Will Indiana Save Hillary?
The collegians and twenty-something volunteers who sit in Barack Obama’s downtown Indianapolis headquarters wear “We finally matter” t-shirts, noting that the “Obama Youth” will speak loudly in the Hoosier State on May 6. But all six million citizens of Indiana — at least Democrats — should lay claim to that slogan, since Indiana, often too late in the electoral season to affect the nomination, will matter.
Like the colors of the state’s largest university, Indiana is a Red State. Hoosiers have supported the Republican nominee for president ten consecutive times and in 16 of the past 17 General Elections going back to FDR’s re-election bid in 1936. And despite three congressional seats flipping to the Democrats in 2006, John McCain seems an agreeable enough candidate to avoid Indiana going blue this November.
Unlike its more left-leaning neighbors in the Upper Midwest, Indiana has fewer large cities, more patriotic farmers, perspicacious veterans, and America’s 15th most populous state actually has our fourth largest National Guard, which has been very active in the Global War on Terror. That considered, no more than 40% of Hoosiers are registered Democrats, so don’t expect any more than two million folks to turnout on May 6. However, Indiana’s Democrats are deeply divided based upon socio-economic level, age, race, priorities, and their locale in this culturally diverse state that borders Michigan on one end and Kentucky on the other. None other than the always truculent James Carville, architect of Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign and a Hillary backer, told Larry King last week that “Indiana is the tiebreaker.”
Thus, with indications that Obama will likely triumph that same day in North Carolina, will the Hoosier State indeed be “Clinton’s Last Stand,” as it essentially was for Tecumseh’s confederacy at the Battle of Tippecanoe nearly 200 years ago? Or will “The Comeback Kid” be able to push on and move south into winnable states like Kentucky and West Virginia in the coming weeks after another victory?
Let’s take a preview:
Where Hillary should do well: To the common observer, it has become evident that the former First Lady is winning here, as she has elsewhere, amongst the elderly, women, Catholics, Latinos, and especially the middle-class union households in Indiana’s northern industrial cities that Mr. Obama has found elusive recently. Trade and Labor Unions are powerful in Indiana, and have rallied around Hillary, essentially declaring her to be more genuine and less pedantic than Obama.
She has spoken to large audiences in those “bitter” blue-collar cities that have seen jobs disappear like Terre Haute, South Bend, Kokomo, Marion and Gary. Events in “forgotten towns” like Anderson, where historic factories and plants have truly vanished overnight, have been raucous for Clinton. I spoke with a school teacher from tiny Clinton (Indiana) as we observed Hillary’s speech at the National Headquarters of the American Legion last week, and she concurred. “I’m a moderate Democrat who loves this country and just wants to put food on the table for my children. Obama is out of touch with us folks. Hillary is not perfect, but I think she certainly understands better.”
Senator Clinton has the steadfast support of Indiana Democrat Senator Evan Bayh, who also served as Governor from 1989-1997. Bayh was hailed as a “fiscal conservative” by the Wall Street Journal in 1992, when Indiana experienced a recrudescence in economic growth. Very popular across party lines in this state, Bayh has been touring the state with Clinton the past few weeks, is seen by some as a potential running mate, and castigated Senator Obama’s “bitter cling” comments in mid-April. On Friday, the Indianapolis Star endorsed Clinton. Hard to tell how much that will aid her cause…but it won’t hurt.All in all, Hillary has done well in states like Indiana, and she has positioned herself as the more Centrist Democrat in a Republican state with few radicals. Dozens upon dozens of Independents, conservatives and Republicans with whom I have chatted recently, may also cross lines, re-register, etc, in order to vote for Mrs. Clinton and impede an Obama triumph, as many did in Pennsylvania. The Illinois Senator has offended many moderates here as well. As one man put it to me the other day, “He {Obama} is the most unqualified and divisive candidate in US history, and an insult to the Democratic Party of Truman, FDR and JFK.”
Where Obama should do well: If current trends continue, Senator Obama will succeed within the same demographics he has all season: urban areas, their most affluent suburbs and college towns — places where his elitism and media foibles are ignored by so-called Latte Liberals. Indiana has fewer of those areas than many states, but they’re still in play.
Obama will undoubtedly be hurt here by some of the condescending remarks about religious folks, gun owners and other small towners who suffer in this economy — as well as his questionable associations — but he is still immensely popular elsewhere, such as downtown Indianapolis, where I reside. He has the support of interim Democrat Congressman, Andre Carson, a practicing Muslim, who is also black, and represents the urban and 30% black 7th District. In fact, he will be holding a major rally the day before the primary on the steps of the Indiana War Memorial. More than 20,000 are expected to turn out.
The twee suburbs and million dollar historic homes just north of Indy are littered in Obama signs, easily four-fold over Hillary. Obama also has “sealed the deal” with many collegians in Bloomington, home to Indiana University. IU is long known as a bastion of radicalism, and sometimes deemed a Berkeley of the Midwest.
On the second of April, just hours before President Bill Clinton spoke at 18,000 seat Assembly Hall, Obama’s campaign office surreptitiously announced they were giving away free tickets. to the Dave Matthews Band, who was to play a concert there three days later on behalf of the Senator. Thousands of students rapidly departed, endorsing Obama due to the gesture, and leaving the former president with a paltry 6,500 spectators. (Hillary returned to speak in Bloomington on April 25.)
That superficial yet clever act won over many a voter, as Obama has done in other college towns such as Muncie and Lafayette. Indiana’s other two large cities — Evansville and Fort Wayne — also lean toward the Illinois Senator. The northwestern corner of Indiana, a heavily-populated area known as “The Region,” could also lean Obama’s way due to its proximity to Chicago and its roughly 25% African-American populace.
One big local name to come out in support of Barack Obama here is former Indiana Congressman and 9-11 “Study Group” Vice-Chair, Lee Hamilton. On April 2, the 77 year-old Hamilton uttered the usual platitudes:
“Barack Obama has the best opportunity to create a new sense of national unity and to transcend divisions within this country, not by ignoring them or smoothing them over, but by working together with candor and civility to meet our challenges.”
But ten days later, Hamilton said he disagreed with Obama’s calls for a timetable to leave Iraq.
It’s impulsive views like these that Obama must avoid to assuage legitimate concerns of scrutinizing Hoosier voters. “Hope” and “Change” and other empty rhetoric will seemingly not work as easily here as in other states. I have regularly heard colleagues and others tell me bluntly, “I’m not looking for a savior or a rock star; I’m looking for a president.”
The latest polls are mixed as of now; some show Hillary up by a point or two, while other place Obama atop. But Mr. Obama has struggled to win support from the kinds of heartland voters that could be critical to a Democratic victory in the fall.
Either way, it will be the most exciting primary election week in Indiana since Bobby Kennedy won here in May 1968.
Ari Kaufman currently resides in Indianapolis where he is a military historian for the State of Indiana’s War Memorials and an Associate Fellow at the Sagamore Institute. A former Los Angeles schoolteacher, he is the author of Reclamation: Saving our schools starts from within.
“The collegians and twenty-something volunteers who sit in Barack Obama’s downtown Indianapolis headquarters wear “We finally matter” t-shirts”
Why should they “matter?” The reality, of course, is that the typical college student is only one step above being a moron. These young people are generally ignorant concerning the issues of the day. This is what makes them so dangerous. Throughout much of their fairly brief lives, adults have indulged them with the self esteem nonsense. Rarely did they ever learn the extent of their gross ignorance. This is something you can mostly take for granted: a young Obama supporter is laughably silly and immature.
Hillary does not have a chance because Barack Obama (Barry-O) is the Democrat Political Party choice and the Party is in full “lemming” mode.
College voters are fun to have around during the primary process but history would suggest that they (most of them, anyway) will be busy attending their school’s football games come November.
What Indiana and North Carolina (and beyond) could deliver with strong showings by Senator Clinton is a greater level of lemming decision making friction in this primary process leading into the convention for the Democrats in Denver.
What is really fun is knowing that all of this friction is a creation of the Democratic Party leadership.
Will Hillary even show up? She must be devastated that her Derby horse had to be put down. Great message she sends as a potential national leader – I will show nias to anything having to do with my gender.
Ari – very good column. You have the pulse of your home state down pat.
A very sober and enlightening account, Ari. Quite informative. I hope Hillary carries NC and INDY on Tuesday (of course, I’ll take a close performance in the former).
Obama Delenda Est and I am Chaos….
no matter what happens on Tuesday, Barack will emerge the Democratic nominee in the end. Haters be start adjusting to that.
David Thomson spits idiotic right wing propaganda that college students aren’t really citizens. When in fact by the time those students graduate they are part of the most important segment of our population, the educated. I am sorry if you want red state truckers to be the deciders in our country. after all the real Americans in the red states are to be cheered for giving us the success that is George Bush. The college students rightly see Obama as the future and Hillary and McCain as the war-loving past. Personally I can’t wait until all of you oldies give up your grip on our country because your generation has easily been the worst in the last 150 years. David Thomson can shove it , have fun with your stimulus check you wrinkled old has been.
“David Thomson spits idiotic right wing propaganda that college students aren’t really citizens.”
College students are indeed citizens. However, a very high percentage of them are dumb citizens! Their credentials are of dubious value. They can’t even pass a simple history test. Unfortunately, we live in a society which has been telling these brats for decades that they are brilliant.
Independents and Republicans could not vote in the Democratic primary in Pa. Get the facts straight before you report.
No matter what happens in Indy and North Carolina, there is no way the dimocrats are going to pull the rug out from under Obama at this point. It would doom them in November with black voters. They can’t win without 80-85% of the black vote. They are stuck with Obama in 08. They are screwed either way!
I am an African American senior citizen and proud to live in this country – up until now I have been an Obama supporter – mostly because of the street talk and because of color – all my family and friends voted in Louisiana and Mississippi because of color.
However,
THE PASTOR, THE CHURCH, THE WEDDING, and The childrens baptism – how can anyone say that they have gone to a Church for 20 years and not be aware of the Pastors viewpoints – I certainly do not want anyone in the White House that is so unaware of Iran, China, Russian and North Korea – JUST ANOTHER POLITICAN.
Change – change what – the old style politicans in Washington DC – yet accept the endorsements of those old time politicans such as Kennedy, Kerry, and many many more.
HOPE – well most of the younger black generation did not grow up with the Clintons when we considered him as a brother – the Clintons gave hope to our family from California to Mississippi with shelters for the homeless, job assistance for the unemployed – recently Bill was with Brad Pitt in New Orleans giving hope to that city for reconstruction – Hillary attended a rally for the same purpose – although she had not gotten the vote from the black community – Obama was too busy with his campaign to attend – he already had the vote – JUST ANOTHER POLITICAN.
I have seen Obama throw his Pastor under the bus, the people of New Orleans under the bus – will he throw us under the bus as well once he is elected – I know that whoever wins the nomination PEOPLE WILL STILL HAVE TO WORK FOR A LIVING – you will not be given something for nothing – we need to show Obama that if we do not vote for him now and he goes into the November election – he will not get our vote then either.
GOD BLESS OUR AMERICA and stand up for ourselves.
