SInce his stage act with Barack Obama in May (only a week after telling People Magazine that he wasn’t ready to endorse anybody), John Edwards has stepped out again, this time with a fundraising letter from the DSCC and its KickOut campaign, complete with a somber pamphlet in brown depicting “the havoc Bush has wreaked on America” (sic).

As you may recall, Al Gore stuck his toe in the water with a fundraising letter for the DSCC in early June. (See below for related posts when the dam broke for Obama.)  When I first wrote about the Gore letter, some people questioned whether is really was from the DSCC because of the address.  Well, Edwards letter comes from the same address–Merrifield, VA–so I don’t think there’s any question about the address this time!

The Gore letter made me queasy at the time, because I thought it was paving the way for a full-blown endorsement of Obama but by the time he actually took the stage with Obama a couple of weeks later, I wasn’t shocked at all, because by that time, the Rules and ByLaws Committee on May 31 had enraged me so completely by their actions that I no longer considered myself a Democratic. (What perfect timing THAT was, Al!)

It was the initial endorsement of Edwards that was the opening body-blow as far as I was concerned. He had been my candidate, mostly because he was so outspoken about corporatism.  Embracing Obama so quickly after Clinton’s big win in the West Virginia primary really got to me. Edwards’ endorsement was part of that pattern of people coming out to prop up Obama after losing.  Edwards had run against corporate power and Obama was the darling of the Wall Street crowd in terms of money. I was nauseated by what Edwards did. What made it even worse was the fact that he had told People Magazine only a week earlier that he wasn’t ready to endorse anybody.  Snake…it was all in the works then, no doubt.

Then came NARAL, and later Wes Clark, whom I had supported in 2004, jumping on the bandwagon as soon as it seemed that Obama was the “presumptive nominee,” in a move so fast it reminded me of how when he quit the race in 2004, he dashed over and hugged John Kerry and shed his dignity in the process.  At least McCain waited a few years before hugging Bush…

So here’s Edwards, this time exhorting me to “Stop Senate Republicans from Blocking the Will of the American People.”  Yeah, right–because the Democratic Senate has been so strong against Republicans!

Memo to J.E.–please tell me what you think of Obama voting for the FISA bill…

The whole letter is pretty strident, with underlined statements like these:

But what truly frightens me–and should frighten you, too–are the 49 Republicans in the Senate who are already planning to stonewall Barack Obama and continue George Bush’s agenda even after he’s gone.

Oh, please!  Obama doesn’t need to be “stonewalled”–he’ll bend over for Republicans any day, as he showed with his rewrite of his nuclear safety bill at the behest of the GOP for the benefit of Exelon. And his vote for FISA already has HIM continuing the Bush agenda…

As Democrats…as Americans…you and I MUST take action to restore America…join me in supporting the DSCC in its mission to elect more Democrats to the Senate who will aggressively oppose the GOP’s agenda.

Yawn. Like who? Someone to join the bend-over Democrats we have now?  Don’t point to Tom Udall as an example yet, either–yeah, he sounds great on the environment, but he’s beholden to Big Pharma, so he’s not immune from being converted into Senatorial mush…

Then comes the clincher…

Having been on the receiving end of their tactics, I can tell you we should plan for the worst–and expect it, too.

Dear John, your own party and Obama have already given us the worst, as they’ve thrown democracy into the dumpster using many of the same tactics the GOP uses.  And the ‘havoc,” in many cases, has been aided and abetted by your chums in the Senate.

A couple of months ago a letter like this would have gotten me extremely upset, but since the rise of PUMA, at least I feel some support for my utter disgust at this sort of crap. This time, I was inspired to DO SOMETHING!

Instead of just withholding a donation (which is supposed to be tripled–didn’t Gore’s beg letter also talk about doubling or tripling the donation, too? I can’t quite recall which…), I went over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and bought a collapsible pet carrier and brought it to the animal shelter, which is trying to become a no-kill facility and has put out a call for donations for things like leashes and carriers.

Afterwards, I felt wonderful.  Spiritually clean and joyful!  When I got home, I kissed my dogs and shredded the letter…which will become part of the piles of shredded paper that will go to the animal shelter for cage bedding.

