Will this Ad be Senator Obama’s Willie Horton Moment?
Apr 23rd, 2008 by DavidAnderson
A new ad is just waiting in the wings if Senator Obama is the nominee of the Democrats. In 1988, cultural issues came into their own. They defeated Governor Mike Dukakis. They were powerful factors in the elections since 1968, but they were the election of 1988. Now a new effort merges national security concerns with cultural concerns. Senator Obama is shown to be weak on the war on gangs, according to the ad, and is therefore questioned on whether he will be weak on the war on terrorists. If the weak issues of Pastor Jeremiah Wright and Ayers give him trouble, how will he deal with his own record?
Remember, don’t shoot the messenger when you comment.
No, it will be the Republicans’ Willie Horton moment:
youtube.com/watch?v=N4V4nb6OTG0
David
I actually thought about posting something along these lines, but in relation to more recent events:
“Wednesday afternoon’s shooting comes on the heels of a particularly violent weekend in the city. Between Friday night and early Monday morning, 36 people were shot in Chicago, nine fatally, and two people were stabbed.
The beginning of the week saw continued violence. Over Monday night, four people were killed and eight more injured in seven separate incidents.
Tuesday night four people were shot; one of those victims died.”
I did not know about the other cases you reference above.
My initial reaction to the recent violence was one has to wonder where Obama is in all this.
I would expect him to be home and leverage his new found fame and national voice with a speech against gang violence, but as is certainly his M.O. now, if they already voted, forget em.
sorry here’s the link to the full story on this week’s Chicago violence.
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/south.side.shooting.2.706944.html
Yeah well no doubt ads like this will strike a chord with some people, but maybe in the age of the internet with voters better informed, people will see through this kind of stuff. Does anybody really think gang murders are rampant because there are not enough death penalty laws? Reminds me of the 1994 anti-terrorism law where we made suicide bombing a death penalty offense. If anything, a guy like Obama might be the one to look at the root cause rather than pandering about getting tough on outlaws. We have more people in jail than ever before and still things are sickeningly bad. Chicago today is like Chicago of old during the other prohibition. Drug blackmarkets are a root cause. Any suggestions other than the death penalty as a threat to numb nuts who don’t care about any of that crap? If these idiots were afraid of dying, they wouldn’t be in a gang. We need to look at the black market we created. The War On Drugs. The War On Gangs. The War On Terrorism. There’s gotta be another way.
My initial reaction to the recent violence was one has to wonder where Obama is in all this.
Don’t look now but there is plenty of WAY more powerful footage of death and destruction attributed to McCain.
Don and Noman
What about dealing with the actual issue? Does that matter?
John, what issue? Are you saying we have to examine what role Obama plays in gang murders in Chicago? Actually the murder rate in Chicago hit a 40 year low in recent years although it is ticking up. But seriously, what issue do you mean? I did look up “Operation Phoenix” an emergency police plan by Phoenix AZ officials after the number of homicides tripled in that city. Where was John McCain on this?
The inner city of Chicago is supposedly Obama’s forte. Therefore if in one week you have 36 people shot in gang violence, he should address it as an elected leader. McCain is not touting his inner city experience in this election, Obama is.
That issue.
You guys want Hillary so bad you can taste it.
jason: try not to use Hillary and taste in the same sentence.
John: Obama, like McCain is a U.S. Senator. I believe the protocol in these matters would be for the Mayor of Chicago and the Governor to be spokespersons when it comes to bad things happening in Chicago. Obama like McCain has plenty to say about what ails us generally , but I don’t think it would be appropriate for him to ride into Chicago and make some grand statement about how terrible gang murder is and how it has to stop and all the other grandstanding politicians seem to love to do.
