Today's most important issue: Why won't Obama smile?
Posted 11 weeks 10 hours ago byNow that -- perhaps -- the Jeremiah Wright kerfuffle is dying down somewhat, I think I've spotted the GOP's next line of attack on Barack Obama: He doesn't smile.
No, really. Valuing my mental health more than my political junkiness, I tend to skip the Sunday morning shows, figuring that anything important will filter into the blogosphere pretty quickly. And according to Commentary's Contentions, apparently, is the big news from Obama's appearance on "Meet the Press" this morning.
Obama's been talking for half an hour now and has not smiled once. Not once.
Well, OK, random observation. Surely not the kind of thing you'd blow up into something having real meaning--
In a primary race where the differences between the two candidates are sometimes hard to discern, there were two vivid ones on display Sunday morning as Barack Obama did Meet the Press and Hillary Clinton did This Week in a town hall setting in Indiana. The first is temperamental. As she was with Bill O’Reilly, Clinton was funny, cracking jokes (this time about Rush Limbaugh), and looking and sounding like she is having fun. Barack Obama, as John points out, was dour, humorless, and emotionally remote. She was supposedly the one with the harsh and cold personality when this campaign started. Somewhere along the way things changed.
Apparently the funnybone is the new Wright. My prediction: Tomorrow's Bill Kristol column in the New York Times will focus on how Obama's humorlessness is proof that he is out of touch with real Americans.














Thoughts
Pablo, It was bait
Submitted on May 8th, 2008 by rom12921The natural progression in that way of thinking,more government involvement to "improve" their lives (Obama slogan?), is communism/socialism.
The problem is that in a free society the government has no business in your business. It is not the role of government, at least Constitutionally. What the other poster is asking for is to substitute governmental authority over individual authority.
They are begging to give up their freedom and want an external force to improve their lives, (tyranny). It is dangerous, pervasive and unAmerican. They simply don't understand, having freedom means you are on your own.
You hit the head on the nail rom12921
Submitted on May 7th, 2008 by PabloThat's what I have been saying. None of these candidates will do anything for the common person.
In fact, no career politician will do anything for the average person.
People have to take responsibility for their own situation.
In the same way, people have to take responsibility to make sure the government works for all the people not just for big business or special interest which is what we have had in America for almost 125 years.
Expectations
Submitted on May 7th, 2008 by rom12921"...are tired of the nonsense that does not improve our lives." Why do you think improving your life will come from an external source like a government official?
In my opinion, it's nonsense to wait for someone else to improve my life; it's up to me.
I'm not going to 'question
Submitted on May 7th, 2008 by John 2000I'm not going to 'question and dismiss' you anonymous.
I think your statement :
"as a black person i vote my gut, my research and logic." sums it up pretty well.
As just a person, and pretty much in line with Pablo's statement, I tend to dismiss your brand of logic. It seems steeped in Black Logic that mr wright greatly informed us about at his NAACP performance.
Just keep in mind that your favorite is not going to get any more of your logic vote in November than he got in your primaries, and that many of the states your candidate won will be going Republican in the Fall. 70-30 might have been acceptable, but the 90-10 is not.
Obama
Submitted on May 7th, 2008 by Anonymousthis is america and you are entitled to your opinion. however, try to give the black community a little more credit. our vote has been taken for granted for too long. even now when we vote we are questioned and dismissed. as a black person i vote my gut, my research and logic.
the clintons are upset because they thought the black community would fall in line as they always do. no no no no as pastor wright would say.
we sincerely want someone who will at least try to be fair. the clintons had eight years to work their magic. education was hills baby. in eight years she could have put a plan in place so great there would be no need for the unfunded madness that is no child left behind.
i'm tired of the games. i'm tired of the tricks. the black com munity..and yes i speak for them..are tired of the nonsense that does not improve our lives. the more mud she slings obama's way the more she will be shunned. so go on hill-billy(i'll include bill in the picture since he's so in the mix} give it your best shot. you're going down.
Just so all know
Submitted on May 7th, 2008 by PabloI do not like Obama, Clinton or McCain!
All are bad news for the US none have any useful solutions and the ecconomy will crash and get worse no matter who is president along with Higher unemployment, higher oil prices and more companies leaving the US for other countries.
I can not stand Clinton but I can not stand Obama more.
I absolutely detest McCain.
