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Inside Washington
Friday June 06, 2008 at 4:14 pm
The Iowa Caper
posted by Gordon Peterson
It was clear from the beginning that this year was going to be different. Iowa told the tale.
After all the lipflap about who was going to go first. Iowa, as always went first, running its caucuses on January 3, 2008. I had been covering these events for years, but never this early, January 3. The Obamicans did not take the holidays off.
Their goal was to beat Clinton in Iowa.
On January 19, 2004, I covered the Democratic precinct caucuses at Des Moines Lincoln High School. The attendance was respectable, but not overwhelming. I remember talking to an older couple who were there for John Edwards. It was their first caucus. They showed up, they said, because of the very nice young lady who kept calling, urging them to come. They were afraid they would hurt her feelings if they had stayed home. No, they didn’t have a standby candidate, and no, to be honest, they didn’t know much about John Edwards or John Kerry, either.
After all the lipflap about who was going to go first. Iowa, as always went first, running its caucuses on January 3, 2008. I had been covering these events for years, but never this early, January 3. The Obamicans did not take the holidays off.
Their goal was to beat Clinton in Iowa.
On January 19, 2004, I covered the Democratic precinct caucuses at Des Moines Lincoln High School. The attendance was respectable, but not overwhelming. I remember talking to an older couple who were there for John Edwards. It was their first caucus. They showed up, they said, because of the very nice young lady who kept calling, urging them to come. They were afraid they would hurt her feelings if they had stayed home. No, they didn’t have a standby candidate, and no, to be honest, they didn’t know much about John Edwards or John Kerry, either.
» continue reading The Iowa Caper
Friday May 16, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Who is this Guy?
posted by Gordon Peterson
On Wednesday night’s ABC World News Broadcast, Correspondent David Wright talked with Michigan truck driver Jeff Ellis about Barack Obama. Said Ellis, who is white, “I think he’s kind of wishy-washy. He tries to play both sides of the fence. He tells people what they want to hear.”
Wright asked, “So given a choice between Obama and John McCain in the fall?” Ellis replied, “John McCain.”
As expected, Senator Hillary Clinton won the West Virginia primary, won it big with votes from white, rural, older, low income people who do not have college degrees. Clinton says, “It’s a fact that no Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without winning West Virginia, ” adding. “The bottom line is this: the White House is won in the swing states and I am winning the swing states.”
She’s won swing states, but she’s not winning the nomination, Barack Obama is. But Washington Post Columnist Colbert King says on “Inside Washington” this week, that Obama should have paid more attention to West Virginia. He needs to convert some of the Jeff Ellises of America to win.
Wright asked, “So given a choice between Obama and John McCain in the fall?” Ellis replied, “John McCain.”
As expected, Senator Hillary Clinton won the West Virginia primary, won it big with votes from white, rural, older, low income people who do not have college degrees. Clinton says, “It’s a fact that no Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without winning West Virginia, ” adding. “The bottom line is this: the White House is won in the swing states and I am winning the swing states.”
She’s won swing states, but she’s not winning the nomination, Barack Obama is. But Washington Post Columnist Colbert King says on “Inside Washington” this week, that Obama should have paid more attention to West Virginia. He needs to convert some of the Jeff Ellises of America to win.
» continue reading Who is this Guy?
Friday May 02, 2008 at 5:09 pm
The Wright Stuff
posted by Gordon Peterson
In the Godfather, Part III, Joey Zasa (not a pleasant person) tells Michael Corleone, “I have a stone in my shoe, Mr. Corleone.” The stone is Vincent Mancini, Michael Corleone’s nephew. We need not pursue this any further except to say that the stone in the shoe of Barack Obama (who by all reports is a pleasant person) is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor.
Wright exploded some political depth charges at the Obama campaign on Monday, April 28, at the National Press Club. Wright went so far as to say to his friendly audience that if Obama had not said what he said in his highly regarded Philadelphia speech on race in America on March 18, he would never get elected. As he tried to cut Wright loose this week in North Carolina, Obama said, that comment indicated, “…a show of disrespect to me and it is also, I think, an insult to what we’ve been trying to do in this campaign.”
What Obama has been trying to do lately is ditch Hillary Clinton, but, if the polls are any indication, she’s probably going to remain in this thing for the long haul, perhaps even up to the Democratic National Convention. Meanwhile, the Wright stuff— his suggestion among other things that the U.S. government has been infecting American citizens with AIDS, his praise of Louis Farrakhan and other comments sure to endear him to undecided white Democratic voters—follows Obama everywhere he goes.
Pick up this morning’s Washington Post and you read columnist and Inside Washington panelist Charles Krauthammer’s view that Obama’s Philadelphia speech and his comments in North Carolina this week amount to “cheap rhetorical tricks.” Says Krauthammer, “This 20-year association with Wright calls into question everything about Obama.”
