barack oblogga

The West-Smiley Chronicles

2008-11-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Trying to stay relevant in the post 2008 election world is a bitch for "cultural commentators" and frequent Obama critics Cornell West and Tavis Smiley. They've hit the road for their damn we really screwed up when we didn't jump on the barack bandwagon tour. I was pulling for these race warriors to get some props from camp Obama early on, I mean why antagonize right? But Axelrod and company had their keep the Blacks at bay plan firmly in place and they stuck too it with winning results. Now Chief Crazy Hair and Tavis "I Stomped Off The Tom Joyner Show In an Obama Tizzy" Smiley are in no man's land. They're hawking books and walking a tightrope. How DO you pull off being congratulatory towards someone you trashed, probably thinking he'd never end up being the most powerful man in the world?

Rahm Emanuel

2008-11-06T18:19:00.001-08:00

Soooooo. First order of business, buy a puppy for the girls. Second, select a giant asshole to be my chief of staff.

What can you say about the conniving little gnome that is Rahm Emanuel that hasn't already been said?

From the Telegraph:
One story, more than any other, sums up the intensity, loyalty and, at times, downright nastiness upon which Mr Emanuel's reputation is built.
At a dinner to celebrate President Clinton's first election victory, Mr Emanuel began to name those who he believed had earned his enmity. As he listed the names of those he saw as traitors, he grabbed a steak knife, stood up and began plunging the knife into the table and shouting "Dead! Dead! Dead!" after each name.
"When he was done, the table looked like a lunar landscape," one witness recalled. "It was like something out of The Godfather. But that's Rahm for you."
Nor was this an isolated incident – one pollster who fell out with Mr Emanuel received a rotting fish in the post as a warning not to cross him again.

Here's another story... In 1999 a large news organization assigned one of its reporters to follow up on rumors that one of the lawyers defending President Clinton during the impeachment trial was also at that very time having an affair with one of Clinton's closest and very married advisers. It would have been a horrible headline. Adulterer-in-chief defended by adultering adulterers. But the reporter found the request repellent and refused. Still, that did not keep Rahm Emanu-hole, who had heard about the request, from cornering the reporter... and threatening that the reporter would be "very sorry" if the story was pursued.

Ok Obama. So you're good cop - bad copping it. Whatever. But hopefully you will balance the douche-baggery that is already in your inner circle with some genuinely good, straight forward, civil, and righteous people.

YAY.

2008-11-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

so now that's over.
onward.

It's Barack By A Nose

2007-04-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

From Barack-Obama.TV

"For the first time Barack Obama is the frontrunner in a reliable nationwide
poll about the Democratic presidential nominations. Obama leads with 32%,
Hillary Clinton can count on 30% and John Edwards trails at 17%. Rasmussen
has conducted the poll around the 25th of April.

Together with earlier reliable opinion polls this results in the graphical overview..."

Get Thee Behind Me Jeremiah

2007-04-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

From the NYT

"Few of those at Mr. Wright’s tribute in March knew of the pressures that Mr. Obama’s presidential run was placing on the relationship between the pastor and his star congregant. Mr. Wright’s assertions of widespread white racism and his scorching remarks about American government have drawn criticism, and prompted the senator to cancel his delivery of the invocation when he formally announced his candidacy in February.

Mr. Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate who says he was only shielding his pastor from the spotlight, said he respected Mr. Wright’s work for the poor and his fight against injustice. But “we don’t agree on everything,” Mr. Obama said. “I’ve never had a thorough conversation with him about all aspects of politics.”

BOO. Ghost of Rezko Haunts Obama Again

2007-04-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

from bellevillenewsdemocrat.com/ap

"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he had no idea longtime friend and now-indicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko was behind problem buildings in the South Side district that Obama once represented as a state senator.

"Should I have known these buildings were in a state of disrepair? My answer would be that it wasn't brought to my attention," Obama said Monday.

Rezko's Rezmar Corp. obtained millions in government funds to rehab apartment buildings for the needy.

Court and city documents show 30 of the apartment buildings owned and managed by Rezmar have since been subject to foreclosures, code violations and lawsuits filed by the city, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in its Monday editions. About a third of those 30 buildings were in Obama's Illinois Senate district."