This ongoing HRC vs. BHO fight is delicious to watch, and this “perspicacious veteran” will be very sad when it finally ends. Like a forty-round death match between OJ Simpson and Robert Blake, the spectacle is much more enjoyable than any possible finale. After forty rounds, the spectators will not be screaming OBAMA! or HILLARY!, but “FIVE MORE ROUNDS – PLEEEEZE!!!”
Which reminds me – has either candidate developed an “exit strategy to end this unnecessary and immoral war” between them? If they can’t convince each other (or their supporters) to join their own camps and bring Democrats together, how can we expect them to bring Americans together or, for that matter, convince our enemies in Iran, North Korea, or Venezuela to embrace democracy and be our friends?
I don’t care who wins or loses, as long as the loser disembowels the winner during his or her last gasp.
As for Dave Thomson’s comments crude comments about moronic college students: In the future, make sure to write your insults in simple words so they fully grasp your content and leave more complicated sentence structures for college Republicans and other MAINSTREAM patriotic Americans. You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Why did you have to mention that Andre Carson is a practicing muslim?
Are you implying that Obama is too?
The people of Indiana are too smart to vote for Hillary. This thing is over.
Obama 08!
The young always flock to a pied piper who calls for ‘change’ and ‘hope’ I always want to know what is going to CHANGE. And, I HOPE I don’t have to pay for it.
I suppose a lieing, manipulative, war monger makes a better president than a brilliant thoughtful man who has the nation and it’s people’s best interest at heart. We wouldn’t want that would we. We would rather believe the crap the media feeds us and complain when the sh** hit’s the fan. If you really think Hillary cares about you, you are dumber than stupid! Bill and Hillary just want to prove they can be in the White House a 3rd term.
“It’s impulsive views like these that Obama must avoid to assuage legitimate concerns of scrutinizing Hoosier voters. “Hope” and “Change” and other empty rhetoric will seemingly not work as easily here as in other states. I have regularly heard colleagues and others tell me bluntly, “I’m not looking for a savior or a rock star; I’m looking for a president.”
THIS IS JUST A REGURGITATION OF WHAT SOME IN THE MEDIA SAY ABOUT OBAMA BUT IF THIS PERSON EVEN GAVE HIMSELF A FEW MINUTES OF THEIR TIME AND DID SOME RESEARCH, THEY WOULD KNOW THAT OBAMA DOES NOT CONSIDER HIMSELF A ROCK STAR AND NEITHER DO HIS SUPPORTERS. How is Hillary going to get anything done when she won’t even get elected???…lol
Mr. Thomson – be careful when calling people dumb, your argument at least should be lucid. If you claim that college kids are ill-informed, that’s one thing (and then, ill-informed compared to whom? You? People without a college education?). Calling them stupid is quite another.
If you are trying to make the case that going to college correlates with low intelligence, I believe you’ll find that neither one of the three remaining presidential candidates supports you. Neither does any conceivable measure of intelligence. Just remember – Hillary helped her own daughter go to Stanford and Oxford, rather than get a job right out of high school. And in case you wonder – no, you can’t get much more elitist than Stanford and Oxford…
Evan Bayh and his family have endorsed Senator Clinton and I dare say that the Bayh family’s deep support in the hoosier state will be felt on election day. Senator Obama has yet to win over Hispanic voters and Senior Citizens.
College students aren’t idiots at all. We just succumb very easily to idealism and “history making”. Obama offers us change, a divergence from the “old politics”. However, I guess I’m even more skeptical about politicians, in that I see Obama as a politician. Thus, when it’s the choice between politicians spewing their propaganda, I’d rather just look at what they’ve tried to do. Obama—> death penalty and ethics reform (honestly, who gives a shit, work on something that matters.) Clinton—->healthcare and education reform…. hmmm, tough choice, i’ll go with clinton on this one…
Hillary may have betted on a horse that had to be put down, but Obama betted on a pastor who should have been put out to pasture a long time ago.
The Bradley Effect has been a factor in the polling taken in PA, as well as here in Indiana and I would imagine in NC as well. With Obama dropped to a +7 average in NC we are looking at (Bradley effect considered) a possible tie. And with Hillary at a +6 in Indiana (In PA she had the same just before the primary), she may well come away with double digits there.
Obama’s overall electablility is of issue for the DNC, but what is on the minds of mainstream voters here is Obama’s slim resume, nefarious associations and elitist condescension to the working class.
I think this was a fair column, and I am a obama supporter. Being in a blue collar family myself I find these statements that Obama is elitist strange and disturbing.
Barack Obama has a well thought out campaign for hope. I’m not claiming him to be perfect, but I’d rather have a candidate who comes
from a frustrated American background as I do, than one who will ride the blindly patriotic wave to presidency.
Yet, especially in a fiscally conservative state, one would think in light of Obama’s more economically sound policies (no on gas tax) he would be more popular. I’d have to visit to better understand the culture.
I live in Portland, Oregon, and just had an Obamabot at my door canvassing. When I told him that I respectfully disagreed with him and that I am fully supporting Hillary Clinton in the primary (in fact I already had sent my ballot it), he disrespectfully argued with me about my choice. He was a college student (I love college students – in fact I work at a college) and far more often than not, students get caught up in rhetoric versus substance, simply because of the excitement of a campaign. I am supporting Hillary because she, unlike Mr Obama, has a track record of success in the Senate, has a greater record of reaching across the aisle than Mr Obama, and she is tougher and grittier than he will ever be. We face trememndous problems in the future and Americans best wake up to the fact that if you put a novice into the fold with such dire situations, he will fail. But, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that because he’s already much too damaged to win the general election. Mr Obama is an opportunist who started running for president the second he was elected to the Senate. And enough of this drivel about him being against the war from the start. He had the luxury of not being in the national spotlight when public pressure was tremendous. And, if he is so against the war, WHY HASN’T HE INTRODUCED LEGISLATION TO PULL FUNDING FROM THE EFFORT? That would show true conviction. He’s a fancy speaker, but a politician at heart. He’s not the damn messiah.
I am a white 64 year old female Republican who for the first time will be voting for a Democrat. Barack Obama has my vote as I am tired of being lied to. His thoughtful policies that I hear him talk about and read on his web site are reasoned and sensible. He also inspires me which is icing on the cake.
This seems like a column very biased in Clinton’s favor. Ari refers to Obama’s ‘elitism’, ‘condescending’ remakrs’ and ‘questionable associations.’ What about Bill Clinton’s associations? What about Hilary’s 100 million dollar bank account? That she is portrayed as the queen of blue collar America is laughable. But I guess we’re supposed to feel bad for poor, pure, ethical Bill Clinton who was tricked by the ‘superficial’ moves of the Obama campaign. Poor Bill. Poor us for conflating this crap with objective journalism.
John Stossel shares my cynicism regarding the typically ignorant, but intellectually arrogant college student. Here is what he has to say on the matter:
“When I speak on college campuses, students often ask what can be done about the “problem” of young people who don’t care enough to vote. I always say that I don’t see it as much of problem “because most of you don’t know anything yet. I’m OK with you not voting!” The students laugh, but I’m not joking.”
http://tinyurl.com/2owt3c
One thing that is a gigantic undertone, whether or not it is acknowledged, is racism. A lot of the “reasons” for opposing Obama are simply excuses to act on that. (Not to say that it is the only reason, or even the one voters would, themselves, acknowledge. But Clinton has given voters permission to act on it by the smokescreen she’s created. And she’s managed to keep the spotlight off her own multitude of hypocrisies and weaknesses.)
I grew up in the midwest; I saw the race issue play to Clinton’s advantage in Texas, where I now live (however, Obama actually won Texas!), and I saw how it didn’t apply in Iowa. I’m betting on Indiana voters to be more midwestern than Ohio voters–more like Iowans,– and I think Clinton could well have had her last nasty, cynical, pandering win with PA.
Or so I pray.
Who pissed in Davids Wheaties? Sounds like somebody didn’t get in to the local community college and is a little bitter about it.
Earth to Ari: Pennsylvania was a CLOSED primary state. So your claim thgat, “independents, conservatives and Republicans may very well cross lines [in Indiana] in order to vote for her, as many did in Pennsylvania” makes no sense at all. In Pennsylvania only registered Democrats could vote in that state’s Dem primary. No Independents at all were permitted to vote. The opposite is true in Indiana, where everyone is permitted on the day to take whatever ballot appeals to them. It’s the difference between night and day. You’d think a political analyst would know this.
Barack Obama has been endorsed by Congressman Andre Carson, a practising Muslim, as well as by Hamas, Rep. Chaka Fatah of PA, and Louis Farrakhan who has called Barack Hussein Obama “the hope of the entire world.” The world’s Muslims would rejoice if Barack, the son of a Muslim goatherd, were to be elected President of the USA.
Hey Jill,
You could re-register a democrat and vote in PA. Read the article before you criticize. You must support Hillary.
David Thomas-A smart citizen might realize that those t-shirts (We finally matter) are about the state. WE means Indiana, not college students. Indiana finally matters. You, sir, are the one that is laughably immature and ignorant.
Edmund Jenks-College football games are on Saturdays, not Tuesdays.
I can’t wait for this to be over so that we can stop listening to Hillary supporters and their rationales for why every group that votes against them doesn’t matter. The reasons get dumber and dumber by the day.
Whether or not Thomson’s view of college students has merit (I happen to disagree), he’s off on a tangent. The “we” in those “we finally matter” t-shirts refers to Hoosiers, not to young people.
The citizens of Indiana owe the Obama campaign an enormous debt of gratitude. Senator Obama and his supporters have managed to turn what was supposed to be a slam dunk for Senator Clinton into a real contest and — in so doing — they have brought national attention to Indiana voters and the issues that we care most about for the first time in a long time.
Whoever ends up winning on Tuesday, we’re excited to be part of the process.
Go Obama!!!!!
David Thompson is right. Most college students are sponges who just repeat what their Marxist professors teach them. They complain about college costs while Mommy and Daddy pay all their bills.
David clearly did not do well in school and as a result thinks anyone who pursues and education is dumb (similar to his belief that fast moving objects are really going slow). The reality is that college students have statistically shown higher level moral reasoning, less racial prejudice and a broader sense of global awareness than persons – like David – who did not go to college. However, as with so many other things in Dave’s life, he missed the point of the article.
Why would anyone in their right mind want Barack Obama to be president? Feel free to address the question, but please take note of the qualifier before answering…
BTW: David Thompson:
I teach at the college level and you are obviously having a different experience than I am! College kids today have to pay more, work harder, learn more, and have NO assurance of finding a job after graduation to re-pay their loans. And my generation has left them an un-holy mess to mop up! Oh, they matter! Their entire generation are the only hope we have of saving this country and culture! Our generation, perhaps innocently, gave them the Reagan “revolution” that slowly destroyed the balance between private (read “corporate”) and government (read “the people”) powers, leading to the Bush/Clinton/Bush dynasty that has brought it to its logical conclusion with a bankrupt economy, an idiotic war of aggression, and a government controlled by the (now global) money interests.
