From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Rezko Scandal Already Casting Shadow Over Presidential Race
CHICAGO – A corruption scandal involving a fundraiser who bankrolled the campaigns of Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich is guaranteed to take on fresh life as the nation heads into a hard-fought presidential election.
Chicago businessman Antoin “Tony” Rezko, 52, was convicted Wednesday of fraud, money laundering and aiding and abetting bribery in a plot to squeeze illegal payoffs out of firms hoping to do business with the state.
Republican spin doctors are already capitalizing on Rezko’s ties to Obama — the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“Today’s verdict and Obama’s friendship with Rezko raises serious questions about whether he has the judgment to serve as president,” Republican national chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan said in a statement.
One day after Barack Obama proclaimed himself the putative nominee of the Democratic Party, we learn that the newly crowned standard bearer, who received fewer votes than his opponent, is in the cross-hairs of scrupulously honest and thorough U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.
U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said the verdict represented “an antidote to the poison of corruption” that trial testimony alleged included the fixing of state boards that controlled a $40 billion pension fund and made major decisions about million-dollar hospital construction.
He expressed hope it would have an effect on Illinois politicians.
“If morals don’t get to them, I hope the fear of going to jail does,” Fitzgerald told reporters
This will continue to be relevant to the presidental race, because Tony Rezko plans to appeal his convinctions. If his conviction is upheld, I’m certain that Fitzgerald will give Rezko the opportunity to roll over on other particpants in the Chicago combine. For more background, check out this video posted by Teresa in an earlier thread. Are you paying attention, Howard Dean?
On a more pleasant note, I found this story recommended in one of our older threads. It provides more context for the story of Harriet Christian, the New York woman who was videotaped after being forcibly ejected from the RBC meeting last Saturday. Will Bower writes:
Many have criticized Harriet for what is being categorized as her “circus antics.” What they call “antics,” I call the red blood of Democracy. She was angry. She was angry as I was angry. We were angry as thousands of people were angry. That anger needed a voice that wasn’t couched behind cold, intellectually dishonest reason.
The DNC had committed an act of war, and Harriet was firing back with bullets of passion. Was she the best marksman? Perhaps not. But did she reveal to America the depth of frustration that many, many people are feeling right now? That she did.
We all know that — had she been as calm and collected as so many of you feel she should have been — that she wouldn’t have the nearly 800,000 YouTube hits she now does. Her voice has been heard.
We may not agree with everything Harriet said during her tirade, but we share her anger at the outrage committed by the DNC on Saturday–the day the RBC tried to kill democracy. We can’t let them succeed. As Ben, one of our frequent commenters put it, “We are the resistance!” And from UpstateNY, via Quebec, “Je me souviens!” We remember and we will not forget.
Filed under: General |
The Confluence 
BB,
Have you read the Evelyn Pringle series, “Curtain Time for Obama?”
I think I’ll tackle it after I calm down some more. I started but couldn’t concentrate.
I’m so happy about these verdicts…I was worried that the corruption would extend into the courtroom or that the jury might be pro-Obama and would do him a favor and acquit.
And Rezko is indicted again in the pizza parlor scandal. The gift that keeps on giving!
Sonya,
No I haven’t. I always have a hard time understanding long, involved conspiracies. But I may try again. Earlier, Teresa posted a video from Chicago that was pretty frightening.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=2558426
sonya — are you ‘make it plain’ sonya?
Amazing. Anyone else with these connections would have been toast a long, long time ago.
It must be nice to have so many powerful people willing to help you out, no?
Barfy’s future’s so bright he’s gotta wear a miner’s helmet.
hlr,
Yes, that’s me.
Is lyndon larouche out of jail yet? Maybe Obama should pick him as veep and they can govern together from adjoining cells.
sonya — I used to read it — good work.
Thanks, hlr! I hope to bring it back this summer.
sonya — oh, good!
For all of us — a warning. This is how the Obama campaign plans to handle PUMA:
“I was absolutely shocked, could not believe that this happened. I could understand people saying, ‘Why are you doing this or why would you not support Hillary Clinton?’ but to call me the kinds of names I have not heard since the ’40s and ’50s,” he said.
Clyburn said some of the callers threatened to “sabotage this election.” He added that he does not think Clinton understands her role in unifying the party.
I don’t believe Clyburn, FWIW. Perhaps his office got a crank call or two, but I think his making a news story out of it is for other reasons.
Good. They’re scared of PUMA.
However — I would like for people to think before they type, generally speaking. You’re representing PUMA now!
Oprah ‘doing the happy dance’ over Obama win.
(CNN) — Oprah Winfrey is ecstatic over Barack Obama’s apparent victory in this year’s Democratic presidential race.
“I’m euphoric, I’ve been doing the happy dance all day,” she said in a statement released Wednesday I’m so proud of Barack and Michelle and what this means for all of us, the new possibilities for our country.”
The talk show host, who campaigned for Obama in several key early primary states, added: “And if he wants me to, I’m ready to go door to door.”
I feel ill.
Based on what happened to John Lewis, I’d guess that Clyburn got more threats from Obama supporters than Hillary supporters. Any Hillary supporter who didn’t know Clyburn was backing Obama after what Clyburn did to Clinton during the SC primary would have to be a complete moron. And the morons aren’t the ones supporting Hillary.
Oh goody. I hope Oprah knocks on my door so I can tell her what I think of her candidate.
I don’t believe Clyburn either. He showed how dishonest he is when he called the Clintons racists. He’s got a lot of nerve saying that Hillary doesn’t know her role in unifying the party. Please.
I was checking out http://clintondems.com/diaries/ and saw the RNC ad “Democrats vs. Obama.”
Things are gonna get real ugly, real fast.
hlr – he is just trying to get folks scared to act because he is blaming Hillary. Oh no, if we don’t behave they blame Hillary – like that wouldn’t be the excuse anyway.
You are right about how we approach dealing with Supers. I think pointing out their support of lying, stealing, cheating and crooks alone is enough. No need to mention Hillary.
