Why didn't McCain go after Rev. Wright and Rezko
I find it odd that the media has made a story of Senator McCain not successfully going after some of Senator Obama's past affiliations. There has been a recent spate of news about disgruntled Republicans. The jist of the story is that these relationships between Senator Obama and any of these people might turn the tide in favor of Senator McCain. These are "evil people", with insidious agendas as the story goes, and as soon as the general public learns of these relationships they will begin to question Senator Obama's judgement. He will then become less popular, and Senator McCain will become a more popular choice.
Well, why wouldn't Senator McCain exploit these relationships for political gain? Is it because he is honorable and forthright and doesn't think politics should be done that way? At one point he claimed to want a clean campaign, but his recent advertising has been so negative for so long that I doubt that answer is correct. Is it because these relationships have been exposed for almost 15 month now, and the primary season proved that these lines of attack were not very useful? Maybe, but the election cycle is so late it seems odd that he wouldn't try every line of attack. No, it appears to be a different more significant reason. Senator McCain, who started his campaign as the one who had the better judgement and the was going to be a steward the public could trust no longer wants that issue at the forefront. Why is this a problem issue for McCain?
Reverend Jeremiah Wright vs. Thomas Muthee
Rev. Wright's comments were disgusting to me. To ask G-D to damn this country is reprehensible. He was dismissive of what is the best country in the world. This is a political liability for Senator Obama. Reverend Wright is a problem. He says things that offend most Americans. It's almost sad though that people find his comments surprising.
A friend was on a jury recently. She was telling us about her experience shortly after the case ended. During the deliberations, this woman was surprised that a number of African American jurors were very distrustful of the police. Considering that community's experience with police the reaction while unfortunate makes sense to me. These experiences are the foundation for preachers like Reverend Wright being uncomplimentary to the powers that currently run this country. I would be surprised if Reverend Wright was a rarity in making those types of speeches from the pulpit. The negative sentiments are things I would rather not spoken from a position of influence ; but they are understandable considering the scope of Reverend Wright's experience.
While this is a problem character McCain isn't exploiting it. Why? Why not talk about an affiliation that would be problematic. Make Senator Obama's favorability ratings go down and then the race might tighten up some.
Now let me represent to you, Thomas Muthee and John Hagee (also known as reason #1 and reason #2). Governor Palin has a relationship with Thomas Muthee. Thomas Muthee was a visiting preacher at her pentecostal church. Normally, a visiting clergy would not draw this much attention. But, this clergyman has given at least 10 sermons at her church, so he's been there a few times. The reason this specific preacher has drawn some attention is twofold. First, Governor Palin claims that his prayers helped him when the Governorship. Second, while most people work their way up through seminary or going from smaller to larger congregations, he took a rather unusual route to gain fame. HE PRAYED A WITCH AWAY FROM TOWN.
Now, when someone says they are going to pray for me I say thank you. I figure I'm going to take all the help I can get. I also appreciate anyone's well wishes or positive energy. But, I've never thought or said that some specific person's prayers helped he graduate college or get a job. Governor Palin's problem is the thing that is one of her greatest assets, her believability. I believe her when she says that she thinks his prayers helper her get the governorship. Dear reader, who seems more risky a preacher who is angry about the inequities of the American experience; or a preacher who made his name battling Witches and Demons(Times Online 16 September 2008).
Tony Rezko v. Charles Keating
Even if the relationship with Reverend Wright is not a good line of attack, then there are others. For instance Senator Obama had a questionable association with Tony Rezko, a developer in Chicago. Certainly Senator McCain can use this friendship to tie his opponent to problems with lax banking policies and the current bad feelings toward Wall Street. I had heard of Tony Rezko but didn't really read an accounting of it until very recently.
In brief, in 1990 Rezko offered a job to a young lawyer, Obama. That job offer was declined by Mr. Obama. In 1993 Barack Obama took a job with a law firm representing developers of low income housing. Rezko's firm started working with that firm in 1995. Obama billed 32 hours to the project with Rezko. Rezko was an early supporter of Obama's campaign for state Senate in 1995. While running for U.S. Senate in 2003, Obama held a fundraiser at the Rezko home.
Here comes the tricky part... In December 2005, while Rezko was under federal investigation Obama bought a mansion next to land that Rezko's wife bought. Barackj Obama bought the mansion for 300,000 less than the asking price. Mrs. Rezko paid full price for the lot. Obama then bought part of the vacant lot from Mrs. Rezko for $104,500. Once Rezko was convicted of federal charges Obama gave donations from the Rezkos to charity(Chicago Sun-Times 24 January 2008).
