Baer Speaks for Barry

So many bitter Clinton supporters, so many words of anger, so few truthful statements. It's so Republican of them to just post...stuff, hoping some of it will stick. I used to be uncommitted but have realized that if Senator Clinton actually had a purpose and a strategy she would be following it, just as Senator Obama is doing, calmly, relentlessly, not being sidetracked, not giving in to gamesmanship and bullying. Instead the Clinton team jumps at every possibility of Obama "scandal" in the hope that tearing him down may pull her approval numbers up for another day. As a long-time Dem, I now find her tiresome and old-school and want her and Bill to retire with honor. Soon.

So many bitter Clinton supporters, so many words of anger, so few truthful statements. It's so Republican of them to just post...stuff, hoping some of it will stick. I used to be uncommitted but have realized that if Senator Clinton actually had a purpose and a strategy she would be following it, just as Senator Obama is doing, calmly, relentlessly, not being sidetracked, not giving in to gamesmanship and bullying. Instead the Clinton team jumps at every possibility of Obama "scandal" in the hope that teraring him down may pull her approval numbers up for another day. As a long-time Dem, I now find her tiresome and old-school and want her and Bill to retire with honor. Soon.

John Baer wrote an excellent column. Add that to the PA crowd reaction (booing) when Clinton tried to push the meme, and I'd say Pennsylvanians aren't easily fooled.

Why is it the Clintons and the Republicans don't understand the meaning of the word 'backfire'?

Count, I would say bitter is exactly the word...

People missed THE POINT of his racist remark. He said people aren't voting for him because they're bitter and RACISTS. Come on. Reading comprehension is a good thing.

READ THE QUOTE. He was saying the REASON he's losing in PA. is because the PA. voters are racists. THAT is the most important point he made-----not the "bitter" comment. I'm sure the MSM knows that though. He basically said the reason people don't vote for him is because they're racists.

Here's a few clues for ya, Mr. Hope. I won't vote for you because: 1. YOU and your wife played the race card in SC and called the Clintons racists. 2. Because you have no chance of winning in November. NONE. 3. I don't like you...you're an ARROGANT SNOB and so is your wife. 4. Your cult members are obnoxious. 5. You act as though you're entitled to the Dem nomination. 6. You refuse to count FL and MI votes and are more than happy to disenfranchise those voters for your own gain. 7. Your cult members have threatened to RIOT and burn down cities around our country if you lose the SD vote---starting in Colorado at the convention.

What the racist Obama doesn't realize why he was throwing Grandma under the bus and later calling her a 'typical white person'

Is that the 'typical white person' has been taught to distance themselves from racists. If that racists won't change their ways, to engage them in debate and them break ties with the racist if it gets too bad.

Well as Obama keeps proving himself to be the race baiter and racist in the campaign, why should the 'typical white person' accept that as their President?

If Obama is supposed to transcend race? Why does he keep calling people racists? Because it is the third rail, and divisive.

A racists and divisive candidate is trying to claim he is a uniter. What has he united? He can't even place the Clinton Presidency in the proper historical narrative, and bunches it up with the Bush Presidency.

No thanks....if you can't give credit where it is due. Why should anyone give you credit for nothing but divisive lies. Does anyone really believe that the Clintons are racists? And that is what Obama did smear them with a false brush, when there is more than enough to really complain about.

But the probelm with Obama he can't hit them head on their scandals because he has the same shame in his background.

So....between two liars who do you choose? The team that has performed for you in the past....and that is why Obama is now calling vast numbers of Americans racists. Trying to guilt and shame them into supporting him.

finally a voice of reason--it is ironic that obama was saying that the people who need economic relief the most vote on wedge issues-so here is hillary and mccain trying to get these same folks to vote on a wedge issue(ie. obama is an elitist) also jake when are you going to show bill clinton's comments saying that george h w bush was trying to use quotas to scare whitey and whites won't vote on economic issues they will vote on the issue of quota's- you corporate new's agency's only try to spin to get ratings--i still have not seen you network do a far report on rev wright and you have not covered the fact that obama has talked about this idea of wedge issues v. economic issues on the charlie rose show-in his 2004 speech at the convention and in his speech in philadelphia--also the premise of his campagn is about comming together ie.we will respect you right to wedge issues and you respect our issues and together will fix the economy get healthcare end this war etc. wedge issues divide us but a fair economy can bring us together--I think we can discuss whether government can fix the economy or the market fixes the economy, but to argue that we are not divided by wedge issues is just not so(some wedge issues: immigration,same sex marriage, abortion, gun rights evolution v. creationism

This guy throws his late mother under the bus. What is it with Obama and his crowd?

Hillary will come and tell you you are beautiful, you are smart, you are nice, you are happy, so resiliant, and you are hardworking and give me your vote because I will fight for you. But in the meanwhile she is working very well for herself and her family by receiving 800 000 from the Colombian government to ship jobs to that country and make you lose you job. The lady and her Bill have amassed 109 million in few years. Wake-up America and understand who will fight for you. Hill the Bosnian General will fight for herlsef and get richer and you will be losing your jobs and health care and pension. That is why Hillary in unelectable. God bless America and God bless Obama.OBAMA08.