At least this DSCC mailing will get used properly…

Related posts:

More Bilge from Obama–Another Empty Fundraising Letter (Which I Reflect Upon with Help from Charlie Chan) (UPDATE 1X) 7/8/08

Al Gore Can Stuff It…(Obama Endorsement) 6/16/08

Al Gore Resurfaces for the DSCC…(Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee) 6/3/08

GUTSY Elizabeth Edwards Not Part of Endorsement–Outshines Husband in “Courage of Convictions” Department (only a week after couple tells “People” they won’t endorse) (UPDATED)(UPDATE 2) 5/15/08

John Edwards, MAJOR Disappointment…NARAL/Obama Doesn’t Surprise Me, A Perfect Fit 5/14/08

NOTE: My nephew occasionally goes into New York for his job and last night, while walking past the GE building, he came across this note, which had apparently been dropped by Williams as he left the building following his nightly newscast.  Hat tip to my nephew for typing up the note and sending the contents along to me via email.

General Electric, Inc.

“We Bring Good Things to Life”

30 Rockefeller Plaza

Rockefeller Center

New York, New York 10112

FROM THE DESK OF:

BRIAN WILLIAMS

NBC Universal

NEWS DIVISION INFOTAINMENT DIVISION

NBC Nightly News

MOM,

Just a quick note to tell you that I won’t be able to come to the annual family reunion this year.  I’ve gotta go out of the country next week.

Katie, Charlie, and I are all going with Barack to Europe!  I really wanted to get to the reunion, but the Obama campaign offered us free drinks and extra bags of peanuts to get us on the flight! Ha, ha!

Heck, I know he’s not even the official nominee yet, let alone the President, but we all thought it would be nice to break new ground and cover the trip.  Get sort of a preview of what might go on once he IS President. You know I’m doing all I can to make sure that happens! (SHHH, don’t let THAT get around!) Even though there won’t be any real news being made in terms of foreign policy, it will be fun to see Europe through Barack’s eyes. This will be almost as fun as when I interned and then worked in the White House when Jimmy Carter was there and Billy and Miss Lillian came for visits!

It’s going to be a pretty hectic trip, but don’t worry. I know you think I rely on Ambien too much, but at least you don’t have to worry about me mixing it with booze during the trip since I don’t touch the stuff.

I was thinking, Mom, how Katie and Charlie both have this DEEP BACKGROUND in morning TV, and how Charlie started out as a local anchor and reported for ABC.  But I’ve always been a SERIOUS JOURNALIST.  And now we’re all anchors…I’m going to really pull out all the stops to show that I’m A LOT better at reading the news than they are on this trip!!  I really think, though, that my former job as a lobbyist for the National Association of Broadcasters gave me leg up before I became a real journalist.  It gave me the experience to give a sales job to anyone who’ll listen!

We’ll be taking a lot of pictures and filming a lot of stuff and we’ll all do interviews with Barack and I bet that the Obama campaign will be using some of it to make their own campaign ads for later use…so much better than the usual photo op with lots of people just standing around! I’m sure I’ll be able to help out, since I’ve traveled so much more than he has and can point out what sights look good on camera and what will work well for inspiring backgrounds. And I’m sure we’ll get lots of good video of cheering crowds, which will help his cred here at home!  And, it’ll be a “feel good” thing and have the public thinking America is No. 1 and that everybody loves us again, too!

This whole trip should be a blast because Obama is a real cool guy…and his wife won’t be with him! I bet we’ll have even more fun than when I went to Africa with Bono–poverty and disease is such a drag to cover! I bet I’ll have some things to tell that I can use later to write a book. Then I can go on Leno if I hurry up and write it, or Conan or Letterman or Jon Stewart and show off my clever wit! I always like doing that!

And I’m SOOOO glad they stuck Tom Brokaw with Meet the Press! It would have been a pain to have to work on Sundays, too, after a full week of reading the teleprompter. And I’m glad he isn’t going on this trip!  He’s just so OLD. I’m glad he’s staying home!!  Especially since he criticized our coverage of the primaries when we all wanted Clinton to quit the race.

You know, McCain has traveled overseas lately a few times, but we haven’t gone along. He’s like Brokaw–OLD and without that “charisma” thing. (Chuck Hagel is pretty old, too, but if Obama likes him…well, then, that’s OK.)

(Hey, Mom, you know I don’t think YOU’RE old!)

Well, Mom, I have to get home so I can start packing.  Give my regards to the rest of the family and tell Uncle Stan to watch it with the keilbasie.  You don’t want to have a repeat of what happened last year…

Brian

*****

I looked up some of his references in his note to find out what he was talking about and came up with some places that gave me more information on Brian Williams and:

Ambien

National Association of Broadcasters

Travels, Bono,White House intern, Jimmy Carter

One month ago I wrote about the upcoming McCain visit to Albuquerque and how it might be a test of enthusiasm for the candidate (June 17, 2008–Upcoming McCain Event Will Test Appeal to Indies, Conservative Democrats and GOP Base’s Enthusiasm).

