With many liberals cheering them on, the Obama campaign is putting on a full court press on several fronts to silence critics and quash Conservatives attempts to publicize the candidate’s relationship with former Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers.
In effect, the Obama camp is putting the entire nation on notice; screw with us and we will make your life so miserable you will wish you had never heard the name “Bill Ayers.”
I can sympathize with their frustration. Their attempts to carefully craft an image and narrative of a political moderate who could bring both sides together may not be able to stand the revelation that not only did Obama seek out radicals in his spiritual life by joining the church of a conspiracy minded bigot but also made alliances with political radicals like Ayers (and the Maoist New Party) to advance his career.
We are still waiting for an explanation from Obama why in the name of all that is good and holy did he actually seek out and ask for the endorsement of a proudly Maoist organization like The New Party? Why did he knowingly, eagerly accept volunteers from this organization to staff his campaign for his first state senate run? What possessed this self proclaimed moderate to make common political cause with a group whose goal was to remake the Democratic party and infuse it with Marxist principles?
Perhaps a better question would be why the press has failed in their responsibility to make this fact known to the public. How can it not be relevant to the debate over Obama’s claims to be a political moderate? If John McCain had sought out the endorsement of an avowedly racist organization and used their members as foot soldiers in his campaign, we could rightly question his fitness to be president. But here we have The Messiah cozying up to far left radicals and despite the fact that the information is available to anyone with a modicum of ambition to uncover Barack Obama’s murky past, (It’s right there on the New Party website ) the press seems singularly disinterested in the matter.
Bias? Perhaps. But I take the much more realistic view that most of the press is just plain lazy. This causes them to miss as much stuff about McCain as they do Obama. They are – with precious few exceptions – lazy, cynical, ideologues who don’t want to be bothered with anything that changes the revealed truth they dispense to a public they care little about and indeed, see as ignorant yahoos not worthy of their brilliance.
Conservatives have taken it upon themselves to fill the void. Enter Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons who created the most devastating ad of the political season so far, asking viewers “How much do you know about Barack Obama” and then proceeding to outline the colorful and violent career of William Ayers, terrorist. There is nothing untrue in the ad. Every fact about Ayers, every quote from him is on the record – much of it taken from Ayers’ own book! The Obama take on the ad is that it smears him by connecting him to Ayers bombings. I don’t see that at all and, in fact, the ad goes out of its way to connect Obama to Ayers in his incarnation as a professor of education at the University of Chicago.
Judge for yourself:
“Do you know enough to elect Barack Obama?” is not violating the law by asking people to vote against him. If it is a violation, then every ad ever put out by Moveon.Org would have to be pulled and the Board of Directors arrested. It isn’t even close.
But Obama decided to write the Department of Justice anyway and ask them to prosecute. They also asked Justice to prosecute Simmons.
Can the DOJ really do that? Would they do that?
Technically, they could. But in practice they almost never do. It is a damned effective strategy anyway because just the threat of a DOJ investigation is enough to scare a lot of people off – those without the deep pockets of Mr. Simmons who can’t afford the thousands of dollars in lawyers fees they would incur if Justice were to turn their legal eye in their direction.
The Obama campaign knows this which is why it is so insidious. Obama is not asking Justice to enforce the law. They are using a Justice as a club to knock their opponents out of the game and to silence critics.
In a similar manner, the gambit of using their lawyers to send letters to TV stations airing the ad is pure intimidation, nothing more. The Obama campaign can take no legal action and they know it. It is impossible to prove slander (in this case because the facts presented are all true) but again, the threat of using the legal system is usually enough to force those without the means to defend themselves against even a frivolous lawsuit to stop airing the ad.
So Obama’s campaign against broadcasters like Sinclair and donors like Harold Simmons are not serious attempts to have the Department of Justice enforce the law but rather pure hardball politics, played to the hilt by people who evidently do not mind chilling free speech when it gets in the way of their ambitions.
