[SodaPopinski]

I'm just curious, since they are making such a big deal about people Obama has associated with in the past.

Clayton Williams, friend and supporter of McCain, has said that women should just accept rape as inevitable, and, like the weather, "just sit back and enjoy it." McCain begrudginly turned down an appearance opportunity at Mr. Williams' fundraiser in Texas, but he gladly accepted $300,000 from him.

Interesting.

So if Republicans want to ignore the issues and instead focus on acquaintances of the candidates, how does this sit with them?

-Pop

[Ed O]

A terrible, tasteless joke. I hope it costs him a major political race.

Oh, wait. It did. 18 years ago.

A single joke (no matter how offensive) isn't quite the same as what Wright allegedly preached for two decades.

Ed O.

[blazerboy30]

Originally Posted by SodaPopinski

I'm just curious, since they are making such a big deal about people Obama has associated with in the past.

Clayton Williams, friend and supporter of McCain, has said that women should just accept rape as inevitable, and, like the weather, "just sit back and enjoy it." McCain begrudginly turned down an appearance opportunity at Mr. Williams' fundraiser in Texas, but he gladly accepted $300,000 from him.

Interesting.

So if Republicans want to ignore the issues and instead focus on acquaintances of the candidates, how does this sit with them?

-Pop

Link?

[e_blazer1]

Come on, Pop, you can do better than this. A quick search revealed the following:

Probably, the construction of this phrase began: “If the heat (of summer) is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.” The phrase was also said of winter. A variant became: “If defeat’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it.” These variants are cited in the 1940s and 1950s. It is not known if the joke began with Texas weather and its heat.

By about 1950, the phrase became a sick barroom “joke”: “Confucius say: if rape’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it.” The meteorologist for the local ABC television station in New York City, “Tex” Antoine (who was raised in Texas), repeated this rape “joke” on the air after a 1976 news report of a rape. He was suspended and then fired.

In March 1990, Republican Clayton Williams, Jr. was running against Democrat Ann Richards for Texas governor. Williams compared the Texas weather to rape—if it’s inevitable, then relax and enjoy it. Candidate Williams was criticized for the comment and an aplogy was issued, but it was one of several mistakes that cost him the election to Ann Richards.

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/...texas_weather/

So the guy is a clod who used an old, tired, and stupid "joke" and it helped lose him a Texas gubernatorial bid in 1990. I doubt you'll find this one getting much traction anywhere except for the usual liberal blogs.

[SodaPopinski]

Here's the link: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...rape-comments/

Personally, I wish this campaign would focus more on the issues rather than the the acquaintances of the candidates. But since Republicans are harping on Wright and some of the people in Obama's VP search committee, I just found it hypocritical that they would even schedule a fundraiser with someone who made comments that anyone who's been involved with politics over the last 20 years knows about.

Just reinforces my point that the Republicans are going to try to make this race as much about scaring the American public about Obama, based on guilt-by-association tactics. And when the tables are turned on them, they'll dismiss it away but still take money from the guy? Hypocrisy at its finest.

-Pop

[Ed O]

Originally Posted by SodaPopinski

Just reinforces my point that the Republicans are going to try to make this race as much about scaring the American public about Obama, based on guilt-by-association tactics. And when the tables are turned on them, they'll dismiss it away but still take money from the guy? Hypocrisy at its finest.

So... a joke made 18 years ago by a fundraiser is the same as inflammatory statements made repeatedly by Osama's pastor over two decades?

Uh. OK.

I guess if you define "hypocrisy" however you want, then the Republicans (alone!) sure are guilty of it.

Ed O.

[Dornado]

Originally Posted by Ed O

So... a joke made 18 years ago by a fundraiser is the same as inflammatory statements made repeatedly by Osama's pastor over two decades?

Uh. OK.

I guess if you define "hypocrisy" however you want, then the Republicans (alone!) sure are guilty of it.

Ed O.

Osama, eh?

Classy Ed O, classy.