The above link is the article where that information is pulled from. That is a pretty bad relationship. It smacks of influence peddling and gives off the appearance of impropriety. Senator McCain could definitely use this story as a way to go after Senator Obama. Maybe Senator McCain doesn't really want to get into "that one's" personal history, because he is afraid of something in his own closet.
The Keating 5 is a 20 year old story. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia that will give some background:
The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The five senators, Alan Cranston (D-CA), Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ), John Glenn (D-OH), John McCain (R-AZ), and Donald W. Riegle (D-MI), were accused of improperly intervening in 1987 on behalf of Charles H. Keating, Jr., chairman of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which was the target of a regulatory investigation by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB). The FHLBB subsequently backed off taking action against Lincoln.
Lincoln Savings and Loan collapsed in 1989, at a cost of over $3 billion to the federal government. Some 23,000 Lincoln bondholders were defrauded and many elderly investors lost their life savings. The substantial political contributions that Keating had made to each of the senators, totalling $1.3 million, attracted considerable public and media attention. After a lengthy investigation, the Senate Ethics Committee determined in 1991 that Alan Cranston, Dennis DeConcini, and Donald Riegle had substantially and improperly interfered with the FHLBB in its investigation of Lincoln Savings, with Cranston receiving a formal reprimand. Senators John Glenn and John McCain were cleared of having acted improperly but were criticized for having exercised "poor judgment".
All five of the senators involved served out their terms. Only Glenn and McCain ran for re-election, and they both succeeded. McCain would go on to become the Republican nominee for president in 2008.
Now here is my question if McCain's business dealing with a banker cost the American public $3 Billion dollars do you think he wants those relationships reexamined? I guess that explains some things. I would imagine that McCain's historical relationships give him pause before he goes after Obama.
Bill Ayers vs. The U.S. Council for World Freedom
There is still a connection that Senator McCain could exploit. Bill Ayers was a radical in the 1960s. He was tied to the Weatherman Underground. This group used violence if necessary to get the country out of Vietnam. He was doing this in the 1960s. Ayers met Obama in the early 1990s, twenty five years later. This could be a remarkably damning association for Senator Obama. Here is a man that wanted to blow things up, that met Barack Obama during the early years of his career. Wow, why isn't the McCain campaign taking advantage of this? This could cause alot of people to question his motives. I wonder what might be stopping this line of attack.
Let me google for a minute. Who else has heard of the U.S. Council for World Freedom? The USCWF was more prominent in the 1980s. It was an organization that got entangled in the Iran-Contra affair.
Now that I'm thinking about it don't get me started on his associate Governor Palin.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/06/why-mccains-time-with-cou_n_132470.html
Well, why wouldn't Senator McCain exploit these relationships for political gain? Is it because he is honorable and forthright and doesn't think politics should be done that way? At one point he claimed to want a clean campaign, but his recent advertising has been so negative for so long that I doubt that answer is correct. Is it because these relationships have been exposed for almost 15 month now, and the primary season proved that these lines of attack were not very useful? Maybe, but the election cycle is so late it seems odd that he wouldn't try every line of attack. No, it appears to be a different more significant reason. Senator McCain, who started his campaign as the one who had the better judgement and the was going to be a steward the public could trust no longer wants that issue at the forefront. Why is this a problem issue for McCain?
Reverend Jeremiah Wright vs. Thomas Muthee
Rev. Wright's comments were disgusting to me. To ask G-D to damn this country is reprehensible. He was dismissive of what is the best country in the world. This is a political liability for Senator Obama. Reverend Wright is a problem. He says things that offend most Americans. It's almost sad though that people find his comments surprising.
A friend was on a jury recently. She was telling us about her experience shortly after the case ended. During the deliberations, this woman was surprised that a number of African American jurors were very distrustful of the police. Considering that community's experience with police the reaction while unfortunate makes sense to me. These experiences are the foundation for preachers like Reverend Wright being uncomplimentary to the powers that currently run this country. I would be surprised if Reverend Wright was a rarity in making those types of speeches from the pulpit. The negative sentiments are things I would rather not spoken from a position of influence ; but they are understandable considering the scope of Reverend Wright's experience.
While this is a problem character McCain isn't exploiting it. Why? Why not talk about an affiliation that would be problematic. Make Senator Obama's favorability ratings go down and then the race might tighten up some.
Now let me represent to you, Thomas Muthee and John Hagee (also known as reason #1 and reason #2). Governor Palin has a relationship with Thomas Muthee. Thomas Muthee was a visiting preacher at her pentecostal church. Normally, a visiting clergy would not draw this much attention. But, this clergyman has given at least 10 sermons at her church, so he's been there a few times. The reason this specific preacher has drawn some attention is twofold. First, Governor Palin claims that his prayers helped him when the Governorship. Second, while most people work their way up through seminary or going from smaller to larger congregations, he took a rather unusual route to gain fame. HE PRAYED A WITCH AWAY FROM TOWN.
