Obama's Ties Might Fuel Republican Attack Machine

[jackson_dem]

Wow, this is the first time I heard about these other guys. The msm finally reporting on Obama? It is Bloomberg, though, and he has an interest in weakening Obama obviously...How come we never heard of his ties to these guys over the past year? Even Rezko was hidden by the msm and Hillary mentioned his name in a debate. WE NEED MORE VETTING. Hillary has been vetted. We need to know who this guy who was a nobody just four years ago is.

-snip-

Besides his relationship with indicted businessman Antoin Rezko, Obama might face Republican criticism over contacts with a former leader of the Weather Underground, a banker with ties to a convicted felon and even his church.

-snip-

During the campaign, the Democratic speaker of the state House and other party leaders criticized Giannoulias because of loans his family bank made to Michael ``Jaws'' Giorango, a convicted felon. Obama stuck with Giannoulias after the revelations, though he did call on him to explain the matter.

-snip-

Besides Rezko and Giannoulias, Obama could face questions about his relationship with William Ayers, a former member of the radical group the Weather Underground who is now a professor of education at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Ayers donated $200 in 2001 to Obama's Illinois state Senate campaign and served with him from 1999 to 2002 on the nine-member board of the Woods Fund, an anti-poverty group.

-snip-

The Weather Underground carried out a series of bombings in the early 1970s -- including the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon. While Ayers was never prosecuted for those attacks, he told the New York Times in an interview published Sept. 11, 2001, that ``I don't regret setting bombs.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aMzI3I6BAo_U&refer=politics

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

1. what kind of ties, bow ties? how about his belts, will they fuel GOP madness? n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. What's wrong with Obama's ties?

He doesn't wear clip-ons, as far as I can tell. They look like perfectly nice, tasteful silk ties to me. I suppose the right-wingers might criticize him for not wearing working-class polyester ones, but as long as he stays away from gimmick ties with flashing lights or naked women on them, he should be fine.

[jackson_dem]

4. The one about the guy who bombed the capitol and Pentagon for one

Kind of a big deal and that will go hand in hand with the existing rethug smear campaign against him.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Now THAT guy's ties are tacky.

I heard he buys cheap Chinese ones at K-Mart. There's no excuse for that.

[Hepburn]

17. So where can you buy those kinda ties??

Pentagon bomber ties...weird name is all I can say!

[Jane Austin]

3. These have been the right-wing talking points for weeks.

There's better stuff to read out there than the RW sites.

[jackson_dem]

5. Did the msm ever report them over the past year of his campaign and year and "change" of Obamania?

[KittyWampus]

18. how old was Obama when the Weathermen were setting bombs? They worked at the same POVERTY center

and the guy in question is now a professor.

[jackson_dem]

20. I'm sure the rethug swifboating ads will mention that fact

Let's get real folks!

[Hippo_Tron]

41. He was 6 or 7, so he was setting off bombs while writing that essay about being President

[jackson_dem]

44. And? The attack will be "Obama is friends with a former terrorist. How can we trust him?"

[Hippo_Tron]

45. The Republicans will find something on any candidate that we pick...

And frankly I don't buy this "Hillary has been vetted, they have nothing new on her" crap. They will make up something that we haven't heard before just like they will with Obama or with any other candidate.

I also don't buy this "Hillary has survived 16 years of it" meme. I don't know what you consider surviving. She got elected Senator from New York against nobody Rick Lazio. Al Gore won New York by like 20 points that year.

Neither Clinton nor Obama are a sure thing against the GOP smear machine and frankly neither of them have been through a real tough general election fight before. But I am confident that both of them are up to the task.

[bluestateguy]

7. If they do that then McCain's war record will be put on the table

His clumsy record as a student at the Naval Academy, his sellouts to the enemy in the war, and his clamming up on the investigations into missing POW's and MIA's. There is a group, Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain, that is willing to help us with this.

It would be unfortunate if that was the kind of campaign we had to run, but nothing is more important to the future of this nation than winning.

[Enrique]

13. the dems will not Swift Boat McCain

the RW might do it, but the dems won't.

[Wickerman]

8. Keating Five - Check and Checkmate. eom

[K Gardner]

10. I don't understand your comment. Maybe you could explain. Thanks.

[Wickerman]

25. A quick primer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain#Keating_Five

He should've been bounced out of political life on his ear.

[Jane Austin]

11. I think McCain is counting on us not using the Keating 5 because

the other four were Democrats, including HRC endorser, Sen. John Glenn.

Glass houses, and all that.

