Obama Speech on Election Night

Desperate but not Serious

I've kept off of politics for a while.
Mainly because I just burned out on the topic.

Call it fatigue.

But a quick re-set might be in order.

It seems the closer Obama gets to claiming victory, the more we all have to wonder about the potential for self destructive behavior among Clinton Democrats who swear, as God is their witness, that they'll never EVER vote for that...that...MAN!

Losing is hard. But losing a close race that meant something very special to many people is apparently much harder.

Senator Clinton voted for the war in Iraq. That is the crucial reason I reject her candidacy for President. Her twisted argument that votes in Florida and Michigan must count is another symptom of her problem.

Hillary Clinton has shown that she will do anything to win - except tell the truth.
She is still not desperate enough to candidly explain that she wants Florida and Michigan to count against Senator Obama so that she can justify her fight to win support within the party establishment. She is in "go for broke" mode to win the White House. Nobody really thinks this is about voter rights which she happily signed away before the primaries.

Clearly, somebody or something has got to take the blame for her defeat.
The usual suspects are already being rounded up.

Wright: No Longer Preaching to the Choir

I saw Rev. Wright on Bill Moyer's Journal.
I heard excerpts from his following remarks to the Press Club.

The man is currently a fish with no water. In his church he could howl out a fiery sermon, call for an AMEN - and get it every time. Now removed from his pulpit he stands at the national podium. And the AMENS aren't coming from mainstream Americans who aren't used to getting on their feet and shouting out in church. In the public forum, we're conditioned to watch passively as media delivers his message. Then we turn to one another and say, "Oh dear."

* * * *

Obama Checked.

The white queen is in play and Obama finds he must sacrifice his black bishop.
This isn't good. He has lost the offense and is losing on defense.

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The Conservative Double Standard

Remember Ted Haggrd?
You should remember him:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The megachurch founded by Pastor Ted Haggard said Tuesday he has prematurely ended a "spiritual restoration" process begun when he was fired for sexual misconduct.

Haggard was fired from New Life Church and resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals in November 2006 after a former male prostitute alleged they had a cash-for-sex relationship. The man also said he saw Haggard use methamphetamine. (Fox News)

"President of the National Association of Evangelicals"? Can we talk about the white church?

This guy even had access to President Bush and White House Policy Decisions:

WASHINGTON - As president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Rev. Ted Haggard has advised the White House on issues ranging from judicial appointments to steel tariffs.

But he also sought to widen the agenda of Christian evangelicals into areas the Bush administration - and many of his Christian brethren - would rather avoid.

Haggard resigned as president of the association, which says it represents about 30 million evangelical church members, and took a leave as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs amid allegations that he paid a gay former escort for sex and drugs.

Although he had been active in lobbying for conservative Christian causes before, Haggard's profile rose after he became head of the NAE early in 2003.

He made frequent visits to the White House and was included in a select group of religious leaders briefed on the administration's agenda during a weekly teleconference with White House staff, a session meant to "feel the evangelical pulse," he's said.

"We have direct access (to the White House)," Haggard told a Wall Street Journal reporter shortly before the last presidential election, adding that he could take a concern to the president through staff and get a response within 24 hours. - Rocky Mountain News

Judicial appointments and STEEL TARRIFFS? Do YOU see anything wrong with this picture?

I'm sure Haggard wore his flag lapel pin and never said, "God Damn America"
He just repeatedly hired a male prostitute and did meth.

One of these preachers ought to cost somebody an election. Kind of odd that it won't be the white guy. I guess it's because he's a good American.

* * * *

UPDATE 4/30/08

John Nichols absolutely nails it in The Nation:

Wright, Jefferson and the Wrath of God

In more ways than Republican and now Democratic critics seem prepared to admit, Wright is the embodiment of an American religious and political tradition of challenging the country's sins while calling it to the higher ground that extends from the founding of the republic. No less a figure than Thomas Jefferson -- who constructed that wall of separation between church and state but who worried a good deal about questions of the divine -- worried openly about the retribution that would befall a nation that permitted slavery.