There have been many reports and blog commentaries about the event itself, but I was curious to see how McCain fared in terms of monetary support.  Apparently, there is cash flowing here in New Mexico among the Republican money base.

According to blogger Joe Monohan,

Numbers were still being added up for that ABQ McCain fundraiser held at the Hilton Inn Monday night but Ken Zangara, McCain’s NM finance director, pronounced the evening “great,” saying about 200 of the state’s top R’s were in attendance. The cheap seats were going for $1,000 a pop.

When we blogged the upcoming fundraiser last month, we speculated that with a shaky economy and the Republican base generally unenthusiastic, Zangara would have his work cut out for him. He seemed to think he had succeeded. KOAT-TV was reporting the take may have been as high as $400,000, with some of the money going to the state GOP. Apparently high gas and low stock prices aren’t yet hurting the GOP upper crust. At the dinner they dined on steak and shrimp.

Among those on hand at the McCain party: GOP US Senate nominee Steve Pearce, ABQ GOP US Rep. Heather Wilson, Northern GOP congressional candidate Dan East and former ABQ GOP US Rep. Manuel Lujan. Also spotted in the crowd was former Colorado GOP US Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

McCain seems to being have more luck with raising cash than some of the downticket GOP candidates.

Republican Steve Pearce is way behind Tom Udall in terms of fundraising, according to Monohan.  He reports that Udall has $2.88 million “stockpiled” and that Pearce is considering tapping his own fortune to the tune of $1 million to narrow the gap.  Heath Haussamen reports that Pearce pulled in $1.2 million during the last quarter, but had to spend a lot of it during the primary against Heather Wilson. He has $531, 000 on had.

Democrat Martin Heinrich, who is running against Darren White in the CD-1 race (Albuquerque Congressional seat), has more money than his GOP rival, but is spending more.  White has about $300,000 more cash on hand than Heinrich but is well behind in total fundraising compared to what Heather Wilson took in in 2006.  And spite of his strong fundraising numbers, Heinrich still has less in the bank that Patricia Madrid had back in 2006. The DCCC is reportedly ready to spend over $1 million dollars in TV ads for Heinrich will give him a further boost.   Monohan also reports that on Friday, July 18, Heinrich will be holding a private fundraiser which will be limited to 10 guests paying $1,000 a plate for the breakfast meeting which will reportedly featur House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), who is the third ranking House member.

Clyburn, as you may recall, told Bill Clinton to “chill out” after Clinton brought up Jesse Jackson following Obama’s South Carolina primary win.

Meanwhile, in my district CD-2 in Southern New Mexico, Harry Teague has outraised his GOP opponent Ed Tinsley over the last quarter by about $65,000.  According to Monohan, “The DCCC says it will come up with $1.2 million in TV for Harry of Hobbs, but that commitment may be more dependent on polls than the national money for Heinrich’s effort.” Heath Haussman reports that the DCCC “has reserved $1.2 million in advertising time for the 2nd Congressional District race.”  We shall see.  Last week Bill Richardson was down in Las Cruces for a fundraising event for Teague. (For more on Teague, see my 6/22/08 post, DCCC Money Now in NM-CD2 for Richardson’s Guy HarryTeague…Where Were They When the Progressive Ran Last Time?? (The One Who Got 40% of the Vote, Then Was Shoved out of the Dem Primary the Race in 2008?)

Believe it or not, early voting starts in New Mexico in only 90 days!  I’m not a big fan of early voting because in politics, things can change awfully fast.  And we’re seeing now how many cases of “buyer’s remorse” are showing up among (former) Obama supporters.

By the way, I received a call from a Democratic Party fundraiser tonight, my first. After hearing her rattle on, I stopped her just as she started asking me for $100. I politely informed her that I was no longer a registered Democrat and that I wasn’t voting for Obama if he became the nominee after what went on during the primary season. I would not donate another penny to the Democratic Party. I commented that she had probably heard this before and it sounded as if she was about to start a scripted response to what I had said.  So, I told her I just wasn’t interested and hung up…politely.

Ah, another envelope full of campaign literature from Obama came a couple of days ago.  This is the second I’ve received, the first being reams of paper from Obama and Rev. Joseph Lowery, which was the subject of an earlier post (Obama Hides Behind Rev. Joseph Lowery–Literally).

