George Stephanopoulos says, "I was doing my Job"

I kind of agree, and I kind of don’t. 

via Talking Points Memo

At some point amid the hailstorm of criticism that greeted ABC’s handling of yesterday’s Dem debate, moderator George Stephanopoulos received an email — one of the many, many missives about the debate he’s received — from an Obama adviser.

"Feel like a candidate today?" the adviser asked.

In an interview with me moments ago, Stephanopoulos strongly defended his handling of the debate. He dismissed criticism that it had focused too heavily on "gotcha" questions, arguing that they had gone to the heart of the "electability" that, he said, is forefront in the minds of voters evaluating the two Dems.

"Overall, the questions were tough, fair, relevant, and appropriate," Stephanopoulos argued. And he rejected the claim by many Obama supporters that the debate had been stacked against him, saying Hillary had faced sharp questioning, too.

Today on the campaign trail Obama criticized ABC’s handling of the debate, characterizing it as "the roll out of the Republican campaign against me in November."

Asked to respond, Stephanopoulos said that getting criticized "comes with the territory."

"Our job is to ask the questions," he said. "His job is to go out and win votes."

I think that’s a fair defense myself. That’s not the reason people are ticked, They’re ticked because Hannity planted a question to Stephanopoulos, via his radio show. Which some feel was totally wrong.

Although, I think bringing up Obama’s connection to some 1960’s anti-war guy was a bit lame. If you ask me.

Others: The Moderate Voice, Too Sense, The Carpetbagger Report, TPMCafe, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hullabaloo, American Street, The New Republic, The Reaction, Show Tracker, Comments from Left Field, Booman Tribune, Jules Crittenden and TalkLeft

Obama on the debates last night: "ain't no thang!"

Sorry, My old ghetto self is coming out… Tongue It’s a southwest Detroit thing, you’d never understand… Big Grin

Video Via Attackerman (Think Progress):

Matthew Yglesias says, "Cue the Jay-Z video!":

 

I think it’s great that Obama has taken the high road and is not letting it bother him. If it would have been Hillary, the whine would have been heard for universes away.

Others: Ross Douthat and TPMCafe

Obama's Friends?

(Via Instapundit) (H/T to Powerline)

Bridget Bardot has run afoul of Liberal free speech in Paris.

Powerline has more:

Bardot retired early from films and for the last thirty years or so, has been more or less reclusive. She has devoted her energies and fortune mostly to animal rights. The Bardot Foundation’s web site is here. Animal rights is not exactly our cause, but there is nothing wrong with it if not taken to an extreme. In recent years, BB has run afoul of liberal opinion, and, worse yet, the law, because she has been willing to speak out against the increasing Muslim domination of France, and against Muslim practices that she believes are inhumane, like the ritual slaughtering of sheep. As a result of her outspokenness, she has been criminally prosecuted and convicted, four times, for "inciting racial hatred."

Currently, Miss Bardot is on trial in Paris for "fanning discrimination and racial hatred against Muslims." It’s a little hard to tell from news accounts exactly what she did to merit another criminal prosecution. The "offensive" quote most commonly cited is, "I am fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country and imposing its acts." Which may or may not be controversial, in the present French context, but certainly is not criminal by any rational evaluation.

Like wow. Another Hollywood elitist? Hmmmm…… Thinking

Maybe if she lived here in America, where free speech is a right, she would not be in the pickle she’s in.

Ha! I said the Word "Pickle" and Bridget Bardot in the same blog posting. *snort* Hee hee

Oooooh Imus….

Not sure if I should laugh, or just shake my head…

Video:

Transcript: (via Media Matters for America)

From the April 17 edition of ABC Radio Networks’ Imus in the Morning:

IMUS: Five minutes after the hour here at the Imus in the Morning program, on the radio all over the country and on RFD-TV, RFD-HD, and prime time. Craig Crawford, from out where the buses don’t run, will be on here in a little bit. George Stephanopoulos, who co-anchored the debate last night. And what I saw of it, I got home a little late, but — of course, I mean, it’s obvious I like him or he wouldn’t be on the program all the time —

McCORD: True.

IMUS: — but I thought he was great.

McCORD: He was.

IMUS: You know, I keep thinking, I mean, he’s been doing this for 10 years. You know, This Week with David, not with David Brinkley, but George Stephanopoulos.