Why are my comments in moderation?
bb – you are too funny! Oh yeah, we really thought Clyburn was in the tank for Hillary up until yesterday – what a shocker it was!
sonya — it happens to me a lot as well. Certain words trigger it, like one beginning with the letter ‘r.’ Just repost your thoughts as use *$&% for anything you judge a trigger word.
Got it. Thanks, hlr.
I’ve spent most of my time at Taylor Marsh’s site during the primaries – but I simply can’t climb aboard the Unity Pony she is promoting. Does that make me a PUMA? 🙂
Anyway, now that Rezko is convicted, it will be interesting to see what Fitzgerald will do. My hope is that he will immunize Rezko and flip him – and that he might have some interesting things to say about one Barack Obama.
I don’t know anything about Chicago politics, but I do know there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The machine pols and money people didn’t facilitate Obama’s meteoric rise out of the goodness of their hearts.
It was obvious from the get-go that Obama had questionable ethics with that *(%$ estate deal. Lawyers are supposed to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, which a former president of the Harvard Law Review should have known. That dude is dirty to the bone.
We should keep an eye on Oprah’s ratings.
As far as Clyburn, he must be joking. Hillary has been very gracious. Her comments today were very supportive of the annointed one. What else is she supposed to do short of give up her delegates, which she is not going to do. If BO is so wonderful and such a strong candidate, he should be able to win this thing without her and us. That is all we have heard for months. The Democrats have made this bed for themselves, now they are going to have to deal with it. It is not for her to put this thing back together for the party. She got screwed. She owes nothing to anyone other than what she feels is her commitment to her supporters, which I believe she holds more sacred than the hacks running the Democratic Party right now.
hi all,
i posted earlier today…have been out and back now pouring over the latest news…
i also want to ask again what i asked earlier, if anyone has an opinion on it…
i said that if the whitey tape existed and was apparently sold on the TUCC site, then there should be more than one copy….many people must have copies….this leads me to think maybe it’s not true. but i don’t put words like that past MO…
yeah, if Mr BO is the great unifier, a messiah…et al…(ad nauseum)…then he should be able to win over HRC voters on his own…besides, one mr clyburn himself stated that Mr BO is redrawing the electoral map…so then maybe they really don’t need us…
Wow. Surely Clyburn has been in public life long enough to get plenty of offensive calls of all kinds from all sorts of angry people. It’s completely wrong for them to do that. But what is the deal with publicizing it and blaming it on Hillary? That too is profoundly destructive.
It’s infuriating to me personally because I feel personally accused of something I did not do, want no part of, find immoral and offensive, and yet cannot control what other people do. This will infuriate others. Maybe he doesn’t know this kind of story is not just to be used to pressure Hillary – it will make the rounds and further anger and alienate her supporters, whose votes they need if they want to win the election.
Those callers might be Freepers or right wing Republicans. They might be Hillary supporters who are a small group and do not speak for the vast majority of us, and he has to know that. I’ve asked Hill staffers before how much crazy constituent feedback they get, and the answer is.. a LOT.. and plenty of crazy calls driven by the blogs. (As a blog reader and poster, that’s why I asked – I still had delusions way back when that someone could get the Daily Kos folks to rein it in and behave in a courteous manner instead of counterproductive demands.)
Clyburn is one to talk about unifying the Party. When he went public prior to the SC, it became apparent that he was mouthing Obama talking points – as evidenced by the Obama camp memo that was circulated. Clyburn was troubled that Bill Clinton has called Obama’s “entire candidacy” a “fairy tale” and Hillary’s remark about MLK/LBJ. What happened to Bill and Hillary Clinton prior to that primary was one of the most vicious things one Democrat has ever done to another – and it was the first step in creating the current divide. Prior to SC, I would have supported Obama.
I’m done with the Democratic party. This is the last time they’re going to let me down. I feel numb.
i get the icky feeling that no matter what else comes out about Mr BO it won’t matter so much. there is no way the DNC et al did not know what a slippery past Mr BO has before they started pumping him up…they’ve been at it for years now, so surely people have looked into his past, his beliefs, etc…to know the shadiness runs deep…obviously it doesnt’ matter to them bc in the face of facts of his unelectability, they continue to PUSH HIM UP….
Sonya,
I released your comments. There are trigger words that can get people’s posts moderated. A lot of times it is because people put in more than one link. I don’t know why. I need to get to bed now, but if it happens again, I’ll take care of it in the morning.
They will learn just how needed we really are when ‘the chosen one’ loses by a landslide in Nov. How nice it is to be among the ‘swing’ voters this election.
BB, thanks!
Donna Brazile said the base should stay home. They have made it very clear they do not care if we come home or not. The corrupt arrogance of BO and his campaign is beyond belief. I am going to enjoy watching the trainwreck and I have to think there is a part of Hillary that will also. Hey, if he can win without us, kudos to him. But he will have to do it without me. I have purged guilt from my life. I left the party and I am not looking back. If we don’t take a stand, this kind of crap will continue. It has become a moral imperative to stand up against this corrupt election. Hillary knows that and she is not going to abandon us. She will suspend her campaign, go on the road, talk about her issues, say nice things about BO and let the chips fall where they may. I don’t believe for a minute she will be the VP. He does not want her and I don’t believe she truly wants it either. She is playing with him now, like a PUMA with a mouse.
anyone that’s still online have an opinion on my ‘whitey’ tape comment?
I just got this letter from Hillary’s campaign:
I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.
On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.
I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party’s nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.
When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.
I made you — and everyone who supported me — a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I’m going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.
I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.
I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.
In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.
I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.
If he thinks pulling the race card again is going to change my mind and guilt me into voting for Obama he’s nuts. I feel bad for HRC they are really treating her like shit. It’s sad to see her so-called supporters on tv try to act like Obamas so fab now. They are so pathetic! PUMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
not only are they blaming hillary, they’re trying to guilt trip us into voting for him with the implication that opposition to Obama is based on race. rep clyburn, if you got calls from people who made racist remarks, i’m deeply, deeply sorry. and so is sen. clinton, but that has nothing to do with me, and I’m not giving up my vote to assuage the sins of people I don’t know.