Wright exploded some political depth charges at the Obama campaign on Monday, April 28, at the National Press Club. Wright went so far as to say to his friendly audience that if Obama had not said what he said in his highly regarded Philadelphia speech on race in America on March 18, he would never get elected. As he tried to cut Wright loose this week in North Carolina, Obama said, that comment indicated, “…a show of disrespect to me and it is also, I think, an insult to what we’ve been trying to do in this campaign.”
What Obama has been trying to do lately is ditch Hillary Clinton, but, if the polls are any indication, she’s probably going to remain in this thing for the long haul, perhaps even up to the Democratic National Convention. Meanwhile, the Wright stuff— his suggestion among other things that the U.S. government has been infecting American citizens with AIDS, his praise of Louis Farrakhan and other comments sure to endear him to undecided white Democratic voters—follows Obama everywhere he goes.
Pick up this morning’s Washington Post and you read columnist and Inside Washington panelist Charles Krauthammer’s view that Obama’s Philadelphia speech and his comments in North Carolina this week amount to “cheap rhetorical tricks.” Says Krauthammer, “This 20-year association with Wright calls into question everything about Obama.”
» continue reading The Wright Stuff
913-Friday April 25, 2008 at 3:25 pm
What has happened to Obama?
posted by Gordon Peterson
Obama has lost his luster with some voters. Why? Is it his race, or his class, or his gender or his age?
On this week’s Inside Washington, Mark Shields observed that you can drive from Massachusetts through Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania to Ohio, without hitting a major state that went for Obama. What’s the problem?
Democrat Pollster Peter Hart, who does the Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll, says Obama needs to make people feel safe,
not only as commander-in-chief, but also in terms of shared cultural values, which takes us back to the elitist label that was Obama’s albatross in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. As Mark Shields says, the voters need to see Obama taking his kids to the park.
All of the Inside Washington panelists agree that Clinton ran a better campaign in Pennsylvania, connecting well with blue-collar white voters, redefining herself, as Charles Krauthammer observes, culturally, although not ideologically.
On this week’s Inside Washington, Mark Shields observed that you can drive from Massachusetts through Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania to Ohio, without hitting a major state that went for Obama. What’s the problem?
Democrat Pollster Peter Hart, who does the Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll, says Obama needs to make people feel safe,
not only as commander-in-chief, but also in terms of shared cultural values, which takes us back to the elitist label that was Obama’s albatross in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. As Mark Shields says, the voters need to see Obama taking his kids to the park.
All of the Inside Washington panelists agree that Clinton ran a better campaign in Pennsylvania, connecting well with blue-collar white voters, redefining herself, as Charles Krauthammer observes, culturally, although not ideologically.
» continue reading What has happened to Obama?
785-Friday April 04, 2008 at 7:19 pm
The Inside Washington View
posted by Gordon Peterson
Ben Bernanke, the head of the Federal Reserve, was up on the Hill this week talking about slow growth as in recession. “ A recession is possible, “ he said, “but clearly we are in a very slow growth.” He said, “It now appears likely that real gross domestic product will not grow much, if at all, over the first half of 2008, and could even contract slightly.” This is not a rosy scenario.
But we don’t need Bernanke to tell us that things are tough. Just ask truck drivers, who have to suffer through escalating fuel prices. One of them told ABC News in despair this week, “We have empty pockets now. We really can’t do nothing about it.”
Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) tried to hold the feet of the top oil company executives to the fire at a hearing this week, but he didn’t have much luck. Said Markey, “As these consumers are at the pump being tipped upside down and having money shaken out of their pocket, your message to them is that you can’t do anything for them.”
Said the avuncular John Hofmeister, President of Shell Oil, “When our costs are too high for Shell, we make choices about what not to do and one choice that consumers could make is to drive less.”
This is not a viable solution for truck drivers or even for commuters who must put in 50 to 60 miles or more each day to get to work and back. You could argue that they could walk the last 10 which would benefit to their health, but your argument would probably meet with heavy resistance.
But we don’t need Bernanke to tell us that things are tough. Just ask truck drivers, who have to suffer through escalating fuel prices. One of them told ABC News in despair this week, “We have empty pockets now. We really can’t do nothing about it.”
Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) tried to hold the feet of the top oil company executives to the fire at a hearing this week, but he didn’t have much luck. Said Markey, “As these consumers are at the pump being tipped upside down and having money shaken out of their pocket, your message to them is that you can’t do anything for them.”
Said the avuncular John Hofmeister, President of Shell Oil, “When our costs are too high for Shell, we make choices about what not to do and one choice that consumers could make is to drive less.”
This is not a viable solution for truck drivers or even for commuters who must put in 50 to 60 miles or more each day to get to work and back. You could argue that they could walk the last 10 which would benefit to their health, but your argument would probably meet with heavy resistance.
