- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
At Home in Midwest, Obama Explains Why He Refused Debate Challenge
April 27, 2008 2:24 PM
ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: Sen. Barack Obama spent his Sunday attending St. Luke's United Methodist Church and afterwards dropping by a local restaurant called the "Country Kitchen" for wings and corn bread in Indianapolis, Ind.
The presidential hopeful answered a few questions before entering the predominately African American eatery -- and explained why he won't agree to rival Sen. Hillary Clinton's weekend challenge for a one-on-one, Lincoln-Douglas-style debate without a moderator.
"We've got nine days to try to campaign and meet as many voters as possible," he said. "So rather than being in a studio, I want to make sure that we're reaching out to folks where they live, answering their questions and having as many interactions as possible."
Obama said he would be more than happy to consider additional debates after Indiana and North Carolina’s May 6 primaries.
Obama said winning Indiana is simply achieving 50 percent of the vote plus one percent more.
"There’s no doubt that Indiana is a state where it's close," he said. "It’s tied statistically in the polls."
The Illinois Democrat tried to show he's connected to voters in Hoosier state, saying that the people of Indiana have Midwestern values like citizens of Illinois do.
Obama would not answer questions on how damaging it would be if he loses Indiana, or -- on a day when his comments aired on what he heard the Rev. Jeremiah Wright say in sermons -- whether Wright's recent media appearance has been damaging.
On both questions, he told reporters, "I’ll let you guys prognosticate."
April 27, 2008 in Kucinich, Dennis | Permalink | User Comments (351)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
I am sure people in Indiana do not want to be linked to hateful sermons of Obama's pastor by voting for him.
Indiana - Vote using your brain !!!
No to Obama
Posted by: Rick | Apr 27, 2008 2:46:05 PM
What else were they going to vote with? Or are you saying that if they don't vote for 'your' candidate that they are not using their brain?
Posted by: MIguy | Apr 27, 2008 2:50:30 PM
I'll say it right up front, I'm a Hillary supporter. I don't have anything against Obama. I don't buy in to the Wright
criticisms, don't accept the patriotism nonsense and I can see how he could've made a misjudgement about Rezco. My problem is simply that I don't think he deserves the job, he doesn't have the experience. He's not even what I would call a seasoned senator. He sprang on to the scene and has turned what should have been an easy democratic victory into chaos. But, if he gets the nomination, I will support him because he is NOT republican. There is no way that I would ever help a republican into the white house again in my life. I am convinced that they want to destroy my country and for at least 14 years have been striving to do just that. No matter the hard feelings that result from the next few months, we must ban together to defeat McCain. Please don't allow disappointment to cloud your mind and let the republicans win again.
Posted by: JR | Apr 27, 2008 2:58:18 PM
Q: What keeps an empty suit standing upright?
A: A lot of hot air.
Posted by: S | Apr 27, 2008 3:01:40 PM
Sure the country needs change but not in the direction of Obamby.
Posted by: dem | Apr 27, 2008 3:12:02 PM
Lets take a Junior senator with
no foreign policy experience, with
racist and terrorsist ties and a
dishonest elitist demeanor and make
him president.
What could possibly go wrong??
Posted by: perry | Apr 27, 2008 3:13:47 PM
Dem, be wise don't allow sentiments to becloud your sense of reasoning.
Posted by: KC, NY | Apr 27, 2008 3:14:41 PM
I used to be a HC suporter,but the more I listen to her lies and false info. And the more I listen to Obama I am now convinced that I WILL vote for Obama, he is a man with dignity,I am 77 and think I have a lot of commen sence, yes Obama we can, leave the negative to HC.
Obama 08
Posted by: The Dane | Apr 27, 2008 3:15:23 PM
Obama is showing to everyone he is not ready to be president. He is just like every other politician even though he claims to be an agent of Change. He makes statements, realizes he shouldn't have said them and then lies and back tracks to get out of them. He claims to be different but he is NOT. He is the same old same old. So, we need to go with the person who has the most experience and can get the job done, Hillary Clinton. Indiana, please vote liek your neighbors Pennsylvania and Ohio and New York and New Jersey.
Posted by: Keith | Apr 27, 2008 3:15:52 PM
To my last opinion, my familly questien my commen sence, but they all wote Obama
And I am a proud US citicen, God bless our wonderful country, we need Obama to
get back on the right track.
Obama 08
Posted by: The Dane | Apr 27, 2008 3:21:59 PM
Obama is showing to everyone he is not ready to be president. He is just like every other politician even though he claims to be an agent of Change. He makes statements, realizes he shouldn't have said them and then lies and back tracks to get out of them. He claims to be different but he is NOT. He is the same old same old. So, we need to go with the person who has the most experience and can get the job done, Hillary Clinton. Indiana, please vote like your neighbors Pennsylvania and Ohio and New York and New Jersey.
Posted by: brick | Apr 27, 2008 3:23:50 PM
Obama has told too may lies --- Wright, Ayers, Rezko, Farrakhan, his wife's comments, among many others.
Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City terrorist, was a former marine, and considered himself a true patriot. Sometimes individuals think they are "Wright", when in fact they are WRONG!
If the Press had been more responsible and exposed Obama earlier he would NEVER have won as many states as he did.
OBAMA HAS REFUSED TO DEBATE IN INDIANA AND NORTH CAROLINA. He apparently can only read a pretty scripted speech from a teleprompter --- And he wants to run our country??? NO WAY!
Why wasn’t Obama vetted a year ago by the media and the DNC? His entire campaign has been run on lies!
Does Obama plan to have Jeremiah Wright spewing “God Damn America” from the White House? Are Obama’s frequent visitors going to be their anti-American, terrorist friends: bomber Ayers, Farrakhan, Rezko, among others?
VOTE HILLARY 2008!
Posted by: indiana | Apr 27, 2008 3:26:02 PM
Hillary benefited from the last joke of a debate. Obama would be crazy to let a campaign that is broke get millions of dollars of free TV time. Let the Clinton's pay to get their message out.
Posted by: aaron | Apr 27, 2008 3:26:32 PM
To Perry: The answer to your question,
What could possibly go wrong??
is George W. Bush. To all you young people who think Obama is "change" and "hope" and "unity" that is exactly the same BS that George W. Bush was running on and look what happened. No experience = the vultures surrounding Obama will be the men with the true power.
TELL THE DNC TO ALLOW ALL 50 STATES VOTES TO COUNT!
SAY NO TO THE DNC CORONATION OF OBAMA!
Posted by: calli | Apr 27, 2008 3:28:03 PM
Obama is showing to everyone he is not ready to be president. He is just like every other politician even though he claims to be an agent of Change. He makes statements, realizes he shouldn't have said them and then lies and back tracks to get out of them. He claims to be different but he is NOT. He is the same old same old. So, we need to go with the person who has the most experience and can get the job done, Hillary Clinton. Indiana, please vote liek your neighbors Pennsylvania and Ohio and New York and New Jersey.
Posted by: Keith | Apr 27, 2008 3:29:46 PM
Debates do little to expose a candidates substance. Just a bunch of "gotcha" statements and one-liners for the pundits. It's all that's left for Clinton who can't get voters to connect with her on the issues.
Obama's open forums here in Oregon a few weeks back were great for the amount of content and detail that came out about the candidate through questioning by local citizens.
Oregon Obama '08 & '12.
Posted by: TheNumantine | Apr 27, 2008 3:31:11 PM
Give Obama the nomination already. These Hillary bloggers need to go away.
Posted by: Ben Straub | Apr 27, 2008 3:32:04 PM
21 debates and you people think one more is going to matter right now?
BTW for those of you that like to use cherry picked past associations and issues to define and support the hate you feel when you look at Obama. Keep in mind that this country hypocritically continued the institution of slavery for nearly 100 years after declaring that all men are created equal. That there was a systematic effort by this nation to either kill the native population or destroy its heritage and culture in an effort to wipe them from history. A history of politicians corrupted by the lust for power and wealth at the cost of the people. This continues on today, years after a hurricane so little done in New Orleans as to be laughable that we are the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth. There has been further progress made on infrastructure in Iraq.
this government HAS intentionally infected minorities with disease on more than one occasion, suspended the bill of rights when it suited it to persecute and justify in the name of national security bigotry and prejudice. Our government has lied to us repeatedly, not just in the last 7 years but throughout most of our history. We have dictated to nations across the globe, do as we say or we will annihilate you. This government treats its citizens like children to be spoiled and then wonders at how horrible they behave.
Hillary Clinton has told plenty of lies, publicly and privately. She has threatened members of her own party and is clear that should she have sufficient power, retribution is to be hers against all that have ever opposed her. She has many questionable associations, beginning with her husband. She classifies those democrats they do not vote for her as the 'bad' democrats, how can you be more elitist? Her families ties with the businesses in the middle east are as deep as those with the Bush family. She has already promised that American soldiers will provide the shield for Saudi Arabia against attack.
If you have to cherry pick information to try and make someone look bad, then it is something more than a disagreement with policy. If you plan to vote for McCain if HRC doesn't get nominated, it is clear that your issues with Barack Obama have nothing to do with politics.
Posted by: Louis | Apr 27, 2008 3:33:17 PM
It's called being diplomatic and reaching out to people. Something that a President needs to be able to do. Imagine that.
Going on FOX? Where he knew they had lied about him and exploited his relationship with his pastor, but left Hagee and McCain alone, shows that he means what he says when he says he is going to bring people together even if it means walking into the lions den and keeping his cool. The big picture folks, that's what wins this race. Not the petty sound bites or threatening to obliverate another country.
Posted by: Brian | Apr 27, 2008 3:34:26 PM
i think all of you hillary supporters making fun of rev wright you have to realize you are making fun of the black church. you are making fun of dr king--who spoke out against the governments war in viet nam--hillary is killing the democratic party!!!!
Posted by: william | Apr 27, 2008 3:39:17 PM
Post a comment