Jeremiah Wright is our John Brown

I'm afraid to write this post. The weight of history is heavy on this topic.

The potential for hate and evil resulting from this comparison are great. But the strong parallel Between Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright and Abraham Lincoln and John Brown struck like a thunderbolt tonight when I read that Rev. Wright had been interviewed by PBS and that his remarks were already stirring new, hostile reactions against Barack Obama in the American public.

For those educated in California public schools, here's an introduction to John Brown:

John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was a white American abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish all slavery. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas and the unsuccessful raid at Harpers Ferry in 1859.

President Abraham Lincoln said he was a "misguided fanatic" and Brown has been called "the most controversial of all 19th-century Americans."[1] His attempt in 1859 to start a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, electrified the nation. He was tried for treason against the state of Virginia and was hanged, but his behavior at the trial seemed heroic to millions of Americans. Southerners alleged that his rebellion was the tip of the abolitionist iceberg and represented the wishes of the Republican Party, but those charges were vehemently denied by the Republicans. Historians agree that the Harpers Ferry raid in 1859 escalated tensions that a year later led to secession and the American Civil War.

Barack Obama is the modern embodiment of that old Republican, Abraham Lincoln. In Lincoln's time, being Republican meant standing up for the values of the Republic over the values of the special or, "peculiar" interest of capital, i.e., the slave owners. In 1860 he was referred to by hostile partisans as a "Black Republican" and you are free to read into that any extension of evil darkness and race based prejudice you'd care to mention. Today, Obama obliquely identifies himself for the values of the Republic against the "peculiar" interests of modern capitalists.

More about Brown:

"Historians agree John Brown played a major role in starting the Civil War.[4] His role and actions prior to the Civil War, as an abolitionist, and the tactics he chose still make him a controversial figure today. He is sometimes heralded as a heroic martyr and a visionary and sometimes vilified as a madman and a terrorist; black scholars have consistently held the first viewpoint while those who apologize for black slavery have held the second; those belonging to neither category have held various views. While some writers, such as Bruce Olds, describe him as a monomaniacal zealot, others, such as Stephen B. Oates, regard him as "one of the most perceptive human beings of his generation." David S. Reynolds hails the man who "killed slavery, sparked the civil war, and seeded civil rights" and Richard Owen Boyer emphasizes that Brown was "an American who gave his life that millions of other Americans might be free." For Ken Chowder he is "at certain times, a great man", but also "the father of American terrorism."

Please - I'm not suggesting that Rev. Wright is a terrorist but I am assuming that he can be seen as a controversial figure. I'm also not defending Rev. Wright or his words. He has injured my favorite candidate and I wish he had never said anything to offend the good and decent people of this nation. But I will go on with this comparison.

John Brown saw the evil of slavery and declared himself violently opposed to it. Reverend Wright saw the injustice of America and as he wiped the blood of it on our hands we were unwillingly brought to shocking awareness of what some people believe.

No matter how hard the 1860 Republicans tried to repudiate the actions of John Brown and his words, no matter how meticulous Abraham Lincoln was in observing the Constitutional rights of slave owners, history records the clear impression that Lincoln carried forward the mission of John Brown to rid the nation of of slavery.
And make no mistake, John Brown condemned America for allowing oppression under law.

Lincoln distanced himself from Brown. Obama distances himself from Wright. But guilt by association has been assigned to both Lincoln and Obama for all time.

Now for myself, I am a Lincoln man.

I will accept Lincoln's association with the guilt of one John Brown in exchange for the redemption of millions of slaves to freedom.

And I am an Obama man. I will accept Obama's association with the guiltly words of one Jeremiah Wright in exchange for a new birth of American freedom.

Barack Obama's association with Reverend Wright is as radical as Abraham Lincoln's association with John Brown. Neither is real. Yet they scare the hell out of us. That is what challenges us to look carefully at his election.

Obama is betting that America can look beyond race and that he can win the Presidency. Others calmly declare that we are still a racist nation and that he can't possibly win.

For the sake of my country, I'd rather bet on Obama and lose than bet on racism and win.