» continue reading The Inside Washington View
743-Friday March 28, 2008 at 7:23 pm
The Inside Washington View
posted by Gordon Peterson
First, Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey endorses Barack Obama, then Vermont Senator Pat Leahy, also an Obama backer, says it’s time for Hillary Clinton to get out and support Obama. Casey’s an interesting case. He’s Catholic and firmly opposed to abortion, as was his father, the late Pennsylvania Governor, was before him. Will that help Obama with Pennsylvania Catholics? On this week’s Inside Washington, Mark Shields says it has to help him, even though Clinton is leading in the Pennsylvania polls.
She’s leading in the Pennsylvania polls, but not the latest national Wall Street Journal/ NBC poll conducted by Democrat Peter Hart and Republican Bill McInturff. According to Hart and McInturff, Clinton and Obama are in a dead heat with registered Democratic voters— 45 percent each, a small increase for Obama from the numbers two weeks ago. Apparently the Reverend Wright uproar hasn’t hurt Obama that much. Also, Clinton’s negatives increased and her positives decreased by greater percentages than Obama’s.
But the bitter, seemingly unending contest for the Democratic presidential nomination has cost them both. According to Hart and McInturff, about a fifth of Clinton voters say they’ll go with McCain if she fails to win the nomination. And a fifth of Obama voters say the same thing if he doesn’t win.
In this week’s column Inside Washington panelist Charles Krauthammer says the Obama and Clinton’s oft-repeated claim that McCain is willing to keep the troops in Iraq for another 100 years is a “dirty” lie. Although Charles is not with us this week, the other panelists tend to agree. What McCain was talking about back in New Hampshire when the subject came up was the sort of presence we have had for more than a half-century in Japan and South Korea. Said McCain, such a presence in Iraq, “…would be fine with me, as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed.”
She’s leading in the Pennsylvania polls, but not the latest national Wall Street Journal/ NBC poll conducted by Democrat Peter Hart and Republican Bill McInturff. According to Hart and McInturff, Clinton and Obama are in a dead heat with registered Democratic voters— 45 percent each, a small increase for Obama from the numbers two weeks ago. Apparently the Reverend Wright uproar hasn’t hurt Obama that much. Also, Clinton’s negatives increased and her positives decreased by greater percentages than Obama’s.
But the bitter, seemingly unending contest for the Democratic presidential nomination has cost them both. According to Hart and McInturff, about a fifth of Clinton voters say they’ll go with McCain if she fails to win the nomination. And a fifth of Obama voters say the same thing if he doesn’t win.
In this week’s column Inside Washington panelist Charles Krauthammer says the Obama and Clinton’s oft-repeated claim that McCain is willing to keep the troops in Iraq for another 100 years is a “dirty” lie. Although Charles is not with us this week, the other panelists tend to agree. What McCain was talking about back in New Hampshire when the subject came up was the sort of presence we have had for more than a half-century in Japan and South Korea. Said McCain, such a presence in Iraq, “…would be fine with me, as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed.”
» continue reading The Inside Washington View
712-Friday March 21, 2008 at 3:44 pm
“The Speech”
posted by Gordon Peterson
In his Friday, March 21, 2008 column, entitled, “The Speech: A Brilliant Fraud,” Inside Washington panelist Charles Krauthammer asks why Barack Obama did not or does not leave Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s church following revelations about Wright’s inflammatory remarks. Krauthammer says the speech is, “…the Jesse Jackson politics of racial grievance expressed in Ivy League diction and Harvard Law nuance.” He adds, “That’s why the speech made so many liberal commentators swoon: It bathed them in racial guilt while flattering their intellectual pretensions. An unbeatable combination.”
The other Inside Washington panelists, Washington Post columnist Colbert King, NPR’s Nina Totenberg and columnist Mark Shields, do not agree. Shields argues that the Obama speech is a profound political statement, tackling complex social issues that other politicians would run from.
Several Washington political junkies with whom I have spoken since Obama made his speech, are of the opinion that for Obama to have cut his friend, former pastor and spiritual mentor loose after a relationship spanning more than two decades would have been an act of political cowardice.
“I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother,” Obama said, “a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.”
Charles Krauthammer argues that Obama’s grandma gets a bad rap in that speech, that she never spread racial hatred as he alleges Rev. Wright did.
My question: Will Rev. Wright prove to be Barack Obama’s political Achilles heel? Even a cursory perusal of the internet on the subject reveals that there are those who are trying desperately to make it so.
If you haven’t seen or read the full speech click below to take you to the ABC News web site.
more Gordon Peterson Blog blogs...
- The Inside Washington ViewThe pressure is mounting in the race for the White House as Obama lands a crucial nomination.
- “The Speech”Will Rev. Wright prove to be Barack Obama’s political Achilles heel?
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