McCORD: Right.

IMUS: But he’s gotten really good.

McCORD: Yup.

IMUS: Charlie Gibson, however. What is the deal with the glasses down on the end of his nose?

McCORD: I don’t —

IMUS: What is this thing? I don’t know. I don’t have my regular glasses [unintelligible], so I have to wear my dark glasses because I don’t — I left the other ones somewhere. But I mean, he’s tedious. Anyway.

McCORD: It’s his attempt to look very professorial.

IMUS: Stephanopoulos I thought was great, and the debate was fine. I thought Senator Obama was on the defensive most of the night. But they’re both sissy boys or sissy girls, or whatever. Because they talk big when they’re out on the campaign trail, wolfing on each other.

McCORD: But then —

IMUS: And then when they show up at the debate, they fold up like a couple of cheap lawn chairs. I mean, I don’t understand that. And he’s almost a bigger pussy than she is.

BERNARD McGUIRK (executive producer): Whoa.

McCORD: Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

IMUS: And then another — and then I was on the treadmill yes– this is kind of funny. I thought it was funny. I was on the treadmill, but I was watching Fox News. And — but I didn’t have the sound on because the sound makes me nervous.

Obama? A Pussy? Nah, he’s no pussy. Tucker Carlson is a pussy. John Kerry is a pussy. William Kristol is a pussy. Michael Goldfarb is a pussy. Terry Jeffrey is a Pussy. But, Obama, Nah, He’s all man. He can’t bowl worth a crap. But he’s got the manly man thing down.

As if Obama needed any other problems… there's this…

Oy….

Quote:

While Sen. Barack Obama sought to improve his relationship with the Jewish community today by meeting with leaders Philadelphia, comments by a Hamas political adviser this weekend could potentially hurt the Democratic presidential candidate.

During an interview on WABC radio Sunday, top Hamas political adviser Ahmed Yousef said the terrorist group supports Obama’s foreign policy vision.

Of course, the far right choir starts singing:

On Sunday, Aaron Klein and John Batchelor interviewed Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Prime Minister of Hamas, on WABC radio. The interview produced a scoop which, for some reason, has not been widely publicized: Hamas has endorsed Barack Obama for President. Yousef said, "We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election." Why? "He has a vision to change America." Maybe Yousef has some insight into what Obama means by all these vague references to "change." 

Funny, the far right just cannot seem to get over that "Obama is a covert Terrorist!" nonsense.  I’ll tell you, that is going to come back and bite them in the behind in November, because it smacks of not only Black Racism, but Islamic homophobic nonsense.

Others: Dartblog, Israel Matzav, Associated Press, Hot Air, A NEWT ONE, Jihad Watch, Commentary, Jules Crittenden, Redstate, NO QUARTER and Counterterrorism Blog

From the "D' oh!" File, Special Hillary Clinton Edition

Oy…. From the Chi-town Tribune:

 

Quote:

Barack Obama can take some solace out of Hillary Clinton’s new television ad in Pennsylvania. At least one of her supporters featured in the spot hammering Obama for his small town comments isn’t registered to vote in Pennsylvania.

Clyde Thomas, who sports a goatee in the ad and says, “the good people of Pennsylvania deserve a lot better than what Barack Obama said,” is actually registered in New Jersey. He voted there for Clinton Feb. 5. He only recently moved to Bethlehem, Pa.
“It shouldn’t be a big deal. I explained it to the campaign,” Thomas said in an interview. “I see Pennsylvanians for what they are. I grew up with the values of Pennsylvanians.”

He added: “I am from a perspective of someone coming into Pennsylvania new like Barack Obama is, and seeing how great they are and how they welcome me.”

Thomas said he was born in Scranton, but has lived his entire life in Somerville, N.J. He is a 46-year-old unemployed environmental engineer.
He said he has been volunteering for the campaign in recent weeks, handing out literature and making phone calls. He said the campaign approached him about appearing in the ad, which was filmed in Bethlehem, a city of about 72,000 residents in eastern Pennsylvania where Bethlehem Steel once stood tall.

“They gave me no script,” he said.