Super Sunday Blog Post

There's a lot here for Sunday reading, so grab a cup of whatever soothes your mind and spend a few minutes here in review.

This post contains links from contributor Ray McInnis, a few words about the Egg McMuffin and a Sunday funny from Bob Henderson.

Also an essay from yours truly plus a note from Paul McGowan at PS Audio and a listen to the first sound recording, made in 1860!

So lets dig in!

* * * *

First - The Election

This is what awaits Barack Obama.
I don't know where this comes from but be sure to guess that this kind of stuff will find its way to the MSM if Obama gets the nod.

Nativists whose mono-brow, mono-cultutural, anti-immigrant hairs are already raised are going to pounce on this stuff. Gee, I remember when it was only Mexicans and people from Eastern Europe who got this kind of treatment in America.

* * * *

Reuters Fudging -

The Original Headline on this link from Reuters:

"Obama:Clinton Welcome to stay in race"

is now, "Clinton says no intention of dropping out:report"

Who requested THAT distinction?

* * * *

REV WRIGHT AND WRONG

Here is a link to an easily found video clip from two pastors who spoke on camera after 911 to tell us that God was giving us exactly what we deserved. I don't claim divine insight so I'll have to guess that Jerry Falwell got the same message from God that Jeremiah Wright got.

* * * *

Why didn't Obama leave his church?

This isn't a question. It's an attack on the ambivalent American. Obama didn't leave. I didn't leave. You didn't leave. We have evidence from left and right, black and white that America is not God's little innocent in the world. So why do we stay true to a country so full of sin as to be Righteously punished by God? Why do we not flee our country even when our President demands we fight a war on questionable terms?

I know what preaching in America is about. I am descended from generations of Protestant ministers. It was our family business from the early 1800's until the 1970's when my grandfather passed away.

In the 1930's, my Grandfather was Pastor to Pennsylvania coal miners and unemployed factory workers in tiny towns throughout the Southeastern corner of the state. The Reverend Chester Warren Quimby was sent to minister to men and women and children left destitute by the Great Depression. His own family depended on the value of his service to the people. And he was often called at late hours to serve. He met the untimely death of a wife, the tragic loss of a father, a family disrupted by drunken violence, or the parents who felt they could not go on raising children in poverty.

He was man who was asked over and over again, "Why?".

I knew the Reverend Dr. Quimby and I know the strength that came from his faith.
He may not have "Damned" America but he knew America's shortcomings and he knew the suffering of his people. He knew that his own life depended on offering faith and hope and healing to his people and he labored for years to bring the people to his church for the mercy he believed was theirs.

When your life depends on filling the church in your charge, you must preach to the people in ways that will bring them to God. If you are the pastor of a Church in a Chicago ghetto, how will you preach to them?

Reverend Jeremiah Wright wasn't trying to save me. He wasn't trying to show me the way to Christ from my million dollar home or to bring me to salvation from the senseless poverty of wealth. He wasn't trying to build his church in the comfortable American suburb I inhabit.

Jeremiah Wright was like my Grandfather. He gave himself to a barren land in our country. He reached out for the lost, the poor, the dis-oriented, the cast off, the denied, the weak, the hopeless and those struggling to save their families from economic destruction. He spoke to them and they came to worship.

More in a link From Contributor Ray McInnis

And more from Ray with comments from a supportiveCondi Rice - deflected by a blogger from the right.

Ray Adds:

for me, anyone can rattle on like this, endlessly, i suppose, but still miss one point: that for rice to talk about race is the same as nixon going to china, and validating it as a nation worthy of america having relations with, or -- and this is of lesser import -- reagan talking with gorbachev.

in effect, rice's words make the imbroglio of wright-obama of much less consequence, meaning that when whites who might be driven from voting for obama over the wright issue, could reconsider, because a black america, conservative, is making it sound more legit.

