Barack Obama 2001 interview...

[EvilMonkey]

By the way, has anyone seen that TV person's response to the hubub yet? She says she is shocked that people are upset by her being "aggresive" and "asking tough questions instead of "softball" ones. LOL. She has completed missed what went on there.

 

 

Softball question: Does it make you feel good to be helping all those poor people with your new tax plan?

 

Hardball question: Is it such a good idea to be raising taxes on the economy's biggest engines (the rich and large corporations) in a time of recession?

 

Wild pitch into the dugout question: Are you actually Karl Marx?

The range of reactions by Obama supporters hasn't been as broad. It ranged from disgusted to mobilizing the Digital brown Shirt brigade.

[NorthSideSox72]

The range of reactions by Obama supporters hasn't been as broad. It ranged from disgusted to mobilizing the Digital brown Shirt brigade.

OK, I've seen this reference twice now. WTF is the Digital Brown Shirt Brigade?

 

[Rex Kickass]

The last week of political campaigns are generally patently ridiculous. And this fake controversy is pretty much a classic example of why. Last ditch attacks replace substantive discussions. There's very little about any candidate that actually matters anymore.

 

Look at this discussion. It's about the phrase "redistribution of wealth" as it was used in a constitutional law discussion regarding historical decisions in civil rights on public radio seven years ago. It's being used to prove that Obama is supposedly a socialist, or a marxist, or a communist or whatever label that's trying to be attached to him today. The truth is, he's no more a socialist than John McCain is.

 

I tried very hard to remain detached this year from the Presidential campaign. I care about politics, so as the date gets closer its harder to stay so uninvested. But its this stupid pointless ugliness that is the reason that I dread getting emotionally involved. Yesterday, a sitting senator was convicted of seven felonies. But we were focused on a radio interview on a show cancelled soon after for low ratings on public radio from 2001.

[EvilMonkey]

Actually the reality is that the jury is still out on how that bridge collapsed. It may very well have been a design flaw.

 

However, the bridge was considered to be structurally deficient in 2005 and 2006.

Internal state documents in 2007 discussed the possibility of condemning the bridge.

Any attempts to retrofit the bridge would have resulted in further weakening of the bridge so a replacement was deemed necessary.

It would have been left basically alone except for standard work until a replacement was built in 2020 under the plan.

Jury isn't out. And all the people who played politics with this, mere hours after the collaps happened, should be ashamed of themselves for the accusations they threw about.

http://www.startribune.com/local/33308279....QL7PQLanchO7DiU

Original designers of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis likely neglected to calculate the size of key gusset plates that eventually failed, a human mistake that culminated 40 years later when 13 people died after the span collapsed, federal safety investigators have found.

[Rex Kickass]

OK, I've seen this reference twice now. WTF is the Digital Brown Shirt Brigade?

 

It's a way to call Obama supporters fascist or nazi like.

 

So now they are racist, muslim, communist, socialist, marxist, fascist nazis for those who are keeping track.

 

McCain supporters are racist, out of touch fascist nazi war mongers if my score card is right.

[NorthSideSox72]

The last week of political campaigns are generally patently ridiculous. And this fake controversy is pretty much a classic example of why. Last ditch attacks replace substantive discussions. There's very little about any candidate that actually matters anymore.

 

Look at this discussion. It's about the phrase "redistribution of wealth" as it was used in a constitutional law discussion regarding historical decisions in civil rights on public radio seven years ago. It's being used to prove that Obama is supposedly a socialist, or a marxist, or a communist or whatever label that's trying to be attached to him today. The truth is, he's no more a socialist than John McCain is.

I tried very hard to remain detached this year from the Presidential campaign. I care about politics, so as the date gets closer its harder to stay so uninvested. But its this stupid pointless ugliness that is the reason that I dread getting emotionally involved. Yesterday, a sitting senator was convicted of seven felonies. But we were focused on a radio interview on a show cancelled soon after for low ratings on public radio from 2001.

Great post, other than perhaps the bolded. Neither Obama or McCain are socialists of course, but Obama is closer to it than McCain is.

 

[Texsox]

You don't think the media is skipping out on Steven's coverage because he's a Rep to focus on a negative Obama story?

 

How can that be? They are biased!

[BigSqwert]

And here's the Associated Press' reply to the 2001 interview. Emphasis mine.

 

FACT CHECK: McCain misreads 2001 Obama interview

By AP / Mark Sherman Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008

 

(AP) Tue, 28 Oct 2008 - Republican John McCain is misreading seven-year-old comments by rival Barack Obama about "redistributive change" to argue that the Democrat's tax policy is built on "taking your money and giving it to someone else."

 

The McCain campaign and the candidate himself are pointing to Obama's comments during a Chicago public radio program in 2001 that dealt with the civil rights movement and the Supreme Court.

 

"It's always more interesting to hear what people have to say in these unscripted moments," McCain told a rally in Dayton, Ohio, alluding to Obama's now well-known exchange in Ohio with Joe the Plumber. "And, today, we heard another moment like this from Sen. Obama.

 

"In a radio interview that was revealed today, he said that, quote, One of the tragedies of the civil rights movement is that it didn't bring about a redistribution of wealth in our society."

 

Obama never said that, according to an audio file circulated by Naked Emperor News, a Web site with many postings critical of Obama. Fox News also posted a partial transcript of the interview.

