Political Punch

BK Burton: Tell that to 61 Million American Catholics. Start with Sean over there at Fox.

The only thing the PEJ study shows is that the media is obsessed with trivial, tabloid, slander that would have put the yellow journalists to shame. When are you going to start covering what Americans say they care about? This is also from the PEJ: "The Project for Excellence report concludes that Internet news sites are the industry's most promising segment. But lack of profits and sound business plans are forcing cutbacks in news-gathering efforts. As a result, traditional journalism sees standards and audiences eroding." Can standards get any lower?

Interesting way to spin the exit polls info. In Indiana, 26% of the people who said that Wright influenced their vote voted FOR Barack Obama. The most recent NBC/WSJ national poll also had interesting numbers: 32% of those surveyed were concerned about Obama's relationship with Wright. 43% of registered voters surveyed have concerns about John McCain's connection to... President George Bush. By the way, when are we going to get some real reporting on John McCain?

Obama, a man of words with no substance, is a candidate I will never vote for, nor will he ever make a valid decision if he becomes President. Look at his voting record of mostly "no vote". I am positive that every vote or non-vote he cast was not for what was right, but for what it could do for him in his own career. While his ad claims he takes no money from Oil companies, he does have numerous oil company executives and their wives giving him money. What is the difference? I hope the nightmare of his association with the Wright cretin will follow him to his grave.

How much damages would Rev Wright cause?

About half of the voters were turned off by OBAMA's connection with REV Wright for the last 20 years and his muse in the book about "AUDACITY AND HOPE"

70% of those votes has gone to Hillary. 30% of those votes may choose to sit it out.

In general election, the percentage can only be worse because republicans would take a dimmer view than the democrates about that.

If OBAMA started with these scandals, he did not stand a chance. Many voters are having buyers' remorse right now.

In general election, OBAMA cannot win by the black votes and the young votes anymore.

The winner is the one who may cross the finish line. OBAMA has so many doubtful connections and past, nobody can say for sure that he can cross the finish line.

Bush administration may have lots of information about OBAMA. They just wait for the moment to blow up the democrates for good.

The reason the Rev. Wright elicits such vitriol and outrage is that he tells the truth. The government and military of the United States of America have destroyed 100,000s of foreign people. Governments do lie for profit. That's the truth. I feel tenderness for the song "America the Beautiful," but I do not and never will pledge allegiance to the United States of America. I pledge allegiance to the truth of the Golden Rule.

Wright will damage him in the general election not the primary.

I's a guessin a herlut more dem media folk gona be out a job now deys be just founout

The Public Knows We Have Separation Of Church And State In This Country.

And we're smarter than the media.

To date I have not EVER seen a candidate answer the question posed to Obama, are you a black man first or American? Please I beg someone to point to an occassion EVER in American history of politics where that has happened. American is once again proving that a black has to denounce his race to appease blood thirsty voters. Why is anyone surprised that Wright sounds a little angry? The issue of race is so ominous that Michael Jackson spent a considerable amount money to erase all traces of his blackness? This is something I can't explain to my children. It is obvious that people see what they want to see no matter if the truth stares them in the face. What part of Wright's speech was racist . . .please do inform. Otherwise go read the Wikpedia entry for Rev. Wright . . .he is highly regarded by his classmates in a interracial school. It wouldn't matter what Wright says people will still play the race card. If you view the comments posted under the Wright NAACP speech you will see that the other races that make up America think the Wright thing is deplorable. Not because of anything Wright said but how the media spins it. Wake up people, Wright is not Wrong, take a moment to REALLY learn about the man before you judge. Finally when did religious beliefs become a national issue? High cost of gas, food, utilities, and the greatest American lie of all the Iraq war are the issues that MATTER!!!!!!!

"Media Censorship", the only thing wrong with your theory is that Charles Gibson (whom I otherwise like) has been clearly biased toward Obama for a long time. George Stephanopoulos has remained mostly balanced in his analysis segments, but to accuse ABC of being against Obama is downright absurd. America may be paying attention but apparently you aren't. In any case, we are about to enter a VERY strange period from which our country may never fully recover. Thanks for making me grateful I'm in the final 10 to 20% of my life. If God himself offered to make me young again, I would decline.

When Rev Wright was on PBS with Bill Moyers he noted that his congregations were often mixed race with white parishioners, latino parishioners etc, why hasn't the media tried to locate any of these people to ask their feelings about Rev Wright, it seems to me they would be very capable of shining light on this story and would add something worth actually listening to.

I second True Patriot.