I'm not from PA but I'd be SO offended by the don't "cling to stupidity" line, whatever else he said wouldn't matter.

I would like to thank the commenter for doing the work of the journalist in reporting on the Rezko trial. As we see, Obama is up to his eyeballs in the corruption, but you're not going to hear it from the steno pool of the corporate media. As for Baer and most Pennsylvania newspapers, aren't they mostly owned by the Tribune Co out of Chicago?

Obama's named in Rezko trial

FEDERAL COURT | Levine says senator attended bash for Iraqi crook
April 15, 2008
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BY NATASHA KORECKI, CHRIS FUSCO AND TIM NOVAK Staff Reporters
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama was again drawn into Tony Rezko's corruption trial on Monday, when the prosecution's star witness placed Obama at a party for an Iraqi-born billionaire who was later barred entry to the United States.
Stuart Levine testified under cross-examination that Obama and his wife, Michelle, attended the April 3, 2004, reception for Nadhmi Auchi.
» Click to enlarge image

The government's star witness testified Monday that Sen. Barack Obama (left) attended a party four years ago at the home of Antoin ''Tony'' Rezko (top right) that was held to honor Iraqi-born Nadhmi Auchi (bottom right).
(AP/Sun-Times files)

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Rezko's billionaire buddy 'CI4' -- the mystery figure who helped jail Rezko Gov's fundraiser got loan from Iraqi billionaire Obama's answers about Auchi from a March 14 Sun-Times interview Eye on Rezko Updates from our blog

An Obama connection?
News reports and now court testimony have linked presidential hopeful Barack Obama with Iraqi-born billionaire Nadhmi Auchi through Tony Rezko. Here's a rundown:
March 11, 2004 -- Obama met Middle Eastern bankers at the Four Seasons hotel in Chicago at a reception hosted by Rezko, who was courting potential investors for a 62-acre South Loop development. Auchi later took control of that project but did not attend, sources say.
April 1, 2004 -- Auchi flew in to Midway Airport on a private plane and attended a Four Seasons reception hosted by Gov. Blagojevich. Rezko planned the event and was there. Obama was not.
April 3, 2004 -- Auchi attended a dinner party at Rezko's Wilmette mansion. Obama and his wife, Michelle, also were there, according to testimony Monday at Rezko's corruption trial. The Obama campaign's response: "Senator and Mrs. Obama have no recollection of attending any such event."
Oct. 11, 2006 -- Charges against Rezko announced.
Jan. 28, 2008 -- Rezko was jailed for withholding details of his finances -- including a $3.5 million payment from an Auchi company in April 2007.
Auchi -- who lives in London -- had been convicted of fraud in France in 2003. After visiting Chicago and Detroit in 2004, he wasn't allowed back into this country in 2005, according to a prosecution filing in the Rezko case.
The April 3, 2004, gathering for Auchi took place at Rezko's mansion in Wilmette, with about 100 people attending, Levine testified.
"Mr. and Mrs. Obama were there, were they not?" Rezko's lawyer, Joseph Duffy, asked.
"Yes, sir," Levine said.
Later Monday, Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said: "As he has said previously, Senator Obama does not recall meeting Nadhmi Auchi at any time or on any occasion, and this includes any event that may have been held for Mr. Auchi. Senator and Mrs. Obama have no recollection of attending any such event."
But according to two sources familiar with the gathering, the Obamas attended the Wilmette reception, which came less than a month after Obama's Democratic primary win for his U.S. Senate seat. Rezko had been a key fund-raiser for Obama, who has since given to charity nearly $160,000 in Rezko-linked contributions.
Levine testified he was invited to the reception after meeting with Rezko and his family days earlier, during a spring vacation in Puerto Vallarta.
Auchi couldn't be reached Monday. His lawyer, Alasdair Pepper, told the Sun-Times in February his client "has no recollection of meeting Senator Obama." Auchi is appealing his French conviction. His 15-month sentence is suspended as long as he commits no new crimes. He is not accused of wrongdoing involving Rezko.
Obama is not accused of any wrongdoing. But his relationship with Rezko -- who is accused of demanding kickbacks from people seeking Illinois government business -- is under a microscope as he seeks the presidency. Obama particularly has drawn fire for buying property from Rezko's wife -- a strip of land adjacent to Obama's Kenwood home -- at a time Rezko was already known to be under federal investigation.
Levine testified Rezko had to leave Mexico early to host Auchi. So Levine chartered a private jet to fly Rezko's wife and children -- as well as his own family -- back to Chicago on April 3, 2004.
That night, Levine testified, he attended the reception, which was arranged to interest Auchi in investing in Illinois.
Gov. Blagojevich hosted a separate dinner party for Auchi two days earlier, at the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Chicago, the Sun-Times has reported.
Auchi was named by prosecutors in the January court filing that led to Rezko's bail being revoked and his being jailed. Last April, an Auchi company wired Rezko $3.5 million in connection with a valuable 62-acre South Loop site, which Rezko didn't disclose to authorities. Auchi's General Mediterranean Holding now controls the land at Roosevelt and Clark.
Prosecutors said Rezko appealed to the State Department in November 2005 to allow Auchi to enter the United States, after Auchi was unable to do so.