These “kids” have been handed a task that is overwhelming and I am only thankful that they are actively seeking to find a way to deal with it. They need our blessing, not our sarcasm and derision. They deserve our praise and prayers.
So let me get this straight. If Hillary wins Pennsylvania… did that then goes and wins Indiana… Likely and then wins NC.. good maybe then Barack wins? Don’t think so.
Here is what is likely no matter who the nominie is: A very divided group of democrats that half of may vote republican. By the way I in no way blame either candidate. I do however completely blame Howard Dean and the idiots that thought up this election.
Has ANYONE been watching polls in the last week. Obama is FALLING in most of them. No matter who you are for (Obama or Hillary) his is SERIOUS trouble if he is nominated. No matter how much you love Obama, if he is bound to loose in November, then he CAN’T get the nomination.
Every primary state seems to be yet another change for Hillary to be saved. This woman should have gone away at the end of her eight years as co-president with her reputed husband. Why is she running? Because she is so desperately needed by America? No, she’s running because of a dysfunctional need to be at the center of everyone’s attention. Sadly, a good many Democrats (almost half) are inclined to participate in the codependent dance that characterizes Hillary’s life, so it looks increasingly like we’re going to get at least another four years of scandal and psychological drama from the White House.
Dear Mr. Thomas,
I am one of those college students that you referenced. The reading, researching, and volunteering I’ve done over the last few months contradict everything that you said. The irony of it all is that in attempt to categorize young volunteers you dummy down the debate. Speeches VS solutions is all I keep hearing… Understand this, I’ll admit it, a speech drew me in- but in no way shape or form did it stop there. It evolved into researching, educating myself and my friends and from there phonebanking, traveling to multiple states to canvas, putting together voter registration initiatives to help other young people get involved. The failures of the youth in terms of political involvement were never a result of apathy or laziness- we’ve remained silent out of the insistence that our voices don’t matter, that our actions are obsolete. Senator Obama has asked for our assistance, long term, and we’re responding. Feel free to choose any candidate, but what I ask you and the rest of the pundits to STOP doing is belittling the work of the youth…if you only saw what I’ve seen over the last few months you would agree that what’s going on right now is amazing…don’t let it pass us all by.
Mr. Thompson,
As a young college student from Indiana myself I am offended by your remarks. The notion that college kids don’t know what is going on in the political world is ridiculous. The world has changed. Although we may not watch the same old evening news or read the daily newspaper, that is not to say that we are not informed. The average college student spends far more time combing the internet for news than our elders devote to traditional forms of media. This is evidenced by the massive youth turnout in the recent primaries. Although we may share a different set of priorities (the environment and affordable college tuition etc.) than older americans that is not to that that our concerns are not valid and/or legitimate. Im tired of the ‘kids these days’ refrain from the older generation. Our whole lives we have been tought to respect our elders. That makes sense, but it only seems fair that our elders should give us a little credit too.
“the typical college student is only one step above being a moron. These young people are generally ignorant concerning the issues of the day.”
How are you even capable of saying something like that? Are you sane? College students are -by definition- less ignorant than the 75% of others their age who aren’t in college. I don’t know how you can say something so blatantly false and absurd–the only thing worse would be to say being a college professor is one step above being a moron. You deny any logical thought at all.
What will happen to Bill and Hillary after this is over. It is over, she hve no chance even if she win all the nine primaries by by 12 %.
“the typical college student is only one step above being a moron. These young people are generally ignorant concerning the issues of the day.”
How are you even capable of saying something like that? Are you sane? College students are -by definition- less ignorant than the 75% of others their age who aren’t in college. I don’t know how you can say something so blatantly false and absurd–the only thing worse would be to say being a college professor is one step above being a moron. You’re denying logical thought.
Obama is going to lose whether he loses the Democratic nomination or the general election. While young college kids may be enamored with slick, smooth talking Obama; they should consider exactly what Obama learned while he was a parishoner or Jeremia Wright. Has anyone looked into the so-called theology of Rev.(?) Wright? His insane ideas about the US government, terrorism, our miliatary, 9/11, aids are exactly the ideas that Obama learned over a period of 20 years. The should be enough to scare anyone into thinking twice about voting for him for any office let alone the Presidency of the United States. His own pastor has accused him of turning his back on him, of lieing to his supporters, of being no better than any other politician. That’s not from Hillary Clinton. That’s from someone he said he could never disown anymore than his grandmother. What a liar and a two-faced politician! If Farrakahn or Wright are to be believed, they claim Obama is courting white voters (he can’t win squat without white voters too) only to get their votes. In other words, they claim he does believe in what both of them have been preaching for years. Hatred, racism, and bigotry!!! That’s what they say Obama learned and believes in. But for the sake of a vote, he “says and does what politicians” have to say to get elected.
It’s hard to fathom how anyone with the smallest degree of intelligence could be suckered into voting for this man. He’s inexperienced, lacks any details on what it is he actually wants to change, and betrayed his own Pastor and Church just to get votes.
Yep, this time around the American people got a real winner. If he does get the nomination, let’s all look forward to 2012 when we will be able to elect a Democrat President whose agenda we will actually know in detail.
I’d like to see Obama try to kiss a pig when he is campaigning around Indiana farms. Would he even know which end to kiss?
And college students have one big overriding reason to vote for Obama. If they can add, or count, they would know that the war cannot continue for more than about 2 more years without their personal participation. The prospect of a draft is always a great motivator.
It says EVERYTHING you need to know about nobamas appeal among the young when they show up to his speeches if they’re pandered with a rock-concert.
What is he gonna do against Mc Cain? Offer them Lollypops?? I cannot believe that this kinda braindead sloganism is trumping real experience and real insight. JMC must be laughing himself into tears every day. We keep acting like fools as long as we have such a bunch of ignorant blind followers support someone just because they expect to be pampered more. Guess what college kids, there will be a day when you actually will have to WORK. Ooouuch, that will hurt. Me work??
The answer to the question in the headline is simply no. It is sad that in the face of all the real issues of the day hack bloggers and MSM waste our time with peripheral issues and horse race questions. In this case the horse race question has become surreal due to recent events. I expect that HRC will be seeing her final days in this political race quite shortly. If she doesn’t drop out on Tuesday, she will on the day of the OR primary.
This is terrible reporting. First of all, if you had any idea what was going on, you would realize that South Bend and most of northern IN is very pro-Obama (Indianapolis Star had him up 20 pts. in the 3 most populous counties in the north). Secondly, not all college students are rich morons. I come from a middle class family in Ohio and I had to work my butt off to get to where I am today. College students are the future whether you like it or not. By the way, we weren’t the laughably immature people who elected Bush twice–that was the older, wiser portion of our population.
I can’t believe Barack may be the nominee.
A man with such questionable history of patriotism.
Shame to this country.
People Wake UP!!…This is about the our COUNTRY.
It’s really heroic of Hillary to keep fighting on for her ego — never mind the destruction of the Democratic Party — when she must still be suffering post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after her terrifying sniper fire incident in Bosnia.
But, of course, she has enthusiastic support from the Right Wingers. Even Rush Limbaugh is cheering for her! Limbaugh told his listeners to “hold their nose” and vote in Democratic primary for Hillary to keep the destruction going.
I’m offended at people calling college kids, idiots, dumb, and stupid. I’m a 60 year old Mother of two girls (grown) and I never thought college kids were dumb or stupid. Ofcourse they sometimes aren’t as responsible as I’d like for them to be, but they have ideas, opinions, open minds, a interest in learning and we old farts can learn a thing or two from them.
They’re our future, it’s exciting they have an interest in the political process, even if they don’t always carry through like we think they should. Don’t undermine or belittle their enthusiasm for our country and how or who runs it. You really show how old and stuck in an old way of thinking when you criticize the youth or tomorrow.
Thank you for this completely biased account of the two campaigns in Indiana. You hardly bothered to even pretend to discuss both sides fairly.
Ari,
You may be able to say that Obama’s campaign gave away tickets, but to say that that is why students endorsed Obama is pretty naive and blatant spin and excuses. Clinton doesn’t get the youth vote because the youth vote actually highly informed these days due to following the news via the Internet or Daily Show/Colbert. They recognize that Washington’s problems are that the politicians have been bought 10 times over and that the only way around those games are to actually refuse money from Lobbyists and PACs.
http://infogiant.wordpress.com/
White racists in places like Indiana, where I used to live, were just itching for a “reason” to vote for the white candidate, and Barack’s recent missteps plus the fact that his former preacher is a lunatic idiot have given them all the justification their narrow minds need. What they’re too blind to see is that if Clinton gets the nomination it will destroy the Democratic Party, and if America is stupid enough to hand over the White House to her and her Machine (again), it will destroy the nation. A victory for the Machine would be a victory for every nasty corporate politician who has screwed a good person out of his or her job…a victory for every bully who has ever inflicted his or her wrath on another…a victory for the sore losers who win at all costs and, even when they lose, change the rules so they “win”…a victory for the darkest, nastiest, ugliest parts of our national character over the truly good, decent, winning people we can and should be. It would reveal to the world that we are exactly the kind of bullies, racists and power-mad fanatics so many of them think we are. And we would deserve not only everything the Machine would do to us for the next 4-8 years but also everything that anyone else in the world would do to us, including another 9/11 or even a series of 9/11-like disasters, because we will have proven ourselves unfit to govern our own land, primed and ready for our own self-propelled destruction. If you think it is not every bit this serious, you are kidding yourself. We’d better all wake up, wise up and rise up and take this country back before we have no country left to take back.
You know it has become a sad day in America when Senator Clinton has convinced a huge number of voters that a college education is a bad thing. I’m not saying it’s that important, but a bad thing? I really encourage voters to try to think for themselves before this primary on Tuesday. Her actions in this campaign season have been erratic, inconsistent, and at many times nothing short of bizarre. There has never been a figure in American political life more self-serving than Hillary Clinton. Aim higher this time, do not be afraid to think for yourselves.
“They’re our future, it’s exciting they have an interest in the political process, even if they don’t always carry through like we think they should.”
Tell that to the Cubans and other victims of totalitarianism. College students are often inclined towards intellectual ego tripping. Please note that I did not include all of them.
Yes, there are many exceptions! Fidel Castro achieved power because of spoiled and pampered “elite” youths. The North Vietnamese leadership was thrilled by the useful idiots of the 1960s. Much of grief experienced by today’s French citizenry is due to the student riots of 1968.
“Barry” Obama is currently running a fascist style campaign where one is supposed to trust the great leader. Specific proposals are deemed of little importance. Please note the enthusiasm of Obama’s air head student followers. These young kids are unwittingly very dangerous. Their predecessors are responsible much horror in the world. We must not take them so lightly.
What Barack Obama needs to be asked is not whether he denounces Rev Wright, or disagrees with his statements. Barack Obama needs to be asked what he believes about Black Liberation Theology. Does he agree with this radical theology that I believe the majority of Americans see as nothing more than black racial hatred toward White Americans and America in general? I would like to hear what Barack Obama believes about this theology and whether he thinks it brings all Americans closer together, as he indicates he wants to do, or does it push the races farther apart.
If this is what passes for worship in black churches across America, then it’s no wonder there is such a racial divide.