What would you like to hear him say? That it’s terrible? Elect me and I will stop gang murder? How about, our hearts go out to all the families who lost loved ones. In 1992 Chicago had 943 murders. In 2007 it was down to 435. Perhaps he could say he is proud of his work in the legislature. Did Obama have anything to do with this amazing decline? I think you are really grasping at straws on this. Your observation that McCain never claimed to know much about the inner city does not exactly disconnect him from the issue. The only time I am going to pick on McCain is when people start picking on Obama. And I’m still undecided, except no Hillary. I did see a funny as hell bumper sticker at Lowe’s. “No Osama. No Obama. No Chelsea’s Mama.” I guess that’s old news by now, but very clever. Sick. But clever. I hope this election does not get like that. How about “6 dead in Chicago. Do you know where your Obama is?”
Don
I fail to comprehend why you would not leverage the stature of Obama and his appeal in his own community to try and put an end to a spike in violence in an area that he frequents and family lives in, let alone that it is his constituency.
I guess we should never expect soem PSAs from him in the future either.
I wonder if Mike Castle can hear the gunshots from his home.
Noman
I’m sorry I forget, what party runs Wilmington and Chicago?
The one that got the most votes.
This anti-Obama hate ad attempts to equate his being against the death penalty with being weak on crime, which is preposterous. It uses a device known as a non sequitur!
Thus, one can be tough on crime without invoking the death penalty — it has to do with investigation, prosecution and jail time with rehabilitation.
And then there is also the crime preventative approach with which Obama involved himself, where leaders work to improve the neighborhood education and jobs environment, the effect being to reduce desperation and promote good citizenship and high moral values.
Getting back to the death penalty, is it possible that Obama, like me, considers the death penalty to be nothing less than state supported murder?
So how is it a sign of weakness to be opposed to the death penalty, I ask? I think the contrary!
PS: If this is a Willie Horton moment for Obama, such exists in the minds of the beholders who wish for it to be, that is, in the minds of those who are his political opponents. In my mind the ad is a sham and a lie, an attempt to besmirch Obama unfairly with a non sequitur that is not obvious on the surface, which is why these ads are effective, unfortunately. We now call this “swift-boating”.
“The one that got the most votes.”
Man oh man, where were Super delegates when you neeed them, they could have made sure whoever got the most votes didn’t win, similar to what is going to happen to Clinton. She is going to get the most Democrat votes in the Democratic primary, but who cares.
She is going to get the most Democrat votes in the Democratic primary, but who cares.
“Tell me about it.”
- Al Gore
Remember. Chicago murder rate has been cut in half since 1992. Nitpick on McCain for awhile. Has he done a PSA on anything lately? Man you are like some rah rah Eagles fan. Your team is the greatest. Everybody else sucks. This is about our future not a sporting event.
“Tell me about it.”
- Al Gore”
The fact is, in the electoral college format she’d really be kicking his ass.
Obama carried North Dakota and the like, and you all are turning a blind eye of these facts out of lust.
The murder rate went down in C-town well before Obama took office. You want to measure from 1992? Then you need to run Daily for President. The question is whose side was Senator Obama on? Those protecting the people or those excusing the predators?
I am not here to give an answer on that. That will be up to Senator Obama. My point is that he better be ready for the questions. He had better answer questions about his own record a lot better than he did the practice ones on Rev. Wright and company.
“The murder rate went down in C-town well before Obama took office. You want to measure from 1992?”
Yes, from 1992 is appropriate David. Obama graduated Harvard Law in 1991, then came to Chicago to practice civil rights law, teach Constitutional Law, and advocate for the needs of the citizens of South Chicago. Thus he had been active in South Chicago before he ran for public office, and after, serving eight years in the IL State Senate up to 2004 when he was elected to the US Senate.
I don’t think you knew this about Obama, David: http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet_barack.php
Ok, Perry don’t say I am not fair and balanced. I just want to point out that his anti-death penalty stance has liabilities. You do have to agree with me that the closest a person comes to perfection in this life is in his resume.
“In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.
In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.
As a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America’s addiction to oil, he’s working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.”
