This race is about Obama

Peter Beinart on the race issue of the campaign....

Barack Obama has a problem. He really, really doesn't want this campaign to be about race. He wants it to be about change, President Bush, the economy, gas prices, Iraq, Afghanistan -- almost anything else. But it is going to be about race, at least in part. That's the lesson of recent weeks, when the McCain campaign brought up race (on the pretext that Obama had brought it up first). The Obama campaign tried desperately to change the subject but couldn't. Once the chum was in the water, the media sharks went wild.

Obama should take that as a warning. Race will be central to this campaign because McCain needs it to be. He simply doesn't have many other cards to play. And it will be central because every time Republicans light the match, the press will create a forest fire. Race is just too titillating to ignore. The history of post-Vietnam presidential elections is littered with Democratic nominees who thought they could run on policy and ignore symbolism. This year, the symbolism will be largely racial. Obama can't avoid that. He needs to control the race debate instead.

Already, there is reason to believe that race is weighing Obama down. A survey this year by CBS and the New York Times found that 94 percent of respondents would vote for a black presidential candidate. But when asked if "most people" would, the number dropped to 71 percent. Notre Dame political scientist David Leege estimates that 17 to 19 percent of white Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents will resist voting for Obama because he is black. That's far more than the percentage of Republicans who may vote for Obama because he is black. And it's a major reason that this election -- despite Obama's myriad advantages -- remains close.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, this campaign will be about one thing and one thing only; OBAMA. The Obamamaniacs can do everything they want to portray McCain as Bush Jr. but that dog won't hunt. Ultimately, the electorate is going answer the question... " Can Obama lead this country?"

If the voters decide yes, Obama will be our next president. If the answer is no, he won't.

My suspicion is that many voters will have the question (unanswered) right up until the day they go into the polls. They'll be watching for any little Obama dingle berry to see if Obama can be the man.

So all these pundits can go on and on about how a vote against Obama is a vote for racism. If that's what they want to pontificate, they'll get to actually watch him work in the senate next year.

Welcome to Obama Nation

Apparently, those tickets to the big Obama cotillion come with a catch....

Some of those hoping to wrangle a seat for Barack Obama's speech were told this week they have to put in six hours of volunteer work for his campaign by Friday to have a shot at a ticket.

And that ruffled at least a few feathers.

"My whole reason why I'm so mad about it is because Democrats need to act like Democrats," said Heather Kreider, a working mother from Centennial.

"Democrats work for a living, and they have to work and take care of their families. And they say these are open to those in the community, so they shouldn't ask people to drop everything in their lives for this," Kreider said Tuesday.

"It's not fair. It's elitist. And they need to practice what they're preaching," she added,

Welcome to the democratic party

Red State - Blue State polarization

Robert Samuelson reports on a study showing how neighborhoods are becoming polarized; not by race but by political party.

The latest manifestation of this is what Bill Bishop calls "the Big Sort." By that, he means that Americans have increasingly "clustered in communities of sameness, among people with similar ways of life, beliefs, and, in the end, politics." Republican fundamentalists congregate with other Republican fundamentalists. Liberal Democrats herd with other liberal Democrats. Environmentalists decamp to Portland, Ore. Child-centered Republican families move to the exurbs of Dallas and Minneapolis.

The increasing segregation of America by social and cultural values -- not just by income -- helps explain America's growing political polarization, Bishop argues in his new book (naturally: "The Big Sort"). Because prosperity enables more Americans to live where they please, they gravitate to lifestyle ghettos -- and that has significant political implications. Citing studies of social psychology, Bishop says that group consciousness actually amplifies likes and dislikes. Views become more extreme. People become more self-righteous and more suspicious of outsiders.