OK, wading through these waters is tricky, but after teaching american cultural studies course for several years, discovered that it is part of the solution.

ideally, if you want people to change from thinking that blacks are not the victims they claim to be to thoughts more sympathetic to the idea that they do in fact suffer as "victims", here's how it works -- and it has to be through the heart, one person at a time -- you do it by having that person actually conduct his/her own research on a topic in cultural studies -- like the origin of the "one drop" rule -- filtering these things through their minds, and -- voila! -- the change in heart occurs, because they finally understand what oppression means.

ledeen may be correct about the change that has occurred already, but it is going to take a few more generations to give us the social conditions that level the playing field to the point wheree conservatives claim it is now.

* * * *

EGGMC1

Herb Peterson died this week. Herb took credit for the invention of the Egg McMuffin at his McDonald's Restaurant on upper State Street in Santa Barbara, Ca.

While I have no doubt that Mr. Peterson conceived and introduced said McMuffin to his friend and mentor Ray Kroc, I know some urban lore on the subject from having worked in that restaurant from 1976 to 1979. Store Manager, Garth Bench, once told me that it was McDonald's crew members who came in each morning to warm up the grills for the lunch time burger menu who innovated the McMuffin by cooking their own breakfast sandwiches in the McDonald's kitchen. Garth said he was one of those young workers who inspired Mr. Peterson. I was told that in 1978.

Having done much the same to create my own sandwiches at the same restaurant, I can understand how this might have been the case. We were once told in a crew meeting, "You guys should put as much care into the burgers you serve the customers as the stuff I see you creating for yourselves on break!"

McDonald's President, Ray Kroc, had a ranch just north of us in the Santa Ynez Valley. He actually showed up at our restaurant in his limo. And secret boxes of frozen test items were sometimes stored in our freezer. That and a whole lot of after hours nonsense, plus a late night visit from Fleetwood Mac made working for McDonald's pretty interesting in our little town.

I enjoyed knowing and working for Mr. Peterson at McDonald's. And I will forever be grateful for the training I received as a young employee at the Golden Arches.

And as a final note, Mr. Peterson was a guest in my studio several years ago as we created some local radio commercials for his local McDonald's restaurants. What a pleasure to welcome this man into my own small business. I credit him to starting me on my my way to success

* * * *

Paul McGowan at PS Audio sent me some news this week. Paul was an entrepreneur/amateur engineer at 99.1 KXFM in Santa Maria, Ca. a few years before I became a DJ there in 1981. I still have one of the first hand built PS Audio phono pre-amps that was installed at the radio station.

He sends story about the recent recovery of the first recorded audio from 1860!

Much of this month's newsletter will focus on the state of digital media in our high end systems. It seems appropriate, therefore, that we start this newsletter off with news of the discovery of the world's first optical recording (like a CD) that predates Edison's first recording by nearly 20 years!

This is the link to a New York Times article about the Phonautogram, an optical voice recorder invented in 1853 (17 years before Edisons patent of the phonograph) by douard-Lon Scott de Martinville of Paris.

Edison's system was entirely mechanical and used a stylus (needle) that was moved by the power of your voice, to cut a pattern into a wax cylinder. In our free DVD From Coal to Coltrane we show a later version of Edison's machine and describe how it works.

Martinville's Phonautogram worked in a very similar fashion, only instead of cutting a pattern into a wax cylinder the French inventor used the moving stylus to write on a piece of paper. He had no clue how this would be played back but he wanted to design a piece of equipment that could capture and archive the human voice and he succeeded!

The article has a link so you can hear the reproduction of his first work, now decoded after sitting in storage for 155 years. Amazing.

* * * *

Contributor Bob Henderson sends us Today's Funny:

Drowning Woman Reaches for Point of Sword

Having been rebuffed by Barack Obama, it's only a matter of time before Hillary Clinton offers John McCain the number 2 spot on her "Dream" ticket. She and Bill have already endorsed him over Obama so why not seal the deal with a big wet sloppy kiss?

And the latest from Senator Clinton:

"Clinton Says She Would Have Walked Out On Wright"

She finds moral outrage in the weirdest places. Has the Weekly Standard endorsed her yet?


* * * *

CLINTON RUNS TO THE RIGHT

She knows that Senator McCain is vulnerable and she can beat him in the center by capturing white independents - voters who aren't coming to Obama in the numbers Democrats need to see for a run in the fall. She's aiming to prove to Super Delegates that she can win.