“You do have to agree with me that the closest a person comes to perfection in this life is in his resume.”
Great line, David! And yes, fair and balanced you are. I just wish that people (not you) who characterize Obama as an “empty suit” would take the time to look a little harder at what this man has done with his life.
I support the death penalty, but if the the death penalty had anything to do with stopping murder there wouldn’t be any murder. So when you equate being for against the death penalty with fighting crime that’s just not being in touch with reality. The death penalty is revenge. An eye for an eye. I have nothing against that concept. But it ain’t about fighting crime.
“And then there is also the crime preventative approach with which Obama involved himself, where leaders work to improve the neighborhood education and jobs environment, the effect being to reduce desperation and promote good citizenship and high moral values.”…………..Perry
And don’t forget the role of Hussein Obama’s “God damn America,” hate whitey church. Very constructive.
Rick, you know better than to play this game of guilt by association! Obviously, you don’t care. Shame!!!
Don, sorry but I think your position on the death penalty, revenge, is morally weak. I’m surprised!
Ricky, do you know McCain’s full name? John Sydney McCain III. According to babynames.com Sydney is almost exclusively used for girls, but there are exceptions. Regarding your fetish with Rev. Wright, you would be surprised how constructive free speech can be. And it’s obvious you don’t understand how many of your fellow citizens feel shit on in one respect or another. Do you think America is what you see at Disneyworld? No. America is a great Nation with a long history of blood sweat tears American Indian genocide. In our first full century we decided to “rid” the western lands of the Red Man to make way for “progress”. Our calvary killed the horses, the men women children and babies, and when none were left to fight us, we put the remnants into concentration camps and started building our railways through their land. Invasions of Mexico, lands grabs, slave exploitation, KKK lynchings, and all kinds of nasty stuff. You may recall the most we ever lost in a war was brother fighting brother North vs South 500,000 dead. The severed arms and legs of millions of men fertilized our fair land as we decided if it was okay to own a human being for forced labor. We have the highest murder rate the most people in prison. We are now a mature Nation, maybe even the greatest in the World, but it’s been dark and ugly getting to where we are today. But life is that way. Cut the shit about how shocked you are to hear the screams of the old black minister. It’s not anti-American you hear from Wright it is totally American. Our history is not all lapel pins and parades. I love guys like Wright. They rage against the establishment. They remind us of our imperfections. What could be more American? And don’t say Charlton Heston.
Perry, I know what you mean about the death penalty, but if somebody kidnaps a loved one of mine (or yours) and murders them, I think I would lose my idealism and just want the bastard dead. End of story.
““the reality in which Rev. Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted….Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Rev. Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years”
Don…is this what you base your points on? It’s understandable.
Now here’s the truth -
” In retirement, Wright will continue a life of privilege that dates back to Central High. As a retirement gift, Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ is building him a million-dollar home abutting Odyssey Country Club and Golf Course in the nearly all-white Chicago suburb of Tinley Park. The home sits on land the pastor purchased in 2004 for $345,000. In December 2006, Wright sold the land to his church, which took out a $1.6 million mortgage on the property. In April 2007, the church applied for a building permit for the brick and stone structure.
http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/obama_wright_pastor/2008/04/13/87617.html
Wright’s new home has 10,340 square feet of space, about four times the size of a typical suburban house. It includes four bedrooms, an elevator, an exercise room, and a four-car garage. ”
Does this change your mind? Of course not, I know…blah, blah, blah.
Obama Lust (hmmm…Maybe I’ll trademark that)
Obama lust? Seriously?
Let’s see, the price of gas jumped like 30 cents in two days this week, billions of dollars are continually being poured into a fruitless war, food prices are going nuts, healthcare costs are already out of control, housing market falling apart, and the list goes on.
Here are the candidates’ positions as I perceive them at present:
McCain - “Everything’s cool, we’re just gonna keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Obama - “Yes I acknowledge that everything’s gone to shit, we’re going to CHANGE that.”