But the truth is who will keep me safe and not allow America to have another 9/11 which if another happened would criple America to the point it may take a decade or more to climb back out or it may cause America to fall and we have another secession and break up of the Union but this time on ecconomic and national security issues.
Its not as far fetched as you may think. There is already plenty of people who are thinking along those lines.
Reply to Dumb
Submitted on May 7th, 2008 by PabloLet see what the results shown shall we.
In North Carolina. Obama Carried 92% of the black vote Clinton 6% and Republican 2%
In Indiana Obama Carried 90% of the Black Vote Clinton 7% of the black vote and the Republican 3%
Obama carried in NC 43% of the white vote with Clinton getting 57%
Indiana Obama got 39% of the white vote and Clinton 61%.
These are based on Poll numbers and thus they may change before Wednesday morning.
But the truth is the black community will vote for Obama no matter how bad he really is!
As for me giving Obama the 80% black vote, it was an average of all the polls from all the previous primaries. early on Obama did not carry the black vote like he is right now. Thus his numbers improved amoung Blacks happened after he won a couple of primaries.
As for me looking at Obama being white or Black, I have no opinion. Meaning I could careless if he was white or black. I simply define Obama how he himself define this. Obama defines himself as a Black Man! I also am seeing the trend of the black community which is supporting a black candidate out of context to the other races. In other words, Clinton should have gotten more black votes if the black community was not voting along racial lines. Its something the black community should be ashamed of. Its also very telling of the position of the black community as a whole.
I am of mix race. I can choose which way I want. Sometimes I choose white, sometimes not. It depends on which is more beneficial to me personally. I look like a tanned white man, so I can hide it better than Obama should I wish to.
Obama looks like a Black Man and thus he himself defined himself as a black man.
But the truth is that if race was not the issue and that the black community voted based on the candidate's positions, then there should be a more diverse split. In the first few primaries, Obama was high 60s which is more in line with what we should see and would be more respectable and in line with other candidates on simular issues like religion or abortion which is on par with race.
But you gotta be kinding blinder than a bat to suggest that when Obama is carrying 90% or better of the black vote since January that its not being done except by racial lines. That is just sheer ignorance to deny it. He current sits at 80.4 to 83.1% based on the differning polls. I was being generous with the 80%.
Its not like the spin I hear from those who are trying to not let this become an issue by saying that blacks often vote like that for a democrat in the general election. But its not a general election. Its a democratic primary! Never since the days of the late 1800s and the color code lawa have we seen the black vote be so one sided. In those days, the blacks voted straight ticket democrat as a general rule because they would be denied the right to vote other wise because people watched how they voted.
Now we are seening the black vote being united along race lines because the candidate for president is black not because he is good for the country. Otherwise, clinton would have done better. After all, there is very little difference between the two in general policies.
Geez, its not rocket science here. I just hope this is not an extension of dumb and dumber based on the comments I read.
Yea Right!
Submitted on May 5th, 2008 by HamiltonBarrack is about getting elected President of The United States of America. He’s about power and wealth, just like every other politician.
Talk about waking up, he will probably be the next president and the problems facing America will still be here four years from now.
DUMB REMARK ABOUT OBAMA
Submitted on May 5th, 2008 by AnonymousHave you every ask yourself what about Hillary carry mostly WHITE voteS at 90%?
If you going to maKE remarks about OBAMA make sure you look at Hillary record before you open your MOUTH. You are so ONE sided.
YOUR COMMENT MAKES NO SENSE! DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
"Obama is carrying roughly 80% of the black vote". PLEASE TRY AGAIN.
YOU MUST BE BLIND. OBAMA IS BLACK AND WHITE.
HE IS ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE NOT COLOR!
WAKE-UP FOOL!
Not endurance in this race.
Submitted on May 5th, 2008 by PabloI would love to have their jobs but I hate the party system and I doubt anyone would vote for me a very small minority in this country of South Pacific herritage.
The truth is that Obama and Clinton works a 10 to 12 hour day on average with one or two days where they may go as much as 15 hours.
They are pampered and have every need and want delievered to them on a silver platter. Does being on the road get old. Sure it does. But to be tired? Not really.
Most Americans spend 8 hours working. 1.5 hours traveling to and from work and spend another 1.5 hours working at home fixing dinner, home repairs, cleaning house to doing other issues like chasing after little kids.
The truth is that the average person who works in America puts in more hours per day than these candidates and does not have an army of butt kissers who will be at their beck and call to satify their every little whim.