Asked about the fact that Thomas isn’t registered in Pennsylvania, Clinton campaign spokesman Mark Nevins said: “Clyde has deep roots in Pennsylvania and is moving back to the state after having voted in New Jersey in their primary for Hillary Clinton.”
Thomas said he plans to register to vote in Pennsylvania ahead of the November election.

 

DohOh, Snap! That’s gonna leave a mark or two… Rolling on the floor

 

Others: The Swamp, Pennsylvania Ave., Publius Endures, Spin Cycle, Marc Ambinder, Commentary, Gateway Pundit, Oliver Willis and AMERICAblog and other related stuff via Memeorandum

Hillary losing her ground in Pennsylvania and Indiana

I knew this was coming.

The Article: Hillary Clinton loses traction over Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, Indiana (Via Los Angeles Times)

With three crucial Democratic primaries looming, Hillary Rodham Clinton may not be headed toward the blockbuster victories she needs to jump-start her presidential bid — even in Pennsylvania, the state that was supposed to be her ace in the hole, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

The survey found the New York senator leading Barack Obama by 5 percentage points in Pennsylvania, which votes next Tuesday. Such a margin would not give her much of a boost in the battle for the party’s nomination.

What is more, the poll found Clinton trailed Obama by 5 percentage points in Indiana, another Rust Belt state that should play to her strengths among blue-collar voters.

In North Carolina, an Obama stronghold, he is running 13 percentage points ahead.

The race remains volatile, however, because many likely voters in the Democratic primaries are still undecided — 12% in Pennsylvania, 19% in Indiana and 17% in North Carolina.

I have an opinion as to why this is the case.  Firstly, I believe that people just are not going to hold the Reverend Wright story against Obama. Because, the main reason is, it was not Obama saying the stuff, it was Reverend Wright.  Secondly, I think that whole "Elitist" thing was overplayed by the media and pundits alike and I think most people saw right through it.  I know I saw through that, from the minute it broke, this is why I did not whip out a Editorial on it. Because I thought it was quite silly.

 

It also seemed like Hillary was just piling on, and that might have cut into her likeability factor a bit.

 

There is going to be a debate tomorrow. I most likely will not be watching it. I mean, there’s been so many, and after a while, they’re repeating the same talking points over and over and over…. it gets kind of old. I will be interested, however, to see how this primary turns out. I am really wondering, if Hillary will drop after the Pennsylvania Primary or not.

 

It should be interesting and I look forward to it.

 

Others on this: THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, The Moderate Voice, The Fix, The Sleuth, Hot Air, The Swamp, TalkLeft, Daily Kos, American Street, Marc Ambinder, AMERICAblog, Liberty Street, The Raw Story, Viking Pundit, Donklephant, TPM Election Central, CQ Politics, Dick Polman’s American Debate, WCAU-TV and The TrailRelated Stories via Memeornadum

 

Obama's Dad, A Marxist?

It seems so….

 

An Article that was reported by The Politico, exposes an paper, that was originally written in 1965. The Article that was dug up by Greg Ransom at PrestoPundit. However, he didn’t get much of a acknowledgement, which is telling of the MSM.

 

The Original Article can be found here.  Adobe reader is required.

 

Some of the Highlights of this Paper:

 

OBAMA ON COMMUNAL OWNERSHIP OF LAND

"[Session Paper No. 10] goes into use and control of resources.  The first statement concerns conflict of opinion on attitude toward land ownership.  It is true that in most African societies the individual had sole right as to the use of land and proceeds from it.  He did, however, own it only as a trustee to the clan, tribe or society.  He could give it on loan to someone outside the tribe to use, but he had no right to sell it outside the tribe .. How then can there be a conflict of opinion on communal ownership?  ..

It is surprising that one of the best African traditions [the communal ownership of land] is not only being put aside in this paper [in favor of private ownership] but even the principle is not being recognized and enhanced .. we can avoid economic power concentration and bring standardized use and control of resources through public ownership, let alone the equitable distribution of economic gains that follow ..

Will [land consolidation] be easily done through individual action, through co-operatives or through government ownership?  Realizing social stickiness and inflexibility and looking at the society’s distrust of change, one would see that, if left to the individual, consolidation will take a long time to come.  We have to look at priorities tin terms of what is good for society and on this basis we may find it necessary to force people to do things they would not do otherwise.