Clinton - “With me you sorta get that whole change thing too, but you don’t have to make a black guy president. Doesn’t that sound much better?”
Supporting Obama isn’t lust, John. From my POV it’s pretty much common sense.
Obama - “Yes I acknowledge that everything’s gone to shit, we’re going to CHANGE that.”
Did I miss something? How exactly is Obama going to CHANGE that?
John, Obama believes that change can be accomplished from the bottom up, not the top down. He also believes that with the support of the people we can get our politics out of the grips of the Washington DC power brokers. In other words, he will continue to attempt to shift the power to the people where it belongs in this democratic republic that we have. This will take a long time because of the degree to which the monied powers have become entrenched on K Street; but we have to begin sometime. Now is the time, in my view, otherwise we continue our decent.
“Rick, you know better than to play this game of guilt by association! “…………..Perry
Hussein Obama sat in a pew listening to Wright’s racist, hate-America, blame whitey rants for twenty years. If you want to call that ‘guilt by association,’ so be it; people with common sense will call it guilt by tacit approval of the message. The same can, and will, be said of his friendship with American Terrorist, Bill Ayres. A long-term association with raving lunatics like Wright and Ayres will not play in Peoria.
“Did I miss something? How exactly is Obama going to CHANGE that?”
It’s all here in writing:
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf
Now don’t get me wrong, I realize that a lot of what the guy is proposing may not end up happening. Such is the case for pretty much every presidential candidate. But if I’m going to get behind somebody, it’s sure as hell not going to be the guy saying “everything is fine” when to me it’s obviously not.
“Ricky, do you know McCain’s full name? John Sydney McCain III. According to babynames.com Sydney is almost exclusively used for girls, but there are exceptions. Regarding your fetish with Rev. Wright, you would be surprised how constructive free speech can be. And it’s obvious you don’t understand how many of your fellow citizens feel shit on in one respect or another.”
Wow! ‘Babynames.com.’ If you had any brains, you’d know that Sydney is a historic name in the British Isles. I guess McCain’s parents decided to forego ‘babynames’ for a more traditional approach.
I agree that free speech can be ‘constructive,’ which is why I condemn Wright’s irrational nonsense. However, your childish use of profanity isn’t ‘constructive’ at all; but perfectly suited to someone of your intellect.
As to my
John F., we all know how great America is. If preachers had to tell the truth, religion would be out of business. That Wright managed to get rich being a black preacher is just one more amazing story of why this is truly the land of opportunity. We all know that. It’s a given. But if somebody says we have blood on our hands, don’t get all crazy. Our history is a bloody one, and not always that righteous. It’s called reality.
Wright’s rants are for his people, for life in general. It is the poetry of the pulpit. He was talking about drug laws, incarceration, war and peace. It’s show business for God’s sake. Do you have an opinion on what Wright was raging about. Crack cocaine laws vs powder cocaine. Our one sided support of Israel in a world of a billion Muslims? What are we, like that “church lady” on SNL. We just get all in a tither when we hear something unpleasant?
Rick, sorry for the profanity. I just thought since you’re a McCain guy you would like that tough “fuck you” attitude McCain is known for. Didn’t I read Sydney told on of his colleagues to fuck off? I actually think that is cool. Thanks for the clarification on middle names. Did you find anything about Hussein? That middle name stuff is important. When I saw Sydney as opposed to Sidney was generally reserved for girls, I thought maybe McCain was some kind of a closet, well you know what. I read somewhere a middle name says a lot about a presidential candidate. I know you agree.
Wright was talking about the incarceration of black men under draconian crack cocaine laws that made powder cocaine less punishable than the crack version. That law was just changed because Wright is right. We sweep these poor black guys out of there homes, give them a felony record, toughen them up in overcrowded prisons, brand them unemployable, prohibit them from voting, but, in many cases accept them into the military for service in foreign wars. Wright said goddamn America for doing that. What say you? Now remember, Rush Limbaugh and Britney Spears both have been involved in the drug trade and live in mansions. If I were a black minister, I think I could get rich ranting about the injustice. Hmmm. Is there a way I could get black?