If by ‘sabotage the election,” you mean do something illegal, like, say, arbtrarily reassign the votes cast in a primary paid for by a state and governed by state law, or something, then bring your evidence forward. If, however, you mean sabotage the election by refusing to cast their vote for the Democratic nominee then you, sir, must know better than anyone that the right to vote is sacred. Nobody owns anyone’s vote, no one owes anybody their vote. I’ll cast mine however i choose. that’s not sabotage, that’s freedom, although the free casting of votes seems to be a concept our party is struggling with lately.
Questions to the Magic Man June 21st at Applebee’s in PA an Obama campaign stop:
Sir, sir, if you are elected President will you pardon Mr. Rezko following Bush’s example with Libby?
A simple ‘no’ would have been sufficient sir.
And sir, Have you given and thought to who your Press Secretary might be? Have you considered Scott McClellan?
Finally, no sir..no…not intending to be disrespectful to MEChelle.., oh, it’s Michelle….okay…yes but rumor has it you are considering her for AG. Yes, sir it’s been reported that she really wants the post…to quote ‘keep everyone in line…’ I believe were the words…
Oh….You want Liebermann for that and Mechelle for SCOTUS….
Okay, thank you sir.
Enjoy your salad sir!
Crap, I hope she just suspends. Are those assholes actually making her release her delegates?
not only are they blaming hillary, they’re trying to guilt trip us into voting for him with the implication that opposition to Obama is based on r@#$. rep clyburn, if you got calls from people who made r%$#%^ remarks, i’m deeply, deeply sorry. and so is sen. clinton, but that has nothing to do with me, and I’m not giving up my vote to assuage the sins of people I don’t know.
If by ’sabotage the election,” you mean do something illegal, like, say, arbtrarily reassign the votes cast in a primary paid for by a state and governed by state law, or something, then bring your evidence forward. If, however, you mean sabotage the election by refusing to cast their vote for the Democratic nominee then you, sir, must know better than anyone that the right to vote is sacred. Nobody owns anyone’s vote, no one owes anybody their vote. I’ll cast mine however i choose. that’s not sabotage, that’s freedom, although the free casting of votes seems to be a concept our party is struggling with lately.
I think it is out there under wraps. I don’t think LJ would go out on a limb unless he had very good sources. Just because he is relying on hearsay does not mean it is not reliable. It is certainly plausible. MO is not exactly little miss decorum. She has already shown her true colors. And why would they leak a fake transcript of it to discredit it if they did not believe it was out there? LJ said tonight that it is out there and it will not be seen until after the convention. We will just have to wait and see.
Imagine if Obama were to lose even just 20% of the 18 million voters who supported Hillary this season- it would cost him the election in Nov. If McCain and Obama were neck and neck, then a loss of even that seemingly small percentage of Dem votes, could finish Obama.
I believe many Hillary supporters are really PUMAs at heart. They will not suddenly support Obama in Nov.
sarah: anyone that’s still online have an opinion on my ‘whitey’ tape comment?
I don’t believe the tape exists *or* maybe she made critical comments about US/UN indifference to Rwanda during the Clinton administration — something Bill Clinton himself has said he has regrets about.
Also — the blog site that promotes the existence of this tape — I looked at it once but didn’t return b/c I thought there was something of an unhealthy obsession w/ MO, kind of the way right-wingers ranted about Hillary back in the day.
Perhaps two threads ago, what I said about the tape-pushers was ‘put up or shut up.’
I’m still reeling from Clyburn’s remarks. Of course, the usual sites that love to trash Hillary are reposting this article.
This is just poison. He is saying those words as if they apply to all Clinton supporters – as if we are all racists who need to “mature,” as if we would all make calls to his office and say those things. Is that what the Obama supporters all believe? Don’t they understand how deeply hurtful it is to be accused of racism over something you did not do, had no control over, and cannot help nor change?
My Obama fan friends throw those charges around like they’re nothing at Hillary and at Clinton supporters in general, and don’t seem to know or care how deeply I am offended by such an injustice. That I take it personally and I will not forget it. They are going to lose the election and do irreparable harm to the Democratic Party if they don’t stop doing this. I can think of no better way to permanently alienate voters than to throw what is possibly the most destructive, offensive charge in American public life at people who did nothing to deserve it.
No one can make Hillary release her delegates. She would lose all of her leverage if she did that. She will want to fight for universal healthcare in the platform if nothing else. They can whine and complain about Hillary all they want. Why should she care what the DNC wants? She will suspend her campaign, that is it.
yeah; i think the possibility is there for some kind of audio/video with more ranting but perhaps not what is being leaked.
there was no way it would get out in time for the HRC campaign to use it….it was always destined to be used by repubs.
the letter from clinton certainly sounds like a prelude to conceding to me.
Sarah,
I believe in the mythical MO tape. Larry is a legit guy with a reputation to protect. Abycat is right, he wouldn’t go out on a limb unless he had excellent sources.
Plus, it’s completely within the Republican playbook to have something like this up their sleeve (or in Rove’s vault somewhere) spring loaded for an Oct. release.
I’ve got my popcorn all ready for it.
okay then… will skip the speech on sat, but my first donation to McCain goes out tomorrow. *sighs*
I can’t blame sen. clinton for not wanting to continue the fight after everything they’ve put her through, but damn, i wish SO MUCH that she were not doing this. these bastards (Dem establishment) are getting everything they want, and it just makes me hate them more.
It doesn’t matter, they’re not going to dump BO because of an inflammatory tape about bill clinton, they’ll probably give Bo a medal.
I can’t wait to see the fireworks that will erupt if Fitzpatrick brings corruption charges against Obama either before or after he is crowned by the Democrats in Denver. The Obamatrons will have a seizure, the GOP will be laughing their heads off and the Democratic party will be in a complete tailspin.
