Starting Gate: Just Another Politician?

(CBS)
His past association with the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright is, of course, the most obvious example of the dents his image has taken. The widely circulated comments made by Wright exposed the still-deep racial divisions, something Obama himself acknowledged in his much-heralded speech on the controversy. Concerns about Wright’s comments about Israel and the American government have caused enough suspicion about Obama’s feelings that he recently has felt the need to reiterate his patriotism on occasion.
But there are other signs that Obama is as much a practical politician as movement leader. This week, Obama signaled that he may decide to opt out of public financing for the fall election and rely instead on the unprecedented network of small donors he’s built. Such a move could almost insure that his campaign would have a huge financial advantage for the runup to November, a smart decision to be sure. But it comes after Obama had earlier said he would accept the public financing system as long as the GOP nominee did the same and all signs point to John McCain doing just that.
Then there is the issue of Michigan and Florida, where Obama forces were somewhat instrumental in stopping any efforts aimed at re-voting in those states. His campaign has a point in arguing against counting the results as they are from the January primaries, which broke party rules. But the moral high ground is not found in stopping voters in those two very important states. Shutting down the voters now may be the practical move to win the nomination but could haunt the campaign in November.
Obama has gotten tremendous mileage from his initial speech opposing the war in Iraq in 2002, contrasting him favorable with Hillary Clinton who is suspected of supporting the war for largely political reasons. Yet Obama’s pledge to end the war and withdraw U.S. troops in a specific time frame has been undermined at least once by a former advisor who acknowledged that what happens in Iraq largely depends on what the next president finds the situation to be upon coming into office. And while discredited to a point, the suggestion that another Obama advisor gave a wink to Canadian officials about his future course on NAFTA raises at least the possibility that what is said on the campaign trail is “just talk,” as Clinton likes to say.
Clinton is the prototype politician. It’s one reason she finds herself in the position of needing a miracle comeback. Obama’s perceived authenticity and grandiosity is the antidote to that. But in this long primary campaign, he’s shown that’s he’s a politician too.
The Real Big Apple? New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made waves when he introduced Obama for an economic address. It was the second rather high-profile public melding of the one-time presidential aspirant and the Democratic front-runner and set off a round of talk about a possible ticket for the fall. Today, the independent mayor will go back across the aisle by introducing presumptive GOP nominee John McCain at a business roundtable. Bloomberg has indicated his endorsement is open to any candidate in the fall but appeared thus far to be leaning much more toward the Democrats, Obama in particular. "I hope we'll be able to by November say, 'There is a candidate that, while I don't agree with him or her on everything, they are not leading me down a garden path,'” Bloomberg tells the New York Daily News.
He Cares: After criticism that his initial reaction to the mortgage situation was too heavy on laissez-faire, McCain will today propose a plan that would give some homeowners facing foreclosure an opportunity to trade their mortgages for more manageable loans. According to the AP, the plan would help both the homeowner and lender by providing certificates to make up for the loan’s original value which could be shared if the house sells for more in the future. "It is built on the reality that homeowners should have an equity capital stake in their home," McCain will say, according to prepared remarks. "Homeowners would end up with a 30-year mortgage and an equity stake in their home. The new lender would receive a federal guarantee of the mortgage. And the taxpayer gets a benefit if the sale value ever recovers."
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See all 109 CommentsNo he should not roll over, he should play within the rules but also press any advantage he has to win - because without winning there will be zero chance for change with Clinton or McCain practicing politics as usual
The man has been a total legislative failure and has these grandiose visions that he can just fix everything! And his ties to anti-Americans should be raising eyebrows all over the US!
Just say NO to Obama the Scama!
www.ThisIsNoSecret.com
Love and peace & Truth will be the winners. Let the process continue !!!
If Obama is on the ropes then Hillary is on the cavass. This race is over folks.
Obama leads in every major category, including the biggest of all - MONEY!!! Superdelegates are just waiting for the right monment to flock to him and his fund rasing ability - if Hillary narrowly wins or loses Pennsylvania the superdelegates could decide the nomination prior to the end of the month - if not then it will end shortly after the North Carolina primary on 5/6/08.
EVERYBODY knows this is over, even Hillary, but she just can''t let go - how sad is that
Obama''s books s*uck, who wants to read about a person who is confused about his own life with racist remarks about his grandmother. There are many political people who write books, nothing new. Obamas not president,why say: the last president to write books with his own hand, when there are alot of people who write books, including me, and I''m sure mine is much more exciting then his will ever be.