[Wickerman]

28. I think it's a viable argument

McCain was one of the worst to be mixed up in the issue and then compounded the crime by trying to influence investigators. Glenn is no longer a Senator and not running for public office so I fail to see how bringing up the old McCain crimes hurts Obama? Could it hurt Hillary? Marginally, perhaps, but really not central to the thesis of this OP.

[Jane Austin]

40. I don't think it hurts Obama at all, but having Glenn endorse her takes it off the table

for her to use.

[Wickerman]

42. fair enough, I was looking down the road to the GE eom

[jackson_dem]

12. We have ammo against McCain

With Hillary, though, we have a vetted candidate. With Obama it will be a battle of swiftboating and the rethugs have more experience at it.

[Wickerman]

30. certainly a perspective to consider

and one that could be argued many ways, many times over (see GDP :evilgrin:) I am not stating a preference for HRC or Obama, simply saying that the Keating S&L scandal is direct evidence of wrong-doing for McCain.

[Jane Austin]

38. Sorry, nothing is vetted about the Clintons' business deals since he left office.

He has spent a lot of time jetting about the world with some rather non-populist folks, collecting speaking fees and "advisory positions" for any number of private financial groups.

[K Gardner]

31. Yeah, I'm aware of the K5 and how they related to McCain. Just didn't understand the

analogy with regards to Obama and the OP. Thanks.

[Wickerman]

39. if one were to "swiftboat" Obama with associations

the issues one could throw at McCain are much, much worse. It will get ugly, Hillary or Obama. Whatever they throw at our side, the Keating S&L crisis and the resulting ethical trials McCain went through with investigators are much more damaging and all the eventual Dem campaign needs to do is refresh memories.

[K Gardner]

9. Giannoulias is a non-issue from what I've read/heard.. do some research.

He was fully vetted, he is not the State Treasurer in Illinois. Surely if he had mob connections, that wouldn't have happened.

"Giannoulias says that banks don't do criminal background checks of prospective clients, his bank has never been accused of any wrongdoing by federal regulators, and he would explain all of that to Madigan, if the party chairman would return his phone calls.

"The federal government looks at every loan in our portfolio and we've done nothing wrong. From day one, people have said we'd done nothing wrong, but it's politics and people are gonna make stories up," said Alexi Giannoulias, (D)-nominee for state treasurer.

The rest of the Democratic party is supporting Giannoulias, including Senator Barack Obama, the political superstar whose campaign commercial helped Giannoulias defeat the Madigan-backed candidate in the Democratic primary, and state representative John Fritchey says Madigan should meet with Giannoulias to clear the air."

<snip>

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=4609432

(thanks to sandnsea for the info)

[jackson_dem]

23. I'm sure the rethugs, after Obama casts his nice spell on them, will be sure to mention that

[K Gardner]

33. Well, I provided a link and article, but since the point of this is to slam Obama no matter what,

then just carry on with your afternoon's diversion and enjoy.

[jackson_dem]

34. No, the point is to put Obama's vulnerabilities on the table

One of his biggest arguments is that he is more electable than Hillary. We need to know all of his liabilities in order to asess for ourselves. Don't take it the wrong way. I like your posting.

[K Gardner]

36. OK, understood.. thanks for clarifying :-)

[jlacivita]

48. If they'll lie about Obama why not Hillary?

to detract from his candidacy based on that is pretty weak.

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

14. Well, I hear he was educated in a madrasa.

A madrasa. A radical madrasa. A radical terrorist madrasa. And he won't cross his heart for the pledge. "Cross" his heart--like he hates both America AND Jesus.

[jackson_dem]

19. Obamites apparently have no awareness of any election prior to St. Obama

The madrassa thing is a sham. The other stuff the rethugs can run with.

Obamites are cute. They dismiss all of St. Obama's weaknesses with "hope". Oh, it won't happen to him! The msm won't touch him. They have seen the light! They ignore the history of the country since 1796. It would be funny if they weren't taking the party and country down the drain with their naivety.

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

26. Everything the rethugs run with is a trumped up sham.

So you go do some Due Diligence, show me the real need for worry, and I'll then worry.

For fucksake, they swiftboated Kerry. Gore invented the internet. They don't need a whole hell of a lot to make shit up.

If you want to run with Clinton is battle-tested based on the point I'm making, then run with it. Until then, you're just reaching for something.

And what the fuck is naivate?

[jackson_dem]

27. Compare that to Hillary. Are they going to use whitewater again?

They have already thrown everything at Hillary. Obama is a blank slate.