For those of you who are not receiving these mailings, I will review the current missive for you. Note that I am no longer registered as a Democrat and have dropped all e-mail communications from the party.  But, the wheels of de-registering grind slowly, so I am still getting this stuff.

This latest Obama mailing is much more streamlined than the Lowery package.  It includes a single-page letter from the man himself, in which he addresses me as “Friend.”   Obama waxes poetic about how all the cynics and pundits said we all “set our sights too high.  They said the country was too divided, too disillusioned to come together around a common purpose.”

Yup, he says we are on “the cusp of history” and talks about a “new majority that will help reclaim the American Dream.”  This new majority, he states, is comprised of Democrats and Independents and Republicans, blacks and whites, Latinos and Asians, Red States and Blue States” and will come together “into a United States of America.” (Gee, last time I checked, things are pretty divided right now in the Democratic Party largely because of Obama’s own campaign tactics.)

In his list of groups that will be united, he leaves out men and women–why not include that rhetorical flourish?  (…Unless he doesn’t want to take the chance of reminding a lot of insulted women who are part of the approximately 18 million Hillary Clinton voters about how they’re supposed to “get over it” and accept the “unity” mantra…)

Well, he goes on to deliver examples of those who need to reclaim the American Dream: factory workers he met in Youngstown, Ohio; the woman who works a night shift after a full day of college and who can’t afford health care for an ill sister; the young woman who was “tricked” into buying a home she couldn’t afford (by your former VP vetter, the guy from Countrywide?); and the mother whose son was killed in Iraq (which you are now backtracking on).

He defends his “hope” talk by saying that “in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.”  I’m not getting the adjective “unlikely” at all.  Why is America’s story “unlikely?” There was a revolution against a mother country which was fought and won.  Oppressed people got angry and decided to take action.  I think this sort of thing may have happened in other places, too, a few times in the past. Maybe THESE days it would be “unlikely” with most of the population glued to their jobs, busy family lives, and the TV and other time-filling “entertainment.”   And, yet, that isn’t even a completely true statement, since there is the PUMA movement which is truly grassroots and trying to do a revolutionary thing, namely, to overrule an oppressive party machine and preserve real democracy and the value of a person’s vote!

And what is this business about there never being anything false about hope?  Where have you been, Barack? Ever heard the phrase, “raising false hopes?” As in, that’s what you’re trying run on right now, like nearly every other politician has run on “hope” (or “change,” for that matter) since the beginning of time?

According to Obama, “YES WE CAN” was “whispered by slaves and aboliltionists” and “sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward.”  I don’t think my grandfather who sailed from Italy around 1910 said “YES WE CAN.”  He just wanted to get out of Italy and that small village with the nanny goats to join his older brother.  And, if slaves whispered this, why didn’t they whisper it in “Roots”?  I watched that show back in the ’70’s and I never heard one slave say “YES WE CAN,” Barack.

He then says “YES WE CAN” was the “call of workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a President who chose the moon as our new frontier and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.” Didn’t John Kennedy say more than “YES WE CAN” as he chose a moon-landing mission as a way to outdo the Russians?  And are you sure Martin Luther King, Jr. considered himself “a King”?

And, gee, he says we can say yes to “justice and equality,” opportunity and prosperity,” “healing the nation,” and repairing this world,” too. All we need now is Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney to put on a full-scale show in the barn…

And, Judy and Mickey would be so proud, because we can do ALL THIS  healing and repairing for the LOW, LOW PRICE of $35 BUCKS! (That’s the lowest donation box on the little return slip included in the mailing.)  The letter itself asks for a a minimum of $50, but, of course, he’s just gotten finished writing about how “change isn’t going to be easy” and how we’re going to have to “fight for it.” (I guess we’ll really have to, now that he’s voted for FISA.)  That sort of writing requires more money.

He finishes big with how we have to “seize our future” and how his campaign is about change or “more of the same,” “the future versus the past.”  Oh, and P.S.–he sure remembers how he started his journey in the streets of Chicago, fighting to make people’s lives “just a little bit better.”  Yeah, I guess that fight didn’t include getting heat to people once he got to the Illinois legislature…by that time, he was looking out for Tony Rezko, instead. Did you ever even make people’s lives “just as little bit better” or just yours, when Tony helped you buy that nice house of yours?

If the reader can’t absorb all the DETAILED POLICY that he’s laid out (NOT!), you can just look at the return slip which reads:

Dear Barack, I agree!

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for…we are the change we seek. (You can count on me to support you and our movement for change all the way to the White House.)