It's 11 P.M. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

2007-04-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

From New York Magazine

"The next behind-the-scenes battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is shaping up between their young and potentially rich campaign pawns: The HillBlazers vs. Generation O. Gen-O is a different kind of concept to match a different kind of politics, the Obama camp says, more about "friendraising" than the charmless money grabs that usually come with cutthroat, celebrity politics. But the Hillary camp insists the Obama kids are just HillBlazers with a different kind of branding."

Barack Closing In

2007-04-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

from msnbc.com
"Perhaps more troublesome for Clinton is that 52% have an unfavorable opinion of her in the poll, versus 45% who have a favorable view. By comparison, Obama has a 52%-27% fav/unfav rating.

In the GOP field, Giuliani is at 35%, McCain at 22%, Fred Thompson at 10%, and Romney at 9%. Moreover, the poll finds that just 36% approve of Bush's job; only 25% approve of Alberto Gonzales' job; and just 26% believe the troop surge in Iraq is making the situation there better."

Team Obama Gets a Shot of Estrogen

2007-04-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

from barackobama.com

Sweet Follows the Money

2007-04-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

From the Chicago Sun-Times Lynn Sweet:
"The Obama campaign prefers the emphasis be on the army of small donors who are giving -- and raising -- money for Obama. In truth, though, there are two parallel narratives -- and the other is that Obama is also heavily reliant on wealthy and well-connected Democrats.

While Obama took money from federal lobbyists and political action committees for his Senate war chests, he is not for his presidential campaign. That ban does not preclude non-lobbyists who have interests in federal matters or who lobby other government entities.

Those at the top of the Obama fund-raising pyramid -- people who pledge to raise at least $250,000 -- get a gold VIP lapel pin with the letters "NFC" fashioned in the campaign's logo.

The letters stand for Obama's National Finance Committee, and the group met in Washington on Wednesday for a retreat at a hotel with the Obama professional fund-raisers, campaign manager David Plouffe and chief strategist David Axelrod, among others. After raising $25 million in the first quarter -- creating a national network almost from scratch -- their challenge in the second quarter is to show they were not just grabbing the low-hanging fruit."

Wisconsin Hearts Obama

2007-04-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

From Wisconsin Radio Network

"Senator Barack Obama (D-Il) brings his presidential campaign to Wisconsin tonight and picks up a major state endorsement

Milwaukee Mayor and former Congressman, Tom Barrett, says Obama is the right candidate at the right time.

While he admires all the democrats running for the White House, Barrett says the country is at a crossroads and he feels Senator Obama is the one to provide a new generation of leadership.

Barrett is confident Obama, coming from Chicago, will not turn his back on cities such as Milwaukee. The Mayor says he would have a partner in the White House trying to fight the tide of illegal handguns, upgrading the schools and helping people find jobs to support their families.

Barrett says Obama's experience as a state legislator and now Senator will help him hit the ground running at the White House."

Hmmmmm.

2007-04-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

...or Ludacris?
From the Huffington Post

"Obama was the only presidential candidate that actually called for Imus's firing. For taking that stance, he was hailed as bold and courageous. Imus, though, was the easiest of targets. Obama made only one appearance on his show, and he owed absolutely no allegiance to him. Billionaire Beverly Hills entertainment mogul David Geffen is another matter. Geffen is the president and CEO of Insterscope Geffen A&M records and gangster rapper Snoop Dogg is his long standing and one of his top-selling artists.

Now let's flash back a month before Imus's foot in the mouth racist crack drew Obama's ire. A beaming Obama sat at Geffen's dinner table at his Beverly Hills mansion and delivered a 25 minute dinner speech to a core of doting and fawning Hollywood luminaries and heavy financial hitters that included Stephen Spielberg and Jennifer Anniston. Geffen punctuated the Obama Hollywood star-filled love fest with a well-publicized trash of the Clinton's, to which he had once dumped millions into their campaign coffers, and declared that he was switching allegiance to Obama."

Obama - Imus

2007-04-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

From the Post-Chronicle

"Many civic and government leaders called for Imus's resignation or termination. Many will give Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson credit. Truth be told, they had nothing to do with it.

If it were not for the words of Democratic Presedential hopeful from Illinois, Sen. Barack Obama, Imus probably would have kept his job. Sharpton and Jackson's credibility is shaky at best and their theatrics are well documented.