Her attacks on Obama are playing weirdly well in the Conservative media, but will they generate real support for someone that Conservatives love to despise? Or will they only fuel their ultimate goal - to burn their beloved Liberal witch at the stake in November?

It's either a brave and smart strategy, or a deceptive and unprincipled sellout. Either way this strategy could work if things were to stay static. But they won't.

Senator Obama probably couldn't win if the general election were held in April. A close second would be impressive but hardly satisfactory.

Senator Obama has made his campaign to the left and kept it there in all 50 states, raising millions of dollars and registering new voters in huge numbers. For Democrats, Senator Obama's strategy is just as risky as running to the right. His campaign depends entirely on convincing a huge number of people to vote.

In the mean time, the tar and feathers are ready. Tar to blacken Obama, and feathers to paint a big Liberal "L" on him.

* * * *

FCC likely to approve Sirius-XM deal, analysts say

Did anybody ask for 2 satellite radio channels in the first place? How about 1?

* * * *

Obama Word Game

Ray and I had a few laughs today using Google Search to play a fun new game.We entered "Barack Obama" plus any words we could think of.

Some examples that returned pages:

Barnyard
Stigmata
Tricycle
Bar Fight
Calliope
Cream Rinse

We never had a miss.

* * * *

Blogging to Stardom
Imagine being able to read the daily writing of Charles Dickens.

* * * *

Today's Funny:

"Role Models" from nationalbanana.com

From Crackle: Role Models

Obama Speaks for Himself

This was an historic moment.
If you can't see the whole speech, please read this transcript from the NY Times.

The Obama Campaign forwarded this link to video of the speech

A Change is Gonna Come

Theme Music for this post from, The Last FM, is Sam Cooke's, "A Change is Gonna Come".

Geraldine Ferraro resigned from the Clinton campaign today over comments she made to a newspaper reporter. I'm in the minority of Americans who gave Ms. Ferraro my vote when she ran with Walter Mondale in 1984.

Barack Obama deflected the comment citing "divisiveness" without making any explicit accusation of racism. Ferraro wasn't having any of it. She angrily declared she was falsely accused and then listed her liberal credentials on race, class and gender. Perhaps she was prodded by the cub-pack press which cares little for subtle distinction. Perhaps it was a shout out to the so called "Angry White Voter." If so, it was pretty well scripted.

This story isn't about Geraldine Ferraro. This story is about the change that is coming and the speed at which it is coming. The fact that we Americans aren't prepared for a national debate about race indicates how awkward and difficult change can be and how far we still have to go.

Ferraro is an experienced pol who supports her candidate. I don't think she is a racist. I suspect her intention was to help her candidate in a way that ought to be as outdated as the comments that nagged her run with Mondale. Perhaps she meant to play to the sympathetic emotions of older women who experienced change in the 60's and 70's. Perhaps she meant to make choosing Obama more difficult for whites - the way that some men made it difficult for other men to vote for a woman in 1984.

Her comment reminds me of the old guys I knew who objected to working with women on the basis that the "girls" were getting special treatment.

Ms. Ferraro, I wonder if you remember those days a little too well.

Caught in the Hillary Trap

I met Rush Limbaugh once, many years ago, as he started his syndicated radio program. I watched him address a gathering of less than 100 guests at the Santa Maria Hilton.I talked with him briefly at the radio station I worked for.

I don't presume to know much about him. He didn't say anything to me that was particularly memorable. My impression of him was simply that he was a smart broadcaster, a former DJ like me, who was establishing himself in the new format of talk radio. He was polite, soft spoken and even shy as he began his venture.

I've never met Hillary Clinton. But she is asking for my vote for President. On what basis should I respond to her request? Who is she?

That is the nature of the Hillary trap.

My impressions of Hillary Clinton have been formed over the years by what I've heard and read and seen. Much of that opinion was shaped by Rush Limbaugh and others. Knowing that, I still find myself finding common purpose with the staunch partisans who defined her - against my own political views and values. And what they say now is, Don't you see? This is who we told you she is. Negative, vindictive and driven by lust for power.