It's not red and blue states so much as red and blue counties. Bishop -- a recovering newspaper columnist -- collaborated with Robert Cushing, a retired professor of sociology from the University of Texas, to examine voting patterns in presidential elections. They classified counties as politically lopsided if one candidate won by 20 percentage points or more. Their findings are stunning. In the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon election, a virtual dead heat, 33 percent of counties qualified. By 2000, also a dead heat, that was 45 percent. In 2004, it was 48 percent. In 1976, it had been as low as 27 percent.

Is this a surprise to anybody? The fact is, republicans have been leaving the cities in droves because they're not big fans of inept government, high taxes, high unemployment, horrible schools and lots of crime.

Of course, for the most part, it's not democrats who are relocating to "progressive" enclaves, they're the ones left over... living in a cesspool called a city.

Cleveland is probably more democratic than it was in the year 2000. But it's not because droves of democrats moved in, it's because 115,000 people moved out and I'm guessing that those people were predominately republican.

See, republicans are smart enough to see the Titanic going down the drain so they pack up their families and get a life raft while they still can. Democrats stay behind thinking their great governance will somehow turn things around which, of course, just makes it worse.

America's great because if you are a democrat, you're free to live in your cities with all its crime, bad schools, homeless population, horrible government, high taxes, decaying real estate while me and my republican friends can live in a nice place.

What's so "progressive" about dying cities?

George Clooney, Secretary of State

If you're going to be a celebrity the likes of Paris Hilton, well, who better to be your secretary of state than George Clooney....

George Clooney once famously declared he could never run for public office because he’d ‘slept with too many women, done too many drugs and been to too many parties’.

But now the Hollywood heart-throb has entered the political arena at the highest level – by becoming an unofficial adviser to US Presidential front-runner Barack Obama.

Oscar-winner Clooney, 47, is said to be helping the Democratic candidate to polish his image at home and abroad.

But he is also sharing with Obama his strong opinions on Iraq and the Middle East.

Sources say the actor has tried to hide the pair’s friendship for fear his Left-wing views and playboy image would hurt the Presidential hopeful’s bid for the White House.

But Democratic Party insiders have revealed that Clooney and Obama regularly send texts and emails to each other and speak by phone at least twice a week.

I guess doing lots of drugs and sleeping with lots of women makes him a natural for the democrats.

I wonder how he would handle the Russia/Georgia dust up?

Another communist endorsement for The Messiah

From the communist party USA

Barack Obama is not a left candidate. This fact has seemingly surprised a number of progressive people who are bemoaning Obama’s “shift to the center.” (Right-wingers are happy to join them, suggesting Obama is a “flip-flopper.”) It’s sad that some who seek progressive change are missing the forest for the trees. But they will not dampen the wide and deep enthusiasm for blocking a third Bush term represented by John McCain, or for bringing Obama by a landslide into the White House with a large Democratic congressional majority.

A broad multiclass, multiracial movement is converging around Obama’s “Hope, change and unity” campaign because they see in it the thrilling opportunity to end 30 years of ultra-right rule and move our nation forward with a broadly progressive agenda.

Once again, you are who you party with. Obama's done a nice job of hanging with communists, socialists, marxists, etc. What does that say about him?

Butt kissing diplomacy

If there was ever a good case study in how democratic diplomacy works, you need look no further than the Russia/Georgia conflict.

For the entire duration of his presidency, Bush has done nothing but kiss the ass of Vlad and his former KGB butchers. The Bushies kept Georgia and Ukraine out of NATO as a concession to Russia. They turned a blind eye to the bogus "election" where Putin remains in power.

All in the hopes they would help us out in Iran.

What did that get us?

Not only has Russia not helped at all in Iran, they pull this stunt against an ally of the US. And all we can do is stand back and watch it happen.

Now we've got Obama out there proclaiming even more democratic pacifist diplomacy.

From Jonah Goldberg

Obama's response?

First, late Thursday evening, he gave a conventional written statement calling for calm, U.N. action and "restraint" from both sides -- followed an hour later by a slightly stronger condemnation of Russian aggression and a call for a cease-fire.