What tripe!!

And, just to make sure you really get this message of vagueness, there’s glossy brochure full of inspiring quotations from Obama “In His Own Words.”  If you look closely at the six passages that are presented, they all are from from March 2008 or earlier.  The same vapid “change, fight, yes we can” stuff, WITHOUT ONE specific issue discussed in any detail at all.

You know, I really like reading inspiring quotations, and there is one source of wisdom that I’ve held dear for many years.  I hold in my hand a small book that was given to me way back in 1968. I’ve carried it with me through life.

It’s called “Quotations from Charlie Chan.”  There are so many quotations contained in this little volume  which can be applied to the Obama package. A small selection:

“Words cannot cook rice,” opines Charlie in words of wisdom that could apply directly to Obama’s empty speechifying.

“Useless to talk like boat without oar, get no place.”

“Give you plenty of rope you make excellent noose for neck.”

“Every front has back, and, little things tell big story.”

“Owner of face cannot always see nose.”

But my favorite has to be this one, which applies, not to Obama, but to me and many others:

“OPTIMIST SEES DONUT; PESSIMIST SEES HOLE”

Right now, I’m seeing lots of holes in Obama’s “vision,” with plenty of hot air whistling through…

You seeing holes, too, Charlie?

UPDATE

Apparently, the folks at Corrente were offended by my posting a link and preview of this post.  I think my post was deleted and my account has been mysteriously blocked.  I got into trouble once before with my post in which I referred to Michelle Obama as “Camille,” in reference to the whining from the Obama campaign about things that “offended” them and which they exploited with the use of the “vicitmization card.”

Perhaps it was the word “bilge” this time?  According to Merriam-Webster, the 3rd usage of “bilge” refers to “stale or worthless remarks or ideas.”  Entirely accurate and appropriate, in my view, if not Corrente’s.

Today’s Guardian (Wednesday, July 16) is running a story on an interview the paper conducted with David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party.  Cameron is echoing Obama’s comments in is Father’s Day speech about absent black fathers and the breakdown of the black family.

David Cameron joins the bitterly contested argument over family breakdown and race today by praising Barack Obama’s warning that too many black fathers have abandoned their responsibilities to their children.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Guardian, the Tory leader says that many black church leaders have expressed the same anxiety to him, and that it is time for a “responsibility revolution” to change patterns of behaviour.

Referring to Obama’s speech, in which the US Democratic presidential candidate warned that absent black fathers were behaving like teenagers and shirking their responsibilities to their children, Cameron said: “I think he’s absolutely right. I mean I think it’s a very brave thing to do. And it will have a huge influence that he has said it. I’ve had a number of meetings with black church leaders who make the same point. They are concerned about family breakdown and social breakdown, and want to see what I call a responsibility revolution take place.”

Is it really all that brave?  It’s been said before by Jesse Jackson and Martin Luther King, Jr. who also understood the barriers that contributed to the problem.  BIll Cosby set off a firestom of controversy when he revisited the subject back in May 2004. At that time, Cosby was roundly criticized for his comments (NPR report here).  But will Obama get the same treatment?  The same professor who was critical of Cosby in the above NPR report, Michael Eric Dyson, was out again last month, writing a piece for Time magazine, in which he opines that Obama’s speech was “calculated to win over socially conservative whites who were turned off by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s tirades against persistent racism.” He goes on to say that:

But in his desire to appeal to such voters, Obama may have missed the balance that King maintained. Personal responsibility is a crucial, but only partial, answer to what ails black families. Huge unemployment, racist mortgage practices, weakened child-care support, stunted training programs for blue-collar workers who’ve been made obsolete by technology, and the gutting of early-childhood learning programs are all forces that must be combated. If we rightly expect more black fathers to stick around to raise their children, we’ve got to give them a greater opportunity to stay home.

To many, Obama seems to be declaring the civil rights battle over and by diminishing the complexity of the issue, seems to be echoing right wing commentators more than Jackson or King.

Even more interesting is a comment Cameron made about how he views the modern Conservative Party in the UK.

Cameron “appeals to the centre and left ‘to recognise that the modern Conservative party is on the brink of a very big and exciting argument that if you want to pursue progressive goals in Britain, whether it is greening the environment, tackling poverty, unlocking social mobility, there is a really good case to say that you can best achieve those by Conservative means.’”

MMMMM. Are Cameron and the Tories following Obama’s lead, or is it the other way around?