How about one member of our venerable institution, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT, Justice Scalia saying we need to forget about this torture thing.

If those cases are coming out before the Court in the future, why would he use that language?

Strict constructionist?
A little torture?

I would say true patriotism is in the heart not based in a flag pin on your lapel.

ABC asks, "What Hath Wright Wrought?" The answer is very surprising to me. Hatred of white people and of America seems to play well in North Carolina. Historically, most countries undergo drastic changes or cease to exist after a period of time. At 69 years old, I was hoping the America in which I grew up would last until I die, but apparently I will be a witness to the end. There is no point in getting angry; the future belongs to the young, and they are speaking with a loud voice to turn America into something unrecognizable. Of COURSE we needed to move away from Bush and his misguided war, but what we are about to do is like sending a car to the crusher because it has a flat tire.

Sorry, Juanita, that you are so angry. But I do not feel guilty for being born white. That is how I was born. So, save it. It may work on other white people, but not this one.

Thank god for Rev Wright he has saved americans from dealing with side issues like: our troops being stuck in Iraq, unaffordable health care, the 10 trillion dollar debt, the recession, the subprime fiasco, our jobs being sent abroad, global warming, the growing divide between rich & poor. We are allowed to concentrate on whats important, what did Rev Wright say and when did he say it.

As a life long Democrat, I am not surprised that once again the party is going to nominate an unelectable candidate. Obama is much less qualified than Gore or Kerry. He is also a whiny, conniving liar. Yet the imbeciles who support him are enraptured by his florid prose - even as he stumbles over every spontaneous question. I would never vote Republican but I refuse to put this phoney in office.

Everything that Obama says and everyone that Obama knows is being raked over the coals by the republican party and the media. Obama shows that he is a man of conviction and a man who is loyal to friends, but reaches his limit. He is not a hothead like McCain, and is not a liar like Clinton. A big deal is made of things about the Democratic nominee but it never happens to republicans in a presidential race. Can you say the MEDIA? They are always eager to make sure the Democrat is painted and smeared if at all possible. God help this country is this does not stop. God help this country to elect the best candidate, not the one just because he was not attacked by republican smears.

I cannot, in good conscience, ever vote for Obama.

In case some people don't realize, or they chose to not think about it, this talk about white america being guilty because of slavery doesn't apply to a lot of white americans. Many are second generation (like me) and most had absolutely no ties to slavery-

Clyde, if America votes against their economic interests and allows Republicans to eschew the Bush administration record and a majority Republican congress for 6 of his 8 years painting Obama as the white guy hater and American born but scorns America Muslim, then America deserves another old president like the 1980s.

November will show for sure. You are not right about what America looks like at least not ANYMORE. I question your assumption that black voters have been determinative in these elections.

If you think about Democratic primary voters, it is not the number of black people who voted for Obama that won NC and the other 25+ states Obama won. Black people don't live in the midWest and the Western states in large numbers. It was white people who decided he was the better candidate.

It also will NOT be black voters who make the difference in November. Obama has to win a different selection of red states in November to win. It will take Republican voters to do that.

I think almost every American politician has some shameful friends. If white America doesn't like the crops that they have sown on race are bearing fruit wait til the twin chickens of the apocolypse of indiscriminate torture and the war in Iraq come home to roost.... baaaawk!

I was proud to vote for Obama in the primary and I will be proud to vote for him in the general election. Playing the Wright race card will backfire... the era of Willie Horton is over.

Obama is a "typical black guy."

The white Democrats of America are making a huge mistake in helping the blacks elect Obama. He is damaged goods
and John McCain will win in November. RRev. Wright's "hate America, hate whites" and Obama's too late repudiation of the teaching disqualifies Obama for the the position of President of the United States of America, now and forever.

It's not just Wright. He ran his mouth and got caught making a heart felt statement in San Francisco about rural people. He called his grandmother a "typical white woman" If Someone white had called him a typical black guy. WOO wouldn't that have been all over the news. Obama is prejudice and is hiding it. But he it will bleed out soon!

Obama lost me once all of this broke. Who can honestly say that after 20 years of knowing a man that they don't know where they stand?

Do John McCain or conservative republicans respect the moral foundation of this country? The U.S. Constitution was actually designed, among other things, to protect the people of America from misguided government.

U.S. Constitution: Amendment I - Freedom of Religion
Right now, for the first time ever, your tax dollars are funding religious groups you may not agree with. To add insult to injury, conservative judges have ruled that taxpayers do not have a right to challenge this expenditure.

