Democracy Has Prevailed.

March 21, 2008

Richardson Endorses Obama

From MSNBC:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, calling him a "once-in-a- lifetime leader" who can unite the nation and restore America's international leadership.

Richardson, who dropped out of the Democratic race in January, is to appear with Obama on Friday at a campaign event in Portland, Ore., The Associated Press has learned.

The governor's endorsement comes as Obama leads among delegates selected at primaries and caucuses but with national public opinion polling showing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton pulling ahead of him amid controversy over statements by his former pastor.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mike Doyle is very close to Richardson and was originally a Richardson supporter. An endorsement from Doyle would be huge for Obama in Western PA, let's hope he follows suit soon.

Anonymous said...

I heard that Doyle and Altmire may be planning to do an announcement together, but I don't know which way.

Anonymous said...

To be honest, I don't know how much pull either congressman will have in western PA. It might help a little, but I can't see it being a real difference maker. At this point, Barack's task in western PA is play catch-up and hope its enough.

- Shawn

Anonymous said...

John K. says: I am endorsing Obama. But to do that I had to register as a Democrat. Are you left wingers going to have me arrested for voting for Obama. They are trying to do that in Ohio. I just want to know to see if I have to retain a lawyer before I vote. LMAO LMAO Doyle is going to endorse someone. Who cares? LOL

Anonymous said...

We now find out that Hillary included her personal loan of $5 million plus a $10 million unspecified party loan on her $33 million February fundraising numbers.

Manufactured momentum!!? Where is the MSM on this one??

And how about her spiritiual advisor, from the right wing elitist group, the Family?

Anonymous said...

Yes that's right, John K.

THEY'RE ARRESTING PEOPLE IN OHIO FOR VOTING FOR BARACK OBAMA.

Now if you would only offer us a link to this we'd pause before thinking you were a complete psycho.

Anonymous said...

John K. says: A link to the story that they are going to arrest people who crossed party lines and voted for Obama, contact the Ohio State Attorney Gen as well as the District Attorneys for both Columbus and Cleveland. Man look at these Democrats. They are running from Hillary like she has the plague. LMAO Operation Chaos, Vote Obama and keep both these loons in the race.

Anonymous said...

A joint Doyle-Altmire endorsement might be possible, but I don't expect it.

If such an endorsement occurs, I expect it to support Sen. Obama, because Rep. Altmire unofficially favors Sen. Obama.0

(Of course, so did Dan Onorato, before he and Luke got called into Papa Rendell's office for a little guidance. But I don't see Rep. Altmire being on the receiving end of any such pressure, and he strikes me as someone who would not be quick to succumb to such pressure if applied.)

I have no idea where Rep. Doyle stands on the Obama-Clinton race.

Anonymous said...

John K. says: Look at me! Look at my pretty dickie! My peenie is pretty! Watch me play with it!

Anonymous said...

Obama is a racist, sexist, homophobic...

Richardson, is an opportunist...

Hypocrite of the Week: Barack Obama
Op-Ed
Article Date: 02/29/2008

By Duane Wells
With the critical March 4th Democratic primaries in Texas and Ohio looming near, this week, Barack Obama released an open letter to the gay community in which he writes:

“I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all—a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation.”

In addition to this magnificently worded missive, Obama also announced plans to run the aforementioned open letter in an ad campaign specifically targeted to the gay community.

But my question is: Where was all this love, respect and concern for the gay community back in October, 2007, when the junior Senator from Illinois was actively courting the conservative African-American vote in South Carolina with his pal and supporter, ex-gay minister Donnie McClurkin? The same Donnie McClurkin who performed at the 2004 Republican convention and cozied up to that famous agent of change, George W. Bush.

Where were the ads in the local gay press in South Carolina talking about what a friend the Senator was to the LGBT community? South Carolina: An area where such pronouncements might not have been so well received by the stridently homophobic demographic whose support the Obama campaign needed to defeat Hillary Clinton in that state’s primary?

And in what forum back in South Carolina, when his campaign was struggling, did Obama espouse lofty goals like using “the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws,” as he does in this new and timely appeal to the LGBT community?

Senator Obama had none of these messages in South Carolina, more than likely because it was not politically expedient for him to write such a letter back then. However now, with the race tight and the stakes high, Obama is now finally extending an olive branch to the very gay community that he quite unashamedly distanced himself from in South Carolina.