“Progressive goals achieved by Conservative means.” If that isn’t a blurring of the political lines…

Keep an eye on that phrase…because it probably describes a lot of what we’ve heard already from Obama and more of what we might be hearing from him in the future…

…and hopefully, for good!   After much delay, I now have my new hard drive and a new power supply and I actually hear a fan running!  Because a new motherboard had been installed previously, the recovery disks I had purchased didn’t work. So, I had to get new disks which took some time.  Meanwhile, the hard drive was groaning and occasionally when I turned the computer off, it sounded like a plane was landing .

Then, the appointment I had for this past Saturday never happened, and finally, today (Monday,7/14) the repair agent came with boxes of parts.  The actual “rebuild” didn’t take too long, but loading up the operating system, updates, and configuring various things took ages….so, 4 hours later at about 7:30 pm, everything was done.

Sort of.

Now, I have to reload a lot of programs…but that will have to be another day. I’m TIRED!!  The dogs were pretty well behaved, but that was because I had them either outside or kept in another room and the repair agent safely behind two sets of doors.

And I’ve been out of the loop all day…so bear with me as I catch up.

Hopefully, I’ll be writing again in a day or so!

Thanks to everybody who visits me at this site for their patience!

GRL

UPDATE

Well, it’s Tuesday and the machine is extremely slow getting booted up.  As in dark screen for several minutes.  Sigh.  Called Best Buy and left a message for the tech…Developing!!

July 13, 2008

Dear Caroline,

I hope you don’t mind if I call you “Caroline,” but I feel like I’ve known you all my life. I’m only a few years older than you are and I remember you when you were riding your little pony–Macaroni. I thought that was such a great name and I loved horses, too, although I never really had much of a chance to ride one except for one time at a little animal park once when I got to sit on a big horse, which was pretty frightening!

Caroline, early on you seemed to have taken after both your father and mother. You interned for your uncle Senator Ted Kennedy, then worked for awhile at the The Daily News in New York (your mother was a roving photo/interviewer for a newspaper once) and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (we all know how culturally-oriented your mother was).

Caroline, I’ve really admired how you’ve grown up and raise a family, and have watched you represent the Kennedy family at events like the funerals of Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Lady Bird Johnson, as well as that miserable, rainy day in November 2004 when the Clinton Presidential Center was dedicated.

But until now, the thing I remember the most about your public life is your many appearances when you first book came out in 1990, the one co-authored with Ellen Alderman, called “In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action.” I remember it got rave reviews, as did the next book on civil liberties which you wrote with Alderman in 1995 titled “The Right to Privacy.”

You’ve seemed to gravitate more to the political world as you’ve gotten older, although some of your activities may be less known to the general public than your writing. You’re the current President of the Kennedy Library Foundation, a director of both the Commission on Presidential Debates and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and also an adviser to the Harvard Institute of Politics, a living memorial your father. A bit of your mother’s love of culture, however, is still evident as you serve as the Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theatre.

And, of course, I remember the sad time during your brother’s death. You know, Caroline, I remember the night JFK, Jr.’s plane went down just as vividly as the day your father was assassinated. I was in 8th grade passing between classes the day your father was killed. And the night your brother’s plane disappeared, I remember going outside and standing on the patio looking up at the stars simply too stunned to do anything other than praying out loud that he and his wife and sister-in-law would be found alive. And I can’t imagine how you endured the aftermath when you had to negotiate a settlement with his wife’s family.

Caroline, when you decided become more publicly active in a presidential campaign than ever before by endorsing Barack Obama I was truly surprised. Surprised at how strong your endorsement was and how actively you began to make appearances on his behalf.

Needless to say, when you wrote your piece that appeared in the New York Times on January 27, 2008 entitled “A President Like My Father,” in which you said that “qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual” this election season and that Obama had “demonstrated” these qualities, I was somewhat bemused. You also wrote that:

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

Caroline, were those your words then, and, if so, do you still think the same things today?

I don’t think I have to go into much detail about what has ensued since January. Gestures, words, supporters…tolerance of sexist comments and often Obama’s own misogynistic gestures. His use of race to divide the party. (Yes, Caroline, it was Michelle Obama who, just prior to the horrible South Carolina primary, warned that blacks would be “waking up” and we saw how this was accomplished with leaked memos and turning Bill and Hillary Clinton into racists). His operatives threatening some of the old guards of the civil rights movement like John Lewis over their support of Hillary Clinton even as he skipped the memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 40th anniversary of his death. Civil liberties–his voting for the FISA bill? His backtracking on Iraq. Trivializing the “mental distress” of some women in late pregnancy. And the most recent situation with Bernie Mac and his comments about women and how Obama essentially let them pass. And let’s not forget how the Democratic Party enabled the disenfranchisement of voters both in Florida and Michigan, through actions at caucuses, and at the RBC meeting at the end of May. Caroline, have you embraced the “Chicago Way,” which probably helped your father win the 1960 election and has come to the fore this election cycle?