Now, when someone says they are going to pray for me I say thank you. I figure I'm going to take all the help I can get. I also appreciate anyone's well wishes or positive energy. But, I've never thought or said that some specific person's prayers helped he graduate college or get a job. Governor Palin's problem is the thing that is one of her greatest assets, her believability. I believe her when she says that she thinks his prayers helper her get the governorship. Dear reader, who seems more risky a preacher who is angry about the inequities of the American experience; or a preacher who made his name battling Witches and Demons(Times Online 16 September 2008).
Tony Rezko v. Charles Keating
Even if the relationship with Reverend Wright is not a good line of attack, then there are others. For instance Senator Obama had a questionable association with Tony Rezko, a developer in Chicago. Certainly Senator McCain can use this friendship to tie his opponent to problems with lax banking policies and the current bad feelings toward Wall Street. I had heard of Tony Rezko but didn't really read an accounting of it until very recently.
In brief, in 1990 Rezko offered a job to a young lawyer, Obama. That job offer was declined by Mr. Obama. In 1993 Barack Obama took a job with a law firm representing developers of low income housing. Rezko's firm started working with that firm in 1995. Obama billed 32 hours to the project with Rezko. Rezko was an early supporter of Obama's campaign for state Senate in 1995. While running for U.S. Senate in 2003, Obama held a fundraiser at the Rezko home.
Here comes the tricky part... In December 2005, while Rezko was under federal investigation Obama bought a mansion next to land that Rezko's wife bought. Barackj Obama bought the mansion for 300,000 less than the asking price. Mrs. Rezko paid full price for the lot. Obama then bought part of the vacant lot from Mrs. Rezko for $104,500. Once Rezko was convicted of federal charges Obama gave donations from the Rezkos to charity(Chicago Sun-Times 24 January 2008).
The above link is the article where that information is pulled from. That is a pretty bad relationship. It smacks of influence peddling and gives off the appearance of impropriety. Senator McCain could definitely use this story as a way to go after Senator Obama. Maybe Senator McCain doesn't really want to get into "that one's" personal history, because he is afraid of something in his own closet.
The Keating 5 is a 20 year old story. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia that will give some background:
The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The five senators, Alan Cranston (D-CA), Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ), John Glenn (D-OH), John McCain (R-AZ), and Donald W. Riegle (D-MI), were accused of improperly intervening in 1987 on behalf of Charles H. Keating, Jr., chairman of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which was the target of a regulatory investigation by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB). The FHLBB subsequently backed off taking action against Lincoln.
Lincoln Savings and Loan collapsed in 1989, at a cost of over $3 billion to the federal government. Some 23,000 Lincoln bondholders were defrauded and many elderly investors lost their life savings. The substantial political contributions that Keating had made to each of the senators, totalling $1.3 million, attracted considerable public and media attention. After a lengthy investigation, the Senate Ethics Committee determined in 1991 that Alan Cranston, Dennis DeConcini, and Donald Riegle had substantially and improperly interfered with the FHLBB in its investigation of Lincoln Savings, with Cranston receiving a formal reprimand. Senators John Glenn and John McCain were cleared of having acted improperly but were criticized for having exercised "poor judgment".
All five of the senators involved served out their terms. Only Glenn and McCain ran for re-election, and they both succeeded. McCain would go on to become the Republican nominee for president in 2008.
Now here is my question if McCain's business dealing with a banker cost the American public $3 Billion dollars do you think he wants those relationships reexamined? I guess that explains some things. I would imagine that McCain's historical relationships give him pause before he goes after Obama.
Bill Ayers vs. The U.S. Council for World Freedom
There is still a connection that Senator McCain could exploit. Bill Ayers was a radical in the 1960s. He was tied to the Weatherman Underground. This group used violence if necessary to get the country out of Vietnam. He was doing this in the 1960s. Ayers met Obama in the early 1990s, twenty five years later. This could be a remarkably damning association for Senator Obama. Here is a man that wanted to blow things up, that met Barack Obama during the early years of his career. Wow, why isn't the McCain campaign taking advantage of this? This could cause alot of people to question his motives. I wonder what might be stopping this line of attack.
Let me google for a minute. Who else has heard of the U.S. Council for World Freedom? The USCWF was more prominent in the 1980s. It was an organization that got entangled in the Iran-Contra affair.
Now that I'm thinking about it don't get me started on his associate Governor Palin.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/06/why-mccains-time-with-cou_n_132470.html
posted by Noah at 9:09 PM
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