[Hepburn]

15. I am more into Brook Brothers....

...so I really don't like Obama's ties that much...but I am an old fogie, so my opinion on current male haberdashery is probably of little impact. I would like to see him in a silk, English cut, rep stripe tie...but that is just me.

:hi:

[gateley]

16. Somebody posted this yesterday - guess you missed it. nt

[LostInAnomie]

21. Yeah, I'm sure the Clinton's "upstanding" contributors would never become an issue.

I wonder how much the rate for a night in the Lincoln Bedroom has gone up since 2000?

[ginnyinWI]

22. Either of them would be attacked by the RNC

We know this. Doesn't matter if there is any credible evidence or not. If they can't find enough, they just make stuff up.

The question then becomes: which candidate has the organization and ability to fight back? Which one has secured enough credibility with the people so that the smears won't stick? Which one has the least baggage? Which campaign has shown itself to have the rapid response needed? When Hillary's negative attack ad went up in Wisconsin this week, the Obama camp had an ad up within a few hours defending his position. Hours. Same with attacking statements they put out. There is someone there to respond on the spot.

So far Obama has shown himself to be very agile at dodging incoming from the Clinton camp. He deflects it and it reflects back onto them. I think he'll be able to do the same in the General Election.

[NastyRiffraff]

37. Obama ain't seen nothin' yet

"incoming from the Clinton camp" have been big wet kisses compared to what he'll face from Republicans if he's the nominee. If he thinks the Clinton attacks are bad (although he's "deflected" them like a teflon candidate), he has NO IDEA what he's going to face in the GE. That teflon will shatter like glass thrown on stone.

[ginnyinWI]

49. one thing that's different this time

is how many Republicans are defecting and voting for Obama. Sure, the far-right will still attack, but there won't be very many ears listening. The 25 percenters, that's all. Obama is attracting the attention of so many disillusioned Republicans now, during the primaries, that it should be easy enough to get through to November given the talent he's already shown.

And McCain is their candidate. McCain. Not much of a choice for any young Republican looking to be inspired.

[kevsand]

24. I've given more money to Obama than William Ayers is reported to here.

And serving together on the board of a progressive anti-poverty foundation is hardly Illuminati stuff.

By the way, Giannoulias won the election and is now our State Treasurer. I've met him several times, and he's a remarkable young man. I gave him some money, too, but not as much as I wanted to. If I'd had more, he would have gotten more.

These so-called "connections" are really stretching. This is pretty lame stuff.

[jackson_dem]

29. Willie Horton was lame too...

[kevsand]

35. No, Willie Horton wasn't lame.

If it was totally lame, it would never have worked to the extent that it did. It was reprehensible, but it resonated with a large category of voters, and was tied directly to an official act of Dukakis as governor. None of these second or third hand "connections" has anywhere the necessary minimum requirements to make it remotely possible for any of them to rise to that.

[Mojambo]

32. The Republican Attack Machine doesn't require any fuel. n/t

[Vinca]

43. If association meant guilt, both Clintons would be in jail.

Was it 13 or 14 convictions re Whitewater?

[MethuenProgressive]

46. He's the Media's Darling. He'll never have to answer a single question about any of his Past.

He's the New Reagan.

[1776Forever]

47. OK - How about this Clinton supporter - Take a look!

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/may/30vin.htm

Vin Gupta: The man the Clintons love

Aziz Haniffa in Washington, DC | May 30, 2007 13:53 IST

Vin Gupta, besides being one of the single biggest individual contributors -- whom Kapur by now had coveted and cultivated -- was afforded the honour of introducing Clinton, which he did with rousing gusto.

From then on, Gupta courted the Clintons and in turn, was afforded the opportunity of spending a night in the White House Lincoln Bedroom -- the first Indian American to do so.

As his sustained contributions to the Democrats continued to flow, Clinton offered him the post of first Counsel General to Bermuda and then the Ambassadorship to Fiji, both of which Gupta declined. While he maintained this was for business reasons, it was rumored to be because there were doubts his nomination would be confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee due to alleged violations of Securities and Exchange Commission rules.

Just before his second term ended, Clinton appointed Gupta as a member to the prestigious Board of Trustees of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

But even with Clinton out of the White House, Gupta's friendship with the now former President grew, and he brought him on as a consultant to infoUSA and, according to the lawsuit, beyond nearly $3 million in consulting fees, had flown the Clintons and himself to Acapulco, Mexico, on a vacation in 2002 and also to Switzerland, Hawaii and Jamaica. He was also said to have provided corporate jets for Mrs Clinton at least seven times since 2002, although it was unclear whether he had done so after she began her Presidential campaign.