Visions of a Obama-Jackson-Sharpton White House

What Obama's speech on race lays bare for the world to see is the fact that Barack Obama has no stomach for standing up to the countries leading race baiters. He will not disavow Rev. Jeremiah Wright – a class A race baiter. So what does that signal for an Obama presidency?

Well, I think we can expect an Obama administration to toe the race baiter’s line. But, but, but, isn’t Obama a half black/half white reconciler with the moderating speeches? Why would he become a race baiter?

No, he wouldn’t himself start spewing venom. That’s not him. But he has thrice bowed to the three leading rate baiters in recent memory.

First, in the Don Imus “Nappy Headed Hos” controversy, he succumbed to Al Sharpton’s pressure. Next, with the Jena 6 controversy, he didn’t stand up to Jesse Jackson’s pressure to support the black youths. Eventually, he did what Jackson told him to do. And lastly, we find that he cannot stand up to Jeremiah Wright and his church no matter what they say.
Should we be surprised what happens when there is a racially-tinged event or controversy during an Obama presidency? Expect Jackson and Sharpton to be right there in the Rose Garden pulling the strings of their puppet president.

A Call to Grandma

A phone rings in Hawaii on March 16th ...

Grandma: Hello.

B.O.: Hi Grandma. It's your grandson Barry.

Grandma: Hello Boy. How are you?

B.O.: Well, I'm ok, Grandma. Actually, I'm in a bit of a pickle.

Grandma: What the hell did you do now? You doing drugs again?

B.O.: No, Grandma. I got give a big speeck about racial relations tomorrow and I'm at a bit of a loss about what to say. Can I ask a favor?

Grandma: Sure Boy. What is it?

B.O.: Can I tell the entire world you're a racist?

Grandma: Well, you goddamn did it once before in your goddamn book. What's one more time?

B.O.: Grandma, I told you. That book's really helping me with white people.

Grandma: 'Cause we read!

B.O.: Grandma!

Grandma: Why do you have to tell the whole world again that I'm racist? Why don't you tell 'em about how I helped care for you at a time when mixing of the races wasn't so accepted?

B.O.: I just need to tell everyone you say some things that are a little ... salty. It would really help.

Grandma: I still get funny looks at the grocery store ever since you said that same thing in your book.

B.O.: Grandma please?

Grandma: And why don't you ever talk about some of the crazy stuff your wife says. Talk about some racist stuff.

B.O.: You know I can't do that.

Grandma: Well, it's not like they made video tapes of me saying bad stuff. Or said it in church. Or had it taped. Or profitted from saying things. I only said it to you a couple of times.

B.O.: Grandma please. I don't think I'll get elected if I don't

Grandma: Alright boy. Your grandfather is gonna be spinning in his grave again.

B.O.: Thanks Grandma. I love you.

Grandma: Be sure to add that to your speech.

Obama and The Ax

Who is David Axelrod? He is the chief political strategist of the Obama Presidential campaign. Equally as important, he was a key, if not the key, political consultant on Obama's U.S. Senate campaign in 2004. More here and here.

Why is Mr. Axelrod relevant? Because he apparently is fond of "The Chicago Way," which is a particularly brutal form of politics ala The Untouchables. Important also, in that Mr. Axelrod seems to have found in Mr. Obama a person with a similar "appetite for the Big Kill" that wipes out the competition even before there is a vote. Perhaps, he was impressed by Obama's takedown of the Alice Palmer and others in 1996, so the two decided to join forces starting with the 2004 Senate campaign. During that campaign, the two apparently remainded in constant contact. This from an Obama biography "Promise to Power" by David Mendall, who covered the campaign for the Chicago Tribune:

"Obama would lean on Axelrod increasingly throughout the 2003-2004 campaign season--and thereafter. If Obama was on his cell phone, which seemed to be at every spare moment, there was a high probability that he was consulting with `Ax', the apt nickname for this cutthroat political operativee. Obama would call Axelrod three or four times a day, at all hours of the day and night, seeking his counsel."

The results of the political marriage? Witness the wipeout of his primary opponent for the U.S. Senate Blair Hull. Just like Palmer, Hull got kneecapped before the vote. Oh sure, he didn't get removed from the ballot like Palmer, but he was so weakened that he proved no threat to Obama by election day.

But this is where it get interesting. While most thought that Hull did himself in, it was the Obama campaign that pushed the others such as the Chicago Tribune and NOW to make a cause celeb out of Hull divorce and to force Hull to release his divorce records.