Yeah, once again we look to the UN to "solve" a problem; they're only 0 for 60 years. Where is the intelligence in that? Well, Obama at least follows it up with a "statement for calm".... That always works against a tyrant's invasion.

All diplomatic ass kissing ever solved... well it's actually never solved anything. All it's ever done it procrastinate an inevitable confrontation that allows aggressors to organize their attack and leaves the US with their pants down.

This episode proves it.

What party is he? #11

News from Memphis

When it comes to landing City Hall subcontracting jobs, Reginald French has a golden touch -- a $1.4 million touch.

A close friend of Mayor Willie Herenton, French has been paid at least that much, and possibly much more, for a variety of jobs, including a particularly fortuitous deal to install fiber-optic cable at two city police stations.

Newly disclosed records tell how French, a onetime prison guard, landed the $68,000 cabling job in 2006 despite lacking experience or equipment for the work.

Once again, no where in the article is Hereton's party mentioned.

This is a slam dunk. The mayor of Memphis, another falling down dump of a city.

It has to be run by democrats.

What's so "progressive" about corruption?

Obamamania on school choice

A little more hypocrisy from Obamamania. This time on school choice.

While Obama's children enjoy the best education money can buy, he wants to deny inner-city children the education change we can believe in — school choice. He prefers cradle-to-diploma collectivist education.

When Barack Obama collected the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers, he told the teachers that support for alternatives to the education monopoly amounted to "tired rhetoric about vouchers and school choice."

He recently told an interviewer that he opposes school choice because "although it might benefit some kids at the top, what you're going to do is leave a lot of kids at the bottom."

Not being left behind are Obama's daughters, who attend the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. There, tuition ranges from $15,528 for kindergarten to $20,445 for high school. When asked about it during last year's YouTube debate, Sen. Obama responded that it was "the best option" for his children. They had a choice Obama would deny others.

Planned Parenthood creepiness

If these ads don't creep you out, nothing will.

Dunn traded

The Reds have traded Adam Dunn to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I can't think of another player I ever disliked more than Dunn. He was a one dimensional player who absorbed lots of payroll resources. In addition, his heart resembled a tub of butter.

To those who say "how will the Reds make up for those home runs?" I say all those home runs resulted in how many playoff appearances?

Good luck to Dunn in Arizona, I'm just glad he's no longer here sucking the life out of this team.

This is a joke? Right?

From the Dispatch blog

Non-humans can't vote in the 15th Congressional District -- or anywhere else -- but that isn't stopping congressional candidate Mary Jo Kilroy from announcing the support of central Ohio pets.

Kilroy, a Democratic Franklin County commissioner, this morning announced the endorsement of a variety of cats and dogs, as well as a lizard and two horses. She is running against state Sen. Steve Stivers, a Republican, and independent Don Elijah Eckhart for the seat representing western Franklin County and all of Madison and Union counties.

The press release announcing a new web site, PetsForKilroy.com, quoted a dog and a cat.

The press release noted that Kilroy has supported animal groups such as the Capitol Area Humane Society and has advocated for more adoptions at the Franklin County Animal Shelter.

"We launched this site because of Mary Jo's deep commitment of working with all sides, Democrats, Republicans and if need be, cats and dogs, to get things done for Central Ohio," Kilroy's campaign said in a quote attributed to a cat named Ella.

I guess that will pretty much seal up the lunatic vote for the democrats.

Paid sick days

Lots of opinions from the state's newspapers on Ohio's paid sick days bill to be voted on this November.

From the Dispatch

Gov. Ted Strickland knows that the sick-day mandate proposed for the November ballot would be terrible for business and job creation in Ohio. He has acknowledged as much.

That's why his action on this issue will be one of the most profound tests of his leadership.

On Tuesday, a union-led coalition submitted petitions to the Ohio secretary of state to add the Ohio Healthy Families Act to the ballot. If voters approve it, all companies of 25 or more full-time employees will be required to provide seven paid sick days a year to their workers.