Attacking college students for their idealism makes no sense whatsoever. My granddad didn’t have the opportunity to go to college, my dad went to Alabama, I’m going to IU, and if I have a kid and they want to go to school (and I hope they will), I’d love for them to go to University of Chicago. I don’t think getting a fine education necessarily makes one elitist or Marxist or whatever. Education just means knowing what possibilities are out there, where your place is in the world and how to navigate and hopefully help other people in the process. It doesn’t mean you have to give up who you are and parrot people. In fact, it should mean the exact opposite. Furthermore, if college students are such an idiots, why are Bloomington, Hyde Park etc. such nice places to live?
“Attacking college students for their idealism makes no sense whatsoever.”
I’m sorry but the historical evidence suggests otherwise. The so-called idealism of immature students is responsible for an incredible amount of horror and destruction. Totalitarian thugs take full advantage of their intellectual arrogance and immaturity. In the past, they have sometimes destroyed whole societies.
We don’t need OBAMA as nomminee . He’s too liberal and naive .He doesn’t want me to save $30.00 a month on gas while he voted the same thing years ago when he was in the illinois senate . He is just another politician like REV. WRIGHT said . I can support CLINTON or Mc CAIN but not OBAMA . I am an independant black man .
David Thompson,
Please don’t forget that there was a time when you were young yourself.
Because it’s statistically too far a stretch for Sen. Clinton to win, a win in Indiana is only going to help Hillary’s campaign get out of debt – if her supporters give her money.
Her supporters should let the Rev. Wright issue go, as Hillary said in her interview on ABC with George Stephanopolous that it’s a non-issue.
All democrats will unite in June and Obama will garner support from traditional Hillary supporters.
It’s regrettable that a person will support their candidate based on ONE issue instead of the entire picture.
Polls go up and down and up and down. They’re only political talking points for all candidates. Considering Obama’s being challenged by Pres. Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, the Republicans and the main stream media, he’s holding his own.
Stand tall, Barack, stand tall!
These snarky hit pieces on Obama really bring out the right-wing assholes, huh? like flies on dog shit.
I’d love for Obama to be president, but I realize that this is still a deeply racist country and most ‘heartland’ voters rarely see black men, let alone vote for one. That being the case, I’ll still gladly vote for Hillary over McCain who vows to carry forward that legacy of George Bush. Call me crazy, but I think Bush has been a horrible president.
My definition of a politician is someone who can look you directly in the eye and tell you exactly what you want to hear; the, go across the room and look another person in the eye and tel him/her exactly what he/she wants to hear regardless that it may be just the opposite of what was told to you. In this respect, between Clinto and Obama, I believe Clinton is much more the politician. As such, Obama gets my vote…he is more believable.
“David Thompson,
Please don’t forget that there was a time when you were young yourself.”
I was also young and dangerous. Needless to add, the leftists took full advantage of my stupidity. It is fair to describe myself as an example of what I am complaining about today. But what is your point? We do these young adults no favors by keeping our mouth shut and hoping for the best. As I said before, many of the predecessors of todays’s college student have enormous amount of blood on their hands. Just ask Fidel Castro. Cuba’s silly college students helped him to impose a dictatorship on their country.
David Thomson is correct. Most college students are either il-informed or “stupid”. But I would continue with that same logic. Most elderly is il-informed or “stupid”. Most non-college educated are il-informed or “stupid”. …..
Lets face it:
if the major topic of the last 3 weeks has been bitter gate
if a candidate can get votes by driving up in a gas-gusler pickup truck to a gas station and try to pump gas
if a candidate can get votes by saying Yes We Can
if a candidate can get votes by saying things about the other candidate that really did not happen.
Lets face it 95% of the voters are il-informed and “stupid” including David Thompson.
I got a kick out of the early debates when the “experts” where asked afterwards they would say who won the debate. Most experts would say Hillery. Then when each of these experts were asked who seemed most intelegent with their answers they all said Biden… Go figure
I had read many articles in this primary season. Obviously the two candidates represent significant areas of the political and cultural aspirations of different sectors of this country. The general’s views unfortunately the more pendatic so far.
to Voter:
1. That is 30 cents a day not 30 dollars. (Unless you average 200 – 300 miles a day on your car).
2. Recently the US government has come up with the realization that our infrastructure is far behind in repairs then previously thought. The gas tax pays for these repairs as well has pays for many jobs. Why do you support having these people lose their jobs and our roads to be worse off and continue to support the Oil companies making billion dollar profits.
3. Why believe what other states about ones voting record. Many times there will be dozens of issues in a bill, you can never agree on 100% of what goes in a bill and you can never vote no because 1 out of 19 things you don’t like. So going back and looking at ones “voting record” does not make sense.
4. Obama too liberal. I love this one. The republic press started with this Obama Liberal message 4 years ago because they knew he would be someone they would have to deal with in the future and knew suckers like you would believe them. Lets look at the difference between HRC health care plan vs Obama. HRC plan is big government forcing the middle class to pay for insurance that is unaffordable. She is doing this because the Insurance companies and the Drug companies want the same profit that they are currently making. Obama is pushing to reduce cost in the health care industry and match prices which most other countries have to pay for things like medicine.
It is my full intention to cross over into the Democrat primary, hold my nose, and cast a vote for Hillary. Why? Two reasons. First I want to see the Democrats fight it all the way to the convention. Secondly I suspect we are going to have a Democratic President this time around and I prefer the realist Hillary to the idealist Obama. I really don’t want either one, but since surrender is not an option of a great power I will settle for Clinton.
Steve Williams
FROM OBAMA’S BOOK, ” I WILL STAND WITH THE MUSLIMS IF THE POLITICAL WINDS SHIFT IN AN UGLY DIRECTION”……HAMAS ENDORSED OBAMA, SO DID NATION OF ISLAM, FARRAHKAN. BIBLE VERSE, BY HIS FRIENDS, YE SHALL KNOW HIM….CHECK OUT HIS “FRIENDS” AT JEFFHEAD.COM AND DONTVOTEOBAMA.NET THEN COME BACK INTO THE BLOGS AND RUN YOUR IGNORANT MOUTHS. SOME OF YOU COLLEGE KIDS, IT WOULD SEEM, WOULD RATHER FAINT THAN ADMIT THAT OBAMA IS A FRAUD, A LIAR, AND A RACIST….GROW UP IF YOU WANT TO MAKE WORLD DECISIONS, BECAUSE THIS DEADLY SERIOUS THIS YEAR.
This article is pro-Hillary and that’s cool. But, don’t be fooled Democrats. These right wing white racist fools know they can beat Hillary in the Fall election; that’s why they are playing this game with the Rev. Wright issue…trying to knock Obama out of the process…not this time…he is covered people…get ready!!! The right wants to run against Hillary because Whitewater, Bill’s impeachment and Paul v. Clinton to name a few will make bittergate and Rev. Wright look as small as they are. Yet, I am still waiting for John McCain to tell the truth about his lobbyist/girlfriend problems.
Obama 2008—get ready—change gone come!!
Truth, hmm, Hillary and McCain want to get rid of the gas tax, and yet by doing so it will enrich the oil companies, and do almost nothing, if not out right nothing, for drivers. Then at some later date she will put a profits tax on them to get it back. What? after they donate millions to her campaign?
Barak, even though it is political not a good idea, speaks the truth that it is a gimmick to get votes. Is this slick talk? No it is the truth. Do people in America want to hear the truth, or lies. Personally I’m tired of the lies. Barak does not lie. Nothing I’ve heard him say is a lie. He hasn’t postured when he could of but said what he believed. Like at the fundamentalist christian led debate, where he bluntly said I believe in evolution. Was he lying to get votes then.
Politics of distraction, and distortion will ruin, and are ruining this country. I will vote for Barak in the general elections because he tells it like it is.
Elitist? When I need an electrician, I listen to the electrician, ditto for plumbers etc. As an economist, does believing people should listen to me about economics make me and elitist? No, it is just my field. Barak is havard educated attorney, top of his class, a first rate politician. More importantly he is genuine. No I don’t believe I’ve been “sweet talked” as a college student, I just tried to have an open mind, that is what school taught me. It’s nice to be a student at 53 with all those young agile minds around. I’ve found them really hard to trap, and I’ve tried.
I don’t know about how others feel, but I take umbrage at the remarks indicating that racism is a motivating factor for those making a choice to vote for Hillary Clinton in the state of Indiana. The correlating fallacy would be to posit that those supporting Senator Obama are motivated by sexism. All prejudice is odious. Also, don’t be so hard on the college students. I was in college during my first campaign and I worked my heart out for Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale.
Wow. I do hope we have a President Obama, but if we do, he certainly has his work cut out for him.
What’s with the Ongoing ageism, and of the worst sort! it’s one thing for the youth to be dismissive of the older generation – they’ll grow out of it – of necessity. And, of course, with a little bit more effort – you know, the sort that Sen. Obama states will be required of kids in return for college aid? They might have better values than to be dismissive of their elders. But what excuse can there be for elders to be so dismissive of the younger generation? Didn’t you raise them? Aren’t these your children and grandchildren – your future? And if they don’t know anything about the world – whose fault is that? Actually – just as in every generation – kids know plenty about the world -but the world they inhabit is different from the one you grew up in. The college generation today has NEVER known a time when a desktop computer was not commonplace. Think about that! They are entitled, no, required, to think different thoughts about the world – and to be heard, in balance, because theirs is the world that’s coming.
I say that as a mother of a child off to college in 4 years, who remembers being “dumb” and “smart” in ways my mother never could understand.
I’m an African American, proudly supporting Obama, saddened by the riff between him and his pastor – who is ALSO of an age to think that the next generation doesn’t know what they are talking about, and who the heck told Barack that he could run for President? Doesn’t he know (as we elders do) that no one’s going to elect a black man, not even one with a white mama? I’m proud that this is a man who is at least TRYING to bridge the generations, and I’m sorry to see that there’s so much willful determination to avoid it.
QT
The experience of Hillary Clinton needs to be recalled: she claims her years as first lady as actually having served as informal co-president. (Many former staffers support this claim.) Ergo, she must, then, take co-responsibility for the results the Clinton record on NAFTA and China admission in World Trade (resulting in a lot of Indiana factories being closed), her botched opportunity @ national health care program, the embarrassing (drama-trauma) White House sex scandals (and lies about them), disastrous welfare “reform” which the Clintons co-opted from the Republicans and resulted in the destruction of thousands of poor families, the deregulation (and resulting corruption and scandal) of financial institutions and energy and telecommunications giants, and–well, the “corporatization of America” that has created such disadvantage for the average working person and family. The current bleeding of American jobs and the outrageous greed of the rich and powerful were all seeded in her co-dependent co-presidency.
As senator, she voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq, then said she didn’t mean it, then authorized the same action in Iran! Then she said she’d use massive retaliation against any Middle Eastern country that attacked its neighbor.
This is no time for amnesia.
Hello American People!!!
It results very interesting the role of the Black vote in:
2000 2004
Gore 90% Kerry 88%
Bush 9% Bush 11%
Source: Meet the Press April 27, 2008
Interesting, right?
God Bless America!!!
