A non-original thought on the Democratic primary...

I can't help but think that it would have been settled months ago if Democrats chose their candidates based on issues rather than identity politics.

[Of course, it would be easier for Democrats to chose their candidate based on the issues if the Democrats allowed any ideological diversity in their party. (see: Lieberman, Joe)]

Sen. Domestic Terrorist Tom Coburn (R-OK)

I had to work last night (of course) so I'm kind of at a disadvantage talking about last night's Democratic debate. So naturally, when I heard that Sen. Obama compared his years-long political relationship/friendship with domestic terrorist William Ayers, I thought it was too good to be true. I was wrong:

[Ayers] is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn't make much sense, George.

The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions.

Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn's statements? Because I certainly don't agree with those either.

I eagerly await a statement from Sen. Coburn to see what he thinks about all this. Let's hope it's feisty!

Equating real domestic terrorism to having a simple policy difference is a variation on a theme for the left. To them, policy differences and conservative politics are indistinguishable from criminal offenses. From Scooter Libby's prosecution to Henry Waxman's constant Congressional investigations to calls in the lefty blogosphere to pull ABC's broadcasting license, the left never has any ideas to combat policies they dislike, only threats.

Smart. Tough. Tolerant.

More thoughts on Obama's slander of Sen. Coburn can be found here and here.

He should know, he is the Messiah after all.

At Messiah College in Pennsylvania (a more left-wing Christian school), Sen. Obama defends his earlier remarks:

First question for Obama is about his small-town clingy diss.

Obama’s new spin: “Cling” is in the Bible! Oh, and it’s the government’s fault.

And this is a distraction.

Classic. You see, Christianity not only calls one to point out that the US created AIDS to kill black people and that 9/11 was America's chickens coming home to roost, but it also requires one to point out that people only believe in religion because the economy gets bad. Because Sen. Obama used a word that was once used in an English translation of the Bible, it must be true!

Obama Issues Non-Apology Apology

Pretty standard fare amongst political elites of all stripes:

[O]bviously, if I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that. The underlying truth of what I said remains, which is simply that people who have seen their way of life upended because of economic distress are frustrated and rightfully so.

I agree with the Weekly Standard, in that I find the "underlying truth" he was trying to convey just as insulting as the words he chose.

The Unbearable Bitterness of Whitey

As I stated last night, Sen. Obama stepped in it royally by showing his elitism and condescension toward, well, basically anyone not from NYC, Chicago, or LA. It seems that the spin has landed on focusing on, and apologizing for, the least objectionable part of his statement: that voters are "bitter". Captain Ed shows how that just doesn't fly:

* “[T]hey cling to guns…” Cling to guns? Americans have “clung” to guns since the founding of the Republic. It’s such a core value to this nation that its founders placed it second on the Bill of Rights, right after freedom of speech and religion. Speaking of which …
* “or [they cling to] religion …” People don’t become religious because the economy hits a few bumps in the road. Obama may have chosen his religion based on politics, but most people follow a religion out of a deeper sense of spirituality. I can’t think of a more condescending and contemptuous analysis of religious dedication than this statement.
* “or [they cling to] antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment…” Small-town voters are bigots and xenophobes; there’s no other way to read the first part of this statement. The second part, about them being “anti-immigrant”, is a non-sequitur. They may be anti-illegal immigrant, but that’s a far different issue. Obama offers no proof that small-town voters are xenophobes, but the Frisco audience didn’t demand any, either. It’s part of their own bigotry that makes them see middle America in those terms.
* “or [they cling to] anti-trade sentiment …” And this is just jaw-droppingly hypocritical. This comes from the same candidate who opposes the Colombian free-trade agreement and wants to throw NAFTA out the window. Who’s clinging to anti-trade sentiment? Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Big Labor.

And conservatives thought the Rev. Wright kerfuffle was the nail in the Obamessiah's coffin. I think it will be much harder for Obama to pull a Jedi mind trick on voters with something he actually said. Especially something he probably thought would never get back to the rubes in flyover country (which, to me, is one of the more arrogant aspects of this whole statement: that he thought he'd get away with it.)

