Category: Presidential Campaign

Sorry, Obama is Engaging in Dog Whistle Politics Against Gays to Secure the Conservative Evangelical Black Vote

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It turns out that not only did Donnie McClurkin sing, but he also unleashed an “I’m a former gay tirade in the last half hour of his set. CNN has reported it, saying that McClurkin said that, “he has been ‘vilified’ and declaring that ‘God delivered me from homosexuality.'”

As to the white gay preacher that they included, they buried him:

Sidden is the white, gay pastor added to the concert bill as a last minute compromise by the Obama campaign. Sidden’s appearance was notably brief and anti-climactic: He said a short prayer to the auditorium at the very beginning of the program, when the arena was only about half full, and then he left.

The New York times subtly suggests that this was dog whistle politics, i.e. that he was trying to tell the largely socially conservative audience that he was uncomfortable with gays without alerting anyone else:

Still, canceling Mr. McClurkin’s appearance might have created more problems. Mr. McClurkin’s support for Mr. Obama could signal to some black evangelical voters that race and religion are more important than Mr. Obama’s support for gay rights.

The campaign has tried to turn the situation into a demonstration of the candidate’s big-tent acceptance. It did bring together some supporters from the gay community and the black religious community who wrote a joint letter a few days ago saying that Mr. McClurkin’s statements had been “deeply hurtful and offensive to many Americans, most especially gay Americans.”

At the same time, it said, “a great many African Americans share Pastor McClurkin’s beliefs” and “their religion prevents them from fully embracing their gay brothers and sisters.” It lauded Mr. Obama “who speaks truth in love to both sides.”

I would agree. The Obama Campaign’s response is nearly identical to that of creationists, and the ACLU arguing for the right of Nazis to march in Skokie.

The ACLU was right, but they were talking about demonstrations, not literally on a campaign’s stage.

As Matt Stoller so eloquently put it, Progressive Campaigns to Do Not Gay Bash.

I’m probably not as angry as John Aravosis about this, after all, I’m straight*, but I am convinced that this was deliberate, and sophisticated message of bigotry to the Socially conservative black Evangelicals in South Carolina.

*Or maybe I haven’t met Mr. Right…Whatever.

Ron Paul, Get off Your Ass and Campaign!

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Open Left examines the campaigns of the candidates, and comes up with this informative information on the number of campaign events for each:

  1. Romney: 400
  2. Richardson: 347
  3. Edwards: 344
  4. Obama: 331
  5. McCain: 316
  6. Clinton: 293
  7. Dodd: 225
  8. Huckabee: 214
  9. Giuliani: 201
  10. Brownback: 198
  11. Biden: 177
  12. Kucinich: 149
  13. Tancredo: 118
  14. Hunter: 90
  15. Ron Paul: 82
  16. Thompson: 50
  17. Gravel: 35

Ron Paul, currently above 7% in New Hampshire is third to last in number of campaign events.

Behind him is Fred Thompson, who has been running only since September, and Mike Gravel, who is not a serious candidate.

If Ron Paul wants to be considered a serious candidate, and he has been raising money well, and could do well in places like New Hampshire, where independents can vote in the primaries, then he needs to campaign like a serious candidate.

Given his exposure, the fact that Kucinich has nearly twice as many campaign events, and Tancredo and Hunter are well ahead of his numbers is an indication that he is not serious.

How much do you want to bet that this will get a comment from a fervent Paul supporter? I’ve yet to post an entry on him that hasn’t, so his internet campaign is organized, but he needs to do more work in meatspace.

John McCain, Victim of Torture, Gets it Right on Torture

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McCain cuts Giuliani a new one on waterboarding.

“All I can say is that it was used in the Spanish Inquisition, it was used in Pol Pot’s genocide in Cambodia, and there are reports that it is being used against Buddhist monks today,” Mr. McCain, who spent more than five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp, said in a telephone interview.

Of presidential candidates like Mr. Giuliani, who say that they are unsure whether waterboarding is torture, Mr. McCain said: “They should know what it is. It is not a complicated procedure. It is torture.”

Of course, it would have more force if McCain had not spent the past eight years with his tongue up George W. Bush’s anus because he wanted to be president.

Keith Boykin Calls Out Obama

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Keith Boykin, former senior Clinton Staffer and out black man, calls it “Not A Smart Move“. I agree.

In response to his putting closeted homophobe Donnie McClurkin, Barack Obama is going to have Rev. Andy Sidden, a WHITE South Carolina pastor who is openly gay, speak at the event.

What is going on here is simple. Obama has to make a decision, and he appears to be constitutionally unable to. He could kick Donnie McClurkin off the events, and in so doing piss off the homophobic contingent (which is significant) of the black clergy in South Carolina, or he can keep him on, and enrage the gay community.

As appears typical for him, he is trying to fix this with half measures. He is unwilling to take a stand, because both choices offend people with whom he wants good relations.