Democrats for Dave Matthews should indeed vote for Senator Obama…the rest will be for Senator Clinton. I like her chances.
I like Quarter horses, so Quarterhorse I guess you are only the rear end. Yeah I read the part that said he would stand for American Muslims if they were being attack. Gee, do you believe in freedom of religion? No you’re a racist troll, why don’t you go back in your cave, and seeth with hatred till you melt like the wicked witch.
Also, as a graduate student at the University of Houston-Victoria, I am disturbed by this post. I am 38 years old. I went to college for the first time at the age of 32 (in 2002) because I was tired of earning 12,000 annually working as a teachers aide. And now, I am making more than 3 times the amount I was earning without a college degree. In addition, as a college student I have learned how to be patient, diligent, and self-sufficient…not how to be a dummy. I was a dummy when I was working for $7.00 an hour all the while knowing I could do better by educating myself. Still, it took hard work and determination to get an A.A. degree in 05, and then a BA in 06, and God willing, I’ll earn a Master’s of Art in Dec. 08, and the possibility to increase my income by 20%. Please tell me what’s dumb about what I have done. Please don’t discourage our children from pursuing an education. Without education we will have a shortage of professionals like teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, lawyers, judges, technology experts, etc… We need those people as they are viable members of our country. This article is ignorantly designed, but I am willing to bet my home that the author of this terribly written article is a college graduate.
Don’t believe the hype.
Sincerely,
College Graduate
PS. Let’s stop hating each other. Obama, Clinton and/or McCain will be our next president and the true American patriot will accept the choice of the majority of the American people.
To Hoosier voter, alot of good people who vote for Hillary and John are not racist. As a matter of fact my Mother (Yeah she’s 90) is voted for Hillary. She is not a racist, we had a black man live in our house for four years so he could attend college and afford it.
My best friend will vote for McCain. She’s a republican. With out discussion she is not a racist.
That said, I think there are two race related issues. My brother won’t vote for Barak because he doesn’t believe a black man can win in america. Then their are the true racist, whose small marginal vote can tip the election.
Qualifications for the Office of President
Age and Citizenship requirements – US Constitution, Article II, Section 1
No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.
Term limit amendment – US Constitution, Amendment XXII, Section 1 – ratified February 27, 1951
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
This was pulled from the constitution…looks like Obama qualifies!!
Hillary Clinton, education reform? Hillary tries to deny the rotten job she’s done as a New York Senator, but Hillary defers to the voter on the topic of Reverend Wright. That’s because when Hillary & Bill Clinton founded their own college (in a sanctuary city, she calls an “empowerment zone”), they also combed through 40, 000 applicants, all to the left of the Rev. Wright. The faculty sets the tone at any university, and the Clinton’s crème de la crème of the hard left insured that theirs would be a blatant testimony to radical anti-Americanism and the politics of racial hatred. You say you’ve heard of tenured radicals – but not the University of Bill Clinton? Imagine what a couple of Clintons could do with a state university. Toss in a Vermont Lt. Governor and a few Middle Eastern flight students for good measure. Prepare to be amazed, your education is about to begin: http://theseedsof9-11.com
“Please tell me what’s dumb about what I have done. Please don’t discourage our children from pursuing an education.”
That is not my point. I strongly encourage you to continue both your formal—and informal education. My concern is with ego tripping students who wish to help usher in an utopian society. The historical record concerning their efforts is often shockingly horrible. As I said previously, an incredible amount of death and destruction has occurred in this world because of “hip and with it” students.
Those dismissing the sentiments and the efforts of young people, are not true democrats. This election is about them, about the future.
If you dismiss young people, you are condemning our children, our country.
Those who have said this, such as the first person who posted on this article should be ashamed.
Hillary is about the past. Bill is about the past.
They had their chance and they blew it. They gave us Bush.
When Hillary talks about taking on the oil producers she thinks we don’t know that Bill is in bed with the sheiks in Dubai and all around the Gulf. He got $20 billion dollars from his Dubai “investments” – read payback.
She says she is going to get tough on China. Bill sold our country to China.
This is all lies, lies, and more lies.
Wake up people.
Have courage to stand on your own two feet and say “No more” to the Clintons.
You should not take umbrage toward the position that racism is a motivating factor in Indiana. Go look at the history of your state. Yours is the state of that great American hero David C. Stevenson and his band of merry men. Your state’s association with the KKK is written in blood. Indiana is not known as a hotbed of sexism or anything like that.
At the end of the day, it does not matter whether you are a white-collar elitist or a blue-collar gal or guy from Main Street, America. What matters is whether you are prepared to exercise your God-given intelligence to sift through the maze of Clinton-hued camouflage that the news media so assiduously throw up in your faces in their orgasmic eagerness to keep their ratings up with total disregard to where your prospects end up after the dust from this election has settled. I think that the America I know is good and ready to show, first, the power-hungry, baggage-filled Clintons and, then, the warmongering McCain the door, starting at North Carolina and Indiana.
Bigotry seems to be well and alive in America. For a while, I was beginning to see in Obama and his enthusiastic young supporters a silver lining in the ominous clouds gathering around the world, courtesy of George W. Bush and his cohorts. But, the wiles of the Clintons and their supporters – most notably the US news media, who seem to hold responsible journalism in contemptuous disdain – are slowly but surely snuffing out a nascent hope that was beginning to burgeon in the hearts of the young, the oppressed and the dispossessed of not just America but also the rest of the world. Bigotry is the only rationale I can adduce to the motives of the news media that are so unashamedly infatuated with a candidate like Hillary, whose baggage along with her husband’s – a fable for the ages – is considered to merit no more attention than a sweep under the rug and whose outright lies and deceptions are considered to be no more serious than innocuous misspeaks, and McCain, whose associations with shady lobbyists are considered to be issues of sufficient levity to warrant being overlooked for the trouble of a simple mea culpa, never to be revisited again, in preference to Obama, whose faults are those of guilt by association with some undesirables, flimsy though these associations are, or are genuine misspeaks, like his “bitter” comment. The Clintons’ slash and burn strategy is comparable to that of a suicide bomber. At the end, no one is left standing, including the perpetrators themselves. The Clintons’ hope not just of surviving their own current shenanigans but also of Hillary emerging as a viable candidate in 4 years is a forlorn pipedream. I predicted, to the disdain of several of my colleagues in 2003, that US will never emerge from the Iraq war with honor. Five years on, my prediction is on course for fruition in much less time than the 100 years that McCain thinks he can dupe the Americans to believe it would take the US to succeed in Iraq.
If the Clintons succeed in derailing Obama’s campaign and installing McCain as the President:
1. Here are my predictions for the Clintons:
Hillary’s career will undergo an auto-flush down the toilet. She will become an obscure senator making occasional noises that no one will pay any heed to. Bill’s reputation will suffer an uncontrollable nose dive, not that he has not been adroitly herding it that way anyway. His legacy will suffer its final knock that will prove to be fatal. Chelsea, whom the senior Clintons seem to be grooming for the mantle to perpetuate the Clinton dynasty, will try to launch a political career that will be dead-on-arrival and a ghost of what her father’s once was. Bill’s and Hillary’s dream of setting up the lineage for the Bush-Clinton dynasty – George H.W. –> Bill –> George W. –> Hillary –> Jeb –> Chelsea –> … – will come to a grinding halt.
2. Here are my predictions for the American niche in the world stage:
US will maintain its stranglehold on the world political stage by the sheer power of its military might in the foreseeable future. But, its leadership in politics and economy around the world will have suffered too deadly a blow to recover from. The American empire will see the beginning of its decline much like all the other empires that preceded it.
3. Here are my predictions for the American citizenry:
In the same manner that they underwent pangs of regret and remorse for letting the war-mongering clique of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rowe dupe them in the 2000 and 2004 elections, the American electorate will be knocking themselves on their heads for being taken for a ride for an unprecedented 3rd consecutive time. Indeed, one could say “Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me!! Fool me thrice, get me a psychiatrist!!!” America will be sliding further and further into a bottomless quagmire from which there will be no return, while the rest of the world, led by a more empathic Europe and more strident Russia, China and India, will get their houses in order and look with disdain at the empire that once was as they march hand-in-hand towards addressing the real problems of the world – over population, a looming food crisis, an almost irreversible destruction of the environment and an unconscionable annihilation of our fellow voyagers from the animal kingdom – not little problems like the diminishing returns on George Bush’s oil stocks or Dick Cheney’s Halliburton stocks or the lack of real production from the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation compared to the extent of tax write offs it affords its chief patron and its rich and sometimes infamous contributors.
4. Here are my predictions for McCain:
McCain will lumber on to complete his one-and-only 4-year term of office, by which time, his gas all spent, his dream fully realized, his place in history notched up and his retirement bed of roses secured, he will bid his adieu, a frail old man, who had accomplished next to nothing as a lame-duck president.
Kirt wrote:
No matter what happens in Indy and North Carolina, there is no way the dimocrats are going to pull the rug out from under Obama at this point. It would doom them in November with black voters. They can’t win without 80-85% of the black vote. They are stuck with Obama in 08. They are screwed either way!
____________________________________________________
No they will defend racist voting of 90% for Obama but scream racist at whites for even voting in the majority for Clinton. It is about time to stop allowing the Blacks to extort the Party. Besides, where else do they have to go?? Certainly not to the Repubs.
I want to send this to Hillery
Mrs Clinton what eve the out come in the weeks to come
Leave the Democrat Party and run as an Inependent
The middle ground is wide open now
obama weakness on issues and lack of legisaltaive accomplisment
as well as the racial charged things that are in his books
make him unelectable
“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction”
There are many such statements in his books
I implore you too run as an Indepenedent
I love the white guy above who signed on as a ’61 year old black guy’ and proceeded to trash Obama. Hil-larious what lengths Hillary’s snivelling liars will go to just to win power and suck up caviar in the West Wing. she disgusts me, the self serving consummate liar. So does the ‘white’ ‘black guy’ who wrote so white it could hardly be seen on the white background. Get real people. Obama may win due to maturity and rational poise, or he may not win due to racism. Whatever! Just tell the truth, this IS INDIANA! Truth is excpected here.