Most people would not mind the campaign trail schedule because honestly the hardest thing that Clinton and Obama have to do is protect their voice and not get caught in the thousands of lies which a politician gives as a standard rule.
People of Hate
Submitted on May 5th, 2008 by PabloPeople of hate rarely smile.
Obama is a promoter of Hate and other elitism ideologies.
We have only seen the bare surface of Obama's true self with the Bitter comments and his defense of Wright, Ayers and other criminals.
The more you see into the dark recesses of Obama you realize that he is filled with hate.
Its being played out in a way not seen since the mid to late 1800s.
Obama is carrying roughly 80% of the black vote.
When you listen to the black community concerning Rev Wright, and the Black church and Black Theology.
The black community generally agrees with Wright. Although they will publically say its wrong, they give Obama a pass with the Bitter comments and with Rev Wright.
I listen to CNN, FOX, and have read dozens of newspapers and other net news and have seen a major divider along race lines.
America is still divided by race. The black community will forgive Obama anything because he is Black and running successfully for president.
Thus race is an issue to the point that even if Obama murdered someone and it came out tomorrow that way back in his past he did some great evil,
the black community will say its no big deal and that he should not be judged this or that way. That Obama should be judged on the issues of what he says today not what he did or said yesterday.
If any white person, pick several over the last year who promoted improper race comments, or even associated with people you have Al Sharpton, Charlie Rangel and Jesse Jackson would be screaming down the halls and would be calling for boycotts and demostrations demanding that that person resign or be arrested or should just go and die under a rock somewhere. (See Duke rape case and the comments by these men)
Thus you have black America who will vote primarily for Obama or will at the very least defend Obama no matter how horrible, dispicable or discusting the realities of what he had done, or promoted or even said.
Obama finally admitted that he knew of Rev Wright's racist and Marxist and Black elitist position that his mentor had. Obama after months of denying and lie after lie about his knowledge and position finally admitted the some of the truth.
But those who do not smile are generally full of hate and generally dislike themselves or the people around them. ( See Personality profiling and Psycology of expression)
Thus Obama does not really like America, is not proud of America and honestly does not like white America.
His positions are in contridiction to his message which is why the Rev Wright issue will never go away.
the filly is reference to Hillary, silly
Submitted on May 4th, 2008 by John 2000in the sense that he is headed down the backstretch and there she still is.
(or was your remark even more tongue-in-cheek that I read?)
hmmm ... The Commander in Cheek
Re: The filly?
Submitted on May 4th, 2008 by JoelJohn, you don't have to like Hillary Clinton, but "the filly?" I can't imagine you'd talk about a male candidate that way.
John 2000!
Submitted on May 4th, 2008 by HamiltonI started to add, jokingly, that maybe Hillary had a better drug supplier but I was afraid I would get in trouble. You just boldly ventured where I was hesitant to tread; careful people are going to call you names.
Respectfully,
He REALLY IS tired
Submitted on May 4th, 2008 by John 2000Who among us doesn't marvel at the sheer endurance that must be required for this event? There is no way on earth that any normal human being could be expected to really hold up fully through this grueling masochistic arena. Now, he is having to carry his own baggage for the first time, and it is quite heavy. He is heading into the last lap and that energetic beaming filly seems so full of vigor. And God! This is just a semi-final race. Yes, true, deep, and convincing smiles seem forced and phony under such circumstances.
In the back of his mind, his true inner self has to be questioning the wisdom of his ever getting into this in the first place. But, he will go on, as best he can. There is no choice for him now.
Oh, then there is little Mrs Hilly Filly, all laughing and kicking and yikes, spare me that outlandish smile, those in-the-know side glances, those cackling yet nervous laughs. The burden of being second is actually a lighter load. The Patriots vs Giants game springs to mind, except that this is the conference championship.
But really, I do not begrudge Obama his demeanor. If anything, it likely more closely reflects his natural state than the one we saw early on during the heady days of January and February. It is indeed not difficult to perceive the filly as a bit of a chemically laced freak. This is not an accusation, but leads to the following -
Questions: Are candidates tested for drugs? Should they be?
He just realized!
Submitted on May 4th, 2008 by HamiltonSenator Obama has recently realized that it doesn’t matter how much he truly loves this country and how badly he wants to positively affect our nation; the people he works for are nuts and he’s stuck with what and who they will have him be. He knows he will be president and how the powerful fringe that got him elected will drastically alter what was once a free and productive society.
Or maybe he’s just tired, it’s been a long month.