Letters to the Editor
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walker
what a whiner you are, you completely eveded the question.
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@Uncle
You're ignoring the reality that however many Republicans voted for Hillary in order to gum up the works, an equal number have likely voted for Obama, therefore producing a zero sum effect. You're also ignoring the reality that many voters who went for Obama in early primaries - without having learned much of his history - would now not vote for him. In short, this whole affair has been skewed beyond redemption and the Democrats have produced little but a giant mess.
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@ljwalker
ljwalker: "Here are the links."
Okay thanks. I notice they don't necessarily support your statement. What they do show is Clinton having the edge in 1 poll while the rest of the other polls (about 7 other ones) show Clinton and Obama basically tied. The polls apply to the week of the Wright controversy, and they show the trend lines, which as in the example I gave (with the link) are returning to Obama's favor.
Nonethless thanks for providing your source.
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The Real Issue
I think the real issue here is telling us X when video of not X is readily available on the internet. Sorry. I don't begrudge Hillary her war story. I'm just not going to add it to her list of foreign policy credentials. That to me is the real point.
And I remember being a witness to a shootout between cops and an idiot some 30 years ago. Gunfire is something you're not likely to misremember, unless it's an everyday occurence.
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@Roberta H
Roberta H: "So the Obamateurs want to insist that questions about Clinton's memory of an event that happened fourteen years ago is an indictment of her truthfulness or competence?"
You said it... But let's let each individual draw his/her own conclusion, shall we?
Here are the facts:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/03/hillarys_balkan_adventures_par.html
Then there's the video:
http://wonkette.com/tag/shooting-at-us%2C-with-lasers/
Roberta H: "Well, if that is the DIS qualifier for becoming President then Barack is really in trouble."
Translation: OMG quick let's change the subject! What about Rezko! What about Rezko!
Roberta H: "He doesn't remember facts about Rezko until the Chicago paper forced him to fess up."
Oh yes, the Rezko thing. The little scandal that nobody cares about and that amounts to nothing. Clinton supporters just love repeating "Rezko" like a mantra. Ommmm..... Rezko.... Ommmm.... Rezko....
Roberta H: "He doesn't know why he hit the wrong button on so many votes in the IL Senate."
Meaning? Is this some reference to Obama's vote of "present," which is SOP in the IL legislature? Do you really feel okay with trying to win rhetorical points based on people's ignorance of a particular state's voting process?
Roberta H: "He cannot remember anything that he did for the last 20 years if it involves his “uncle,” Jeremiah Wright. He still cannot remember Wright ever saying something racist or ill-considered."
I've watched a few Wright sermons and even I can't remember Wright saying something racist. What did Wright say that was racist? In context? As for Wright saying something "ill-considered," oh my! Perhaps Obama should have cut all ties with every person he has ever known who ever said something "ill-considered."
Roberta H: "At least we know Hillary was on a plane and it landed in Bosnia."
Yah.....at least Hillary Clinton didn't lie about the core facts, just all the facts surrounding them. That makes it okay.
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Messes
You're also ignoring the reality that many voters who went for Obama in early primaries - without having learned much of his history - would now not vote for him.
That's just an assertion of yours and not measurable, since we can't repeat the contests. You might have a case for that if Obama really tanks in PA, IN, & NC. I've talked to some folks who wouldn't pick Clinton again, so YMMV.
In short, this whole affair has been skewed beyond redemption and the Democrats have produced little but a giant mess.
I think it's always a mess of one sort or another. We're just paying more attention this time around. The only real big messes I think are FL and MI.
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@ Xrandadu Hutman: What I DID And DIDN'T Say
I said that Clinton does better than Obama in a general election matchup and in battleground states. And if you look at the polls right now, she does. I'd think it would be easier to turn a +.08 McCain win (against Clinton) in the GE to a Clinton win than it would be to take a +2.8 McCain win (against Obama) in the GE.
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@ljwalker regarding list of Obama problems
I read your list of things you have against Obama. Do you have a similar list for Hillary Clinton? Or do you just give her a pass for everything?
Here are some replies.
ljwalker: "1] Lack of national/international experience"
What is Hillary Clinton's international experience? As we are discovering, many of her claims of inernational experience are turning out to be exaggerated or false. I have a feeling this "we dodged sniper fire" thing is going to get more play this week. There's no way the media won't have fun with that one. As for "lack of national experience," what do you mean? Clinton has one term of senate experience more than Obama does, but Obama has more total elected legislative experience. Clinton gets points for having served as First Lady. But what else? It's almost as if people are trying to give Clinton experience credit for being older.
ljwalker: "2] His ties to Antoin Rezko for so many years"
Not much of an issue. Few voters have a clue what this is all about, other than the fact that people keep saying "Rezko" and there's some guy named Rezko who is in a trial and who Obama knew (along with many other legislators). Obama's home purchase has already been thoroughly investigated and there's no evidence or even accusation that Obama did anything that wasn't above-board. The Rezko thing seems more of a general smear or negative association than anything else.
ljwalker: "3] His own use of "racism" against the Clintons"
We've been over this, but there's very little evidence of Obama himself trying to use racism charges against the Clintons. Jesse Jackson Jr. said some things early on and has since been reeled in. Obama played down charges of racism for the MLK/LBJ comparison. Same with Bill's bitter Jesse Jackson comparison, which people objected to spontaneously. A regional staffer who sent an un-sanctioned memo to an individual who asked for examples of racism ended up getting into trouble, and it was pretty well proven this wasn't standard Obama campaign practice. Obama's speech on race established his position on such matters (have you read the whole thing?). Meanwhile, what is your take on the Ferraro comments? They were hardly innocuous.
ljwalker: "4] His flip-flops on Iraq"
No flip-flops there. Obama has been against the war all along. He funded the troops after the war was already in full swing, but that's not the same thing at all. Obama's position on Iraq is completely internally consistent with his statements and policy. Hillary Clinton is the one with the real Achilles' heel on Iraq, as she helped make it all possible, for reasons that still don't hold up to scrutiny. Nor has she taken responsibility for it, dodging the question at every opportunity.
ljwalker: "5} His acceptance of Wall Street money in his campaigns"
I don't see how anything about Obama's campaign funding is in any way worse than it is for Clinton. Do you?
ljwalker: "6] His inability to effect change (of the sort he speaks about) either in Illinois or the U.S. Senate"
Obama's record in the senate in 2 1/2 years is more impressive than Clinton's after 6+ years. Not sure what your requirements are for "effecting change," but if you mean passing meaningful legilsation than Obama qualifies. If you mean something else then please, do tell.
ljwalker: "7] The negative way his colleagues in the Illinois Senate and in the U.S. Senate have portrayed him: "taking a powder" on controversial votes; referring to him as a "dilettante" in the U.S. Senate"
Who? When? And more important: Who cares? It's hard to imagine any politician not having some enemies. What have Hillary Clinton's colleagues said about her? Anything negative at all? Hmmm.
ljwalker: "8] His wife's comments"
You're scraping the bottom of the barrel. Michelle Obama's comment (was there more than one controversial statement?) about being proud of the U.S. has been pretty well examined. I'm not sure what some minor misinterpretation has to do with Barack Obama's qualifications anyway.
ljwalker: "9] His judgment about Rev. Wright"
This is already stale, and it's getting older and more bogus with every ticking second. Obama has proven quite capable of shaking off these sorts of things. The actual "judgment" problem for Obama is pretty nebulous -- it amounts to there being guilt-by-association-with-out-of-context-soundbites.