It is intriguing to me the extend to which citizens have fallen in the “Obamaniac” trap. Citizens I encourage you put all aspects of Obama’s missed-steps and associations together. I think Obama has a “pattern” here and it is bestow on his own doing, or rather on his “calculating” doing. For example; Obama demonstrates audacity, intelligence, knowledge when he speaks (Remember He graduated from Harvard)- to the extend he is able to discern his messages cohisively. HOW DOES HE PRETEND I WOULD BELIEVE HE DOES NOT KNOW HIS PASTOR AS WELL AS HE THOUGHT BEFORE? His level of rationalization does not make me think he could have been fool–absoultely, not. Obama knew and I dare to bet he practiced Rev Wright’s believes…Black Liberation theology (Isn’t that what he learned during these twenty years). I believe Obama did all of these denouncing; etc. only for political reasons and advantage. I say this because I was stroke when his Wife Michelle Obama said that for the first time she felt proud of this country (there is an inherit pattern here). Another reason, in Obamas memoir there are indications of his views towards whites that leads me to believe he did not feel confortable with white people before (Another pattern here). Another reason, his connections with Rezno, The activist that set bombs in the 70s and that, as recent as 9/11 he did not think the terrorists did enough (Is this another pattern? — Similar to Rev. Wright’s views about terrorists on 9/11) the point is that this person held a fund raising for Obama–What about his relative from Kenya “Odinga”?that according to reports Obama campaing for him. according to reports Odinga is islamic and currently is oppressing Christians in Kenya. According to these reports Obama continues to be in contat with Odinga (Please research this information on your own in the internet as this information is not in the media outlets yet)–Anyways, my point is that Obama has too many associations that have a similar pattern. I ask myself; Could all of these associations be coinsidence only? Could Obama be this aloof to associate himself with all of these people with a similar pattern? If I am wrong I apologize to Mr. Obama for my views, but I don’t think I am wrong from my perspective that this is a “pattern”. Another thing that Obama does often (Another pattern), there are several times that he voted for X reason and says that he did not meant it–that it was a mistake. How about his vote in Chicago for the Gas Tax? He said that he dissapprove’s Clinton’s plan, yet he voted for it in the past (however, now what else is he going to say than “I made a mistake”-How about the ballot about guns with his handwritting on it “I did not vote that way, that was not my handwritting?–I see patterns that lead to the same…Obama says one thing but does another. (Obama will be destroyed by the Republicans if he wins the nomination)
David Thomson,
Ha ha ha! You just made my night! I mean seriously! You keep blabbing on about how the youth are dangerous and have blood on their hands… OMFG!
Let’s just break that down for a sec. “Many of the predecessors of today’s college student[s]…”
Uh, the predecessors of today’s students are their parents.
“…Have enormous amount[s] of blood on their hands.”
Oh then you’re right! Our parents do have a lot of blood on their hands for sending the youth to war!
Or were you trying to say past college students? Either way, you’re a fool.
PS. I added plurals to make your quotes make sense.
MDEAL=
You convinced me…It’s Hillary, right?
John M-
Or…he may lose because he’s not a very good candidate. And John, c’mon…race aside,you know he’s not a very good candidate.
“Oh then you’re right! Our parents do have a lot of blood on their hands for sending the youth to war!”
Are you a convinced pacifist? Sometimes younger people must be sent to war! As someone once said, you may not be interested in war—but war may be interested in you. Tyrants do not lay down their arms merely because many youths prefer not to fight.
I know Indiana well, having lived there for a third of my life. Most people in Indiana are too smart to give a rat’s hind end about either one, Clinton or Obama. Most Hoosiers have no respect for either, and rightfully so. They are both socialist idealogues. That doesn’t play well in middle America where capitalism, patriotism, and common sense are the order of the day, every day.
Very good article. Quite informative. Tough but true comments about students and young voters. If they had more experience , they certainly would neither support nor believe Obama to the extent they do. Without them , Obama would not be here now.
Unfortunately his lofty, but sbstance free rhetoric sounds quite appealing to them, and if they help nominate him, they will end up being quite disappointed. Unfortunately they will take the whole country down with them.
Not that Obama is a bad man, but he is woefully inexperienced and ill prepared for this toughest of all job. Further he has demonstrated that he is lacking in judgment and can behave as the worst of politicians for the sake of expediency. America needs and deserve better: Hillary.
Despite her imperfections she has demonstrated recently the type of resolve, resiliency and mastery of the issues that would make her a great president. For the sake of America, I hope she wins…
Jill Moyer:
As a PA resident, I saw many people flood to change registration to democratic so that they could vote. Independents couldn’t vote, but many changed their registration before March 24th to make sure they could vote. So the writers facts are straight.
Very good article by the way!
The article did a decent job of discussing the Indiana primary, but its underlying premise about the state’s importance is flawed. In truth, Indiana doesn’t really matter. The only state left that matters is North Carolina. With Obama’s large lead in the pledged delegates, Hillary has to show that Obama has lost support even in the states that are favorable to him demographically. Winning Indiana will only tell us what we already know, that Hillary beats Obama with rural voters and working-class whites. She has to break through with the affluent whites in the NC Triangle and with NC African-Americans to show the Supers that Obama has been irreparably damaged, and would be DOA against McCain. She can’t do that in Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, or even Oregon, which is too white and politically eccentric for an Obama loss to be dispositive there.
North Carolina is truly Hillary’s last chance, if she has any at all.
“Obama may win due to maturity and rational poise, or he may not win due to racism”
No other possabilities, like the fact that people just don’t think he is right for the job. I am just waiting for the left to come up with a bumper sticker that reads: VOTE OBAMA OR ELSE YOU ARE A RACIST!
Highly unnecessary to point out that Andrew Carson is “a practicing Muslim”.
And, Obama will win Indy and SC on Teusday.
@David Thomson:
Really? John Stossel? Your argument is founded on the mustache guy from 20/20?
We college students are perhaps prone to excessive idealism, but hardly ill-informed, at least relative to rest of the population. I would certainly put better odds on a random college student being able to name the president of Pakistan, or explain what the capital gains tax is, than a random member of the population at large.
Then again, maybe you’re just pissed because we’re young and hot. = )
this tyrant turned out to be unarmed…oops!
“I would certainly put better odds on a random college student being able to name the president of Pakistan, or explain what the capital gains tax is, than a random member of the population at large.”
I completely agree! It is the “excessive idealism” that is most disconcerting. The young are more easily seduced into embracing utopian schemes—that eventually turn out disastrously.
I am also very worried about the fascist tendencies of the Obama supporters. Indeed, they remind me of the students in Italy who supported dictator Benito Mussolini. Blind faith in the great leader seems to underpin the movement.
OBAMA Says:
“We are the Ones we have been waiting for.”
ME… THAT’s RIGHT… ME
FINALLY… somebody realizes that I am the person who will save the world.
VOTE FOR ME, ME, ME!
Was that journalism?
It looked like a one sided hit piece from
a bitter fan of vote getting gas tax cuts
that no experts thinks is a good idea against
someone who can really change our world.
This column is pure tripe that plays well with
the poorly unedicated. He tries to paint the
muslim pic as well. Go back to your dunghole
where we all hate each other and cheer for
a different lost cause.
Loser, Hate monger, poorly informed, brain
washing idiot and enemy of a better America.
The saner of us go on without you.
Obama ’08
The problem here is that you fail to acknowledge that a win for Clinton, if less than double digits, is really a win for Obama. At this point in the race, if Clinton and Obama merely split the rest of the pledged delegates, she must win 73% (read an impossible number) of the remaining super delegates. If she wins 60% of the remaining super delegates, she must win the remaining primaries and pledged delegates by a margin of more than 19%. And if she and Obama split the super delegates, that required margin becomes 33%. If you can think of some other situation I would be glad to run the numbers and see if it works.
I’m so glad those “informed” youth are following The Daily Show . . .
Obama may “refuse money from Lobbyists,” but he cheerfully accepts it from their spouses, their children, their employees, and the executives of the corporations they represent. And the difference is . . . ???
If TexasDem really “teach[es] at the college level,” that explains a part of the problem in itself . . .
@David Thomson:
Yeah, because old people certainly never embrace totally unsustainable schemes and cling to them in the face of all rational logic. Oh wait, why’s social security going bankrupt again? Because we can’t raise the retirement age or reduce the benefits without hordes of blue-haired ladies and guys with pants up to their armpits destroying the political career of anyone who tried. So don’t tell me about how much more reasonable mature voters are.
Good point
Hillary CAN NOT , again Can Not, actually
win this election. She can try and steal it, but even that possibility is far remote.
She is like jason in that horror movie. No matter how many times you think you’ve killed
her, she comes back to terrorize more people.
Even her smile looks like Chuckies!
The writer of this racist article belongs to the past. Thank God America’s young are ready to move the country into a new direction! Hillary’s old supporters are out of touch. Some of them wo’nt be around to vote in November any how!! The rest of the world is laughing at us right now … we’re in a recession … a 6-year war … foreclosures. We owe China money and we depend on foreign oil. Young Americans have a global outlook … so does Obama. People who are ignorant and easily hoodwinked by the right-wing corporate media don’t even know what’s happening in the world around them. The Clinton’s helped to ship your jobs off to India and China! Bill was paid $800,000 dollars as a “consultant” in a Columbian trade deal which cost American jobs. You can vote to change politics as usual or keep your head buried in manure and stay poor while the media and the Clintons work together to brainwash you. Racism is the main problem in this country … Ignorance and fear could keep is in the manure we’ve been in for the past 8 years … Remember the corruption, corporate greed, sex scandals, lies of the Bush years and the Clinton years! Obama is the only one with the guts to challenge corporate greed. He is also the only candidate with workin-class roots.
Bravo, Wizard101
A great assessment of Obama from a black man who sees what Obama is……….or is not.
Having hope and wanting change is great, but we need to elect politicians we can believe in, who we know (the good and the bad), who have a track record, who we can count on.
Hillary and McCain have proven themselves.
The fact that a socialist demagogue like Obama can even get close to being nominated to run for U.S. President by a major party is the fruit of over 40 years of systematic brainwashing of the American people – particularly young Americans, who lack the life experience to understand when they are being coned.
David is correct that a MAJORITY of today’s college students are profoundly ignorant. Compounding the problem is the fact that their narcissistic parents have been showering them with unearned praise for their entire lives. This is a dangerous mixture.
In all fairness, the ignorance of the young in matters of history, politics, culture and economics is not entirely their own fault. The hard left has been deliberately indoctrinating them, deveiving them, and removing essential curriculum so that young people are misinformed and lack the true education needed to make informed decisions. This is by design. Jefferson said that we cannot have self-government without an educated citizenry. Sadly, today’s younger generation has been mis-educated to believe that error-filled, Marxist rants such as Howard Zinn’s “The People’s History of the United States” represents truth.
We let it happen. And the ultimate penalty may be that Obama (or some other con artist in the near future) may be able to hoodwink enough Americans someday to be elected President. This will send our great nation down the slope to the deplorable level of Canada, Germany, France, and Belgium. I shudder to think about it.
Valerie- great post!
Bravo, Wizard101 – not that it matters, but you are not black
Would a black man call himself Bravo, Wizard101?
I think not
Nice try
David Thompson- “College students are indeed citizens. However, a very high percentage of them are dumb citizens! Their credentials are of dubious value. They can’t even pass a simple history test. Unfortunately, we live in a society which has been telling these brats for decades that they are brilliant.”
Thompson, you have inspired me; I now know what to do after I graduate and I have children; I need to discourage them incessantly into extreme dysphoria, you know, to ensure their not “dumb”.
By the way Thompson, if my memory serves me correctly (which it does), GWBs key demographic was not the youth vote, it was your brilliant generation.
-”Brat” freshman @ SUNY GENESEO
Hey Ari Kaufman,
Why don’t you just endorse Clinton?
OBAMA!!
Wow, could this be more biased reporting?
I am going to vote no.
The basic problem with Hillary is her evident inability to beat McCain even if she would manage to con the nomination. The case is that not only herself, but some brain-washed voters either are confusing being a fighter and being a b..ch.