Ohio, which ranks 47th out of 50 states for job creation, cannot stand another job killer, yet here it is. This is an enormously expensive, complicated mandate. If it passes, Ohio would be the only state in the nation that mandates sick leave. That would be like a neon sign flashing to the global marketplace: Don't bring your businesses and jobs here. Take them next door to Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia or Pennsylvania.

From The Enquirer

Nobody really wants to see Ohio workers, already struggling with rising prices in a tough economy, having to worry about keeping their jobs and income when they or their children get sick. But a union-backed ballot initiative that would require Ohio businesses with as few as 25 employees to provide seven days' paid sick leave to each worker, no questions asked, is certainly not the answer.

From the Vindicator

Sick leave law would kill Ohio

The state of Ohio may be facing one of its biggest gambles ever, and it has nothing to do with the Lotto, Keno or casinos. It’s all about mandatory sick leave.

A coalition of unions, social service agencies and Democratic politicians calling itself Ohioans for Healthy Families appears to have collected enough signatures to put an issue on the November ballot that would require every company in the state with more than 25 employees to provide at least seven paid sick days for their employees.

If passed in November, the issue would make Ohio the only state in the Union with required sick leave. It’s difficult to imagine how loud the sucking sound will be as jobs leave the state.

Are the people at Progress Ohio absolute idiots or do they just not care? If this is such a great idea why the exemption for small employers? Don't the people who work for them deserve the same benefits as employees for big companies?

Let's assume this passes and doesn't wipe out the Ohio business climate. What do you think are the odds of a business coming to this state, knowing the general anti business climate of the electorate?

Even Ted Strickland knows the impact of this baby on the state's fragile economic status, proving to me he's not a complete dumb ass.

What party is he? #10

From the news wire...

A state judge indicated Friday she may allow a former standout high-school football player to sue a State Supreme Court justice for allegedly trying to influence an issue involving his son, a star gridder and some hard hitting during football practice.

"I think the color of the law is grand enough to encompass some of the allegations here ... My dilemma at this point is to give all favorable inference to the plaintiff," said Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg, promising to rule on the issue by Wednesday.

Former Haddonfield Memorial High School football standout Conor Larkin, a two-way lineman, has filed a suit against Supreme Court Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto, saying the justice threw his weight around after a 2006 gridiron dispute between then-team-captain Larkin and Rivera-Soto's son, Christian, who was a sophomore lineman on the team.

No where in the article is the justice's political affiliation mentioned but give it a shot.

Is he a democrat or republican?

Bengal's season starts tonight

If you're a Bengals fan, it's time to get out your 85 jerseys and gold teeth as the Bengals take on the Packers.

If you someone who's bet on the game, check yourself into a gamblers anonymous meeting near you. You have a problem.

Now that the Reds are in the toilet, football season couldn't come soon enough.

Funding Peace in the Middle East

I have a friend who is working diligently to bring peace to all the religious factions in the Middle East.

He works through an organization called The Olive Branch.

I just received an email updating us as to the work he is doing.

We still intend to found a huge refugee-absorption center in the desert near Arad, but because that involves a whole new level of Israeli bureaucracy to wade through, and because that will require so much more funding than what we have available right now, we are moving in stages with our projects. As a result, we are unable to move our whole center of operations to Arad at this time, but because more Sudanese flood into Tel Aviv all the time, we are now responsible for two centers in Israel, one in Tel Aviv and one in Arad. The one in Tel Aviv is also a homeless shelter where they go when first released from prison. It serves predominately Darfurians, although sometimes South Sudanese (who are predominately Christian) come through there as well. They really appreciate our team ministering to them. Those in Arad already have their own housing and jobs, and so there we focus on education.