Obama's campaign slogan has gone from HOPE to BITTER. Niiiiice!

I don't have a problem with the bitter part. What I take issue with is the God, guns, and bigot part that followed.

And in case you're watching closely, Obama stands by his assessment. It is we who have "misinterpreted" his words.

He has also reminded us that he goes to church just as we do. But his church brings us full circle back to Bitter and Bigoted, doesn't it?

It was Auchi's money that Rezko funneled to Obama in the real estate deal. But of course we all know that Obama only did 5 hours of legal work for Rezko through his law firm and that he's never even met Auchi. He said so and we all know that St. Obama doesn't lie.

Hear, hear! Good piece from Baer.

Please, PA: don't be manipulated by the pandering Clinton campaign! Even supporter Sen. Bayh, speaking after HRC's town hall meeting in Indianapolis on Sat., said he didn't agree with Clinton that Obama’s comments were elitist.

"I don’t believe he is an elitist," Bayh said "His comments were open to interpretation, that’s the problem and the Republicans will use that ruthlessly against him.

"I'm concerned that statements like this, even if they are taken out of context, can be used very effectively by the other side."

It’s great that Bayh tells the truth: Obama is NOT elitist, and his words are being deliberately misunderstood to score political points.

But the irony is that he fears the Republicans will use this against Obama; what the h*ll does he think the Clinton campaign has been doing for the last 4 days?

Obama is right about politicians making all sorts of promises they don't intend to keep: HRC promised upstate NY 200,000 new jobs during her 2000 senate campaign. Instead they've lost about 30,000 jobs upstate, about 120,000 statewide. Her reply: "Well, I might have been a little exuberant, but I thought we could do it." Plus, she thought Gore was going to be president. Uh-huh.

So, PA, don't get fooled into thinking the so-called “peace and prosperity" of Bill Clinton’s 90s would come back with HRC as president. They are different people and these are different times.

After all, he was pro-NAFTA, she’s against NAFTA (even though records show she supported it before). He received $800,000 from a pro-trade Colombian organization; she claims to be against the trade pact. Oh, and her “former” chief strategist, Penn (who was "fired" for working for those Colombians to push the trade agreement), is still very much part of her campaign.

BTW, a Chinese firm, Alibaba, which has donated “an unspecified amount” to his charity, is accused of collaborating with the Chinese government in its crackdown on Tibetan activists. Hillary Clinton has spoken out against China's actions.

And did you know Bill Clinton was senior adviser to a firm that bought and left Pennsylvania Catholic churches in shambles?

C'mon, PA--please do the right thing and vote for the one who's willing to tell you the truth: Obama.

Hill-TUZLA will say anything and do anything just to get elected even to the point of selling out her partymates like Al Gore. How can DEMOCRATS really support Hill-LIAR when she states the DEMOCRATIC PARTY as Out of Touch and why Al Gore lost in 2000. Now she is against all Democrats.

Did Mr. Baer even attempt to address why Obama made those comments in upscale Marin County where the median home price is $901, 000 rather than using the opportunity to "educate" us bitter people right here in Pennsylvania?

How does Mr. Baer explain the xenophobic remarks?

I'm very interested.

Amen brother,please PA voters don't cling to stupidity. See this for what it is swiftboating:character assassination and smear, label of elitis. Well isn't any politician could be considered an elitist due to their classification in society,certainly income standards aren't they considered an elect group of people? There are liberal elitist politicians and conservative elitist politicians. Why would multi-millionaires like the Clinton's and the McCain's not fit in an elite group? They sure don't fit in with mainstream blue collar workers doing manual labor and making hourly wages.

Please vote for a new washington
Yes We Can!

You know folks are bitter here in our country, why don’t you go try asking somebody one day?... but some simple minded people in this country use a true statement like this as a reason to Spin and try to justify calling the true statement a racist statement so that they can vent their own bottled up racist attitude without it seeming apparent, but we modern day Americans who by the way are mixed (Black/White/Hispanic/etc..) like myself see right through these words. So I don’t need to say it… and like the rest of us can see, you already know what you are, so take a good look in the mirror before typing your next blog... but ultimately the last laugh will come when Sen. Obama becomes President... So enjoy yourself while you still can… Obama ‘08

Bear is not speaking Obama, he is speaking for Pennsylvania.

Baer is not alone, is he? The Pennsylvanian newspapers who decided to endorse Obama after he made the "bitter" remarks clearly spoke for Pennsylvania AND Obama as well.

No wonder! Obama is America's most reliable candidate for the Presidency and the ONLY hope for small town Americans. The others are business as usual, and the folks in PA have learned by know that they will not be part of that business. Another Clinton, another McBush simply won't do for them.

Obama has deserved their trust and their confidence.