Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 27th, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Mainstream Media, Blog
The media has been firing verbal shots at Hillary Clinton for claiming that she was “under fire” when her plane landed in Bosnia in 1996, shortly after the end of the Bosnian War.
Hillary Clinton repeatedly made several false claims about her trip to Bosnia including:
- her plane and the passengers were under sniper attack when they landed. Several eye-witness accounts (including one from the pilot) contradict this claim.
- the ceremony needed to be moved to an inside location because it was too dangerous outside. Video proves this is false.
- her trip was the first time a First Lady visited a war zone since Eleanor Roosevelt. First Lady Pat Nixon visited Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
- she was the first “high-profile” U.S. representative to visit Bosnia in the aftermath of the war. Her husband, then-President Bill Clinton visited Bosnia a few months earlier.
After reviewing archival news accounts and video of Clinton’s trip to Bosnia, reporters have proven that all of these assertions are false. Clinton’s response was to say, “So I made a mistake. That happens. It proves I’m human, which you know, for some people, is a revelation.”
The news media are especially critical of Hillary Clinton’s misstatements about her trip to Bosnia because:
- it raises doubts about her credibility, especially because she repeated this highly exaggerated story several times.
- Clinton has made her “foreign policy” experience a centerpiece in her argument as to why she is the best candidate for president. This Bosnia misstatement prompts people to wonder if she has widely and generally distorted her claims to more experience.
- Clinton has similarly claimed that she played an important role in the Ireland peace process. Reporters are reviewing this claim again under high scrutiny, and many have already concluded that this too was a big exaggeration.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 25th, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
Last Friday, Bill Richardson endorsed Barack Obama. Â
This New York Times article is a good summary.
This MSNBC video is an interesting interview by Rita Cosby with Bill Richardson, Pat Buchanan, and Chris Matthews:
Richardson’s endorsement is potentially important for several reasons. He is the governor of New Mexico, a state which may be an important battleground state in the general election if the Democratic nominee pursues an aggressive “Southwest Strategy”. Because he is a Democratic governor, Richardson is also a “super delegate” by definition. Richardson also ran for the Democratic Party presidential nomination this year. He was one of the last candidates (along with John Edwards) to drop out except for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Bill Richardson is one of the best known and popular leaders in the Democratic Party. He is also currently one of the most famous Latino politicians. In a year of especially high interest in “identity politics” and an increasing percentage of Latino voters, some speculate the Richardson’s endorsement of Obama may influence Latino voters in the final primaries and caucuses. This endorsement may also influence other voters and especially undecided super delegates, regardless of ethnicity.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 25th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Comic Relief, Barack Obama, John McCain, Blog
Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert puts the recent Rev. Wright controversy into perspective:
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 22nd, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Blog
Remember when Barack Obama quit smoking cigarettes? Seems like a long time ago.
Did he do it for health reasons? To set a good example for his kids? Maybe he thought smoking would damage his public image? I heard him discuss the topic briefly in an interview. I don’t remember exactly what Obama said, but I remember being happy for him that he quit, for whatever reason. Also, I related to him more by knowing that he has flaws.
Of course, we are all flawed. Even politicians, although many would say, especially politicians.
America, how about quitting racism? Try it for one day. Maybe we’ll feel better and have the strength to continue. We’ll have cravings and might fall off occasionally. But if we keep trying, maybe it gets easier.
I’m not saying all of America is racist. Actually, I think we’ve made good progress. We have been trying. But last week some of us fell off. Let’s take a deep breath and try again.
I’m not saying America is alone. Many places in the world have racial and ethnic divisions. Sometimes, it feels more comforting to pretend that our own individual experience is the only one that matters.Â
Last week America talked about race quite a bit. No one talked about it better than Barack Obama. If you haven’t heard the whole speech, watch this video now. The whole thing. Actually listen. Or have you quit trying? Still too angry?
The main speech some people heard was Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s. Of course, we didn’t really hear his speech, only excerpts from several speeches, like a trailer to a bad B movie. I don’t want to hear any more Rev. Wright. Some radio and TV shows kept playing it endlessly.
The presidential election is important. It is even more important for America to overcome its racial problems. When I started writing these articles, I didn’t want to discuss race. I naively thought that maybe America had reached a new level of mutual understanding.
Since hearing this one angry black man, I have heard many angry white people especially. The Rev. Wright videos sparked this round of racial animosity. Some media voices poured gasoline on the rhetorical fire. Angry controversy boosts ratings more than calls for reconciliation. But most media voices and most of America upheld the principles of Dr. King, Robert Kennedy, and reason. We have progressed.