One can usually gauge how badly an opponents attacks are hurting a candidate by the virulence of their response. Nowhere is that more evident than in the additional campaign by the Obama camp to stifle opposition and keep the lid on the Ayers matter by, in effect, trying to shut down one of the most respected talk radio shows in America while using extraordinarily and unusually harsh language to describe a journalist.
Milt Rosenberg’s talk show on weekday nights is a must listen for those interested in politics and culture. Sophisticated, urbane, witty, and intelligent, Rosenberg can be counted on for lively conversation with guests that run the gamut from best selling authors to bloggers.
Last night. Rosenberg invited conservative journalist and intellectual Stanley Kurtz on to talk about what he had learned so far in his examination of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge documents that the University of Illinois released to the press on Tuesday. It was a foregone conclusion that the documents were going to make Obama out to be a dissembler – perhaps even a liar – about his relationship with Ayers. Despite Obama’s claims that Ayers was “just some guy in the neighborhood,” the two worked closely together, attending dozens of meetings together and even going on a retreat.
But that didn’t stop the Obama campaign from calling Kurtz a liar:
Barack Obama’s campaign hasn’t advertised this a great deal this week, but the campaign’s “Action Wire” has been waging large-scale campaigns against critics. That includes tens of thousands of e-mails to television stations running Harold Simmons’ Bill Ayers ad, and to their advertisers — including a list of major automobile and telecommunications companies.And tonight, the campaign launched a more specific campaign: an effort to disrupt the appearance by a writer for National Review, Stanley Kurtz, on a Chicago radio program. Kurtz has been writing about Obama’s relationship with Bill Ayers, and has suggested that papers housed at the University of Illinois at Chicago would reveal new details of that relationship.
The campaign e-mailed Chicago supporters who had signed up for the Obama Action Wire with detailed instructions including the station’s telephone number and the show’s extension, as well as a research file on Kurtz, which seems to prove that he’s a conservative, which isn’t in dispute. The file cites a couple of his more controversial pieces, notably his much-maligned claim that same-sex unions have undermined marriage in Scandinavia.
“Tell WGN that by providing Kurtz with airtime, they are legitimizing baseless attacks from a smear-merchant and lowering the standards of political discourse,” says the email, which picks up a form of pressure on the press pioneered by conservative talk radio hosts and activists in the 1990s, and since adopted by Media Matters and other liberal groups.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that WGN would give a slimy character assassin like Kurtz time for his divisive, destructive ranting on our public airwaves. At the very least, they should offer sane, honest rebuttal to every one of Kurtz’s lies,” it continues.
The results were beyond the Obama’s camp expectations.
Zack Christenson, executive producer of “Extension 720 with Milt Rosenburg,” said the response was strong.“I would say this is the biggest response we’ve ever got from a campaign or a candidate,” he said. “This is really unprecedented with the show, the way that people are flooding the calls and our email boxes.”
Christenson said the Obama campaign was asked to have someone appear on the show and the headquarters declined the request.
“He got into the files just yesterday, so we wanted to have him on to find out what he found and, if at all possible, we wanted to get the Obama campaign to get their side of the story,” Christenson said. “That’s why the uproar is kind of amazing, because we wanted the Obama campaign’s take as well to kind of balance it out.”
The show’s producer said the calls dropped off after the show’s first hour. He did not have a count of calls, but said it was “non-stop.”
Obama’s campaign has launched similar offensives against stations that have run campaign ads that it did not like.
The point is not that these Obamabots didn’t have the right to call in and complain. They most certainly did. The question is just what is it that Kurtz or Simmons, or anyone else is saying about Ayers and Obama that is untrue? The callers could not give specifics of “the smear.” The Obama camp has yet to be specific about how Kurtz is “smearing” Obama.
Apparently, Milt Rosenberg spent so much time dealing with these fanatics that Kurtz could barely get a word out (you can hear the audio here).
As I mentioned the other day, this is playing politics “The Chicago Way” – perhaps more Sicilian than South Side, “back of the yards boys.”
And the Obama campaign is using the DOJ as their own hit men.
11:05 am
[...] More on their intimidation tactics here. [...]