Perhaps her reflection in the media mirror has become so distorted that she herself isn't sure who she is. That's a troubling issue as she tries to reach Democrats.

This weekend, both boxers went to their corners and sat with their corner men to review the fight and decide on strategy in the next round.

I think it's obvious that her corner will advise her to keep swinging and take a shot below the belt when she can. She'll take her chances on the wobbly media referee and go for a split decision if she can.

Obama has a riskier strategy which he can't change now. He's got to score some knock out punches and show himself to be the "Gentleman Jim" fighter he can be. If he goes Mike Tyson on her, he'll bite her ear and stop the fight, but he'll lose the decision and prove he's just another pug.

As Democrats, we're all caught in the Hillary Trap.

Obama is asking, "How do you want your candidate to win?"
Hillary is asking, "How badly do you want me to win?"

Hillary looks like the class geek on the issues.
Obama looks like the Homecoming King.

But the reasons that David Gergen said he'd take the Clinton's in a knife fight may be the reason that it isn't obvious to me what Obama should do. Once again, Obama is going to have to show us that he knows who he is rather than be sucked into the Hillary Trap.

Check the New Republic Discussion.

UPDATE: 3.10.08

Just released today is Joe Gandelman's blog column:

Bill Clinton Went On Rush Limbaugh's Show
Day of Texas Primary

Listen to the audio clip

...Strange days indeed. Most peculiar mamma!

When the Winner Loses in America

Pity the New England Patriots.

They had a perfect season in the NFL and emerged undefeated on the eve of the Superbowl. Then the New York Giants changed the status of the "presumptive champion" from inevitable winner to LOSER.

America does not tolerate losers. Someone must take the blame for failure.

The rise of Barack Obama can mean only one thing in the minds of many. Hillary and her campaign have failed! And the reasons are written and told across all media because she is the "presuimptive" nominee on the verge of elimination.

What will America say if Obama loses one on Tues? They won't say that Hillary won.

They'll say that Obama lost.

Hillary - The Executive and the Mother

The Democratic Primary debate in Austin Texas tonight revealed several truths about this campaign.

Hillary Clinton is favored by this format in opposition to the blazing stump speaker,
Barack Obama. She handled herself beautifully.

In quiet and measured tones she expressed her competence as an executive and made the most of her expertise on health care.

She was gracious in her disagreements with Barack Obama and expressed her differences respectfully to him and to the audience.

But she was most effective in her final comments comparing wounded veterans to her personal struggles. Mother Hillary was a figure of genuine compassion.

Obama struggled to maintain the power of the words from his stump speeches in the same measured boardroom atmosphere.

This was clearly Hillary Clinton's arena and she showed her skills at preparation and
in her responses to questions which subtly showed her experience as First Lady.

There was very much a yin and yang here as the masculine Obama asserted himself for America's vision and the feminine Clinton expressed her concerns for women and families.

One can only ponder the possibility of a joint ticket and wonder the old show-biz question: Who gets top billing?

I've been pleased to see the numbers of people from across America and especially readers from around the world in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and the European Union who have stopped in to read my thoughts on this election.

Thanks.

I'm particularly interested in sharing my first person impressions as an American voter with people from other countries. This election matters to me and to millions of other Americans. We're paying close attention - as you are - and I hope you're encouraged to know that we realize this election is important to all of us.

I encourage you to post your comments and questions.

June 6th, 1968

I was almost nine years old on June 6th, 1968.

Bobby Kennedy was congratulating supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, about 90 miles from my home.

We were watching a live report from KNXT Channel 2 when I saw it.
It still shocks me.

I was just a few months older than John F. Kennedy Jr. when his father was killed and I remember tones of grey as the nation laid him to rest at Arlington.

Martin Luther King Jr. was killed on April 4th, 1968.

A few months later I saw Bobby Kennedy die.

The Space Program couldn't save them. The Beatles couldn't save them.

Eventually John Lennon himself was murdered.

When I see Barack Obama speak it hits me in the gut and brings the water to my eyes and makes me whisper, "Please God, don't take him from us."