It was just before the Illinois Senate primaries in late January 2004 that the Chicago Tribune broke the news about Hull's difficult divorce. Once the blood was in the water, the Obama campaign "worked aggressively behind the scenes to fuel controversy about Hull's filings" as the was revealed months later. Obviously, the pressure worked on in Hull's case, but did the Obama campaign pressure the Trib about the Jack Ryan (Obama's competition in the general election) divorce as well. Did they suggest to or pressure the Trib to sue to get the Ryan records released?

Axelrod, who is a former Trib reporter, and Obama clearly had the Trib's constant ear around this time by granting them "unfettered access to see the real Obama on a daily, if not hourly, basis." The Trib had no record of making divorce records relevant in political campaigns prior or since the Hull/Ryan cases. So what could have possibly prompted the Trib to decide to go to court to get Ryan's records released? How much pushing did Axelrod do?

It strains credibility to think the he didn't push them to go to court for the Ryan records because:

A) Axelrod had constant access to Trib reporters and editors at this time (Documented by quotes in Tribune articles on 2/10, 3/1, 3/17, and culminating in a Axelrod-authored commentary on the editorial page on 3/26)
B) Obama has a record of using legal manueverings to wipe out candidates (see Palmer case)
C) Alexrod/Obama has been found to push for the release of the Hull records
D) Ryan was Obama's likely Republican competition (given that both were the clear frontrunners in their respective parties at the time of the Trib's initiating the lawsuit)

So tell me, how does the subject of the Ryan divorce not get discussed by Axelrod and the Trib? Given the candidate's and Axelrod's history, how do they not push for the Trib on the issue? Again, it strains credibility to think otherwise. But to my knowledge Axelrod and Obama have never directly answered the question as to whether they pushed the Trib on the Ryan divorce records.

As a coda to the whole affair, the Trib waited until late June -- a couple of days after Ryan resigned from as the Republican nominee -- to disclose that the Obama campaign secretly pushed for the release of the Hull records. Why would they wait until Ryan was gone to disclose about the 5-month old story on the long-departed Blair Hull? Could it be that they didn't want the Ryan court case muddied by questions about whether the Obama campaign pushed the Trib to get the Ryan records released?

The Obama campaign and the Tribune should be asked about this so the public knows Obama's full record of wiping out the competition -- two plus confirmed, one more highly suspect.

Hope doesn't matter. I don't have a dream.

Barack has said this:

"Dreams of democracy and hopes for a perfect government are now just that – dreams and hopes. We must instead turn our focus to those concrete objectives that are possible to attain"

What! Why that sounds like he's poo-pooing hopes and dreams! But, but, but, but ... I thought he told Hillary:

"Don't tell me ideals and inspiration don't matter. Don't tell me hope doesn't matter."

He said this nasty thing about hopes and dreams about Iraq, of course, in November 2006.
When it comes to Iraq, it's "No we can't!"

The Best Competition is No Competition -- Part III: Jack Ryan

Who is Jack Ryan? None other than the third political opponent of Barack Obama to meet their political demise prior to the election. This knock-off rate is enough to make Vladimir Putin jealous.

Jack Ryan was the 2004 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. By most accounts, the race against Obama was expected to be real, notwithstanding Republican troubles in the state. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the election -- the Chicago Tribune and ABC 7 News in Chicago sued to have Jack Ryan sealed divorce proceedings unsealed in a California court. Had/has the Trib taken such a drastic measure regarding a divorced political candidate prior to or since? Uh no. No matter. In it's ex-post editorial on June 25 tiltled, "Why the Tribune Went to Court," the Trib reasoned:

"This is not the first time that the Tribune has sought access to public
records. Reporters seek all manner of records, from government contracts to the
minutes of village board meetings to the transcripts of the Watergate tapes.
They do so for one reason: so readers are informed."

Yes, so these were the best parallel examples that the Trib could cite -- village board meetings and Watergate from the early 70's? No other divorce records? No other records (e.g., medical or tax returns) of political candidates? Apparently not.

Ryan and his ex-wife resisted the move, and when the court announced that the records would be unsealed, the two were were "disturbed and angered" by the decision. She said that she supported his bid for the Senate and cited no abuse or infidelity. Of course, as is so often the case in divorce proceedings, there were salacious details -- an allegation about a sex club. Soon after, Ryan was forced to resign from as the Republican nominee. He was replaced by a very weak candidate, firebrand Alan Keyes, who was trounced by Obama in the general election.

