Obama faces challenging times

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, March 23rd, 2008 - 12 comments
Categories: election 2008, International - Tags: ,

Some commentators have been drawing parallels between John Key and Barack Obama’s style of appeal. That was all very well when it appeared to be going Obama’s way but now in this recent article in the Guardian suggests that Barack Obama is also facing challenging times.

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Barack Obama looks at his wireless device in Beckley, West Virginia. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

“Listen for a few minutes to Joey Vento, owner of a south Philadelphia institution that serves gut-busting sandwiches through a takeaway hatch, and the scale of Barack Obama’s problems become apparent. Obama is having the worst week of his campaign. It is, some believe, a week that threatens his chances of becoming president.

“That minister, that was terrible, all his sayings. He’s preaching hatred,” Vento said. “The thing I didn’t like about Obama; you’re telling me for 20 years you been going to that church and you never heard that?”

Vento, 68, was speaking about Obama’s former pastor and spiritual adviser, Jeremiah Wright, whose sermons have been aired repeatedly on US television denouncing the US as racist.

The clips have alienated the white voters, such as Vento, that Obama needs in his next contest with Hillary Clinton, to be held in Philadephia and the other towns and cities of Pennsylvania on April 22. But it goes further than that. The danger for Obama is not just that he could lose badly in Pennsylvania but that senior Democrats will wonder whether the loss of white votes could cost him the November general election….

Obama has since redoubled his efforts. Usually reluctant to offer himself up for interview, he began touring media outlets and appeared twice on CNN, first on Wednesday night and then again on Thursday.”

Are NZ readers ready for an equivalent Key onslaught?

12 comments on “Obama faces challenging times ”

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  1. Stephen 1
    23 March 2008 at 10:27 am

    And what would constitute a media “onslaught” in lil old NZ? One, 3, and…Prime!

  2. ghostwhowalks 2
    23 March 2008 at 11:21 am

    The national party has allready decided to come down like a ton of bricks on any overtly negative media reporting of Key, even if it is direct quotes.
    They have seen what happened to the Hollow man, so will move heaven and earth that the Slippery Man becomes the Teflon man.

    Interesting to see Key in his media walk up interview about ruling out Roger Douglas ( ha!) for a future cabinet post. This was held inside parliament. In the the US this wouldnt be allowed on government property as it would constitute electioneering.
    It has nothing to do with parliament duties and everything to do with the election.

  3. ak 3
    23 March 2008 at 1:29 pm

    heh heh, nice Phantom – Slippery Hollow Teflon Man.

    SHT Man, sounds about right….

  4. RedLogix 4
    23 March 2008 at 9:42 pm

    And here is another take on “Obama’s problem”:

    Rudy Giuliani’s priest has been accused in grand jury proceedings of molesting several children and covering up the molestation of others. Giuliani would not disavow him on the campaign trail and still works with him.

    Mitt Romney was part of a church that did not view black Americans as equals and actively discriminated against them. He stayed with that church all the way into his early thirties, until they were finally forced to change their policies to come into compliance with civil rights legislation. Romney never disavowed his church back then or now. He said he was proud of the faith of his fathers.

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    Jerry Falwell said America had 9/11 coming because we tolerated gays, feminists and liberals. It was our fault. Our chickens had come home to roost, if you will. John McCain proudly received his support and even spoke at his university’s commencement.

    Reverend John Hagee has called the Catholic Church the “Great Whore.” He has said that the Anti-Christ will rise out of the European Union (of course, the Anti-Christ will also be Jewish). He has said all Muslims are trained to kill and will be part of the devil’s army when Armageddon comes (which he hopes is soon). John McCain continues to say he is proud of Reverend Hagee’s endorsement.

    Reverend Rod Parsley believes America was founded to destroy Islam. Since this is such an outlandish claim, I have to add for the record, that he is not kidding. Reverend Parsley says Islam is an “anti-Christ religion” brought down from a “demon spirit.” Of course, we are in a war against all Muslims, including presumably Muslim-Americans. Buts since Parsley believes this is a Christian nation and that it should be run as a theocracy, he is not very concerned what Muslim-Americans think.

    John McCain says Reverend Rod Parsley is his “spiritual guide.”

    What separates all of these outrageous preachers from Barack Obama’s? You guessed it. They’re white and Reverend Jeremiah Wright is not. If it’s not racism that’s causing the disparity in media treatment of these preachers, then what is it?

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/different-standards-for-b_b_92337.html

    Well apart from the obvious, that Jeremiah Wright is black… he became an acceptable target the moment he cast doubt, however indirectly on the official 9/11 story. That put him beyond the pale.

  5. John 5
    24 March 2008 at 3:50 am

    What is this obession with Obama and Key all about? We all (even the Nats) know that Key is NO Obama. He’s not even close!

    So, why are you so intent on playing on the Nat’s chosen turf? If he resembles anyone on the American political scene, John Key is John McCain, a Republican and George Bush supporter. Key, like McCain, is for the war in Iraq; he is for cuts to government services to the middle class; Key is for private health care at the expense of a public system; and he is for private education at the exepense of public education.

    Unlike Confident John (McCain), Slippery John is not being up front about all these positions and keeps trying to hide behind bumbled weasel words.

    Like Roger Douglas, Confident John (McCain) stands on principle and tells voters exactly where he stands. Slippery John is never going to do that, because he knows that if he does, the words “Prime Minister” will never appear on his CV!

  6. higherstandard 6
    24 March 2008 at 8:22 am

    John

    Your first sentence is correct thereafter I’m afraid you have come unstuck.

    You use of the Slippery terminology does however give your position away.

    If you’re going to make statements such as private healthcare and education at the expense of the a public health and education system you really do need some evidence to back this up.

  7. Chemist Peter 7
    24 March 2008 at 11:01 am

    IrishBill says: CP, too far.

  8. higherstandard 8
    24 March 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Chemist Peter

    What the ???

  9. John 9
    24 March 2008 at 4:28 pm

    Seems we have a super sleuth in our group. You got me Higher, I am not a Nat. Damn! I thought I had my lean so well hidden too.

    Anyway, maybe now, Higher, you can use your superior sleuthing abilities to expose Key’s policies on health and education.

    Oh and while you are at it, can you get us the details about how they plan to achieve their ‘public’ health and ‘public’ education goals in the context of the large tax cuts and the running down of the public service that Slippery John already tells us he wants?

    Enlighten us, please!

  10. Hillary 10
    24 March 2008 at 7:35 pm

    Obama’s Philidelphia speech was trully inspiring and showed Obama as a candidate with a vision to begin to move America towards more unity – a more perfect union. The hope is that there will be a trickle-down effect so that people like Vento can begin to accept where the anger that Obama’s pastor feels came from – the past is not dead, its not even past.

    To compare John Key and Obama other than in order to show up Key’s failings is absurd.

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