Obama, Louis Farrakhan, Michael Pfleger, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

When the Jeremiah Wright tapes appeared, Sen. Obama said that the sermons didn’t “reflect his views.” Now another nutty priest said some extremely offensive things, the crowds still cheered and Obama issues another apology.

It’s becoming obvious that TUCC is an extremely racist church. It’s getting increasingly difficult to believe that Sen. Obama isn’t at least tolerant of this type of behavior because he still hasn’t moved.

What’s also apparent is that TUCC isn’t a theological church in the traditional sense. It’s a political church. Back in the glory days of the Boston Bruins-Philadelphia Flyers rivalry, sportswriters would say that they went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out. It’s becoming clear that those same sportswriters would write that they attended a political rally at TUCC and a church service broke out. (continue reading post »)

Barack Obama says he isn’t surprised by the snippets from Scott McClellan’s book. Why am I not surprised? Here’s what he said:

“The fact that he said it obviously is unusual,” the likely Democratic nomineee responded.

He added: “I haven’t read it. I don’t think that the substance is particularly surprising. I think many of us have been troubled by the lack of straightforwardness in this administration. The only news is that somebody within the administration has confirmed what a lot of us have thought for some time.”

This is actually quite revealing. It isn’t a stretch to think that Sen. Obama agrees with John Conyers, Russ Feingold and the rest of the Tinfoil Hat Brigade. Why else would he think that President Bush manipulated us into war with Iraq?

Certainly the only ‘proof’ that’s been produced that President Bush lied us into war’ were the discredited Downing Street Memos. Thus far, only the Tin Hat Brigade has bought into that farcical tale.

Sen. Obama’s reaction also tells us that he doesn’t need documented proof to presume Republicans are nefarious and dishonest. Whatever happened to independent verification and fact-checking? Does Sen. Obama think that that’s a right only afforded to liberals?

Until Mr. McClellan offers documented, dated proof of his allegations, I’ll consider them just that: allegations. After much rehashing of this stuff, I won’t hold my breath on seeing documented proof, whether it’s from Mr. McClellan, the Wilsons or anyone else from the Tinfoil Hat Brigade.

The postpartisan facade will fade fast if Sen. Obama continues hanging around with the Tinfoil Hat Brigade. It’s already disappeared as far as I’m concerned.

Technorati Tags: Obama, Scott McClellan, Iraq, President Bush, Memoir

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

I pride myself in writing detailed fiskings of liberal political figures. That said, I’m humbled by Karl Rove’s total demolition of Sen. Obama in this morning’s WSJ. Here’s the opening of his op-ed:

This week’s minor controversy about Barack Obama’s claim that an uncle liberated Auschwitz was quickly put to rest by his campaign. They conceded that it was a great uncle whose unit liberated Buchenwald, 500 miles away.

But other, much more troubling, episodes have provided a revealing glimpse into a candidate who instinctively resorts to parsing, evasions and misdirection. The saga over Rev. Jeremiah Wright is Exhibit A. In just 62 days, Americans were treated to eight different explanations.

Mr. Rove then lists each of the variations Sen. Obama gave in those 62 days. (continue reading post »)

Based on this St. Cloud Times editorial, written by James Mogen, pro-growth capitalism is now part of the far right. Here’s how Mr. Mogen arrives at that conclusion:

Continuing to use her office for campaign activities, Rep. Michele Bachmann recently touted her support from the right-wing radical organization Club for Growth on her congressional Web site. The club is a far right-wing group made up of Wall Street financiers. You may be familiar with the group for its negative ads in 2004.

Instead of denouncing extreme groups like them, Bachmann is proud of its support and is now taking direction from the club. After the club demanded that representatives submit to their “key votes,” Bachmann opposed the recently passed farm bill, which promises to bring major support for area farmers, environmental initiatives and hungry children and families.

CFG is a “right-wing radical organization”? Based on what criteria? Mr. Mogen doesn’t give us the criteria by which he arrived at that conclusion. Instead, this is typical of his ‘logic’:

This group, like Bachmann, is far more conservative than the Minnesotans she is supposed to represent.

In fact, the club has been known to go after moderates who vote their district. The club’s support for Bachmann illustrates her own far-right positions are out of line with those of the 6th District.

Saying that Rep. Bachmann is “far more conservative than the district” she’s supposed to represent doesn’t make sense. If this were true, how did she get elected? Mr. Mogen certainly can’t honestly say that Rep. Bachmann ran as a squishy moderate, either. Anytime I hear someone speaking with this type of certitude, I worry because there isn’t room for differing perspectives. (continue reading post »)

Lost in the discussion about what the Golden Child’s motivation was in talking about his uncle…um, great-uncle…um…grandfather liberating Auschwitz…um…Buchenwald is how intellectually curious Sen. Obama is while challenging his decisionmaking and understanding of Iraq. Here’s how Sen. McCain ccomplished that:

“Sen. Obama has been to Iraq once, a little over two years ago he went and he has never seized the opportunity except in a hearing to meet with Gen. [David] Petraeus,” McCain said at a campaign event in Reno, Nevada. “My friends, this is about leadership and learning.”

Again raising the issue of Obama’s willingness to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, McCain also said of the Illinois senator, “He wants to sit down with the president of Iran but hasn’t yet sat down with Gen. Petraeus, the leader of our troops in Iraq?”

I’d think that a minimal requirement for being commander-in-chief is learning firsthand what our guys are doing, especially in war zones. Another requirement would be understanding the consequences of the decisions he makes. We can only speculate on the damage Sen. Obama’s immediate troop withdrawal policy would have on the region, on the jihadists and on the Maliki government. What’s beyond speculation, though, is that removing our troops at the rate Sen. Obama is talking about would embolden the jihadists. (continue reading post »)