11:15 am
Rick,
This is a taste of things to come should Obama be elected. I have absolutely no doubt he will, with the enthusiastic approval of a solidly (D) congress, sick the IRS on everyone who has the temerity to publicly oppose “the Party”.
Make sure your accounts are in order, Rick. The tax man cometh.
-Sirius
11:24 am
this is scary, yes, but can you imagine this fellow as your president with the expanded presidential powers that have come to the office under bushy? obamessia has taken the phrase “whatever it takes” to a whole new level, the most sickening part is that he is doing it right in front of everyone’s eyes and hardly anyone is taking notice. the koolaid is very strong in his camp.
11:31 am
Obama’s desperate times call for desperate measures.
12:48 pm
I just finished listening to the Rosenberg/Kurtz interview and I highly recommend others do the same.
Kurtz did provide some of his initial findings. Namely, some projects that seemed to promote a good education, like an Algebra teaching project, did not get funded by the Annenburg Challenge. Whereas, a Southside Chicago group was given $200,000 to celebrate June 19th.
I am waiting to see a detailed report listing the recipients of the $100 million. What was the group proposing to do and how much did the group get.
1:49 pm
Obama will do to America what the Nutroots have been forcasting Bush would do. For years, the left has stated that Bush has and will continue to trample the Constitution and the day will come when NeoCons wearing jackboots will haul all away who dare to oppose them. But it is the likes of Obama who will do to the Constitution what the left has been screaming about Bush all these years. This episode is only the beginning.
2:19 pm
I listened to the show and the majority of Obama supporters who called in to complain (that were put on the air) were near hysterical and could not rebut any of Kurtz’s claims – most didn’t even try. Early on in the show, long before taking callers, they read the email the Obama campaign had sent out which included bullet-points to bring up. Guess what nearly every caller brought up as ‘counter’ arguments? Who are the sheeple here?
One of the very few ‘thoughtful’ Obama supporters called in and challenged Kurz with some arguments I’ve seen here by resident ‘independents’ and liberals – that all Kurz is really saying is that Obama is liberal and had an inconsequential, limited, and professional relationship with Ayers that ended years ago and that there really is no point to what Kurz was arguing.
I think that Kurz makes several good points. One is that Obama’s association with Ayers and others points to someone who most likely has a far left political viewpoint and that Obama is deceiving people into thinking he is pragmatic and moderate and someone who wants to bring the world together.
Additionally Kurz pointed out how the Annenberg Foundation grants were distributed – to left-wing progressive groups over groups devoted to the fundamentals of education. The Annenberg’s own internal audit, as well as a 3rd party audit both concluded that the Foundation failed to improve the Chicago education system one iota. For those of you keeping score Obama’s only real leadership experience resulted in abject failure (though lots of his associates and other lefties got lots of money for their pet political projects).
This is not the Obama that’s being sold to the public – someone who will be effective, cross party lines, post-racial, one who doesn’t see things in terms of left or right or Democrat or Republican.
And now we know the disturbing lengths Obama will go to when the story of who he is gets challenged. First he releases a weak counter-ad but quickly follows it up with threats of civil and criminal legal action. This is the guy who might actually be in charge of the DoJ?
2:43 pm
How on earth can you say,
“And the Obama campaign is using the DOJ as their own hit men.”
with a straight face? Welcome to the Republican party Rick, perhaps you’re new here?
2:55 pm
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 08/28/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
3:28 pm
I have linked to your post from American Issues Project Press Release … Responds to Second DOJ Letter from Obama Campaign … in the sidebar
3:32 pm
I have heard for the last several months that the democratic base is much more fired up than the republican base which pundits believe will result in a win for Obama and democrat congressmen/women.
Tactics like this is exactly the kind of thing that will fire up the republican base to get out and vote come election day.
4:17 pm
Have you been asleep the past 8 years.
Attacking free speech and common sense is what made the past 8 years possible.
9:35 pm
I was wondering when someone would post the obligatory (and contemptibly shallow) “it is all because of Bush and the past 8 years”. You guys are welcome to find real political intimidation in the last 8 years. I certainly had wished that the DoJ had done a few more things (arrest Jim McDermott for going to Iraq, for example), but they didn’t.