This is a recurring theme with him. He is unwilling fish or cut bait. He wants to please EVERYONE. It is a sign of weakness that could hurt him in the campaign, and completely cripple him were he elected president.

He needs to show people that he can be an SOB, because that is much of the job of POTUS.

Obama Clarifies, He is Against ANY Telco Immunity

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After Senator Chris Dodd announced his intention to filibuster any bill with Telco immunity, Senators Clinton and Obama announced that they support a filibuster of THE BILL that came from the Senate intelligence committee.

These are, of course, weasel words. It has to go through some more committees, Judiciary comes to mind, and it is inconceivable that it would do so without so much as a comma changed, so they were free to support the final product.

While Clinton has not clarified, Obama has now made it clear that
he will support a filibuster of ANY bill with telco immunity.

The by Bill Burton, the Obama Campaign’s spokesman:

“To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies.”

Biden is on board too, but Hillary is still using weasel words?

Shailagh Murray is a Tool and an Idiot

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Dodd Makes Play on FISA Legislation
Her analysis:

Whenever that big day comes, Dodd — as the keeper of the “hold” — must return from the campaign trail to officially block debate on the bill. That entails standing around on the Senate floor, forcing procedural votes, avoiding the furious glares of colleagues who don’t share the same concerns. The standard duration of such showdowns is about a week — time that Dodd, who is trailing badly in early primary polls, can scarcely afford.

Of course, there is the reality, with facts, as opposed to bloviating:

Chris Dodd: The Netroots Show the Love

Senator Dodd’s campaign communications director Hari Sevugan tells me that $150,000 in small contributions have poured into Dodd’s campaign in the past 24 hours, since his announcement that he will put a hold on–and may even filibuster–a foreign intelligence surveillance bill approved yesterday by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Dodd objects to a provision that would grant immunity to the telecommunications companies that turned over their customers’ phone and e-mail records to the government’s warrantless surveillance program. The companies have been hit with 40 pending lawsuits charging them with privacy violation.

You have a 3rd tier candidate for president who has just raised $150K in about 24 hours, and is probably in the 2nd tier (with Bill Richardson) as a result of his stand.

He’s on every bloggers lips right now, but according to Shailagh Murray his move is somehow a really bad idea.

My guess is that the lead levels in DC water are higher than they are letting on.

Obama Should Not Be Hanging Out With Homophobic Bigots

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Barack Obama is doing a gospel music tour called the “Embrace the Change” tour with three dates in South Carolina.

I understand that this is a part of his message of inclusiveness, but review the highlighted portion:

As religious conservatives gather in Washington this weekend for the “Values Voters Summit,” Senator Barack Obama’s campaign announced its latest effort to attract people of faith to the campaign: a gospel concert tour.

All three of the dates of the “Embrace the Change” tour are in South Carolina, where Mr. Obama is locked in battle with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for black voters.

Gospel acts including Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and Hezekiah Walker, Byron Cage and the Mighty Clouds of Joy are scheduled to appear.

It seems innocuous enough, until you dig into the statements and actions of Donnie McClurkin in this 2004 article:

Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who has detailed his struggle with gay tendencies and vowed to battle “the curse of homosexuality,” said yesterday he’ll perform as scheduled at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, despite controversy over his view that sexuality can be changed by religious intervention.

He is also claiming that he was “made gay” by being raped by an uncle.

Unless McClurkin has recanted these views, he is a messenger of bigotry and hypocrisy, and no Democratic candidate should have him sing as a part of their political campaign.

Dodd to Filibuster

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Well, it looks like Reid will ignore Dodd’s hold, so the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut is promising an honest to God filibuster if Reid ignores the hold.

Go to the Act Blue box on the right hand side of the blog, and show him some love.

Note that the Act Blue Box is not an endorsement, just a note that I’m inclined towards them, hence multiple candidates for the same office are listes.

BTW, here is the Doddster on video talking about the filibuster:

What Ezra Said McCain Healthcare Edition

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Ezra Klein, once more showing that he writes better than I ever will. comments on McCain’s healthcare proposal

It’s another of these plans to sprinkle magical tax credits all across the land that will incentivize folks to buy less health insurance, but do absolutely nothing for the cost of care. Families get a $5,000 tax credit to help them buy insurance, and they can keep what they don’t use, and so the hope is, they’ll buy plans with higher deductibles, be unable to afford the deductibles, and will thus buy less care. It’s like if I tried to make food cheaper by encouraging you to diet.

I love that line on dieting, and it cuts every Republican healthcare plan to the quick.

Ron Paul Needs to Do Something About This

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This is not a condemnation of Ron Paul, but of a small> segment of his supporters.

Specifically, Paul has become the “it girl” on the (literally) Neo-Nazis and White Nationalists. My guess is that his generally isolationist foreign policy appeals to him.

I have no doubt that Paul is horrified about this, and he needs to do something.

I’m not entirely sure what, maybe giving a speech at a synagogue and having pictures taken with a Yamulke on.