Sorry, that’s Fitzgerald, not Fitzpatrick.
Don’t you think it’s funny how establishment Democrats are stamping their feet, demanding ‘unity?’
unity through behavior designed to anger and alienate. Maybe they misplaced the dictionary–or more likely they believe diehard Clinton haters outnumber sane people in the voting pop.
Plan A Clinton. Plan B McCain. Unqualified BO.
You know, about The Tape, I thought about it and if I were a really devious GOP operative and had control of such a time bomb, the best of all worlds might be to hang on to it, use it to raise money from GOP fat cats, let the rumors get out there to generate a good whisper campaign that has the advantage of feeding off some true information (Wright/Pfleger/Trinity), make Obama and his people sweat by dropping hints about it, and then.. (assuming McCain seems a lock to win after they do all this stuff to tear Obama down).. don’t release the tape.
It doesn’t need to exist. It probably doesn’t exist. They can quite possibly do more damage to Democrats without it. I already see obvious GOP fans astroturfing news sites and blogs with accusations about the Obamas being militants and hating white people etc. And then if Obama supporters and Democratic leaders respond to this stuff by accusing average voters (and Hillary supporters, which they continue to do) of rac1sm, the circular firing squad is only going to escalate.. with consequences that will last well beyond November. They will do exactly what Hillary was unfairly accused of doing. I think we’re about to learn from the Republicans what dog whistles really sound like.
I feel like Cassandra here.
My working assumption is that this tape does not exist. There is no point in obsessing over it. It’s a distraction because everyone likes a good mystery. I got the sense Larry Johnson was trying to walk it back and deflate people’s expectations by saying he’d never claimed he could produce it and then saying stuff about how Obama’s church was really offensive no matter what. I pretty much see all this stuff as one more dose of poison for the Democrats and I have no idea what any of us can do about it.
What’s hilarious, is that tons of us who loathe mccain and would never have considered voting for him under any under circumstances are now going to start sending him money. if clinton were staying in through the convention, we would hold off. But since they couldn’t let the process play out and had to push her out, he’s getting our money immediately, the media is going to start attacking the hell out of him and propping mccain–what’s the upside in this for BO? Oh that’s right, nothing. Her staying in helped him enormously, she took all the heat.
The Gallup Poll today still shows HRC beats McCain 48-45, McCain beats BO 46-45. http://www.gallup.com/poll/107677/Gallup-Daily-Voters-Evenly-Split-Between-Obama-McCain.aspx
The brain dead SDs outright picked a losing candidate. The Democratic Party deserved to die a painful death.
When the candidate who receives the most votes is forced out with no chance of making their case, democracy has suffered a huge blow. The people’s candidate has lost again. Congratulations “the rules” and the media. You have kicked democracy’s ass yet again.
When the media launch us into another war the Democratic Party can no longer complain with credibility on there side.
I watched Charlie Rose tonight. Love the show, but it’s very hard to watch when he has a conversation about the election.
A few bits I found noteworthy:
-Mark Halperin (Time mag. The Page column writer) has been traveling with the Obama camp. He said they kept asking him yesterday (he said basically every hour or two) what he thought the Clintons were planning.
His opinion- the Obama camp is very nervous about the tenacity and political skill of the Clintons. If anyone could bounce back – it’s them and the Obama people fear it.
-According to Halperin, the Obama camp heard a great deal about and from Hillary supporters yesterday, even as they inched closer to the nomination.
His opinion- the tremendous support for Hillary is more steadfast and strong then the Obama camp imagined. They vastly underestimated how loyal her supporters would be.
-Halperin said because of that unexpected loyalty, the Obama camp began to rethink Hillary as VP last night.
His opinion- the Obama camp does not have anyone in mind for VP that they feel excited about. They now realize that anyone they pick will be compared to Hillary and will be found lacking.
-Halperin and Charlie discussed the potential MO tape. They both don’t believe in it. Charlie said he found it hard to believe anyone would hold onto anything that newsworthy. If it were real, it would be out already.
-Halperin did say that inside the campaign fray, the rumored MO tape was a “HUGE” story being discussed among reporters and campaign staffers.
Wow, I guess there was more to that discussion than I realized. Sorry for the long post.
The sad party is that this time, democratic voters resisted the media’s attempts to spin them into picking a losing candidate–only to be told that it doesn’t matter, because our Establishment morons are taking the right to choose away from them.
Who would think that elected officials who should know better and have been attacked themselves would be cowed by the media while the voters reject their bs?
-Halperin said because of that unexpected loyalty, the Obama camp began to rethink Hillary as VP last night.
Oh, crap.
Serously,
I don’t think the media cowed elected officials. They are simply corrupt and petty.
I think he should pick casey. That way we can send the message that, since we’re constrained to pick only a male candidate, pretty much all we have to offer are incompetent, unqualified, inexperienced, not exactly geniuses. Hey, doesn’t just being in the vacinity of Casey make Obama seem more statesmanlike? “Okay he’s terrible–but he’s the best of the lot, really. you want casey? You want kerry? Give us a break here, we’re not a real party.”
His opinion- the tremendous support for Hillary is more steadfast and strong then the Obama camp imagined. They vastly underestimated how loyal her supporters would be.
——————
What stupidity. Anyone could see how strong her support was as she won all those states. The DNC was arrogant and delusional.
sonya, sure, many of them, but I think there are a few who are afraid of the media backlash oreso than teh voter backlash.
“His opinion- the Obama camp is very nervous about the tenacity and political skill of the Clintons. If anyone could bounce back – it’s them and the Obama people fear it.”
Oh, jesus–and they surrender NOW? *goes off crying*
I am 100% sure Hillary knows BO can’t win the WH. What i am afraid of is that she now thinks if she’s his VP, maybe he can pull it out somehow. Let’s start going to the website and let her know that we simply can’t vote for him, even with her on the ticket.