Being a fighter means to be ready to sacrifice your dearest personal things like your life or health to win, and Hillary is ready to sacrifice just her voters’ money and her party’s election success, nothing personal. Being a b..ch means to say or do anything to destroy somebody.
Therefore, b..ches can only deal with nice guys like Obama who tries to show “some constraints” when competing with his party fellow. But they, b..ches, have no chance against a real fighter, with no ever constraints, like the older outgoing soldier McCain who made already real personal sacrifices in Vietnam war. Although he was not under sniper fire in Bosnia, but survived 5 years in Vietnam POW camps, let alone being under actual fire over there.
Just recall him joking, with no actual reason, but for fun: Why is Chelsea so ugly? If real competition starts, all Clintons’ dirty laundry of 90s, let alone recent developments (like the pending lawsuit in LA), would be brought to the daylight and put on Hillary, and she would have to go into such a defensive position, unless somewhere deeper, that she would not get any chance to even show her ability, much less to have it, for real fighting. Her only real experience is just a huge baggage of scandals brought from the past.
Republicans dream to have her as an opponent in November so that even Mr. Rove is now explaining to Democratic superdelegates on 10 reasons why they should prefer her to Obama. Therefore, voting for Hillary now is like voting for McCain, so think again who you would wish for President.
Here is a brief list of those people who are now actively supporting Hillary Clinton’s candidacy: Pat Buchanan, a charming man slightly to the right of Genghis Khan; Rush Limbaugh, the most voluble and incendiary of right-wing talk-show hosts; Richard Mellon Scaife, the media mogul who financed the virulently antiClinton crusades of the 1990s; and, if you read between the lines, even Karl Rove, the “architect” of the past decade or so of Republican dominance in electoral politics.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/andrew_sullivan/article3821271.ece?openComment=true
it is sad that in america people would probably vote for a white dog rather than for a black man.
who america picks is a difficulkt decison, but policies should at least influence it. rather than how many flagpins they have.
in the confederate south, where segregation wa spretty popular in the old days, i see little to suggest that their thinking has changed much in two generations. sad.
whilst i personally think clinton is the cruder candidate, and that is needed in politics to succeed, i think the media have made the entire race a laughing stock based on snippets and being politically correct.
There is absolutely no point in denying that HRC is the best candidate for the democratics people across America. She understands you, and she offers true solutions to answer true problems. Obama only offers rethorics ! O.K. he is actually a good speaker ! But being a speaker does not make you tough enough to rule a country !
If you wants to run a country you need some qualities like an important knowledge, a good preparation, a LONG TERM vision. Obama is NOT tough enough. I am French and have been following your campaign from the beginning, I can objectively tell you that Mr OBAMA is nothing but a good speaker, exactly like Nicolas SARKOZY : both of them can speak WELL on the TV but both of them CANT RULE A COUNTRY ! America must choice someone who CAN RULE A COUNTRY, not someone who SPEAKS WELL.
I have been supporting Ségolène ROYAL during our presidential election, and I’m still supporting her for the elections inside the French Socialist Party. (She is running to be the Chief of the French Socialist Party). The point I personnaly disagree with her is that point, she is supporting Obama and I’m supporting Mrs Clinton.
Mr OBAMA SPEAKS of change.
Mrs CLINTON will BRING change.
Who are these people to speak negatively of college students? Referencing them as “brats” and “only steps above moron.” Why, because the populous tends to vote in favor of a young, Black, free-thinking candidate who bestows unprecedented hope for a better America and displays better judgment and charisma than either of his competitors?
These deplorable comments are vile and ageist. College students of today are the executives, doctors, engineers, teachers and yes, presidents of tomorrow. Their insight and intuition is to be valued and respected, not discounted and censured.
It’s dejecting to realize feeble minded reactionaries stumble upon political websites to post doltish comments without any real understanding of today’s most critical issues or how to subdue them.
If only we could find a candidate willing to pass legislature deeming stupidity an unredeemable felony. Then finally the real morons won’t thwart the progress of this country.
I have to love the idiots that post on blogs, so are obviously capable of navigating the internet, that then proceed to say that Obama has just claimed ‘trust me’ or that he has no substance on issues. You know how to work the net, google obama, go to his site and read his policies (note: actual policies, not simply rhetoric). There you go, the substance you were asking for. Heck, your candidate (should you be for HRC) has even admitted that Obama’s policy proposals are almost identical to hers, therefore you should already know that they exist and can be referenced.
Regarding the moron that claims college students are morons (pot calling kettle black anyone?): Jealousy does not become you and most of the posters here can easily see through your statement.
In closing, why would anyone vote for Clinton. She knows how politics works she says;
1. She knows how the politics that got us (the country) where we are today work, I don’t want to continue in that vein, do you?
2. Reference her previous attempt at health care reform, no input from anyone else and her quoted as saying “What part is negotiable? None of it.” (ok so that is a paraphrase, not a quote). Obviously she didn’t know how politics worked then or she would’ve gotten something passed as opposed to the nothing we have.
3. In the previous Clinton administration the house and senate both lost numerous democratic seats. In part due to the Clinton’s actions. Do you want this to occur again? Not I.
4. Reference the recent criminal trial case that the Clintons are participating in. Once more, caught lying and breaking rules.
5. How do we know which Hillary would be president? Do we get the friendly one? the “shame on you” one? the secretive attacks one? the fighter one? give me a break, I’d like my president to have a single personality. I bet if you broke down her votes any one of Clinton’s personalities wouldn’t have more than 40% of her overall votes. She needed that many to be competitive, now what will she do with the extras if elected? No thank you.
I could go on and on here but this post is long enough already.
Tom…
I hate to break it to everybody, but every poll has Hillary ahead in Indiana by 6-9 points. Hillary is going to whup Obama in Indiana, just as she did in PA…and NC will be far closer then Obama will like. Hillary is going to humiliate the media and the Obama zombies, yet again…when will you people learn:)
I live in Washington State and can tell you some horror stories about voter fraud in WA caucuses. Unfortunately I don’t think Dems here were really prepared (or maybe it was planned that way) for the pushing/shoving, disappearing Hillary literature, lying about voting ages, or people being allowed to vote in precincts other than their own. It was a very negative experience for many Clinton supporters. These tactics were by Obama supporters, not the other way around.
Before this, I did my homework on both candidates before deciding. This election is just too damned important to be uninformed and ignorant about candidates and the issues. I decided to support Clinton because she is just so detailed and articulate in her proposals – like she has really thought through the pros and cons (health care, environment, economy, Iraq). She understands the problems and has the Washington experience and knowledge of how things get done to accomplish things.
Then I started noticing some troubling things about Obama’s proposals: most of them are nearly identical to Clinton’s. And if you read through them it becomes apparent that Obama has been basically doing a “cut-and-paste” of hers (adding in small differences here and there to make his seem different).
This and some additional facts I learned about his voting record: he didn’t vote to implement the 911 Commission Report, he didn’t vote on a motion to rebuke Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for lying about state attorneys firings, and he has voted against TWO measures introduced that would have set timetables for withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
He also voted in favor of the 2005 Energy Bill that gave oil and gas companies $15 billion in tax breaks (that were supposed to be used for investment in renewable/alternative energy sources, but weren’t), and he voted in favor of the Class Action Fairness Act – that limits employees’ ability to file class action lawsuits against corporations like Enron, to get some of their money back.
He really isn’t the “image” his campaign is painting him to be. And it really bothers me that he is SO CLOSE to becoming the Democratic nominee – dangerous for all of us…
A VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON IS A VOTE FOR US!
The Repuglican Party is melting away. The younger generations are mostly Democrats. Hate and fear are poor selling points. That and changing demographics spells the end of the GOP as a major party ! Will not be missed . If you doubt me, check the polls. Repugs are history .
“People never feel quite so alive as when the conscience has given them a green light to engage in sacrificial violence. Just ask the nazis. Ask the inquisitors. Ask the Islamists. And ask the crusading liberal media, who take so much moral satisfaction in instructing the grazing multitude on whom they may joyously burn at the stake.
This is why truth is the most important societal value. For virtually all wholesale violence is caused by a lie that sanctions the release of the primordial instinct to scapegoat, thereby temporarily unburdening the psyche of intolerable toxins. But, like a neurotic compulsion, the ritual drama must be enacted over and over again, because it is rooted in magic, not reality.” – http ://onecosmos.blogspot.com/2005/10/ritual-scapegoating-and-holy-liberal.html
…
“To me the most staggering thing about the long history of slavery — which encompassed the entire world and every race in it — is that nowhere before the 18th century was there any serious question raised about whether slavery was right or wrong. In the late 18th century, that question arose in Western civilization, but nowhere else.
It seems so obvious today that, as Lincoln said, if slavery is not wrong, then nothing is wrong. But no country anywhere believed that three centuries ago.
.. The anti-slavery movement was spearheaded by people who would today be called “the religious right” and its organization was created by conservative businessmen. Moreover, what destroyed slavery in the non-Western world was Western imperialism.
[..] The review of “Bury the Chains” in the New York Times tried to suggest that the ban against the international slave trade somehow served British self-interest. But John Stuart Mill, who lived in those times, said that the British “for the last half-century have spent annual sums equal to the revenue of a small kingdom in blockading the Africa coast, for a cause in which we not only had no interest, but which was contrary to our pecuniary interest.”
It was a worldwide epic struggle, full of dramatic and sometimes violent episodes, along with inspiring stories of courage and dedication. But do not expect Hollywood to make a movie about anything so contrary to their vision of the world.” – Thomas Sowell, Ending Slavery
…
On “root causes” – free will, “humanism”:
… [...] the interplay between truth, free will, and human nature:
What largely defines man is his free will, which implies both intelligence and objectivity, for if we aren’t free, then we cannot really possess either truth or goodness. Animals cannot leave the closed system of cause and effect, whereas human beings clearly can. In our vertical aspect, we can see a range of potential choices before us, whereas the animal is simply spurred by the demands of instinct.
Thus, to call free will into question is to make us less than human, which is why humanism is always subhumanism. The most subhuman places on earth are specifically those places where free will was and is denied or atrophied: in communist countries, in the Islamic world, and in urban areas where free will has been eroded by 40 years of leftist brainwashing and social engineering. In the latter case, you might say that poverty does indeed cause crime–the impoverished metaphysic of the left.
Liberty in itself is an aspect of divinity in which we may either participate or not participate. This is a truth that our founders found to be be self-evident, and we can be sure that, in their wildest nightmares, they did not anticipate an illiberal counterrevolution from the left that actually denied the entire basis of the American ideal.
- http ://drsanity.blogspot.com/2006/08/getting-to-root-of-root-causes.html
…
“The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep’s throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty.” – Abraham Lincoln
“At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? — Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the Ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! — All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. — At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” – Abraham Lincoln, 1838
Ok Indiana, it’s official; George Bush picked Hillary for the nomination. We can now rest easy knowing Obama has got this wrapped up!!
OBAMA ’08!!!!!!!
