Obama ‘Won’t Back Off One Bit’ on His Tough-Love Message

Whether a strategy on not, the message is legitmate and relevent. It’s ok to criticize black culture and do to so without being branded a racist. Or, more appropriately, until one can criticize without declarations of racism, the problems within black culture won’t be fixed. I differ a bit with Obama that it’s big “gubment’s” job to run all our lives. One one hand, his new ad claims he promotes one’s self-reliance yet then says gubment needs to fix poverty. Can’t have it both ways. He show’s his marxist commitment.

Cynthis where did you get that information- I do not find this presumption anywhere.

Obama: If you don’t like what he’s saying today, wait until tomorrow!

I am continually amazed by the absolute ignorance shown in these blogs.
People wonder how we got Bush, twice.
Not one of you EVER promote McCain. All you can do is preach hate and fear over Obama.
McCain strongly believes in the trickle down theory of economics. Give the largest sums to the rich and it will trickle down to the poor.
How’s that working out for you all?

Raliegh,
Exactly! And McCain wants to give companies like Exxon Mobil a 1 BILLION tax break. Thank God! Lord knows Exxon is trouble and needs more of OUR tax money just to stay afloat, LOL!

I’m not an African American but Obama’s message on Fathers Day Sunday was well put. You watch these shows of child paternity and African American women are usually the guest.
“Since the majority of unwed mothers in this country are white”
False
Here are the facts
*81 percent of White women and 77 percent of Hispanics and Asians will marry, but only 52 percent of Black women will marry

disgusted in Illinois – Obama’s stunt won’t sway the white vote; relax. I’m 52, white and have worked two jobs for the past 21 years. I’m not voting for him simply because he criticized a race. What he said was only comon sense. I’m not voting for him because I believe in small government, strong defense, individual freedoms based on Constitiution, lessening the tax burdened on individuals/corporations, free market- capitalism and know very well Marxism has failed the world and will continue to fail the world. You may be surprised to discover the world is bigger that the issue(s) of a single race. Nice try.

fedup wrote:
individual freedoms based on Constitiution
**************
Um…so you are going to vote Repub, who have spent the last 7.5 years wiping their fannies with the Constitution? That’s a joke, right? Under McCain YOU will have LESS rights and will be LESS safe. Just wait til we are at war with Iran. Russia and China will side with Iran and so will the new government in Iraq. Good times!
BTW, keep your eyes on the banking system over the next few weeks, there is a list of 50 (50!!!) that are poised to fail. And this is all thanks to Phil Gramm! And you want HIM to have even more power?
Amazing!

Go Obama! Great statement and indication of being in touch with real issues and addressing them openly. Looking forward to people’s president again.

What about those of us who don’t like either McCain or Obama? The 2-party system is failing America IMO. Neither party’s candidate is all that much better than the other. We need something else. What, I don’t know. But I do think we need change beyond that which the 2-party system can offer us. It’s just 2 sides of the same coin, and I personally am tired of it.

Obama has a problem, He singles groups out, If he was a true american He would address the problem as an american problem not a black , white , hispanic problem.
The bottom line is there are so many children today living in single parent households.
I won’t vote for either canadate.
Both sides of the aisle have created what we are experincing today.
They don’t care about you. They have to protect their corporate lobbyist whores.
So we will bail out the elitists,Banks , Wall Street, gas and food prices will go thru the roof jobs will continue to be outscourced and insourced.
Get ready for the next Economic Depression.

pastor anthony,
Amen! Great post!

The message is simple: if you’re responsible for something as important as another human life, then take responsibility for it. be a parent. don’t run away.
my addition to that message: if you’re not ready to be a parent, then use a condom or some kind of birth control. if you’re not ready to be a parent and you get pregnant, get an abortion.

Although, Obama’s message is sincere, he is out of touch because he is unable to see the complete picture as to why there are so many fatherless homes in the black community. Black communities have become a target and easy prey for police to meet their quotas for arrests or writing tickets. If a segment of society’s male population are easily targeted for incarcerations then that will automatically equate to less fathers being allowed to be in the home to take an active part in raising their children. The greatest problems in the black community has come about primarily due to blacks have allowed anyone and everyone to come into their communities on the pretense of solving their problems. But instead, many came in and made fixable situations worse. They came in for what they could get out of it. As long as blacks continue to invite others in to solve their problems the problems will always be there and will only worsen. It’s the same as America invading and savagely occupying some countries, the living conditions for the people they were suppose to be liberating has only deteriorated even more. Many of these people are not there in the black communities to help. They are there for their own personal gains. A cop in a black neighborhood can perform about two hours or less of work then go spend the rest of his shift at his mistess house or at some convenient store flirting with the store clerks. Or drinking away with his buddies.