I wonder if Dean, I messaged him with a rocket at facebook today, Brazile, Axelrod, MEchelle and The Magic Man want to deal explain this:
Hey, good job Barkey! Is this what yer had in mind when you told everyone ‘Yes We Can!’
Interesting to see the effect your words have had on people. Yep, words have power alright.
And just what might McSame’s campaign do with such material. And let’s stop tip-toeing around this ‘Unity’ bs. The Obamacans are not interested in unity they are expressing what they are really all about: Fascism. Our government will be no different under Barkey than it is under Bush.
If you doubt me I will bet you $50 that FISA remains unchanged that Habeus Corpus remains suspended and that folks will be dragged from Obama events for wearing a Tee with a Jack Russel Terrier barking,’I will not STFU!’
No messin’
hlr,
Yep, but not to worry, it sounds like a few people around Obama were urging him to take a few days to think things over and not being hasty and rushing to Hillary for VP.
I so do NOT want her as VP, she’s Pres. material!
Sonya,
They really had NO idea who loyal Hillary supporters are. They arrogantly thought we’d all fall in line and be good little dems. HA!
Oh, and they discussed how Obama needs to get Oprah out there to win the women over. Ridiculous.
Oh, lord. Not more Oprah.
Although it might be interesting to watch her ratings plummet again.
General question for all PUMAs:
Am I the only one that’s SICK AND TIRED of outreach limited to abortion and Oprah?
Oprah–gosh, who said Democrats are condescending misogynist (*&^%$?
Oprah is from the female TV that we girls watch! If she says to vote BO, I’m soooo in!
Anybody know who Lauren conrad has endorsed?
I think Clyburn is lying. All I know is when he talked about “immaturity” at the end of the article I wanted to throw my monitor off my desk.
Mr. Clyburn, we can dislike your candidate and not vote for him out of BIGGER REASONS than immaturity. We can do it because he has a penchant for dealing personally with CHICAGO CROOKS!
It just insults the core of my being when these people try and pretend that the only reason why you wouldn’t vote for Obama is because you’re a racist.
They can all just F*** OFF!!
PUMA. PUMA. PUMA. PUMA!!!!!
It’s not JUST limited to abortion and Oprah, though, there’s also the ever popular ‘But she’s your LEADER! FOLLOW HER, DAMNIT!”
Which you will be seeing plenty of tomorrow. 🙂
Teresa: article I wanted to throw my monitor off my desk.
Now, don’t let this fool Clyburn ruin a perfectly good monitor.
rep cllyburn endorsed the man who did the ‘dirt off the shoulder’ gesture, he certainly knows from immaturity.
I am so insulted by this notion that all they have to do is pick a woman, any woman, to go out there and ask for support for BO and then we’ll all turn right around and vote for him. Much less Oprah. Sorry anyone who’s a fan but I could give a rat’s a$$ what she thinks about anything. I bet Latinos for example must feel the same way when people are like “oh Richardson will solve all our problems.”
But then I bet African Americans must be extra annoyed because their votes are just taken for granted every year by the Dems. I don’t think that’s good at all. I read that Jesse Jackson was pushing for Kerry to choose an African American running mate, and of course Kerry floated the idea for appearances’ sake and probably never considered any such thing.
Apparently, “Hillary’s racist supporters flood clyburn’s office with horrible calls’ is getting a lot of play in the media.
Well done, Axlerod.
Apparently, “Hillary’s evil $%^*( supporters flood clyburn’s office with horrible calls’ is getting a lot of play in the media.
Well done, Axlerod.
RD: I wonder if you are going to post on McCain taking it to Obama this summer. I’m telling you: it’ll be fun! McCain is a political brawler of the highest order: ruthless, effective, and agile. And he becomes sadistic if someone crosses or dishonors him. Considering Obama can’t help but but treat others with condescension and contempt, McCain will return the favor by disemboweling him.
Obama, not McCain, will be the one who’ll go batshit and it’ll be due to his severe entitlement issues (You better believe McCain knows how to push those hyper-sensitive buttons). Obama reminds me of the Ann Richards joke about Bush I: he was born on third base and thought he hit a triple. Without misogyny, Obama is nothing.
God, I’m so going to love this summer entertainment.
Maybe as MoDo says in her article the ultimate objective of the Dem elites and Team Obama was to purge the Democratic party of all things Clinton.
If that’s the case let’s just watch them win the GE on their own. I hope Hillary, if she concedes, takes a long vacation and rest till the GE.
Scary thought #1:
Mainstream media bias wouldn’t exist and influence voters if people didn’t watch it. Maybe these Americans are just getting what they deserve.
What Americans? The voters rejected the media bias and voted for Clinton. And frankly, half of Obama’s voters are Republicans trying to screw with our process anyway.
No, we do not deserve obama! No. 🙂
Check your emails. Hillary is going to conceded on Saturday. PS. I am not a troll but a really disappointed Hillary supporter at the moment. Just got an email from Hillary.
I’m sayin’ that if we all don’t think a little such as by the example of this lovely group of people, we can be misled by the media to view the election as some kind of sporting event morphed day-at-the-casino circus twistedness, something like the Christians Meet The Lions in the Colisium.
It’s like elections require too much thinking to be tolerated for too long a period. I think these months have been fascinating and I still think Senator Clinton is going to be the winner. She’s just cooling her jets for now. If she doesn’t get the nomination, McCain will eat Obama whole and spit him out in little pieces.
@Down: Technically, she didn’t say the word “concede” but the context made it sound that way. She said would help rally the Party behind Obama whom she would “support.”
If she concedes, she loses any leverage she had.
hang in there, she has to say certain things for the sake of propiety; but she’s a skilled politician and she knows what she’s doing.
oops, i mean propriety…what’s appropriate…
When a friend asked why I wasn’t going to vote for Obama now that he’s ‘won’ (this was an O supporter asking) I brushed my shoulder off and pretended to wipe dog doo from my shoe. And so it goes.