Have you talked to your cousin, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., lately? He never was swayed by Obama. He recognized, apparently, how Obama was using the Kennedy mystique even as he brushed aside the ’60’s. And do you recall the Reno-Gazette Journal interview where Obama praised the politics of Ronald Reagan and put-down Bill Clinton at the same time? Caroline, this interview in the Reno-Gazette Journal came BEFORE you wrote your New York Times piece. Didn’t you take time to reflect on what was going on before it was published?

I know you are one of the founders of the Profiles in Courage Award. According to the site:

The Profile in Courage Award seeks to make Americans aware of the conscientious and courageous acts of their public servants, and to encourage elected officials to choose principles over partisanship – to do what is right, rather than what is expedient.

The award is presented annually to a public official or officials at the federal, state or local level whose actions best demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of Profiles in Courage.

Caroline, can you honestly say that Obama has demonstrated the type of “politically courageous leadership” that this award is supposed to represent? His history of missed and “present” votes alone should make you question Obama’s “leadership” qualities, not to mention how he rewrote his nuclear safety bill to accommodate Republicans to the ire of his own constituents. (Some may view the list of recipients as being a “mixed bag,” by the way…so maybe this award itself has been lowering the bar at times? I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder…)

You’ve published a book called “Profiles in Courage for Our Time” which focuses on some of the award recipients, but it seems that it is really a collection of essays written by others, including well-known media types like Albert R. Hunt, Bob Woodward, Ron Suskin, and E.J. Dionne. Although Ted Sorenson has admitted in May of this year that he actually did most of the actual writing of your father’s own book “Profiles in Courage,” the two had a close working relationship up until JFK was assassinated and the words in the book were, in the words of one reviewer, “If his active service to Kennedy is now concluded, we are still left with the inescapable sense that the words that the two men crafted together — however one divides the credit — will live on.” (A brief discussion about the eight Senators profiled in the book is here.)

Caroline, perhaps it is now time to commit an act of courage on your own. Would you consider retracting your endorsement of Barack Obama considering what has transpired over the last few months? Please do consider it. By doing so, you would acknowledge the concerns of many courageous people among the grassroots who are speaking out against a pre-ordained coronation of Obama and who want 18 million voters to be heard. People who want women and the old guard of civil rights leaders to be respected.

Thanks for reading this,

GRL

On my blogroll (which seems to be floating to the bottom of the page the last couple of days), you’ll see a link to Lynn Sweet’s blog at the Sun-Times about Chicago politics. Her current entry about last night’s fundraiser is something to read and wonder about.

It’s not inspiring. I’ve always thought Obama himself has very little class and with people like this around him, you can see where he’s picked up some of his attitude.

At Chicago fund-raiser for Obama, a cussing Bernie Mac jokes about “hoes.”

Around 600 people heard Bernie Mac launch into his bit about how Obama would have to watch the Chris Rock movie “Head of State” so that Obama would know “what they’re going to do to you.”

Then he riffed:

He went on to riff about hope and offering himself up as a running mate “and they don’t want me because I cuss.”

Which he did.

“Being a president is tough cause you’re not just running the county. You got to run your family too,” he said. “Having a black first lady is different. You’re still going have to do the dishes and the laundry and all that…you got to pick up the kids. You didn’t pick up the kids? I just came from Korea, talking about nuclear weapons. You were on Airforce One and you couldn’t stop to pick up the kids?”
Mac said he is a Democrat “born and raised” but added that “I’m a Republican at tax time.” He mimicked a mock warning from an imagined staffer: “Don’t kill the message.”

He then talked about his wife who he’s been married to for 35 years, and how she just went through menopause.

“I can’t take it,” he said. “My house is so doggone cold all the time.”

He promised to help Obama and that he would be there “like the Jackson Five” and ended his irreverent riff with a joke involving the women in the families and living with two “hoes”

Mac was heckled in protest, but tried to smooth the way for Obama.

“Calm down,” Mac said, before introducing Obama, “not just a friend of mine but a friend of you all.”