Would it not seem, then, the government could bring more rapid consolidation through clan co-operatives?  Individual initiative is not usually the best method of bringing land reform.  Since proper land use and control is very important if we are going to overcome the dual [rich Indian & European vs. poor black African class] character of our economy and thereby increase productivity, the government should take a positive stand and, if need be, force people to consolidate through the easiest way, which, I think, would be through clan co-operatives rather than through individual initiative."

OBAMA ON A CLASSLESS SOCIETY

"If one says that the African society was classless as the paper says, what is there to stop it from being a class society as time goes on?  Is what has been said in the paper, if implemented, enough to eschew this danger?  .. The question is how are we going to remove the disparities in our country such as the concentration of economic power in Asian and European hands while not destroying what haws already been achieved and at the same time assimilating these groups to build one country?

.. On class problems, the paper states that since there was not such a thing in Africa, the problem is that of prevention.  This is to ignore the truth of the matter. One wonders whether the authors of the paper have not noticed that a discernible class structure has emerged in Africa and particularly in Kenya.  While we welcome the idea of prevention, we should also try to cure what has slipped in.

The elimination of foreign economic and political domination is a good gesture towards this, so are plans to develop in order to prevent antagonistic classes.  But we also need to  eliminate power structures that have been built through excessive accumulation so that not only a few individuals shall control a vast magnitude of resources as is the case now.  It is a case of cure and prevention and not prevention alone."

OBAMA ON THE NATIONALIZATION OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

"There is a statement made on nationalization [in Sessional Paper No. 10].  True there are cases in which nationalization is bad, but there are, likewise, quite a few benefits to be derived from it.  On this subject I would like to refer the authors to Prof. Bronferbrenner’s [sic] work on the "Appeals for confiscation in Economic Development"* [sic — the referenced article is titled "The Appeal of Confiscation in Economic Development"].  Nationalization should not be looked at only in terms of profitability alone, but also, or even more, on the benefit to society that such services render and on its importance in terms of public interest .."

*Econ. Development and Cultural Change — Vol III, No. 3, 1955 pp. 201-18

OBAMA ON THE CONFISCATION OF PROPERTY OWNED BY KENYANS OF ASIAN AND EUROPEAN DECENT

"There is also a statement that nationalization will apply to African enterprise.  How can we talk of nationalizing African enterprise when such enterprises do not exit?  If we are going to nationalize, we are going to nationalize what exists and is worth nationalizing.  But these are European and Asian enterprises.

One need not be a Kenyan to note that nearly all commercial enterprises from small shops in River Road to big shops in Government Road and that industries in the Industrial Areas of Nairobi are mostly owned by Asians and Europeans.  One need not be a Kenyan to note that when one goes to a good restraurant he mostly finds Asians and Europeans, nor has he to be a Kenyan to see that the majority of cars running in Kenya are run by Asians and Europeans.  How then can we say that we are going to to be indiscriminate in rectifying these imbalances?  We have to give the African his place in his own country and we have to give him this economic power if he is going to develop.  The paper talks of fear of retarding growth if nationalization or purchases of these enterprises are made for Africans.  But for whom doe we want to grow?  Is it the African who owns this country?  If he does, then why should he not control the economic means of growth in this country?

It is mainly in this country that one finds almost everything owned by the non-indigenous populace.  The government must do something about this and soon."

OBAMA ON 100% TAXATION

"Theoretically, there is nothing that can stop the government from taxing 100 per cent of income so long as the people benefits from the government commensurate with their income which is taxed."

OBAMA ON MARX AND TAXATION

"The paper wishes to encourage domestic accumulation.  This is a good gesture except for the underlying assumption which one only reads between the lines, that it is individual private enterprise and business that tends to encourage accumulation.  True, in the paper there is a realization that taxation can be used as a means of forced saving, but it is given a secondary place in this respect.  Certainly there is no limit to taxation if the benefits derived from public services by society measure up to the cost in taxation which they have to pay.  It is a fallacy to say that there is a limit and it is a fallacy to rely mainly on the individual f
re

e enterprise to get the savings.  Who are we going to rid ourselves of economic power concentration when we, in our blueprint, tend towards what we ourselves discredit?  In paragraph 47 the paper state that the company form of business organization is a departure from the direct individual ownership typical in Marx’s day.  Yet one who has read Marx cannot fail to see that corporations are not only what Marx referred to as the advanced stage of capitalism but Marx even called it finance capitalism by which a few would control the finances of so many and through this have not only economic power but political power as well."