But since you guys so want to live down to the lowest standard…when will you start waterboarding your political enemies? That was definitely done (3 times, we are told) in the last 8 years. That gives you an excuse to do some real torture, according to your warped sense of justice.
10:30 pm
Censorship, Thuggery, or the Supercilious Audicity of Barack Obama…
SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?There have been rumors of threats and intimidation against Hillary supporters by the Obamans for some months. A few weeks ago we were warned that anyone donating to GOP and conservative sources could be subjected to intense…
1:43 am
...the Obama campaign is putting on a full court press on several fronts to silence critics and quash Conservatives attempts to publicize the candidate’s relationship with former Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers…
Is this how you torture me for not watching TV? Is this absolute drivel, or am I just not in on the joke? And just how is this happening Rick? Remember, I don’t have .
Your essay was not well-hyperlinked.
2:05 am
“What possessed this self proclaimed moderate to make common political cause with a group whose goal was to remake the Democratic party and infuse it with Marxist principles?”
I guess I am out of the loop. Being liberal is not bad enough for you, for you are a ‘moderate.’ You attempt to demonize him with the stigma of Marxist.
And what might those Marxist principles be? “The withering away of the state?” Did not Grover Norquist wish the same thing? “Strangling it in a bathtub” or some such outrage?
Would you call the welfare-capitalist nations of Europe to be Marxist? Would you claim that Obama might go beyond that? Do you have a leg to stand on?
6:31 am
Beware of Obama, the radical liberation theologist!
Beware of Barack HUSSEIN Obama, the radical madrasah educated Muslim!
Beware of Obama! He carries Mao’s little red book and has memorized its religion hating ideology!
Conservative attacks on Obama are hysterically funny.
How many more strawmen are you going to throw up? Where do I call him a Muslim? Or a commie for that matter?
I think more than anything, Obama will use anyone – even unreconstructed Maoists – to advance his career. If McCain used KKK’ers the same way, you would rightly be livid. Why give Obama a pass for this?
ed.
10:06 pm
“I think more than anything, Obama will use anyone – even unreconstructed Maoists – to advance his career. If McCain used KKK’ers the same way, you would rightly be livid. Why give Obama a pass for this?”
Actually, I’ve made the point elsewhere, if not here, Obama’s church affiliation is largely explained by him purposely joining it due to its prominence in the community he served.
Liberals counter-punch focusing on McCain flip-flopping on Bob Jones University and pandering to Reverend Hagee desperate for the right-wing religious vote.
We can smear Obama on appearances using guilt by association but then we need to dig into McCain’s past and rekindle the stink of, say, the Keating Five. Fairness and balance.
The bottom line? At least we agree Obama doesn’t share the ideology of the radicals you keep trying to tar and feather him with.
One last quick point. I’ve heard a number of African-Americans discuss liberation theology as an important part of the Black cultural experience in helping that community overcome the cancer of white racism. I’ve yet to hear a Caucasian make a compelling argument favoring the Ku Klux Klan. Feel free to be the first.
7:56 am
Gonzo’s gone,
Goodererling too, must sting a bit when the tables are turned. I for one don’t know the whole Ayers thing, but rumor and innuendo are stock in trade for the GOP, so anything these whisper campaigns say are highly suspect to me anyway- they’ve never been vetted by any reputable source and are the equivalent of a Corsi 9-11 conspiracy. Rumor and innuendo got us into Iraq and let Bin Laden slip away. Who are the real villians here? No, it’s more like “We know our candidate sucks…but look! A distraction! Obama’s a muslim!” If you look at the RNC website, it’s all about Obama( and smearing and discrediting), if you look at the DNC website, it’s all about Obama….
9:28 am
I guess my comment on the following post by Rick was just too much of an inconvenient truth for Moran to bear.
Naa Naa Naa…. I can’t hear you….
10:04 am
[...] have written frequently about Obama’s connection with the New Party including here and here as well as several posts at The American Thinker. (See also Tom Lifson’s excellent [...]