I criticize Obama for staying with his church. I still don’t think it was a smart choice for someone running for president. Forget the politics for a little while. This controversy struck a raw nerve in the American psyche: whites angry at blacks angry at whites.
If you ever pray, reflect, meditate, or think, now is a good time to consider being more open to people who are not like you. This racial hostility stuff doesn’t get us anywhere, but we keep trying it, for hundreds of years. It’s Spring now. Redemption is a powerful story. We each write our own story, let’s turn a new page.
Barack Obama has a “white” mother and a “black” father. Obama is classified as “black” because of racism. If you disagree with this fact, please, at least get informed.
Happy Easter!
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 20th, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog, Democratic Party Rules
After a series of discussions and proposals about holding “do-over” elections in Florida and Michigan, it now appears highly unlikely that any “do-overs” will happen.
Link to Yahoo News summary: Michigan delegate split debated
For more background, see these previous Election Referee posts:
Yes, let’s have a “do-over” for Florida and Michigan
AÂ Quick Guide to the Democratic Party Rule Book
Referee whistle: against the Democratic National Committee, illegal block, 10 yards
As I have stated before, this Florida/Michigan mess reflects poorly on the Democratic Party. We have seen much finger-pointing as people blame the state parties, the Republican-controlled Florida legislature, and the Democratic National Committee, especially the party chairperson, Howard Dean.Â
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 19th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Opinion Polls - VOTE!, Barack Obama, Blog
Election Referee exists to focus attention on election controversies. The Rev. Wright controversy strikes me as a major issue. I will move on to other important election issues soon. This controversy likely will be a recurring theme on this website.
I am very interested in your opinions on the Wright controversy (and all issues)!
Please vote in our polls - it is anonymous. Of course, also continue posting your insightful comments. I’m very impressed with the intelligent dialogue, please keep posting more!
Inform your friends about this website. It would be nice to have more people voting and posting comments. I hope this is an inviting forum where people feel comfortable to “agree to disagree” while discussing very important issues.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 18th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Blog
Today in Philadelphia, Barack Obama gave a major speech about race.
Yahoo News summary: Obama confronts racial division in U.S.
Entire text of the speech: A More Perfect Union.
Last week, Obama addressed the Rev. Wright controversy as soon as it emerged as perhaps the most heated issue of his campaign so far. However, this controversy continued to dominate the election news.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 16th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Blog
This Obama Pastor controversy disappoints me because I thought Barack Obama was politically smarter. I also hoped that we would talk less about race.
Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update has a segment called “Really?”. I imagine the next “Really?” will begin like this:
Senator Obama, you didn’t realize that having a close relationship with an angry black-separatist preacher would be controversial? Really? Really!!!??
Barack Obama should have severed ties with Rev. Jeremiah Wright much earlier. Obama believes in his own message of inclusion and hope. Obama profoundly disagrees with Wright on many levels. It is totally unfair to suggest that Obama shares any of Wright’s controversial views.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 15th, 2008 — in Rev. Wright controversy, Barack Obama, Talk Radio, Mainstream Media, Blog
Yesterday, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign suffered perhaps its largest political setback, as all U.S. news media focused on controversial videos of inflammatory sermons given by Obama’s pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Barack Obama is member of the Trinity United Church of Christ. I visited this website months ago and concluded that it was not especially controversial, but this issue has been on my radar. The mainstream media dismissed the issue months ago, but they say the story has re-emerged because “now there’s video”.
This ABC News video summarizes the story well:
For the first time, Obama’s presidential campaign appears tainted in the eyes of the mainstream media. “Guilt by association” is not fair, but Obama had a long-standing, close relationship with Rev. Wright. Barack Obama’s message of transcending social divisions is in stark contrast with the highly divisive rhetoric in some of Wright’s fiery sermons.
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Posted by John Publius Jr. on March 14th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
Quick Preface:
I like football and I like “political football”. I like aggressive political campaigns and pointed exchanges between candidates. Voters need to know how candidates handle pressure and adversity. Let’s not elect a president based on their beer drinking companionship score.
I like hard hits, but not cheap shots. I really do not look forward to calling “fouls”. Clean hard hits sharpen the debate, engage voters, and hopefully result in the election of the best candidate. Cheap shots muddy the waters. The history of political cheap shots is as old as dirt.
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