OBAMA ON THE POLICY OF "NON-ALIGNMENT"

"It is a tautology to say that we want to be independent of other countries since every country has always wished this.  It would have been more important to talk of how we intend to break our dependence on other countries politically and economically, since this is fait accompli.  It may be true that this is still the case because of our lack of basic resources and skilled manpower, yet one can choose to develop by the bootstraps rather than become a pawn to some foreign powers such as Sekou Toure did.  While the statement of the policy of non-alignment is good and encouraging, one would wish to see it put into practice."

[Note:  At the time Obama’s article was written Guinea President Sekou Toure was accepting aid from the United States and acceding to many of its foreign policy demands, after an earlier period when Toure had accepted aid from the Soviets and the Soviet block.  Relations between Toure and Moscow had cooled after Toure accused the Soviets of helping to plot the overthrow of his government.]

Now, honestly? I don’t believe that we should base our judgement of Obama, based on a paper, written in 1965 by Obama Father. Obama’s Father is not Barack Obama. Obama’s Dad had some serious issues, It has been reported that his Dad was an alcoholic and ended up committing suicide. Well,  at least was in a Alcohol related accident.

 

However, anyone who is a rational person, will look at this, and would want to know more about him, he should be pressed, HARD about his feelings about this Paper. He needs to be grilled, hard on his Political and World-view, he should be cornered and asked if he agrees with this paper, point by point.

 

Although, if I know the MSM, like I do, they will go easy on him and won’t press him at all. Because, basically, they’re acting like he’s freaking Jesus Christ, and I think it is totally wrong. The main reason they won’t press him, because he is black, if they start needling him with questions, some feckless Negro or Liberal (Same difference anymore!), screams "RACE!"

 

We need answers, but, if I know the media like I do. We won’t get them.

 

Others on this: PrestoPundit, michellemalkin.com, Liberal Values, Hot Air, Sweetness & Light, The New Republic, Outside The Beltway, baldilocks, Gateway Pundit, The Opinionator, The Page and Balloon Juice

Obama Bin Laden?

Oy…..

The Video:

The Story:

At the close of Q and A at an Associated Press luncheon in Washington, DC, AP chairman Dean SIngleton skipped over a question on what’s becoming known as “bitter-gate” in favor of asking Illinois Senator Barack Obama what he surely thought would be a less controversial question on Iraq.

Would the senator be willing to shift a substantial number of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, asked Singleton, where the Taliban has been gaining strength — and “Obama bin Laden” is still at large.

The room was quiet – as the crowd contemplated whether they’d in fact heard what they thought they heard. But Obama, apparently, heard the same thing. After a pause and a smile, he said “I think that was OSAMA bin Laden.”

A red-faced Singleton put his hands to his head. “If I did that, I’m so sorry!” he said.

Obama assured Singleton that the verbal misfire was a-ok with him. “This is part of the exercise that I’ve been going through over the last 15 months,” he said, breaking into a grin. “Which is why it’s pretty impressive I’m still standing here.” The professionally-stoic crowd of journalists gave Obama a round of applause.

Had that been Fox News or anyone on the Conservative side, the Liberal roar of outrage would be deafening.

Bitter Gate Continues

What a weekend! Obama sticks his foot in his mouth and the whole World nearly grinds to a halt.  The Neo-Conservative Apologists like William Kristol are calling him a Godless Commie. …and this is just April

 

However, Obama’s poll numbers continue to hold steady, so, It might just be the fact that people are looking at all this and thinking like I do, that it is all rather silly.

 

I have to say that I very much agree with that sentiment, I believe all of this, is rather silly myself, I really wish, that if people are going to attack Obama, attack him on this Politics, not on the blatant silly nonsense, that they have been attacking him with. 

 

Frankly, I am surprised that the Main Stream media did not pick up on the story of Rev. Jeremiah Wright throwing off on Fox News and saying that Thomas Jefferson was a Pedophile. That did shock me a bit. Although, I’m inclined to believe that the majority of the media out there agree with him about Fox News.

 

Blog Reactions to this latest round of Obama controversy, can be found Here, Here, Here, and Here