Posted on 05/05/2008 11:34:03 PM PDT by Red Steel
Tomorrow evening we will know the outcome of the Democratic primaries in two important states that could decide the political fates of Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
In Indiana, a primarily white state, we will know whether white voters, who are close to 75 percent of the population of the U.S., accept Senator Obama's explanation of why, after first stating, "I can no more disown him [Wright] than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother," he now rejects Wright after Wright's appearance before the NAACP and the National Press Club.
Obama went on to explain: "The person [Wright] I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church. Now, I've already denounced the comments that had appeared in these previous sermons. As I said, I had not heard them before. And I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia, explaining that he has done enormous good in the church.
“But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS, when he suggests that Minister Farrakhan somehow represents one of the greatest voices of the 20th and 21st century, when he equates the United States wartime efforts with terrorism, then there are no excuses. They offend me. They rightly offend all Americans. And they should be denounced. And that's what I'm doing very clearly and unequivocally here today."
He has not explained why he sat in the church’s pews for 20 years without complaint.
Do voters accept his explanation on Tim Russert's "Meet the Press" on May 4th, when he said: "Well, you know, previously, there were a bunch of sermons that had been spliced from a collection of sermons for 30 years. And that's not who I thought he was. That's not what I thought defined him. He's somebody who's a Marine, he's somebody who has served on city colleges boards, somebody who was a respected pillar in the community. And so I thought it was important to--for him to explain or at least provide some context for some of the things that he had said previously. But when he came out at the press conference of the National Press Club, not only did he amplify some of those comments and defend them vigorously, but he added to it. He put gasoline on the fire. And what that told me was not only was he interested in using this platform to continue to make statements that I fundamentally disagree with and that offend me, but also that he didn't have much regard for the moment that we're in right now here in the United States where we can't be distracted or engaged in this divisive, hateful language?"
Or, do voters believe, as some do, including me, that Obama cut his ties with Wright because of Wright's attack on Senator Obama in which he made clear that Senator Obama, in his opinion, was like every other politician, a hypocrite who is willing to say whatever will get him elected? Wright said at the National Press Club on April 28th, "We both know that, if Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected. Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls, Huffington, whoever's doing the polls. Preachers say what they say because they're pastors."
The interview with Tim Russert, regrettably, did not touch that area of their disagreement.
I believe that, if he is the Democratic candidate for president, Senator Obama will lose in November. There are many people in the Democratic Party and its leadership who feel that way. They are told that, nevertheless, the party must accept Obama even if he arrives at the convention with fewer committed delegates than needed to win the nomination. They say that to deprive him of victory under all of these circumstances would so enrage his supporters that they would either stay home in November or cross party lines and vote for Senator John McCain.
Many superdelegates who will be making the decision to nominate the Democratic candidate will be told that they will permanently damage the party by causing a defection of the black vote if they deprive Obama of victory. There is no doubt that were the superdelegates to do what they were appointed to do - provide to the best of their ability a candidate who is perceived to be best able to win in November against the Republican candidate - they will be vilified by many Democrats if they do not select Obama.
A lot is riding on tomorrow's vote. If Indiana goes for Obama, the ballgame is over and he will be the candidate under any and all circumstances. If North Carolina also goes for Obama, that will be the icing on the cake and we will still call his black support, even if it exceeds 92 percent, as it has in some other states, racial pride.
But politics is a complex business. If Clinton carries Indiana and then goes on to win Kentucky and West Virginia, her chances will greatly improve. Stay tuned. It ain't over till it's over.
Edward I. Koch, who served as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989, is a partner in the law firm of Bryan Cave.
I believe that, if he is the Democratic candidate for president, Senator Obama will lose in November. There are many people in the Democratic Party and its leadership who feel that way.
mark for morning
I sincerely doubt many will do anything based on what a entertainment show guy has to say.
Anyone know what Rush told his listeners in Indiana and NC to do tomorrow?
Vote for Hillary.
Rush ordered his listeners today in NC and IN to go vote for Hillary Clinton.
That's exactly why we need to be rooting for him, not Hillary, in the primaries.
Sorry Rush. Operation Chaos will only help put Hillary back in the Oval Office.
Many Hillary voters will be just as upset if she doesn’t get nominated as the supposed angry blacks for Obama.
If she loses, some will sit out come November, no doubt.
Thanks - I almost can’t believe he did that I hope no one pays attention.
I’m wondering about ulterior motives.
“Sorry Rush. Operation Chaos will only help put Hillary back in the Oval Office.”
I believe that is exactly what Rush wants to happen. The Clinton’s were a gold mine for his show.
Koch is wrong here, IMO. This thing is squarely on the shoulders of the superdelegates, especially if this keeps dragging out. Not only will nothing be decided tomorrow, the waters get even murkier the longer this goes.
Liberals are getting the boot across the globe. I hope we do the same in November.
I believe that is exactly what Rush wants to happen. The Clinton’s were a gold mine for his show.
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Sorry, you haven't listened to Rush for the past decades. He has been a strong and consistent voice against the Clintons. And continues!
If he had not started “Operation Chaos” Hillary would have floundered long ago. We would have Obama who appeared as a neat speaker wearing an empty suit. We now know his suit was far from empty. It was filled with many very disturbing items.
He will most likely still win the dem nomination but we have all now seen some of the contents of his suit. (I suspect that we must thank Hillary for that.) The repubs would never have even looked. Now even many blue collar folks have turned against him.
Godspeed,
It doesn’t matter who wins in Nov, we’re going to be stuck with a liberal.
. . .there is some serious politiking of the worst kind going on. The Dems don't seem to care about the 'losing side' here. Is Obama preparing for something else? Is this his campaign for now - or 2012? Or something bigger? The payoffs to the Super Delegates is huge; lot of money going to make sure, people are in their places and supporting Obama. . .for the 'big lose' or. ..what?
This campaign - thanks of course, to 'radical Left' immersion in Demrat Party - simply to wierd to figure out - with certainty - right now. Beyond, that is, the 'by hook or by crook' MO of Obama versus Hillary. . .with Obama winning by a few more hooks AND crooks and better organization - than Hillary.
(Who but these Progressives would come up such anti-Democratic MO as electing their nominee by paid-for(bribed). . .Super-Delegates? Who would so wants to 'change' the political-scape' of America?
The point, at present, is that neither can win the nomination by popular votes or caucus delegates. It is the super delegates who will have to determine the nominee. They both come up short in numbers. Neither will be nominated by the primaries.
The result is that the super delegates will have to "murder" one of the candidates. Neither will be democratically nominated. "Operation Chaos," so called, is not about nominating either of them. It is about forcing the matter to the convention and the political bosses, so that what comes out, is not the result of the primaries.
The result is that whoever is nominated, is not legitimate. Since McCain was thrust upon us by the same tactic used by the Dems in early primaries, it is a just result.
If McCain loses in November it will not be because Rush did not help him, but because McCain blew his own campaign.
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