Obama appeared…and notice how he admonishes Mac, but then, in the classic Obama way, apparently softens his criticism:

Obama came on, thanking, among others, “my great friend, one of the kings of comedy, Bernie Mac.”
He then gave an abbreviated stump speech with a quick run-down of his platform, briefly touching most policy areas and using his usual language and jokes before poking fun at Mac toward the end of his 20 minute speech.

“Everybody is concerned about whether the Democratic Party will be unified in time,” he said. “We don’t have an option but to make sure that we are united and make sure that we succeed…we can’t afford to be divided by race. We can’t afford to be divided by religion, or by region or class. Or by gender,” he said, pausing for effect. “That means, by the way, Bernie you got to clean up your act. This is a family affair… I’m just messing with you,” he said.

The Obama campaign quickly issued a statement:

Doesn’t all this bring you back to the days of Camelot and Jackie Kennedy’s White House affairs featuring the likes of Pablo Casals and all those other lovely, cultural events??

UPDATE

Link to AP story….

I did a search and it is being picked up EVERYWHERE in the mainstream media, including overseas in The Guardian! Let’s see what they say on the TeeVee….

Well, the time went by really quickly which helped me survive my interview on “The Blog Bunker” show a short while ago (Friday, July 11)!

First, I was really surprised that they called me only a couple of minutes before I went on. I was happy that the contact, a young woman, talked as fast I talk…but then again, the show is produced in NYC and I’m a native of the Metro NY area, so I shouldn’t have been surprised. But it was comforting, nonetheless. I had the brainpower to ask what it would be about and was told that it was about “polling.”

And so it was. The host, Joe Salzone, seemed to be interested in doing an interview on the basics of opinion polling. His questions were fine and I think I answered them so that the average listener, who is probably a lot younger than I am, could get a good, basic overview of how polling works and the problems that are inherent in any polling.

After I got off the phone, I took the dogs out for a walk, about 2 hours earlier than usual, which I haven’t been doing because it’s so hot. I think I was just anxious to get moving and work off the pent-up stress!

While walking I started to think of things I could have said. But I was following the interviewer, who calls himself a Libertarian. I listened to the show the day before and I got the feeling there was no interest in Clinton or how PUMAs may be affecting Obama at all. Since I had written about Zogby, the host could have brought him up and stirred up a bit of controversy about why his polling was way off in predicting big Clinton losses in states she won handily. During the discussion I started on bias in polling, the host could have brought up the fact that Zogby’s brother is active in the Democratic Party while being a “Senior Analyst” for Zogby International. If I had been quicker thinking and not so worried about what could be coming at me next, I probably could have injected some sort of PUMA concerns into the conversation. But, the interviewer was guiding the segment very tightly and I just couldn’t get it done.

The result was that I never got to mention PUMA. RATS!!

The only part of the segment that got me a bit nervous was when the host wanted me to come up with “fair and balanced” poll questions on a few topics, Iraq, Obama, “scandals” like the Jesse Jackson comments or Jeremiah Wright, and McCain’s age, which of course, was almost impossible to do on the fly, since it’s hard enough to do with a lot of thought. Instead, I focused on how questions might be framed within some sort of “historical context” or with some background to ensure the respondent knows what the question is about, or how a series of specific questions could break down opinion into more useful insights.

Overall, the whole thing went better than I expected, and the host and screener told me I was “excellent.” I’m just sorry I didn’t get a plug in for PUMA. But, the host obviously wasn’t interested in leading the conversation that way…and I wasn’t a quick enough puma to work things my way.

My apologies to fellow PUMAs but at least I informed a young audience about the perils of polling…

I’m scheduled to be interviewed via phone on “The Blog Bunker” on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Indie Talk channel (channel 110) on Friday, July 11 at 5:30 PM Eastern Time. You can get a free, 3-day trial if you’re interested. I think there are repeats of the show later on Friday and maybe the next day.

Sirius says that “The Blog Bunker” is a “cutting-edge roundtable featuring a selection of the over 100 million bloggers around the globe.”

I have no idea how they picked me, but I figured “Why not?” I’ve never been interviewed before and I don’t know how my fast speech will come over on the radio. And I have to admit, I’m nervous.

I’m not sure what will be covered, but I mentioned to the person who contacted me that I was interested in polling (since I worked for Gallup and other pollsters in the past) and that I hated being manipulated by anyone in public office. I don’t know where that will take the conversation!

So, tune in if you can. Depending on how things go, I may blog about the experience. If things go badly and I make a fool of myself, however, I may never have the courage to have an opinion on anything again!