Hillary will do what she can for the party because she believes in it. I no longer do so. Ohh, it’s probably the better of the two parties, sometimes, but it certainly doesn’t have MY interests at heart. So now I’m free and it feels kinda good. I don’t have to care about the party and its missteps. I don’t have to scrape up lunch money to donate to some wanker (ohh did that slip out) who will throw women under the bus. Great! I’m going to buy a new pair of PUMAS with that money!
As for Rezko, I expect it’ll be swept under the rug pretty quick, only to ignite later. Perhaps when the big Zero is screwing up as President if he wins. Reublicans love to impeach, remember?
Yesterday on Sean Hannity, I heard Ann Coulter say why she didn’t respect Independents (non-partisans, the like..) and it occured to me I have always felt that identifying with Democrats (Or Republicans at times in the past) I had to do alot more thinking and trying on points of view, growing and learning how *I* felt. That, in itself, was great about this primary!
Wow….I have been quoted. Yes, we are The Resistance. Thanks BB for the shout out. I’m glad i stumbled back here last night. We must always be watchful.
I really believe in Hillary. I would follow her to the Gates of Hell if she asked me.
But I won’t follow her INTO Hell and support Obama. She may be fire-proof, but this Mortal Coil ain’t.
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to fighting an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign nation through either the use of physical force, or nonviolence. The term resistance has political overtones, as people have used it, along with similar terms, to bring support to opposition groups.
In the email I received from the Clinton campaign it says that her event Saturday is to promote “party unity.” I think that was a bit tongue in cheek.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO INSULT US…IT MAKES US STRONGER:
But Clyburn tempered his enthusiasm for Obama’s nomination, saying that there “are always pockets in this country of people who cannot find it in themselves to grow up. And to the extent which people fail to mature, we’ll still have some work to do.”
Just so everyone is clear on this…regardless of HRC suspending/conceding on Saturday….regardles of HRC as a VP candidate or not….regardless of a tape or no tape…. regardless of anything else that has happened the last 16 months… regardless of the who said what when racebating sexist ageist themes….regardless of the mountain of evidence we’re now expected to vote for a liar and a crook….. regardless of a caucus vs. primary, popular vote vs. delegate……regardless of everything else….
it has been BLATANTLY obvious that this has been orchestrated from the beginning to coronate BO as the democratic nominee… therefore there is absolutely no way in hell I will ever vote for him. When a candidate is pre-ordained, America’s fundamental right to vote and have that vote count has been obliterated.
From the Dept of Indians are Earists,
Times of India:
Big-eared Barack Hussein Obama may have made history by becoming the first African-American to win a major party nomination to the US presidential race, but
…
In other words, she finished strong, while he limped across the line
…
Obama later signaled that he is all ears for what she wants.
Quick, somebody call Clyburn — the presumptive nominee has been dissed by earists.
I loved her speech after the SD win. she cocked a snook at all her naysayers who were salivating at the opportunity of seeing her or so they thought down and out. I hope she comes up with a similar performance on Sat also.
I think that Fitzgerald is a tenacious genius – I watched in awe during the Plame scandal. I think that he if anyone will snare the Rezko players – all of them, including the presumptuous Democratic nominee – it will be Fitz. I don’t like popcorn, but I may develop a taste for it over the next few months.
As to supporting Obama, that will never happen, no matter what Hillary might say. I. simply. just. cannot. do. it.
No, we wont be supporting Obama. Even if Hillary asks us to. We need to keep the pressure on all summer long.
This is the time when we really need to sty strong as a group and support Hillary while she maneuvers herself for the nomination.
PumaPAC has an update. Please join us if you have not already. Just click on my name above. The response has been tremendous! There really is a Puma movement stirring across the country. Conflucians are leading the way!
The next few days are crucial to our cause of uniting behind Hillary and AGAINST the DNC.
Regarding the Obama campaign not realizing until yesterday how deep Hillary’s support is…DUH! They are not very perceptive. Well, I hadn’t thought of doing this because, well just because I don’t feel like communicating with them, but I think I will send them a polite email today telling them how I feel about Hillary. I will not be begging them to throw her the VP bone, but rather telling them that indeed my support for Hillary is deep and principled. Apparently the dunderheads need to hear this because asshats like Clyborn, Brazile, and Dean are apparently telling them that all Clinton supporters are loonie.
they cant help but look down on us.
I didn’t do it and I’m not taking the blame for it. I’ve cried enough these past two days. No more.
My candidate would’ve won. Theirs will lose. I will make it so. I will not give him my vote. I will vote for John McCain because at least he knows what the center looks like.
This is payback.
Way to go DNC, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory once again.
“A Party Held HOSTAGE: Michele Obama Wasn’t Alone in Her Hostility at the Rainbow/PUSH Conference in 2004–Protests Against Jesse Jackson, Threats Against Democrats/Kerry By Ministers in an Eerie Preview of the Rev. Wright Episode”
http://tinyurl.com/4jealx
PLEASE READ this whole piece!
We are in big trouble…find out why this Obama enabling is all about APPEASEMENT by the Democratic Party.
What I have found out is really disturbing!
Have women been thrown over out of a move to appease blacks? And these blacks aren’t even real Democrats??
For the legal types, how long does it take for an appeal to be heard, decided, and probably rejected by the courts?
Well Folks I am leaving the safe haven of Ohio and will be flying to the hostile territory of Maryland. I’m actually going to the heart of the beast. I will be visiting fellow resistance members at a ‘safe house” in Silver Spring, MD. You will see me throughout the weekend. Remember to be watchful and refuse to be assimilated. And don’t let your friends and family be assimilated.
WS: depends on the type of appeal. In a typical criminal case in Ohio, the first appeal usually doesn’t take longer than 6 months.
WS, I’d guess this one will be announced on November 5th. (agreeing with ben)
Rezko was a federal case right? Would Rezko’s appeal take 6 months? I know the legal system works slowly but maybe Fitz can offer him a deal he can’t refuse. I know Blogojevich is probably going down but Obama was the other unnamed politician in the Rezkos case (one of only two). I wonder why they put him there alongside Blogo?