Amendment IV - Search and seizure
Under the guise of court action against abortion, Conservative republicans had John Ashcroft subpoena all the medical records of literally thousands of women just like you and members of your family. Conservative republicans are invading your privacy every day. Unfortunately for all of us, they don't appear to care about our U.S. constitution, or by extension, the people of our great country.

Amendment X - Powers of the States and People
John McCain and conservative republicans have tried consistently to overturn States Laws. They used your tax dollars to destroy the will of the people of Oregon, and the famous "Death with Dignity" law; they lost, but undoubtedly will try again. Conservative republicans and John McCain do not respect States Rights.

Amendment VIII - Cruel and Unusual punishment
Would you rather die, or support a government which supported and sanctioned torture? The founding fathers would rather have died, and in fact they were proud to fight and die for our government: A government which specifically outlaws cruel and unusual punishment for very important reasons.

John McCain and the conservative republicans are destroying the moral foundations of our country. I urge you to keep this in mind in the coming election as we rebuild our nation together by voting Democrat.

This issue is tabloid worse than the stuff in the supermarket. 1st of all if you think that what rev. Wright said is racist againts white people than you are probably a little bit racist yourself. It was against the oppression and discrimination of blacks, not against whites. Period. Now if the people oppressing are white than you could say it's against whites but only by coincidence.
I believe that Obama probably heard a lot of the things that Wright said before. He HAS to deny it because there is just too many white people that have no idea what black people have been through and some of the insane things the government has done over the years to them.
2nd of all some of it is true (the CIA imported drugs! Seriously! Former agents have admitted it.)

I am glad the media exposed the truth about Obama. We have a right to know, because he wants to lead our country.

I don't blame Rev.Wright at all. He can preach what he wants.

But the man that wants to be our president should not listen to anti-white, anti-American sermons for 20 years. Then lie about it.

Rev. Wright was simply preaching the teachings of the Black Liberation Theology Church and Senator Obama has not stated he will distance himself from the church or its hate/racial beliefs. So nothing has really changed. Any member of that church should believe or leave the church. This politician used this large church in the South Chicago area for political gain, then when the TRUTH came out flushes the pastor like used t-paper. That is political pandering of the very worst type. He has and will do anything to get elected. He wants the POWER.

What is the name of the controversial reverend who endorsed McCain? What is his name?

you gotta love the dems. when the war started and we needed an anti-war candidate to contrast bush from the dems, we went with kerry. now that it's the economy (stupid), we pick the anti-war candidate. and then we wonder why we lose. lol. what a joke.

American voters were very generous. The stuff on Wright came out in Feb. 2007.
It didn't get scrutinized until late Feb. 2008. When Obama didn't address his problem with Wright but instead made a lofty speech on race in America many were still fooled. But when Wright rubbed it all in our faces and passed off Obama as "doing what a politician does" and Obama finally denounced him in desperation and said he was shocked that crystallized the problem. Obama and Wright will be linked forever now in political history -- the pastor and his politician.

Jo:

You should find a better class of friends!!!

Everyone I know who was supporting Hillabeans, is now supporting Senator Obama.

Obama 2008 -- Yes, WE CAN!!!

P.S. Everyone I know who was considering Obama has now changed their minds.

Tom Davie-

Based on these same polls, African Americans said that the Reverend Wright issue was imprtant to them by just about the same margin - about 45% to 55% who said it was not important.

They went 92-8 and 94-6 in the two states, for Obama.

So please, explain away. Are all these people who said Rev Wright was important to them voting for Hillary?

I know the Clinton campaign doesn't like math, but this is pretty undeniable.

Jon--I'm sure 49 percent of the voters felt that way. He He.

Blame OBAMA!!!

Don't blame Wright. Blame ABC and the rest of the media.

It has staying power because we do not get to choose what you print. You know as well as I do that the media makes it's own story, and that story influences those who want to be influenced.

Pardon me but Isn't Mr obama responsible for his own choices that he made for 20 years.

Enough of this someone lese is always to blame juvenile excuses.

The man is an adult. he is reponsible forhis own choices including his church and his pastor.

Good post, Jon!

Obama 2008 -- Yes, WE CAN!!!

Thanks for joining the rest of the completely moronic media in assuming that all those who said it affected their vote meant it in a positive way.

Personally, I know several voters, black and white, who changed their vote FROM Hillary TO Obama because of the absurd coverage of Reverend Wright. So they would have answered yes to that asinine question, and the MSM would be sitting there like idiots assuming that they meant it made them less likely to vote for Obama.

Awesome.