Matthew Dowd

The question here is did Wright ask Obama to deny him for some 30 silver of chingle or did Obama act on his own? To his own proclaim of being above the norm politician, no matter how you cut it, there are some experienced voters who will not buy the dramatic act since Obama has just revealed another flaw in his character: just another common politician. The holly bubble is about going to burst and the reality aftermath is not a pretty thing to see.

If his DEMOCRATIC opponent has anything to say about it, he WILL limp over the finish line. Her actions prove she is concerned about self and not party. He is ahead in all numbers, and she should respect that.

Obama is the best candidate for president this country has seen in a long time. He is extremely honest, and that is what this country needs in this most crucial time. We need truth, we need integrity, we need honesty...and he has proven he can deliver.

I don't care about Jeremiah Wright, as religion should be a separate and private issue, and should not be used as a club to beat up people that we don't necessarily agree with.

President Obama, bring an end to this war, and bring our troops home.

Please Wright is not going away. If you don't think Wright will be an issue in the General election then you are living in fantasy land.

What really concerns me is not Wright but Obama's judgement- what he really thinks of America. He says many issues beautifully (including his denouncing his former pastor, mentor, and so called, uncle who has sometimes different opinion as Obama put it.) Troubling, Troubling.... but Just talks isn't really enough.

Totally on and ...reaction to these things needs to be beefed up in time. I think it was a staff drop for him to have not seen the video and transcripts sooner. That needs to be remedied.

and if I may excuse the long comment but he needs to point out a couple of things more strongly
...and point out the DETAILS of WHY the healthcare plans are about cost and WHY Hillary's plan doesn't get to it both because of not implementable through congress, not executionable from the place we are a nation and healthcare now...and why looking at Massachusetts (a state with grat access and healthcare infrastructure to actually make the plan work in todays situation) will tell us again...why Hillary's plan can not do.

That healthcare is about a couple of things...
-costly billing and red tape processes (something a massive bureaucracy alng thelines of medicare - the worst of the coverage right now - will take years maybe decades blowing up before it could ever fix),
-malpractice insurance premiums through the roof and crushing the medical profession (and I am a democrat)because of redundant and pointless rewards that do not punish the practitioner any more than a smaller reward but the insurance company...therefore the profession as a whole and therefore the patients) lack of family practice, nurses, and surgeons (which a mass blanket program will exacerbate enormously),
-and prescription meds (why is payola illiegal in the record industry and still allowed in the pharmaceutic sales industry?)

Hillary's plan only speak briefly about electronic medical records and the mass amount of people who will beunder the plan will bring down costs... that is only true with pharmaceutical sales ...the overall costs will go up because we have a system that is strained by the population that it already has and the level of healthcare we have already in this country.

The costs are going to grow exponentially...and not to mention that this plan ignores the fact that the exact people who need it who are forgoing healthcare to apy the rent and feed their families...don't understand how to make a stipend with a "tax break" work with those concerns ...elitists not realizing that blue collar people are not accountants.

and get the media to start addressing these "obliterate" with nuclear weapons comments and "massive retaliating" police force covering the middle east on the US's dime...

you know the ones...the ones Ahmadenijad and Kim JOnng Il are now passing around to our enemies and allies alike to show why they need a nuclear force...to protect them from the Nuclear threats of the US.

but I totally agree...I hope they are reading your post Matt.

His ads have done fantastic work, in each of the contests you mentioned, HRC was ahead by double digits and expected to win handily. She ran extremely negative ad campaigns that helped her in Ohio and Penn. You should check your math though, Obama came out of Texas with more delegates than she did, I'd call that a win.

Don't let the press,Clinton or McCain ,Wright steal your thunder! Your are the true change agent and americans that believe our government can improve for its people believes this.These distractions can throw you off your message,but like Matt said get back to the grass roots,which is what has energized and inspired this campaign from day one. I agree with Jessie Jackson,we must keep HOPE alive!

Obama 08!
Yes We Can!

Of course, this is how the double standard goes...let's continue to pick the black guy apart. Let's continue to beat issues to death, continue with innuendo, continue distorting and twisting his words. It is more important to keep beating him up than it is to concentrate on crucial issues.

While bill and hillary get to pass go and collect millions of dollars.
No FEC investigation reporting, what about her church ties?, not news worthy? why not? Library donors? not worthy? why not? The Peter Paul trial, judge requests hillary testify, but only AFTER election day lol what a joke!

John McCain, another pass to go and collect millions of dollars. And not even a scrape of investigation on his wife, why not?

But we tear Michelle Obama up one side and down the other.

I was glad to see BO denouncing his racist reverend, but what about his other two 'amigos', William Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist, and Tony Rezco, the indicted 'fixer'? He still has a lot of denouncing to do. Obama's political career was launched in a 1995 meeting in Ayer's home. Obama was 40 when Ayers stated publicly that he "doesn't regret setting bombs". Indeed, he said, "I feel we didn't do enough ".The main thing that everyday (called rural voters by his campaign) want to know about a presidential contender are the things that most reveal character and core beliefs. Issues come and go and change, but core beliefs do not change.

