The headline from today’s Wall Street Journal, Obama May Not Have Fully Contained Damage From Ex-Pastor, is mostly undercut by the article that appears beneath it, which cites polls, voters, and super-delegates who say the Jeremiah Wright flap has not dampened their enthusiasm for Obama.
But the lead anecdote offers more evidence that some super-delegates are worried that the GOP will exploit Wright heading into November, making them more receptive to Hillary Clinton’s argument that she’s more electable:
Sen. Barack Obama’s Philadelphia speech on race relations last month seemed to put the controversial remarks of his former pastor behind him. But three weeks later, there is evidence of lingering damage.
“It has not been defused,” says David Parker, a North Carolina Democratic Party official and unpledged superdelegate. He says his worries about Republicans questioning Sen. Obama’s patriotism prompted him to raise the issue of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.’s remarks in conversations with both the Obama and Clinton campaigns.
“I’m concerned about seeing Willie Horton ads during the general election,” Mr. Parker says, referring to campaign ads that Republicans widely credited for helping defeat Michael Dukakis in 1988. Mr. Parker said the Wright controversy didn’t hurt his opinion of Mr. Obama.
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posted April 7, 2008 at 11:50 am
And they are wright to be so.
posted April 7, 2008 at 12:50 pm
It doesn’t matter. Anybody who is the Democratic nominee will be slimed until his or her own mother wouldn’t recognize them.
And the truly awful aspect of it is this- a lot of people will buy any sliming, no matter how dishonest it is.
And even if it contradicts previous sliming.
Witness the fact that a significant percentage of people still think Obama is a muslim, in spite of the jackhammering of Rev. Wright’s carefully picked video clips into the public’s brain. It’s like the people who believed that Hillary was a lesbian, and also believed that she was having an affair with Vincent Foster.
Yesterday I read that Ann Coulter was comparing Obama’s books to ‘Mein Kampf’. Is it possible for the level of public discourse in this country to sink lower than this? We are in trouble if this is the kind of garbage that is passing itself off as thought.
posted April 7, 2008 at 10:36 pm
This is turning out to be one helluva entertaining run for President. I never have been much of a sports fan, so for me, this is better than watching football.
Of course the Republican 527′s are going to have a field day with Wright. Common political sense requires it. But you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Obama’s Weather Underground friend is coming down the pike. I forget his name, but you’ll hear more about him as the campaign develops. Also, don’t forget Rizzo. I imagine that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Meanwhile, Hillary is giving it plenty of juice.
I am a McCain supporter, because I see him as a refuge from this madness. For some weird reason I believe that I am not the only one.
Forget the sports analogy, watching the Democrats right now is sort of like watching cartoons.
posted April 8, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Oh yes, Obama’s close.close, friend from the weather Underground. Who he’s met a few times, because he’s a constituent in Hyde Park, where Obama lives, and they are both on a board for a charity. Hannity is flogging this non story for all it’s worth, which isn’t much. But don’t worry, you can count on the media to pick it up and run with it.
Hey, did you hear where Vince Foster was murdered in an apartment owned by Hillary Clinton?
Welcome to the media, unencumbered by ethics, fact checking, or moral decency. The bearing of false witness is no longer a sin- it’s a job description.
posted April 9, 2008 at 11:38 am
It’s called SwiftBoating. I think the Rethuglicans perfected it, then revelled in it.