No, it was the word of a soft-spoken man, a black man, vying for the most powerful post in the world that is responsible.

Sen. Barack Obama is the only 2008 presidential hopeful from either party to say that radio host Don Imus should be fired over the racial slurs. Sen. McCain, a regular on the Imus show in the past, simply accepted Imus's apology and thought the issue should die there. Rudolph Giuliani said the same after basically being hunted down like a dog.

Hillary Clinton caught flat-footed as usual, said basically nothing. She simply stated that she was never on his show and never would be.

Obama On Wednesday told ABC News he thought Imus should be fired and that he would never appear on the "Imus In The Morning" show again. Obama said Imus' remarks fed "some of the worst stereotypes" his own daughters face in America. Obama called the comments "degrading."

Obama is the new voice of Black America and the Democratic Presidential candidate just flexed his muscle."

Poll: Obama Most Likely to Get U.S. Out of Iraq

2007-04-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

From Reuters via Yahoo News:
Democrats Barack Obama and John Edwards are the 2008 White House contenders most likely to lead the country out of Iraq according to an online straw poll of members of the liberal activist group MoveOn.org.

Rangel: Obama Should Be Veep

2007-04-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

From the New York Observer:

Here's the WNBC transcript of the interview, which will air on Sunday:

PRESSMAN: Would a Clinton-Obama ticket be very strong?

Rep. RANGEL: Wow. Well, I'm saying that.

PRESSMAN: You said wow.

Rep. RANGEL: Because I would find it very exciting. But I think that the
Republican bench is so weak that we could get by with more this time than if it was a very close election.

PRESSMAN: Would you lobby Obama to take the number two spot?

Rep. RANGEL: I don't do that. And besides, you know, as I do, that people running for president, they never say they're interested in the number two spot. I mean, they have to let you know that they're running for president and that's all they will consider.

PRESSMAN: Yeah, but all you're doing is sucking your thumb and sort of
thinking about the future. You're not he.

Rep. RANGEL: All I know is that I'm supporting Hillary and once we're over the hill, I'll be glad to get involved and see who would be the best candidate for us to win.

Obama Zeros in on McCain (sortof)

2007-04-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

From the Los Angeles Times/AP

"The idea that the situation in Iraq is improving because it takes a security detail of 100 soldiers, three Black Hawk helicopters and a couple of Apache gunships to walk through a market in the middle of Baghdad is simply not credible and not reflective of the facts on the ground," Obama said in a taped interview broadcast as part of the forum sponsored by MoveOn.org.

While not mentioning McCain by name, Obama criticized comments made by the Arizona senator last week after touring Baghdad's Bab al-Shariq market. He and other members of a congressional delegation traveled in armored military vehicles and wore body armor during the hourlong excursion."

Obama Ethics Violation?

2007-04-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

The "Corruption Chronicles" points to a "Drudge Report" post about a meeting the Senator had with chief campaign media adviser David Axelrod.

The CC says

"Barack Obama, the popular Illinois senator and top Democratic presidential candidate, has evidently violated Congressional ethics rules by using his taxpayer-funded Capitol Hill office for campaign activities."

Another Swing Thru NYC for Senator Obama

2007-04-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

From gothamist.com

"Senator Barack Obama is coming back to New York City today, for some late TV night face time AND to raise even more money. While Senator Hillary Clinton's camp is playing it cool and Clinton strategist Howard Wolfson telling the Daily News. "We're thrilled with our hometown support," the Post lists all the former Clinton donors who are now supporting Obama. Obama has two fundraisers on his agenda and he'll be appearing on Late Night with David Letterman tonight. Pollsters and consultants say that as much money as Obama raises in New York, Clinton is sure to win the state primary. Which is true - but he can just take the NY cash and spend it elsewhere. And one of Obama's fund-raisers want him to go to Harlem to, as the Post suggests, "[seek] a beachhead in the neighborhood where Bill Clinton keeps an office."

Low-Key, High Impact Campaigner

2007-04-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

From the International Herald Tribune

"COLO, Iowa: Senator Barack Obama is not big on what he calls red-meat applause lines when he campaigns in small communities like this one, just northeast of Des Moines. He does not tell many jokes. He talks in even, measured tones, and at times is so low-key that he lulls his audiences into long, if respectful, silences.