Emily...you guys want it both way, first you said( months ago) he needs to alienate himself and break away. Now you are saying he has thrown Wright under the bus. Obama has know this man for 20 years and thought of him as a father figure. I cannot imagine how difficult this was for him to do. But he had to step forward when Wright finally disrespected him. He has to show everyone who he really is( you keep saying you don't know him). Well he is a man of principles who has to make a VERY hard decision.I persionally respect him...

Matthew Dowd is a Hillary Hater. Funny he's now giving Obama campaign advice. Don't buy it, of course he wants Obama to be the nominee, he'd rather run against him than Hillary. That was the deal all along with him, and a slew of other conservative "journalists" who marched along praising the Obama train. The liberals in the media and all over the country thought it was sincere.

America, you've been punked.

The Wright concerns will not go away. It speaks to his core beliefs, honesty, and judgment. Wright is now linked with Obama in the average voters' mind.
We have heard from Karl Rove and Matthew Dowd on what Obama needs to do. These guys strategized a way to give us a disaster called George W. Bush. Thanks a bunch. Dowd and Rove need to go on vacation with Wright and leave us alone. I guess Dowd and Rove are experts on how to get an empty suit elected president. They've done enough damage to our country.

Your thoughts are good, EXCEPT what if Rev. Wright is not done with his talks. The church did a HUGE effort in time and money to help OBAMA. Also, there are more issues coming down the road with Rezko. I guess OBAMA will have to "reject" and "denounce" him too as they were personal friends for some 17 years! The Democrats will lose this election if they stay with OBAMA. Beliefs and character do not change with speeches. He is dumping his Pastor of 20 years, to be President. He is or will dump his close friend Rezko to become President. Will he dump the American people too for ? That is why character is so important. Yes, let's forget his character and talk about the issues to find out later that we have a jerk in the White House.

Thank you for an article that dosen't throw Obama under the bus. So much in the last 2 weeks has been negative and circled around things that really didn't matter that the real issue of the differences between Obama and Clinton have gone the way the Clinton campaign has all along. Negative.
Thanks
Obama 08

Anne...how much more of a jerk is Bill Clinton. He disgraced the presidency( BTW I voted for him twice)...or McCain who cannot even keep the player staight in the middle east...boy are we in trouble!!!

Brian...I have never in my 60 years seen so much negative press. The Clintons keep saying they are getting bad press and the press is against them. How much have you seen about Hillary in the last few weeks but where she is campaigning.It is really sad what this press is doing to Obama....a great man who has principles unlike the Clintons.

Have we forgotten we are at war?
How many troops have died this month?
Oh, that's right, it's no big deal.

But we continue to talk about an out of touch pastor.
Distractions are an understatement.

Mr. Obama showed an incredible amount of naivete in running for president knowing his pastor holds the views that he does as well as knowing that some of those who Obama chose to "hang with" over the years are so far from the mainstream. Did Barack think he could "finesse" his way into the White House and have the media cover up all of his associations with radicals, communists, and a weathermen bomber? Not to mention his wife who's said she's never been proud of the U.S. in her entire adult life before her hubby started running for president. America will be "da*ned" - as the Rev. would have it - if she is foolish enough to elect a callow, foolish, naive man with no record of accomplishment to the highest elected office in the land. BTW - I don't consider the other options for president much (if any) better. America - you had better get on your knees and start praying!

Michelle Obama did not say she had never been proud of this country....

Stop distorting her words.

Mr. Dowd, what if the Rev. Wright really believes the sermons and speeches that he gives are truthful and supportive of the church principals. The church, Trinity United Church of Christ has stated clearly that the ministry is founded on the 1960 black-power theology book that espouses “the destruction of the white enemy”. Mr. Obama knows this is a fact and belongs to this church and got assistance and direction from this church, which by the nurtured his children too. Obama seems to want it both ways. First he clearly stated that he has never heard such sermons at church, and then he clearly stated that he has heard many sermons and such rhetoric but that he does not always agree with the Rev. No one has pointed out that the Rev. might truthfully believe that Obama now has a change of heart as he has agreed with the pastor and his sermons for a very long time. Perhaps the Rev. feels that Obama used the church on his climb to the Presidency. What if the Rev. is truthful?

A spokeswoman for Mr. Wright, who retired in February after 36 years as church pastor, said he was not available to respond to Mr. Obama's comments. But will he respond? It is not a issue that the sermons and speeches are hatred related, it is a question does Obama believe in them, and is just “rejecting” and “denouncing” to get elected? You noticed that Obama still belongs to the Trinity United Church of Christ, which by the way still has the same ministry and believes in black-power.