Whers your proof corn nuggett. Obama is not leading in the women votes. That right there just tells you how incompetent he really is. Do you realize that if you do not have the majority of women voters, you cannot win the presidential race. Women make up the majority of voters in this country, you have to have their votes, and I''ll tell you something, Obama does not have them, he will not get them, after this cr*ap with Michigan and Florida, they will jump the track to John McCain, you can deffinately bet on that one. Obama is on the rtoad to no where, except maybe to prison once this Rezko case is through.
It could possibly be too late for Hillary, but it won''t matter. The Republican machine has been, for months, assembling all of Obama''s glaring negatives to be presented at the grand finale. You are going to learn of negative Obama stuff that the Media has basically refused to publish. These facts will startle Obama supporters at first, but as the mystic illusion wears thin the reality of their dellusion will become apparent.
The largest glaring mishap is the inept DNC handling of this convention. It almost seems as though Democrats shot themselves in the foot purposely. But for what purpose? So many supporters are once again being abandoned to their own devises. Is it because we are at War? Is there some kind of wierd shadow power, with mind control, manipulating the image of our surroundings and the image of ourselves?
ccfsdca
All Democratic candidates signed an agreement not to campaign in the states that violated the rules of the Democratic primaries. Now Hillary, who has no chance of winning is raising a stink. You are a moron.
Well, it was all a farce. The fact and the rationale to invade and occupy a country that was already defeated and topple their government to force the privatization of their oil production was the motive along with fleecing the American People for half a trillion dollars (to date).
We all know now that the Bush/Cheney Administration planned and implemented this campaign for self profit and have said many times when asked about the justification for the invasion and occupation that the United States is in Iraq now regardless and therefore we can%u2019t leave.
The Republicans along with Presidential Nominee John McCain wish to perpetuate their war military industrial complex by yet attacking another Middle Eastern country Iran. There shallow reasoning would be Al Quaida 911 terrorists extremists. It is clear that the Republicans don%u2019t care about Americans and, they will sustain another war that will not be able to be reversed again.
Cowgirl... are you serious? You''re really going to lump Obama together with Bush because of his view on Tibet''s human rights (which is what the argument is about, not the Olympics themselves)? RowdyTexan... corruption??? Please, actually take a look into the Rezko case. I hardly would consider donating money received from someone to charity or purchasing property as corruption. Croft777... knowing someone is not a criminal offense. Obama is not on trial here. No chance he will go to prison. Tony Rezko is on trial for wire fraud, money laundering and extortion, three charges COMPLETELY separate from Obama. This whole thing started because Clinton accused Obama of representing Rezko, when in actuality, Obama''s boss, Allison Davis, was a business partner of Rezko''s. Therefore, any work that he did for Rezko was because of his Senior Law partner, Ms. Davis. That''s it. That''s all. Just read up on it. It really isn''t that hard. But, I guess it is a lot easier to just regurgitate whatever you hear on Michael Savage''s or Rush Limbaugh''s radio programs. That way, you don''t have to think at all. I mean, that''s what our country is all about nowadays, isn''t it?
The invasion and occupation of Iraq
The price of Oil, Energy (and everything else)
Medical Health Care over charging and prescription drugs
The Environment
Predatory lending
Invasion of privacy
Politicalization of the Justice Department
FCC control and manipulation of the media
Fabrication, falsehood, and deceit to the American People
Great platform to be running on for GOP, and as expected
the only answer they have is to smear and exploit the opposition.
I never said Clinton "forced him to deal with Rezko." He interacted with Rezko through connections he created through his law firm. He certainly didn''t advocate any actions of Rezko''s, or was even aware of any actions that Rezko was doing at the time.
The hullabaloo was created by Clinton, not the Chicago Sun-Times. The Sun-Times reported this story in 06. She brought it to the forefront.
Went with Farrakhan to the Half-million man march
Never attended a White Church (even though he and Michelle preach diversity)
His Wife is finally proud of America (1st statement) then she is really proud (2nd statement)
His wife wrote an essay on black separatists in Princeton
His Hate pastor gave Farrakahn an award and supports Hamas
Obama caught with handwriting on Liberal Survey supporting unfettered Abortion and strict gun control
Obama still hasn%u2019t explained REZCO ties fully
a koolaid drinker is the liberal democrat who is liberal because they are told they should be. they have made no attempt to decide why they are liberal.
Posted by terrorislamh at 01:17 PM : Apr 10, 2008
Hey Terr, go fill up your tank with gas and buy lunch.
I%u2019m sure you%u2019ll find Conservatism has done did gooder for Americans.
mega dittos!
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