Ealier in the year, Pat Buchanan on the McLaughlin Group said that Fitz “works up the food chain.” Fitz couldn’t turn Scooter because he knew Bush would help him out.
ben carlson: will be flying to the hostile territory of Maryland. I’m actually going to the heart of the beast. I will be visiting fellow resistance members at a ’safe house” in Silver Spring, MD.
If you want to see what I have to put up with, ask your friends to take you down 16th St. It’s the major artery from SS to downtown dc. Every house has a BO sign out front. I mean, every house.
Forget understanding how John Edwars supporters feel. I understand how Al Gore’s supporters feel. Talk about biting off your nose to spite your face.
I think I’m gonna call it a day on political involvement. They don’t respect my vote anyway.
I was an Edwards supporter.
This is nothing like that. Nothing.
This was flat-out stolen.
And through the whole thing, there wasn’t ONE single moment when she hasn’t been ordered to quit.
PUMAs, time is on our side. Trust Hillary. She knows exactly what she’s doing. She has a long range plan.
We PUMAs have a wealth of options. Let’s talk about that and stay positive.
Be graceful in repose, like a puma. Until it’s time to strike.
GO PUMA
Morning all. Lots of hits yesterday. Also lots of “new faces”. May we live in interesting times, indeed.
Hillary will not concede. She would not let us down by squandering political capital.
She and Bill and Chelsea are probably laughing at the way MSM is interpreting her e-mail.
GO PUMA
I woke this morning PO’ed like you wouldn’t believe! So I took my anger out on an imaginary Obama canvasser who might come to my door.
He would be a 20-year-old male. Isn’t that the main Obama demographic?
I would be smooth and calm and my voice would be quiet. The gist of what I would say is that the DNC rigged the election for Obama and that I won’t vote for Obama under andy circumstance. And I would conclude by informing the child that he should get off my porch before I call a cop! And then I’d wipe the sh*t off my shoulder and shoe and I’d close the door.
Good Morning all
I believe in Hillary. She’s no goddes so I’m not trying to get my hopes up, but I expect great things out of her.
Like I said, I think what’s-his-face is gonna get indicted soon that why they’re trying to seal the nom for him so that we have to run him anyway. I don’t want to see that happen. That email she sent did not use the word “concede” so I need to see for myself what she has in mind.
VP is out of the question. Last time I’m saying it.
P.S. Sadly NoQuarter’s comments have been taken over by zealots and morons. If they think Tony Rezko isn’t gonna be a problem, they already have a problem. And now I’m essentially out of places to go for politics. I think I’m going back to fanfiction.
Newspaper letter writing campaign
I think each of us should vow to write to at least one of our local newspapers today, voicing support for Hillary and giving concise reasons why we won’t vote for Obama under any circumstance.
Good idea?
Someone at Talk Left says Obama is going on a “poverty tour” with Edwards. Unbelievable.
Melanie, it will be a poverty tour because he’ll be hard pressed to have anyone donate to him.
Arabella: Yep, that was a good letter…completely vague and not giving all of her cards away.
Further up this thread, I tink there was a post about Mark Halperin, who said that Obama is STILL afraid of the Clintons. They tend to figure out a way to WIN.
I think the letter yesterday was to instill a bit more fear in their hearts.
A “poverty tour” huh? White poor people, probably.
So Obama is apparently unconvincing on a poverty tour by himself?
LOL! How soon will the whole planet know what a big phony he is.
So Gore go down the tubes, for so-called crazy remarks and the Repubs theft, Kerry for his crazy wife and windsurfing. And this guy can be up to his ears in a corruption trial, involved in a crazy racist church, make huge gaffes and it is just peachy.
Have we become so politically correct that we just have to say, “its okay, precious.”
Teresa – LOL! Yeah, if I were Obama the last thing I’d want is Hillary’s friendship.
Obama’s worst nightmare is having Hillary standing by his side, beaming beatifically.
“What’s she thinking? I she making fun of me? Does she make me look short? I need a cig.”
So, will the poor people be on display? The so-called future POTUS needs someone to show him where the poor people are in our 57 states?
The planet already knows he’s a phony. It’s the SuperDs that won’t admit it.
I love the Clintons. They are true politicians and I always believe they have a plan.
Obama on a poverty tour will only make him look ridiculous and out of touch. Why is it that other people always have to try and make up for O’s deficiencies?
I believe they are going to Appalachia to tell them that $10.000 a year do not buy as many extracurricular activities as they used to.
Katiebird, I was an Edwards supporter too, and this is nothing like that way, I agree. I sort of knew Edwards was pie in the sky. I believed in what he said, but I’m not entirely sure I believed in him being able to accomplish any of it. Sure wanted to try.
With Hillary I sure do think she can accomplish it. So this hurts even more, and it makes me feel more alienated.
As for a big Zero and Edwards poverty tour, that’s hilarious. What the heck has O ever done about poverty except make it WORSE? Good grief. I guess I should be cynical. This shows politics trumps everything, even, morals, doesn’t it?
That’ll be funny if protestors follow him around on his “poverty tour.”
Grayslady, because he has so many of them. He’s so immaterial that were it not for the people around him he’d disappear.
I spoke to another Republican who was going Hillary’s way. A white male with a college degree in his 50’s, not they demographic the O campaign loves to portray, he said he had no choice but to vote McCain.
I am so sick of hearing we will just fall in line. I am sorry, but I do not think a letter to the edito will work, I think we need to start a mjor letter writing campaign to all of the networks stating, “WE WILL NOT FOLLOW, WE ASPIRE TO BE LEAD AND HILLARY IS OUR LEADER!”
Is he going to tell them he knows someone who can build them a house with no heat and water?
Is he gonna tell them that his best friend–the one he used to know–turned off the heat of his constituents during the worst of the winter months? therefore he understands their pain?
*shakes head* The stupid, it burns.
Question: Does this mean that Big Dawg will have to throw his endorsement behind BO too. Does she at least get to keep him?
Regency, ouch!
