Where’s the Outrage?

I’m a little surprised that this question slipped in. It is so crazy but rumors fly and folks are willing to believe anything. Hell, the majority of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11.

So, Senator Barack Obama answered for the 100th time why he doesn’t wear an American flag on his lapel. Obama’s answer was good, but not great. He really needed to nail this answer. But I guess when you answer the same question repeatedly, it might be a little hard to drum up some enthusiasm.

I first mentioned Obama and the flag pin back in January.

 

 Obama on the flag [1:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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I’m kind of surprised that George Stephanopoulos was allowed to moderate this debate. He clearly someone  has strong feelings about the Clintons, especially since he was former President Bill Clinton’s political adviser prior to the  1992 election. At the time, he was Clinton’s first Communications Director. In spite of this, he was at the debate.

Stephanopoulos played a video of a Pennsylvania citizen who asked Senator Hillary Clinton why she said those things about Bosnia. He then informed Senator Clinton that she lost his vote. This is important. I haven’t heard anyone– outside of bloggers– state that Senator Clinton crossed the line. Her answer was incomplete in my book. She basically said that she was sorry. Sorry? If you lie you need to own up to it.

Of course, owning up to a lie in a presidential race would be political suicide.

 

 Debates: Clinton on Bosnia [2:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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Barack Obama stated that he had stopped wearing a flag pin because, for him, patriotism is more than a pin on your lapel. The far-right roasted him for this very American stand, creating “doubts” about his patriotism. Yesterday, however, Obama was given a lapel pin by a disabled veteran. He put it on then and  said, “This means something coming from you.”

Was this moment scripted? I doubt it, but I know that Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will ask that question because they believe that no one is patriotic except them. They will question this genuine moment. But, it seems that if the campaign wanted to script something like this, would have done so two or three month ago when the brouhaha was at its peak.

I think the moment was real. More importantly, I think that this moment and others have made Obama a special man at this particular time in our history. We need a Democrat who doesn’t cower when he is being attacked. We need someone who can face that viciousness with grace and finesse. Obama has shown the ability to do this very well. He isn’t perfect, but he is damn good.

On another note, there are about thousand polls per day now, including a nation-wide daily Gallup poll. This poll shows Obama with a 10 point lead. Since we don’t have any national election in which Hillary Clinton will be running against Obama, this type of poll is useless in my opinion.

There are also several local polls in Pennsylvania. For instance, Quinnipiac University released a poll on Monday showing that Obama was only six points behind Senator Clinton. The Franklin and Marsh poll also shows Clinton’s double-digit lead now only down to five points. In these statewide races I think local outlets that do this polling thing all of the time, like Quinnipiac, are the best.

So, what do all these poll results mean? I believe that Obama has weathered the storm. If he can keep his foot out of his mouth and continue to be positive and inspirational, he will keep the race in Pennsylvania close. He might even win it.

 

 Obama wears flag pin [00:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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Keith Olbermann and Rachael Maddow discuss the truth behind Barack Obama’s comments. The middle-class aren’t just treading water, rather, the middle-class has been taking on water for some time. As I mentioned in my book, “A Letter to America: Is President Bush leading us in the Right Direction?,” the Bush administration’s supposed economic ‘recovery’ is the only recovery in which the median income has gone down. It is hard to see a recovery when your paycheck becomes less and less every month. This is an excellent discussion.

 

 Countdown - War on the Middle Class: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Countdown, Economy, Election 2008 by ecthompson
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Recent polls show that Barack Obama has held his own in Pennsylvania and has surged in Indiana. While the “bitter” comment was disappointing, his response was great. The problem with Senator Clinton’s attack is that Obama’s underlying point was 100 percent correct.

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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