Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Day of Reckoning for Clinton and Obama ?
According to pundits, if Obama wins both states then Hillary Clinton would face the inevitable and pull out of the campaign. On the morning of May 6th that scenario is not a given. The polls and projections give Obama the lead in North Carolina, and a victory for Clinton in Indiana. If that becomes reality then Clinton would continue in the race for the White House despite Obama's lead among superdelegates. Republicans would like to see that happen; it would be good for John McCain.
Indications are that Obama's delayed recognition of the true nature of Reverend Wright has not damaged him as much as some in the media thought it would. It, however, remains an issue that the Republicans are certain to revive if Obama wins the nomination. And the media would play it up.
In the meantime, the more I read about Hillary Clinton and her shameless pandering -- the gas tax holiday, downing shots in local bars, and statements about "obliterating" Iran -- the less I think of her. Her attempts to prove that she has cojones are distasteful.
The Lapel Pin Smear
The Lapel Pin Smear
In the infamous televised debate on April 16th, before Pennsylvania election, when moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos of ABC tried their best to do a hatchet job on Obama, Gibson asked him why he didn't wear a lapel pin.
Obama's answer:
- "Well, look, I revere the American flag," he said. "And I would not be running for president if I did not revere this country. I would not be standing here if it wasn't for this country. And I've said this -- again, there's no other country in which my story is even possible."
Many people will read a lot of meaning into Obama's refusal to wear the pin. Some will see it as a lack of patriotism, an emotional distance from the country that has served him so well. Others, such as I, will see it as an expression of cool, the statement of a candidate who wants to be president but not at the cost of his intellectual integrity. And still others (me again) will see it as Obama's push-back, his reluctance to do something simply because it is demanded of him. An allergy to cant can be an admirable quality in a politician, although not necessarily a politically smart one. Obama, for example, is right to label Hillary Clinton's proposal to have the government lift the gas tax this summer as "a classic Washington gimmick." Still, gimmicks like this win votes. |
The Price of Gas and Jesus Freaks
A news story, dalelined May 5th, filed by AFP (Agence France Presses) caught my attention. Does Jesus care what you are paying for gas? Some "activists", crazies would be a more appropriate term, held a prayer meeting for lower prices at a gas pump in Washington.
Excerpts
- "Lord, come down in a mighty way and strengthen us so that we can bring down these high gas prices," Twyman said to a chorus of "amens".
- "Prayer is the answer to every problem in life... We call on God to intervene in the lives of the selfish, greedy people who are keeping these prices high," Twyman said on the gas station forecourt in a neighborhood of Washington that, like many of its residents, has seen better days.
- "Lord, the prices at this pump have gone up since last week. We know that you are able, that you have all the power in the world," he prayed, before former beauty queen Rashida Jolley led the group in a modified version of the spiritual, "We Shall Overcome".
- "We'll have lower gas prices, we'll have lower gas prices..." they sang.
- "These prices will come down, just like the walls of Jericho came down in the Bible," he said, as another chorus of amens punctuated the sound of cash flowing out of the gas pumps.
Apparently, the prayers have not reached the almighty's ears or he has more important things to deal with. Oil prices climbed further this morning, reaching a record of $122.00 per barrel.