Arabella-you have the right idea. But I think we need to stay visible and noisy and grow like a tidal wave throughout the summer. I hope if Hillary does decide to “support” Obama, then it is tepid, at best. We need to keep growing this movement before August so that they can’t deny the horrible mistake of nominating that creep.
indigogrrl, on June 5th, 2008 at 7:08 am Said:
[ Just so everyone is clear on this… ] see post above
indigogirl has hit the nail on the head.
For me, this is no longer about Hillary. I have not, and will not, lose my respect and admiration for her, but this primary, which was clearly part of Dean’s “50 States Minus Two” strategy, is the antithesis of democracy. It is also the end-result of trying to build a party around only Liberals and African Americans.
The mindset has been that Liberal Elites steer the ship (Dean, Kerry, Kennedy, Pelosi), the AA community forms the rudder (guaranteeing a 10% voting block), and the remainder of the old FDR New Deal Coalition man the oars (providing the power to surpass the GOP coalition).
The GOP has been trying for years to disrupt the rudder, both by negative actions (voter suppression), cultural action (Evangelical Whites and Blacks share many of the same cultural concerns), and positive action (the elevation of Keys, Powell, and Rice). They had been largely unsuccessful due to the lingering effects of Nixon’s Southern Strategy.
But Howard Dean and the DNC rode to their rescue. The promotion of Barack Obama has done what the GOP has been unable to do. It has finally broken FDR’s coalition. I walked picket lines for full integration in the Sixties as a teenager. I have worked to register African-American and Hispanic voters, and I have done this against my own short-term interests. But I have not been called a “racist” until now because I refuse to not look past a man’s skin color.
My entire political life has been based upon looking past skin color, ethnicity, and gender, to the underlying character and beliefs of the individual. Because I will not stop my gaze on the surface of Barack Obama, I have now been labeled a racist, as have Bill and Hillary Clinton.
So I am a PUMA. Every time I pull my Puma pocketknife out, I will be reminded how I have cut myself away from the winding sheets of this sinking ship known as the (un)Democratic Party. May they lose from the top of the ticket to the bottom. Only then can the rot be exposed to the clear light of day.
Has anyone seen coverage of this on MSM? You would think they would have it plastered all over but anything not to hurt Bambie huh. Hillary suspending her campaing is smart as long as she suspends and does not conceed. By doing this she can go all the way to Denver and let the Republicans tear him up for a few months.
joanie – I totally agree with you! My point is, we are acting from a position of strength, not of weakness. I’m staying energized. I’m not sad. I’m not depressed.
I’m ready to rumble!
The DNC and the Obamabots are running around in a panic. I chose not to panic, but to remain graceful in repose. Nothing upsets the Obamabots more that serenity. (Doesn’t mean I’m not doing anything. They just can’t see.)
GO PUMA
PUMA all right.
Here here! We need to ge tthe word out on why we’re bying PUMA products.
I don’t believe Clyburn either. Just another attempt to paint Senator Clinton’s supporters and anyone else that won’t vote for Obama as racists.
Anyone that votes for Obama is telling the DNC, The Democratic Leadership and the Corrupt Media that we don’t care what they did to democracy during this primary. Voting for Obama accepts the dishonesty, the misogyny and the race baiting. Voting for Obama accepts stealing votes. Voting for Obama says we think a few hundred thousand people in caucuses are more important that millions of people in primaries. Voting for Obama says that we really aren’t all that “into” democracy.
PUMAs don’t vote against Democracy. And PUMAs don’t vote for corruption. At least this damn old PUMA don’t!
Pumas, everyone here is so right. This is not an echo chamber. Thousands and thousands of readers are listening to this conversation and taking heart from it. Don’t be discouraged. Now is the time we need to be strong and ready.
Let’s tell the DNC as a group that we WILL NOT VOTE for Barack Obama no matter what they try to do to appease or bully us. The time for “unity” is over. It’s Puma Time!
Join the Puma chorus at the website http://blog.pumapac.org
Hey Murphy – I joined and sent your letter to Howard. I did change it a bit: added a bit saying HRC as VP won’t help and I removed the part about convincing SDs since I personally believe the SDs are being “convinced” already.
Oh, and I was going to put the changes into your blog, but I don’t have rights yet. I’ll add it later when I have access to comment. Thanks for setting up the pac.
All the Clinton supporters!!
What about all the corruption, lies and scandals that were carried out under the Clinton admin? Whitewater, Illicit pardons ? and the list goes on….. all the donors to the Clinton fund ? deals with Kazakh and the Canadian company ?
all that you cant forget and erase?
How about the lying under oath?
Wake up, read the facts, take the blinders off !!
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/05/cafferty-how-is-clinton-handling-her-exit/
dr.love,
just not feeling it. Or you. Or your link. Whitewater? Good God you ill-informed twit even most Obamacrats aren’t dumb enough to still be using that old canard.
And PUMAs don’t respond well to old, tired Republican Talking Points about the Clintons. Pathetic attempt. Even freepers do better than that.
I’m LMAO watching all the Obots coming in here and trying to sway our position.
Hey, dr. love, maybe you didn’t hear but Donna Brazile told the base they could STAY Home. So we are honoring her request while adding a little spice of our own.
She said the DNC didn’t need us. So exactly, why are you here? Please answer me this time.
dr. love,
Whitewater? Study some history. After years of investigation & millions of $$ the Clintons were COMPLETELY EXONERATED of wrongdoing re Whitewater.
Vicious slander.
I think we all know the Clintons alot better than MSM or the DNC would really like to admit.
If Hillary thought she couldn’t win this in the very end she would have conceded. Parts of her speech yesterday (the part about electing NObama) seems like she was making fun of the concept.
No. I believe in Hillary. I believe she will win this nomination that was STOLEN from her. I believe she has a few more tricks up her sleeve.
When she’s sworn in as our 44th President and those NObamabots are enjoying the better life she gives us, they’ll have to learn to come to terms with their 16 months of complete ignorance.