However, your childish use of profanity isn’t ‘constructive’ at all; but perfectly suited to someone of your intellect.
As to my
The Rapture?
Reverend Wright, that turd in the melting pot, will be on TV tonight at 9 on PBS with Bill Moyers? I think. Make sure you put the kids to bed early so they don’t get radicalized. And, if you are a great American like Sean Hannity, PBS strongly recommends wearing Pampers. You and I may be great patriotic Americans, but the Reverend Wright is merely an old black american. He’s very different than me. I don’t like that.
How did this get to be about Rev. Wright anyway? I guess I am the only one tired of him. I am more intrigued about the pros and cons of the Senator and his record.
Hear another word yet, David, on Reverend Wright
I am willing to bet that anyone who saw Bill Moyers’ interview of Reverend Wright came away from it with an entirely different view of the man. I did!
This man is no radical, as political enemies of Obama would have us believe, using the looped sound bites that have peppered our airwaves. He is first a devout Christian and second an outspoken advocate for the downtrodden, and not only African Americans by the way.
Suspend your current main stream media led sound-bite derived conclusions and have a more complete look for yourself:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/profile.html
As a Liberal, Obama can be counted on to be thug-friendly.
Now Liberals can engage in symbolic acts against violence but will never take any action that would inconvenience a key constituency.
The death penalty may not be a panacea but if applied in a more frequent and timely fashion, it might make a difference.
The ACLU recently celebrated a victory in one-party Maryland. They defeated a measure that would allow taking DNA samples from arrested suspects. Such samples could have the same effect as fingerprints and allow past and future crime to be more readily solved. This evidence could even be used to exonerate a falsely accused person. The proposal seemed to be a win-win for law enforcement and those who are more likely to be crime victims rather than perpetrators.
For all of his verbal bravado, Obama is a bit of a wimp when it comes to controversial votes. How much of a profile in courage is demonstrated by regularly voting ‘present’?
“I am willing to bet that anyone who saw Bill Moyers’ interview of Reverend Wright came away from it with an entirely different view of the man. I did.”……..Perry
Me too. I learned that, like Moyers, he is a fine actor.
Well, Perry I caught part of this man’s national press club event. I would disagree with you when you say he is not a radical. That does not mean that he is not a Christian, or a good person. You can easily be both. Radical in our context just means that you are a political heretic. You don’t subscribe to the mainstream perspective. I think the connotation of radical being evil comes from the French Revolution.
I happened to be at a business lunch when he came on the television. He defended saying America commits terrorist actions like Al Qaeda. That is radical. He put forward the claim that we caused the AIDS virus without offering proof or even a source. That is radical. He said that even if Senator Obama wins, he will oppose the government because the senator will be part of its legacy of grinding people under. That is radical. He compared us to imperial Rome because we have troops through out the world. Unlike Rome we do not occupy nor dictate policy or rulers to anyone. That is radical.
I just don’t see the world as he does. I think that he and his fellow travelers are keeping Blacks and others down. They focus people on the past not their own future. They focus people on the negative and not the greatness within themselves. They make people resentful, not grateful for the freedom and opportunity we enjoy. If you can’t tell the difference between Marines trying to bring peace and terrorists targeting innocent people for death and injury, you have a warped perspective.
I don’t think people like Rev. Wright should be driven from the political arena when they support a mainstream candidate like Senator Obama. I am never threatened by opinions. That is counter productive. The only way we are going to invest the bitter and disenfranchised in America is by letting them see that they can have a stake in the system. That is why I wish this controversy would go away. Nevertheless, he is now traveling around promoting this perspective so it must be challenged.