What the Sudanese leaders always emphasize with us is how much they want education. They would really like to have a program for them to finish high school and go on to trade school or college. They firmly believe that they are in Israel for a reason, but that they will go back to their home country with an independent government some day, and when they do, they want to go back with an education so that they can lead this new country into self-sufficiency. We are starting with classes in English and Hebrew, which is what they want to start with. In the near future we hope to begin offering classes in water management (a very important field for developing countries in Africa), agriculture, animal husbandry, midwifery, and so on. Of course they also want to learn Bible and the land of the Bible while they are in Israel, as I have said in past newsletters.

If this is something that moves you, please send a contribution to The Olive Branch.

These guys want to run the country

The democratic party is looking more and more like a special version of a Big Brother reality show; lot's of drama, nothing productive.

Apparently, they can't even get their stuff together to select electoral college voters in Florida.

Sen. Barack Obama could carry Florida but still lose its 27 electoral votes due to a legal snag in the state party's selection of people to cast those ballots, an influential party leader warned Sunday.

Democratic National Committeeman Jon Ausman of Tallahassee protested plans for a hastily arranged meeting of the Florida Democratic Party's state executive committee next week. The committee was to have met in Tampa on Saturday to name its slate for the Electoral College but couldn't muster a quorum.

That matters because state law requires both parties to send lists of electors to Gov. Charlie Crist before Sept. 1. The Republicans plan to name their slate next weekend in Orlando, party spokeswoman Erin VanSickle said Sunday.

Ten days notice is required for another Democratic executive committee meeting, so next weekend is out, and party leaders plan to be in Denver the following weekend for their national convention.

Florida could hold a rump session to pick electors out there, but many of the 200-plus state committee members aren't going to the convention. They could cobble together a quorum after the convention Aug. 29 -- but that's cutting it close, with different travel schedules and post-convention plans of dozens of committee members.

Ausman said party rules don't allow for meetings by teleconference or mail. And since Aug. 30-31 is a weekend, he said, there's no guarantee Crist would open his office to receive the certified list of electors.

A text book example of democrats who couldn't run a lemonade stand in hell.

Olympic thought of the day

I guess when the French refer to "smashing" the Americans, that's a slang term for surrender.

It's their own fault

Debra Saunders laments the demise of the newspapers.

Not for the first time, The Chronicle is offering buyouts to a large number of workers - at least 125 people for a paper that employs around 1,680 souls. Other industries have been through this drill, too. Longtime staff members weigh whether they can keep careers in an ailing, perhaps dying, industry.

I've seen some excellent professionals walk out of The Chronicle's doors. It's heartbreaking, even though we don't yet now how staff reductions might affect the gathering of news.

If newspapers go down, they have no one to blame but themselves.

As I've said before, the longer it takes to get the news to the consumer the more depth it has to be.

Look, I'm a big newspaper guy. But my morning paper is nothing but a conglomeration of AP new releases that I just read the night before on the internet or heard on radio or watched on TV.

I look to my daily newspaper to bring something new to a story above and beyond a headline. Instead, I get more Drudge.

Or maybe an exclusive telling that gas costs more on the weekend.

C'mon get happy

Last night, Gordon proved his love to his beautiful bride, Mrs. Gekko, by going to see David Cassidy at the Union Center Boulevard bash last night.

I'm still trying to get the "I think I love you" out of my seared memory from the 50 plus year old ding bat screaming it in my ear all night.

None the less, if you're into Las Vegas lounge acts, you'll probably want to go see him. Just stay away from the 50 year old ding dongs.

Knowing a winner

How do you know that Bob Shrum is a loser? Well, outside of the seven failed presidential campaigns he's been a part of?

It's his keen political insights; like this one.

When veteran Democratic strategist Bob Shrum first met John Edwards in 1997, he saw in the accomplished trial lawyer a raw political talent.

“I called my partners and said. ‘I think I just met a future president of the United States,'” Shrum recalls.

Yeah, he probably said that when he met John Kery too.