Quote of the Day: Barack Obama

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Barack Obama on Jay Leno:

Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare ‘Mission Accomplished’ a little too soon.

Pithy, quotable, and profoundly damning.

The answer was in response to statements about the inevitability of Hillary, and that was a delightfully sharp shiv. I’d like to see some more from Obama, because I still have doubts about his willingness to do it, as Sean Connery said in The Untouchables, “The Chicago Way”.

Hillary Clinton Pledges to End War “Immediately” When Taking Office

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She appears to have made that statement at a fund raising meeting of the Eleanor Roosevelt’s Legacy Committee.

There were no cameras, or recorders at the event, which is odd for such a significant statement.

Also, what does “ending the war immediately” mean? My guess is that her commitment to this is about the same as Bill’s to Gays serving honorably and openly in the military.

When she does the gasbag circuit, and explains what it means, I’ll believe her.

Good for Barack Obama

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Senator Obama has put a hold on the nomination of Hans von Spakovsky to the Federal Elections Commission. The Republicans are threatening to filibuster any vote which is not up or down on all four nominees, and if there are no nominations, the FEC would have only two commissioners, and would not be able to do business.

Hans von Spakovsky is the worst person in the Bush administration with regards to suppressing minority votes, let me repeat: Hans von Spakovsky is the worst person in the Bush administration with regards to suppressing minority votes, in fact, he developed most of the voter suppression techniques used by the Bush administration and NO FEC is better than an FEC with him on it.

He is a very bad man, and he should not be allowed anywhere near any government bureaucracy, particularly one that is about free and fair elections.

Mitt Romney Loses Nevada Straw Poll…To Ron Paul???????

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Yes you read that right Paul beat Romney, and he beat him handily: Paul 33%, Romney 16%, Hunter 15%, “Undecided” 11%, and the rest were in single digits.

It should be noted that it was a small conference, about 430 people, and Paul was not at the conference, but Romney and Hunter were.

While a part of it might be attributed to the libertarian streak of western Republicans, I think that a lot of has to do with the fact that polling shows that most Republicans favor us leaving Iraq too.

Ron Paul will not be the Republican nominee. Some of his positions regarding “social issues” and “law and order” are out of sync with the party.

That being said, the first mainstream Republican who says, “George W. Bush, Kiss My Ass, We are Leaving Iraq” would sweep the primaries. He might even have a chance in the general.

But no one running has the guts to do that.

John Edwards Proposals for Changes

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Today In New Hampshire Edwards Outlines Agenda To Return The Power In Washington To Regular People

First indent is the Edwards bullet point, following are my assessments of pros and cons of the specifics

  • Reforming Campaign Finance to Strengthen Small Donors
    • Reduces maximum contribution from $2300 to $1000, and does matching only on the first $100, at an 8 to one ratio, so a $100 contribution nets $900 in funds, and a $1000 contribution nets $1900 in funds.
      • Pros: Reduces the effect of big donations and bundling of donations.
      • Cons: The Supreme court may find the $1000 limit excessive. Additionally, the problem of money in politics is driven by costs, specifically one cost, the cost of advertising on over the air television. Seeing how we, the public, own the airwaves, it makes a lot of sense to add airtime for candidates to the mix for broadcast licenses.
  • Ending the Unique Power of Lobbyists
    • Would prevent lobbyists from making campaign donations, and from bundling donations. Would extend the ban on lobbying after leaving government positions to 5 years. Add a “constitutional” line item veto. Increasing disclosure requirements for lobbyists.
      • Pros: Disclosure is good, as is an extended period between government and lobbying jobs.
      • Cons: Prohibiting lobbyists from making political donations is flat out wrong. It’s more restrictive than the limitations on active duty military. Definition of lobbyists is a difficult thing. A “constitutional” line item veto would likely require amending the constitution, which is unlikely, at best.
  • Strengthening the Voice of Ordinary Citizens
    • Requires a voter verifiable paper ballot. Allow election day registration. Eliminate felon disenfranchisement. Give DC residents a congressional representative. Fight voter suppression. Have a biennial national town hall of over 1 million people working together to solve problems.
      • Pros: The voting proposals are good. Getting DC a representative is good.
      • Cons: DC really should be a full state. It has twice as many people in it as Alaska or Wyoming. The biennial national town hall is just silly. It sounds like a Grateful Dead concert.
  • Promote Open and Democratic Media
    • Require that real public interest obligations be a part of all broadcast licenses. Require net neutrality. Universal broadband by 2010. Make media ownership more difficult.
      • Pros: All good ideas.
      • Cons: Getting this done will be tough. In terms of universal broadband, I believe that this will require some level of government ownership of the “last mile” of wire to the house, which is how it happened in Japan and Korea, but this will be nearly impossible to accomplish in the current political/social environment in the United States.

The only one I truly disagree on is the ban on lobbyist contributions, which I think is just plain wrong. Everyone should be able to contribute, but it is rather blue sky.