I PREDICT THAT BY MAY 20th OBAMA WILL HAVE SECURED THE NOMINATION IN A WAY THAT EVEN HILLARY CAN NOT DENY. AT THIS POINT HE WILL HAVE SECURED THE MAJORITY OF PLEDEGED DELEGATES (MEANING THERE IS NO WAY HILLARY CAN BEAT HIM HERE) AND HE WILL HAVE OVERTAKEN HILLARY IN SUPERDELEGATES. IN ADDITION HE WILL HAVE MAINTAINED THE POPULAR VOTE. CLINTON MIGHT STILL CLING ON TILL ALL STATES HAVE VOTED BUT EVERYONE WILL BE TELLING HER TO QUIT THE RACE.
Wow, this blog is wild! I am an Obama supporter. I’m neither young nor ignorant. Sorry to disappoint those who think you must be ignorant if you do not support their candidate. This article is biased in its tone and approach. I’m thrilled that young people are getting involved. And just as some people are voting for Hillary because they cannot bring themselves to vote for a black man, 17% in Indiana, young people are voting for Obama because they believe he cares about the issues that affect them. I think young people are the ones who are doing a better job of voting based on the issues. Even if you don’t agree with who they are voting for. Calling them dumb because they do not support your candidate is inmature and ignorant.
oops, 17% in PA. That was a typo.
Those who want a phony in the White House—and many who have lost their critical faculties want exactly that—need to ponder:
Do I want an experienced phony or a mere novice?
Okay, People look what your arguing about! whites,blacks, personality, gender. that is dumb. This is not a race for most likely to succeed in high school. This is most likely to save America from going to hel/ in a hand basket. Obama and Hillary are both great candidates for the president, As well as McCain. What we have to focus on is who can/will get the job done right and can actually get it done. Obama does not have the experience that Hillary or Obama have. He also thinks that we can talk with the little terrorist and make them feel safe and everything will be okay. Hillary and McCain have the right idea. Personally I believe that Hillary’s views are most helpful to the U.S. at this point and time and will correct the corruption that has happened in Washington. Lets break tradition, change is necessary.
Obama talks about change
Hillary will bring the change.
HILLARY ’08
Obama does not have the experience that Hillary or Obama have.
**McCain sorry typo.
“Hillary Clinton has positioned herself as the more centrist Democrat in a Republican state — independents, conservatives and Republicans may very well cross lines in order to vote for her, as many did in Pennsylvania.”
How misleading to state that all these people crossed lines for Hillary. Since Pennsylvania was a CLOSED Primary, only registered republicans could vote republican and only registered democrats could vote Democrat. Check the facts first Please. Just another example of someone not doing their homework. Unfortunately, you manipulate too many people with your false information.
Yes Reverend Wright has given all the closet racists who were NOT going to vote for Obama anyway a reason to run to Hillary, the poor old 100 million dollar woman who can eympathize with the farmer and the blue-collar worker….YEAH RIGHT. Reverend Wright despite being a narcissitic old fool is entitled to his beliefs but that doesn’t mean they are shared by his entire congregation including Obama. How many of you are close to people whose views don’t exactly align with yours? I would dare say that I agree with Reverend Wright about 911. Why? Because we had been warned about our policies and even by other Government’s that an attack was imminent. But I digress, my point is that Reverend Wright just like Pat Robertson, Hagee, Graham and many other pastors are entitled to their opinions, but no White politician has ever had to break ties with Billy Graham or Pat Robertson because of their views were over-the-top. If you don’t want to vote for Obama that is fine but to keep harping on Reverend Wright like he is running for President, or will be a cabinet member or a member of Congress in an Obama administration is utterly ridiculous.
Laura,
You are another lost soul. Every aspect of Hillary’s campaign was taken from Obama’s. She had NO policies or plans initially because she mistakenly thought she would have closed the deal by Super Tuesday. It is called the sense of “entitlement.” She sent spies into Obama’s camp. We were quite aware. Obama raised money on line so she decided to do likewise. Everything he has done so has she. Nothing original about this. So get your facts straight and then return here to speak truth and not lies. She is done and knows it but wants to destroy the party if she can not obtain the presidency. She is an old has been and needs to retire from public office. America does not need her or Bill for any reason. I am praying that she will not be America’s next president and so are so many other Christians.
It’s been touched upon here…but the key thing in judging our candidates is “what have they done?” Not “what have they said?” The political “machine” that churns in Washington (and beyond) is too large to be altered by mere words – which is all Obama has to fall on. Clinton too (to a large degree). The people who “make a difference” in the national scene are the ones who have a history of DOING – not preaching. With that in mind, this twenty-something moderate democrat feels there is little alternative other than choosing McCain come the general election.
A lot of voters are already trying to make the parallel to Bush simply b/c of party affiliation — yet I find there is little similarity between the two. Bush was somewhat “annointed” the throne through his family affiliation – relatively little effort needed to be made to push through the political ladder. McCain has done yeoman’s work in the senate over the past 25 years, following his heroic tour of duty in Vietnam. He’s put himself front-on-center on international issues (i.e. war, immigration, etc.) as well as everyday domestic issues such as consumers’ rights. Having this experience gives him an understanding that Bush never had (nor Obama/Clinton).
And for those who say that experience is overrated – I give the example of a precocious young baseball player standing in the batters box against an MLB pitcher who throws 95 mph with a wicked curveball. He might have the talent to hit a home run (Obama) – but his inexperience will “leave him guessing” more often than not, and he’ll strike out much more than make contact. Meanwhile, the old pro (McCain) – the guy who has some ability but is workmanlike in approach – knows all the tricks of the trade and finds ways to get base hits and score runs, bit by bit. Over the long run, I trust the old pro….
he rose to the top of the dirty Chicago political machine by playing the game and he says he’s going to change Washington? DC is clean compared to the Chicago sewer. He didn’t change politics in Chicago, dozens of killings in his hometown in a few weeks, police armed with machine guns.
Where is Obama? He hasn’t uttered a word about it. He is in it for himself and says it’s about “your hopes and dreams”. He must be laughing all the way to the bank!
The Illusion that is Obama
POLITICAL campaigning necessarily produces a wide gap between words and deeds. This is the price of bringing together a broad coalition with disparate interests. All effective politicians are at times authentically insincere or sincerely inauthentic. Exaggeration, embellishment, overstatement, doubletalk, deception and lies presented as metaphorical truths are the order of the day.
So, of course, Barack Obama is no different. He exaggerates the credit he deserves for a limited piece of ethics-reform legislation. He embellishes when he presents himself as having had a consistent record on the Iraq war when in fact he’s done a fair amount of zigzagging.
He engages in doubletalk when, on free trade and Iraq, he tells the yokels one thing and the policy people another. He overstates when he presents his minimal accomplishments in the Illinois Senate as proof of his stature. He engages in systematic deception when he says he doesn’t take money from lobbyists.
He presents a lie as metaphorical truth when he says it was the 1965 bloody Sunday attacks on peaceful civil rights protesters in Selma, Alabama, that inspired his parents to marry. (They had been married for years already.)
All of this is unappealing, but also unexceptional. What makes it different is that there’s not just a gap but a chasm between his actions and his professed principles, which would normally kill a candidacy. And because his deeds are so few, the disparity is all the more salient.
Obama, far more than the others, is the “judge me by what I say and not what I do” candidate. He wants to be the conscience of the country without necessarily having one himself.
The disparity between Obama’s rhetoric of transcendence and his conventional Chicago racial and patronage politics is a leitmotiv of his political career. In New York, politicians (Al Sharpton excepted) are usually forced to pay at least passing tribute to universal principles and the ideal of clean government.
But Chicago, until recently a city of Lithuanians, blacks and Poles governed by Irishmen on the patronage model of the Italian Christian Democrats, is the city of political and cultural tribalism.
Blacks adapted to the tribalism and the corrupt patronage politics that accompanied it. Historically, one of the ironies of Chicago politics is that the clean-government candidates have been the most racist, while those most open to black aspirations have been the most corrupt. When the young Jesse Jackson received his first audience with then mayor Richard Daley Sr – impervious to the universalism of the civil rights movement in its glory – offered him a job as a toll-taker. Jackson thought the offer demeaning but in time adapted.
In Chicago, racial reform has meant that the incumbent mayor, Richard M. Daley, has been cutting blacks in on the loot. Louis Farrakhan, Jackson, Jeremiah Wright and Obama are all, in part, the expression of that politics. It hasn’t always worked for Chicago, which, under the pressure of increasing taxes to pay for bloated government, is losing its middle class. But it has served the city’s political class admirably.
(snip)
Hillary wants to obliterate Iran, nuke it to the stone age, (which means lots of fallout over Russia next door which may well mean they get a tad upset I should think), she wants to roll back tax on gas (which means she doesn’t care about the planet) she is pro-gun and since she has gone the whole way to shed her Washington mindset, must be pro-life, pro-poverty as well. She is a loose cannon, a dangerous politician who will say anything to get elected – in short an abomination. McCain only wants to stay in iraq for 100 years. Obama is the only choice. In the end America gets the politicians it deserves, after 8 years of Bush, one would hope it deserves better than Hillary.
I can’t wait, another few hours and Indiana goes back to being insignificant, and we probably wont see another political ad all year.
Despite the back and forth here on this site, there are few substantive differences between Obama and Clinton. Clinton’s argument seems to be that she is more electable than Obama and thus should get the nomination. I think Obama has shown himself to have some warts and has revealed some major weaknesses that have made his genereal election prospects more dicey. However, I do not understand HRC’s blithe claim that she is more electable. Last time I checked 60% of Americans surveyed think she is dishonest and her favorability rating rarely approaches 50%. Much ado has been made of Barak Obama’s lack of appeal to white voters, but 90% of black votes is one of the pillars of Democratic success over the last 40 years. Both candidates bring demonstrable advantages to the table and weaknesses. I would be happy if either candidate wins the election … but the tone of the nomination helps no one by McCain. We should save our powder for the GOP, not each other.
“McCain only wants to stay in iraq for 100 years.”
Why must you people cheerypick on all the media soundbytes and ignore history? We still have troops in Germany, Korea, Japan, etc. Is that upsetting you at all?
Look, in America, freedom is NOT free. That is why we are better than Britain and other Eurabian countries being overrun by Islamo-fascists.
Obama is the only choice? Why? Has he ever done a thing in terms of leadership? Or does white guilt and naivete carry the way for you, Mr. North?
The McCain haters only have three “arguments” and they’re all flawed:
he’s old
he’s the same as Bush
he wants to win the war on terror
only the third is relevant, but they are so ignorant.
Meanwhile, there are a million arguments agst a BHO presidency, but WHEN he loses, the left, always full of rage and emotion, will cry racism.
“because the youth vote actually highly informed these days due to following the news via the Internet or Daily Show/Colbert”
That is perhaps the DUMBEST but most telling thing said yet. See, I had some empathy for the MORONS on college campuses who cannot tell you who Grover Cleveland was but know the lyrics to all rap songs—then I recalled that they DO get their “news” from moonbats like these two. Thanks for proving my point.
Oh, the other insane part I read was that the environment is a top priority amongst collegians. Yes, yes, Al Qaeda really cares about the env’t. Yes, college radical fools, you are mostly morons—thus you support Obama.