 

What Obama called a tragedy was the civil rights movement's focus on the court, rather than on "political and community organizing activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change."

 

Obama did not define redistributive change in the interview, but he said one example of such change involves education, "how do we get more money into the schools and how do we actually create equal schools and equal educational opportunity."

 

McCain and Obama have sparred repeatedly over taxes. McCain says Obama plans a "massive new tax increase." Obama proposes an income tax increase on families earning more than $250,000 and individuals earning over $200,000 to help pay for tax cuts for the 95 percent of workers and their families making less than $200,000.

 

The interview on Chicago's WBEZ had nothing to do with taxes. The discussion centered on the court and civil rights.

 

Obama asserted that, while the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren guaranteed rights to vote and access to public accommodations, it was not very radical because it "never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth."

 

The Warren Court "didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution," he said.

 

Obama, who was then both an Illinois state senator and law professor, said, "I'm not optimistic about bringing about major redistributive change through the courts."

[southsider2k5]

So borrow money from China and give it to us? Does it matter what they spend it on? Because it would seem when times are bad, spending on social programs would benefit the people hardest hit.

 

And why does it have to be debt?

 

Under your theory, those programs would be getting cut at the time they are needed most, because tax revenues go down during a recession.

[NorthSideSox72]

And here's the Associated Press' reply to the 2001 interview. Emphasis mine.

While I'd agree that McCain and the GOP are taking this speech well out of context... that is an obviously biased and poorly written "news" article that come off more like an editorial. The author should be embarrassed.

 

[Texsox]

Under your theory, those programs would be getting cut at the time they are needed most, because tax revenues go down during a recession.

 

No, we would be balanced then, and a surplus when times are good and we cut back on spending.

[EvilMonkey]

OK, I've seen this reference twice now. WTF is the Digital Brown Shirt Brigade?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/s...al-brownshirts/

[Rex Kickass]

Jury isn't out. And all the people who played politics with this, mere hours after the collaps happened, should be ashamed of themselves for the accusations they threw about.

http://www.startribune.com/local/33308279....QL7PQLanchO7DiU

 

I hadn't seen the report from yesterday about it. I do know that the final draft hasn't been publicly issued yet.

 

I also know that problems with the gusset plates were also discovered as early as 2003.

[EvilMonkey]

It's a way to call Obama supporters fascist or nazi like.

 

So now they are racist, muslim, communist, socialist, marxist, fascist nazis for those who are keeping track.

 

McCain supporters are racist, out of touch fascist nazi war mongers if my score card is right.

Once again, any criticsm of The one or his actions is considered racist.

[Rex Kickass]

While I'd agree that McCain and the GOP are taking this speech well out of context... that is an obviously biased and poorly written "news" article that come off more like an editorial. The author should be embarrassed.

 

That's actually more of an analysis piece.

[NorthSideSox72]

Once again, any criticsm of The one or his actions is considered racist.

I think he was in fact agreeing with you - stating what the radical Obamatrons have been saying.

 

[southsider2k5]

No, we would be balanced then, and a surplus when times are good and we cut back on spending.

 

Except we wouldn't because we would be tax revenue running deficits, and would have to cut spending.

[NorthSideSox72]

That's actually more of an analysis piece.

Either way, its not appropriate for AP newswire, IMO.

 

[Texsox]

Except we wouldn't because we would be tax revenue running deficits, and would have to cut spending.

 

So we could never size the government to the lowest revenue levels? When times are bad, is it how much the government spends, or does it have to be a deficit?

 

Allow me to rephrase.

 

Projected revenues for a given year are X

 

You are saying that in good years the government spending should be X-Y and in down times X+Y producing a deficit. Correct?

 

Why can't we stick with just spending X in tough times and spending X-Y in good times? It seems the amount the government is spending doesn't matter as long as it is a deficit.

[southsider2k5]

So we could never size the government to the lowest revenue levels? When times are bad, is it how much the government spends, or does it have to be a deficit?

 

What programs would you cut today to elimitate a $500 billion deficit?

 

That's why we will never have a balaned budget.

[EvilMonkey]

What programs would you cut today to elimitate a $500 billion deficit?

 

That's why we will never have a balaned budget.

DEA to start, then gut the Bureau of Indian Affairs to bare bones. Simpify tax code, and cut IRS in half.

[NorthSideSox72]

What programs would you cut today to elimitate a $500 billion deficit?

 

That's why we will never have a balaned budget.

 

Agree.

 

DEA to start, then gut the Bureau of Indian Affairs to bare bones. Simpify tax code, and cut IRS in half.

 

And agree.

 

[DrunkBomber]

I must be the only one on this site that makes less than $250K. It's amazing how much outrage there is here.

So you dont care about injustices unless they affect you? A lot can be interpreted from your comment. Apparently you dont care because for the time being the increase wont affect you, but with Obamas proposed spending increases it will catch up with everyone and maybe than you will care.

[BigSqwert]

DEA to start, then gut the Bureau of Indian Affairs to bare bones. Simpify tax code, and cut IRS in half.

 

No arguments here.

 

And also legalize industrialized hemp (and marijuana for that matter). We are the only industrial country that has banned production.

[Texsox]

What programs would you cut today to elimitate a $500 billion deficit?

 

That's why we will never have a balaned budget.

 

So how long can we go borrowing money? What happens when no one will lend us any more money?And why wasn't a 500 billion deficit enough? Why did we have to add to the deficit with a stimulus check?