Obama likes to recount the chapters of his unusual life: growing up in Hawaii, living overseas, community organizing in Chicago, working in the Illinois Legislature, though not his years as a U.S. senator.

He talks - often in broad, general strokes - about an Obama White House that would provide health care to all, attack global warming, improve education, fix Social Security and end the war in Iraq.

His campaign events end almost as an afterthought, surprising voters used to the big finishes typically served up by the presidential candidates seeking their support. "Thank you very much, everybody; have a nice day," Obama said pleasantly in Dakota City, Iowa, one afternoon, with a leisurely wave of a hand. He headed over to a table where copies of his books, brought by audience members, had been neatly laid out, awaiting the slash of his left-handed autograph."

Obama's "Home for Heroes"

2007-04-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

"The Illinois senator told The Associated Press he would introduce legislation Monday that he calls Homes for Heroes. The plan would establish grant and voucher programs to encourage development of affordable housing targeted for veterans.

"Veterans are far more likely to be homeless than non-veterans and part of it is because we're not providing services to them as they transition out of the service," Obama said in an interview before a campaign rally. "Part of it is because there is just not enough affordable housing."

more

All About the Benjamins, Baby

2007-04-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

From the New York Daily News:

"Hillary Clinton thought that raising more money than her rivals would be the easy thing.

Yesterday, she found out how wrong she was.

The Democrat's presidential campaign was rocked to the core as rival Sen. Barack Obama revealed he equaled, and possibly even bested, her in the cash dash she had counted on dominating.

Obama announced he raised $25 million in the past three months from 100,000 people, compared with the record-setting $26 million haul Clinton pulled in from half as many donors."

Blast From Barack's Past

2007-04-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

A central character from Obama's book "Dreams from My Father" suddenly shows up- fresh out of prison - and asking for money.
From Arab News:

"The story first appeared in The Wall Street Journal, and was then picked up by ABC News. The story involves a good high school chum of Sen. Obama, Keith Kakugawa. But the story of their friendship is ultimately tragic — Obama’s friend is now an out-of-prison drug addict living on the street."

Clamoring for Obama's Health Care Specifics

2007-04-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

The junior Senator from Illinois has been taking his own sweet time in laying out his vision for the future of the country's health-care system...
and that has the snipers sniping.
From the Washington Post:

"Republican National Committee spokesman Chris Taylor responded that maybe the infusion of money into Obama's campaign would lead to more specifics in his health care plans.

"With all these funds, maybe now he'll be able to hire someone to write a health care plan for him," Taylor said."

But the delay is all part of Obama's strategy - his response:

"Obama acknowledged he was moving cautiously in assembling a health care proposal to ensure he can build the political support needed to move the plan forward if he's elected president.

Obama noted that in previous campaigns, presidential candidates have offered detailed proposals without building that political support, only to see the issue fade after the election.

"Every four years presidential candidates trot out their plans, then nothing happens," Obama said. "How do we build a movement for change so that when a president is elected there is actually a constituency and a consensus that is built so we can move the agenda through Congress."

Failure to agree on changes to the health care system could be catastrophic, he said.

"We will go through another decade of dealing with this issue," Obama said."

Obama-Joseph-and Mary

2007-04-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

From CBS Chicago:

"A sculpture depicting Senator Barack Obama as Jesus has caused a stir now that it is on public display and Obama's campaign is trying to distance him from the artwork.

Undergraduate art student David Cordero created the sculpture for his senior show at the School of the Art Institute, which opened Saturday. He said the intention was to create a dialogue.

Obama's spokeswoman said the senator respects the First Amendment, and does not believe the artist was trying to be offensive.

But the spokeswoman said Obama is not a fan of art that offends religious sensibilities.

The figure shows Obama with his trademark smile, standing under a blue neon halo and wearing robes resembling those in which Jesus is often depicted, and with his hands in the traditional peace sign of Jesus' sacred heart."

CHA-CHING!

2007-04-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

From cnn.com

"Sen. Barack Obama raised "at least $25 million" for his presidential bid since January 1, all but matching Sen. Hillary Clinton's haul for the same three-month time period. Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, earlier this week reported raising $26 million."