The fact of the matter is that when the Human Rights Campaign’s Joe Solmonese and other gay rights leaders urged Obama to cancel Donnie McClurkin’s appearance at one of his Faith and Family Values tour stops, their arguments fell on deaf ears. This despite the suggestion that the endorsement of someone as antagonistic to the gay community as McClurkin could be construed as an effort by his campaign to cultivate the support of black evangelicals at the expense of the campaign’s stated commitment to gay and lesbian equality.

Boldly ignoring the obvious implications of such a slight, Obama and his staff brushed off the criticism simply citing the Senator’s belief that the country needed to broaden its reach of equal rights.

In all fairness, the campaign reiterated that Obama did not agree with McClurkin’s stance on homosexuality and even reportedly went so far as to distribute memos detailing the candidate’s differences with McClurkin on gay and lesbian issues to the media following McClurkin’s performance. Sadly, the campaign did not distribute the same memo to the many voting "believers" gathered to hear McClurkin perform and proclaim, “God saved me from homosexuality!”.

While all of these actions on behalf of the Obama campaign were fine, good and indeed necessary, they did not address the fundamental question at hand: Why did Obama circle the wagons around his decision to have McClurkin perform? Might it have had something to do with how beloved the Grammy award-winning Christian performer is in the African-American Christian community?
And might it also have had something to do with how McClurkin’s performance might shape the junior Senator’s perception among an African-American electorate whose support had been tipped in favor of Hillary Clinton theretofore? One wonders.

It’s clear that if McClurkin had been a Nazi sympathizer, Senator Obama would not have expected the Jewish community to accept the singer’s appearance on a program designed to attract votes from a constituency known to have neo-Nazi tendencies. Nor would the Obama campaign now be reaching out to the Jewish community in Texas and Ohio touting their candidate’s long-standing friendship and support for them.

So in what way does Obama’s latest outreach to the LGBT community at this critical juncture in Texas and Ohio not appear disingenuous? In what way have his actions leading up to this moment not sidelined and marginalized the gay community as ‘second-class’ in terms of where they have fallen on his campaign’s list of priorities?



How on earth is “equality for all” achieved when one constituency’s value is weighted differently from others possessed of more mainstream appeal, until such a time as that constituency’s support becomes critical?

Sorry Mr. Obama, this is where the rubber hits the road. Prior to your cowardly actions during the South Carolina primary, the LGBT community willingly accepted you at your word, believing that you would be a true friend, despite your imited record of support on gay and lesbian issues.

But that was then and this is now.

Because he did nothng when he was asked to take action on behalf of an issue of importance the LGBT community, and yet now asks the LGBT community to accept him as a friend and support his political ambitions in Texas and Ohio, Senator Barack Obama is the Hypocrite of the Week.

" ONE LAST THING" from me remember he had Isaiah Washington, on this campaign trail and we know what he did to a gay man on Grey's Anatomy. http://www.tmz.com/2006/10/22/isaiah-washington-a-terror-on-the-set/

go there see what this man who is an open supporter of Obama...

Dayvoe said...

I checked with both Altmire's office and Doyle's.

The word from each is the same: UNCOMMITTED.

That's all I know.

dayvoe

Anonymous said...

So no link, John K?

Didn't think so. You're just making this crap up as you go along, aren't you?

Maybe Major Andre was arresting all those people trying to vote for Obama up in Ohio.

Not-Shitrock

Anonymous said...

Richardson is a PIG. Just another good ole boy.. a weak man. I am sorry that I was stupid enough to think that he might be a good president. What ever happened to Richardson's "experience" argument? Oh, it doesn't apply when the smartest person in the room is a woman. His state, just like others, went for Hillary and yet he does this! If this happened to BO the followers would be screaming RACIST. Convient timing too. Richardson is a gutless wimp willing to do anything to further his political career. Hell, he'd probably throw his grandmother under the bus if it would it would benefit his political aspirations.

Anonymous said...

Why is everybody on this blog turning into John K? Smoke a joint and calm the fuck down.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the person who has posted the Duane Wells "article" on two threads could enlighten us regarding his point?

Is it to support Hillary, who has a 10 percent (or less) chance to win, on the theory that Mr. Wells' opinion might suddenly lift Sen. Clinton to victory?

Or is it to hope that John McCain, noted friend of gays and leader of a party that just loves gays, will win?

Be sure to let us know, pal.

Anonymous said...

Nothing -- save perhaps desperation-induced delusion -- supports the assertion that Sen. Clinton is smarter than Barack Obama.

If in either direction, the evidence, recent and long-term, tips the other way.

I hope Sen. Obama's supporters will resist the temptation to use this issue as a campaign tool -- they should focus on the point that he has been and is a superior candidate.