So, what do we do now? We make sure that Obama doesn't get away with limiting this to his calling people "bitter". If you have Facebook, link some blog post using the "posted items" link. Send out a MySpace bulletin. Blog about it yourself. Start the e-mails going. If you have any friends who are independents, fair-minded liberals, or conservatives who are considering voting for Obama because "he's such a nice man", make sure they have this quote:

And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

And, depending on who you are talking to, make sure that they know the original reporting came from the Huffington Post, not exactly a right-wing outfit.

P.S. Matt Drudge is certainly not going to any great lengths to let people know the real context of the quote. No real surprise here, since the story was broken by bloggers, whom Drudge seems to detest. As of right now, he has no banner headline, and only links to 3 different articles, two of them merely hyping the Sen. Obama's spin of the remarks:

Obama Says Some Voters Are Angry, Bitter...

'I'M IN TOUCH'...

Concedes Remarks Were Ill Chosen...

UPDATE: Nice Deb has a good post up detailing Sen. Obama's history of condescension. My favorite:

“But understand, Tim, part of what I hope to offer as president is the ability to reach to people that I don’t agree with, and the evangelical community is one where the Democratic Party, I think, we have generally seen as hostile. We haven’t been reaching out to them, and I think that if we’re going to makes significant progress on critical issues that we face, whether it’s education or healthcare or energy or our foreign policy in this country, we’ve got to be able to get beyond our comfort zones and just talk to people we don’t like”.

(h/t S.Weasel)

Dumbruralcrackergate Links/Blogroll Update

I was working tonight, so I missed blogging about St. Sen. Barack Obama royally stepping in it. Here is the quote everyone's talking about, delivered at an exclusive fundraiser on billionaire's row in San Francisco:

So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

For the time being, I'll just direct you to some bloggers more on the ball than I am. Ed Morrissey and Allahpundit are all over it, as usual. Pennsylvania native Michelle Malkin adds her thoughts. The boys over at PowerLine catch Obama spinning like a whirling dervish, and think that this might be the death knell of Obama's general election chances. Gateway Pundit points out the hypocrisy of Obama's statement. Zombie was on hand outside the event to for some citizen photojournalism.

I'm sure we'll hear more on this story over the weekend, and it should be interesting to hear Sens. Obama and Clinton spin this statement at their debate on April 16th. I'll probably blog my thoughts on it this weekend.

Also, the Club for Growth just started a new blog, VP Watch, that could prove helpful as summer nears. I'll have it in my blogroll as long as it remains relevant.

On a related side note, why do people keep putting Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) on lists of potential running mates for Sen. McCain? He was born in Cuba, and thus ineligible for that office.

Stuart Smalley stared pure evil in the face and lived to tell about it

Nice Deb has a post up about an encounter alleged comedian and Senate hopeful Al Franken had with a conservative college student. The whole post is worth reading, but this quote from the article Nice Deb examines caught my eye:

An aide eventually interrupted Franken's act, [Peter] Fritz said, by announcing to the candidate that it was time to go.

Fritz told me Monday that he then stuck out his hand to shake Franken's. "Well, at least it's nice to meet you," the GOPer said he told Franken, who reportedly replied, I can't say the same.

There was no handshake, said Fritz.

Now, to many people this would appear rude. However, you have to understand who the article is about: Al Franken. It is conceivable that this was simply the first time that Franken have ever had anyone tell him that it was nice to meet him. Put yourself in Franken's shoes, wouldn't you be confused?

and people said mormonism was weird

why don't you click here and take a gander at some of the beliefs of the "christian" church sen. barack obama attends.

that gives me the jeeblies. and here i was thinking that religion was about inclusiveness.

where do-gooders and economics meet

the american lung association of kentucky is seeking to raise kentucky's cigarette taxes by up to $0.75 per pack.

i've got an idea. how about we start raising taxes on tofu, pacthouli, and decemberists albums and see how they like it...

your dad died....so what?

you stay classy, huffpo.

oh...just to be fair, this was wildly disappointing as well. i seriously expected better of michelle.