[Zybot]

Originally Posted by e_blazer1

Come on, Pop, you can do better than this. A quick search revealed the following:



http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/...texas_weather/

So the guy is a clod who used an old, tired, and stupid "joke" and it helped lose him a Texas gubernatorial bid in 1990. I doubt you'll find this one getting much traction anywhere except for the usual liberal blogs.

You forgot about Bob Knight too. Wait a minute, wasn't Obama a highschool basketball star?

[SodaPopinski]

Originally Posted by Ed O

So... a joke made 18 years ago by a fundraiser is the same as inflammatory statements made repeatedly by Osama's pastor over two decades?

Uh. OK.

I guess if you define "hypocrisy" however you want, then the Republicans (alone!) sure are guilty of it.

Ed O.

According to Obama, Wright's controversial statements were made recently and not at sermons Obama attended. I have not seen any proof that Obama attended or agreed with sermons that have drawn so much discussion.

I suppose if you make the assumption that Obama is lying, then you can jump to any conclusion you want (yours being that Wright frequently preached anti-American sentiments and Obama listened to and agreed with those thoughts).

However, there doesn't seem to be any gray area in knowingly scheduling a fundraiser with such a questionable character as Clayton Williams and then still accepting a large political contribution from him after the media exposed the relationship.

-Pop

[Ed O]

Originally Posted by SodaPopinski

According to Obama, Wright's controversial statements were made recently and not at sermons Obama attended. I have not seen any proof that Obama attended or agreed with sermons that have drawn so much discussion.

I suppose if you make the assumption that Obama is lying, then you can jump to any conclusion you want (yours being that Wright frequently preached anti-American sentiments and Obama listened to and agreed with those thoughts).

So... Obama attended a church that he didn't know the political slant of? Do you think that the venom-spewing was so irregular that in two decades Obama not only managed to miss each and every one, but managed not even to HEAR of it?

I find that quite unlikely.

However, there doesn't seem to be any gray area in knowingly scheduling a fundraiser with such a questionable character as Clayton Williams and then still accepting a large political contribution from him after the media exposed the relationship.

What is there to "expose"? That one of the richest Republicans in one of the largest states in the nation is giving money to a Republican? That Williams made that gaffe when he was running for governor in 1990?

Amazing. The media has really done their homework here. Most people don't even know Texas exists, let alone those two pearls of info.

Ed O.

[hasoos]

I vote for the canidates, not people that they associate with. Has it got to the point where when the press doesn't find something wrong personally with the canidates, that they resort to digging up dirt on associates to get a story? If the canidates were actually in business with these people and doing wrong things themselves, then I can see it being related. But they aren't. Most of the stories are about fundraisers or acquaintences.

Just stick to the issues and the election will sort itself out.

[SodaPopinski]

Originally Posted by Ed O

So... Obama attended a church that he didn't know the political slant of? Do you think that the venom-spewing was so irregular that in two decades Obama not only managed to miss each and every one, but managed not even to HEAR of it?

I find that quite unlikely.

You know what I find hard to believe? That if Wright's incendiary statements were so prevalent, and that if Obama frequently attended sessions that "spewed such venom," why hasn't any member or ex-member of the Church brought that to the media's attention? Surely a simple witness could come forward saying Obama was at particular sermons that many Americans would find controversial. With a Church that boasts thousands of members in a diverse area of Chicago, surely there must be some conservative members looking to harm Obama's campaign.

And, with Obama being so outspokenly critical of Wright's recent comments, don't you think those close to Wright; those loyal to him; would attempt to defend him by knocking Obama's reputation and credibility? Surely Wright could be made to look less "out there" if someone could put forth evidence or at least a mention that Obama frequently attended sessions that were on par with or worse than the two sessions that have made news.

Wright made poor choices in the words he used at recent sermons, and we cannot know why he made such outlandish statements. But I'm not prepared to criticize Obama for his attendance of that church or past relationship with Wright any more than I'm willing to condemn the thousands of Catholics that have attended sermons from church members later convicted of sexual molestation.

I think Obama's years of service, his commitment to the communities he has lived in, and his record in public office provide much more light as to the kind of person he is than a couple of sound bytes from a guy who presided over his wedding or conducted service for his church.

-Pop