The point here is that, once again, Obama ran in an election against no, or in this case, nominal competition. Is Obama the luckiest man in the world or what? First Alice Palmer, then Blair Hull, and then Jack Ryan -- all strong candidate weakened or gone before the election.

I wouldn't necessarily call it luck. Look for more on the "or what" scenario in a future post.

The Best Competition is No Competition -- Part II: Blair Hull

Who is Blair Hull? He was the front runner for the Democratic nomination for Illinois junior U.S. Senate seat in 2004. Then on February 15, 2004, about a month before the primary the Chicago Tribune dropped this tidbit into the race at the end of an article by David Mardell:

"As his second marriage to Sexton collapsed in 1998, Sexton filed an order of protection against him, public records show. Hull won't talk about the divorce in detail, saying only that it was "contentious" and that he and Sexton are friends."

That was all it took for blood to hit the water. Hull's explanations didn't suffice, and calls came for him to release the divorce records. On Feb. 21 and 26, Mardell wrote two more articles highlighting Hull's difficulty.

Then two days later, bowing to pressure, Hull released his divorce records, showing a hostile relationship with his former wife. One day later, the Tribune endorsed Obama and cited Hull's divorce record as a reason for not supporting him. On March 2, NOW protested Hull in Chicago. Long story short: Hull tanked and Obama won.

Five months later, it was revealed, to little fanfare, by Mardell that the Obama campaign "worked aggressively behind the scenes to fuel controversy about Hull's filings."

So Obama took down Alice Palmer and 3 other opponents without an election in his primary campaign for the Illinois State Senate, and he also got Blair Hull whacked without getting any blood splattered on himself. How did he do it? Would anyone else fall?

Barack's resume: No page-down necessary

In the Meet the Candidate section of Barack Obama's own website, his life and accomplishments are summed up in just 822 words. However, for even easier viewing, I've omitted the fluff and rearranged the remaining text into resume format. Below is the entire resume:

Barack Obama

Born: Hawaii, August 4th, 1961.

Youth: Grew up in Hawaii, lived a few years in Indonesia.

College: Undergraduate -- Columbia University, 1983; Graduate -- Harvard Law School, 1991

Non-political work experience (starting 1985):

• Chicago community church-based group organizer. The group had some success improving living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment
• Civil rights lawyer - Chicago
• Constitutional law instructor – Chicago

Political Work Experience:

Illinois State Senate (eight years)

• Creating state Earned Income Tax Credit program
• Expansion of early childhood education program
• Passed law requiring videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases

U.S. Senate (2004 to date)

• First law: online public disclosure of public spending
• Championed ethics reform
• Worked to prepare the VA for care veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
• Traveled to Russia
• Promoting greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards

Personal life: Married with two daughters; Church -- Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago

That's everything -- straight from his website. And who doesn't pad their resume just a little.

The Best Competition is No Competition -- Part I: Alice Palmer

Who is Alice Palmer (pictured on the right) Just one of many of Barack Obama's formidable former political opponents who happeened to meet the their political demise prior to the election. Dr. Palmer was the longtime state senator from Illinois' 13th district. She was well respected and, by all accounts, her constituents were happy with here performance. She had suggested that Barack Obama would be a suitable heir to her senate seat when she ran for Congress in a 1995. Alas, she lost the primary and decided to run for re-election in the Illinois senate. By that time, Obama had decided, as well, that he was the heir to that seat and was already on the ballot.

So did Obama demure to a respected civil-rights leader and allow her to keep her seat? No. Did he, believing he was the better candidate, run against her in an honest campaign in the primary? No. Instead, against the urging of many other in the district, he not only ran, but he also KNOCKED HER OFF THE BALLOT!

But did Obama knock her off or did she do it herself? He got her disqualified on a technicality. Her hastily conceived petition did not have enough validatable signatures -- not surprising in a district of many dispossessed and homeless. But surely this happens in Chicago -- the city of the voting dead -- all of the time. How did Palmer's petition become invalid? Well, Obama sent his henchmen, er supporters, to dig through the signatures and find the invalid ones. Why did he suspect this would work? No one has said. But Obama also used the same tactic on 3 other opponents in the same election.

Obama won the democractic primary UNOPPOSED! He won the general election against virtually no opposition in a district where it is hard to find a Republican.

The elder black women would not be the last to get knocked down by Obama's sharp elbows as he muscled his way to the political frontlines.