Obama will do and say anything to become president, even throw his white grandmother under the bus.. oh wait he already did that.
He is just another slimy, corrupt politician from chicago. His lies are the same lies politicians have be telling since the beginning of time.
The only suprising thing is how many people are stupid enough to actually believe Obama’s tripe.

The cold hard fact is that it was the Clintons of Arkansas who injected race into this campaign in the first place.
And the uglier fact is it was Clinton’s welfare, VAWA & child support “reforms” that institutionalized the marginalization of fathers & not just in families of color.

“Since the majority of unwed mothers in this country are white … why doesn’t Obama talk about the boys/men who are not taking care of these children? … guess there are no votes to be gained in that.”
IT WOULD BE MORE FAIR TO SEE WHAT PERCENTAGE OF BLACK MOMS ARE UNWED VS. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF WHITE MOMS ARE UNWED.

Vanessa what electoral map are you looking at? I have not seen one where Senator Obama or Senator McCain have the required 270 electoral voted needed to be the next President. May I suggest you re-check your sources. I would also suggest that you quit watching the Obama channel “MSNBC” too. The MSNBC does not report the news they report the postive news for Senator Obama for the day.

Maybe giving someone different a shot at running this great country of ours is A GOOD IDEA. We seem to be headed in the wrong direction for a while now.

Look at all you people being sucked into this make news scam. Jessie – anything to get more attention. What a joke it ALL is.

How dare Obama tell us what we *need* to hear rather than telling us what we *want* to hear. Doesn’t he know that any good President must learn not to speak the truth, otherwise the masses (who do not wish to suffer the pain of hearing the truth) will criticize him endlessly for increasing their level of discomfort? As they say, ignorance is bliss. C’mon Obama, stop destroying our bliss!

It is amazing that the Obamaites are still touting his deluded and delusional message.
If you think he is consistent you haven’t been following the news at all and don’t understand Obama’s positions.
He is not a breath of fresh air – he stinks of Chicago thuggery.

The bad guy is the government,our laws,and the disinclcination of our politicians to stand up to Progressive rule by stealth. It hits Black people harder at first because they’re more vulnerable. then it hits everybody. I am White. I worked for Welfare a bit when out of college. They gave a reward for any woman who would break up her family. I quit because it was immoral. Then I spent fifteen years in court in front of Progressive-Feminist judges breaking the law as I tried to escape the Welfare-Family Court juggernaut.I am one of a vast army of non-voters after that experience.If you want to be a father in America your enemy is the government; it defines men and fathers as an odium. The state juggernaut puts all parents on probation with no rights for twenty one years. Obama acts as if Black or any fathers have a personal choice in a neutral state. Of all people he should know better. In his book he hungers primally for his father. Shame!

I dont really know what you are all in arms about here hes right after all in what hes saying but on the other hand its not just a problem for the blacks its a problem for all americans and i wish that polititions would just come out and say it that way problem is they are trying to get your vote thats how they get elected isnt it? When looking at the bigger picture Obama is going to do more for the country then McSame I mean if your all ok with the state the country is in then vote for McSame hes not going to change anything and he has so much as said so.

I spent some valuable time last year arguing the personal responsibility versus social responsibility polemic. I found myself argueing each side against people who believed one way or the other. I think that if you’re poor, whether black or white, you need to do something for yourself, waiting on someone else to help you out is a strategy that hasn’t proven to work. On the flip side, as a society we have an interest in eradicating povery, in getting all of our people to the point of being fully productive members of our society; therefore it makes sense for us to build well-designed programs to help people become fully self-sufficient. I agree with Obama that the correct answer is both.

Yada…yada…yada… Both Washington gangs are flushing the USA down the Toilet, one perhaps a bit faster.
Until we have term limits in Washington, Big Biz will corrupt and run this country. Any rep in Washington
For more than one term is beholden to the lobbies.
While you lemmings blather about a figure head.
Carry On

Sylvia Johnsen – “How not to treat a woman?”
Obama treated Hillary Clinton like an opposing candidate. How do you think he should have treated her?

Senator Obama is an excellent, responsible father and leads by example.
This country would be in far better shape if all black men were as good at fatherhood as Barack. I am so proud of him for speaking out on the subject.

Pastor Anthony: What you are telling me is that entire “communities” are gathering and discussing issues based on only THEIR race. In my opinion, this serves to preserve the very racial boundaries I have worked so hard to eliminate from my life. It is truly disheartening to me.

Jackie, if McCain made truthful comments about the black problems in america your candidet and party line would be the first to twist it as racest. DAAAAAAA!

I am more comfortable with a liar being President than a hypocrite. But man, when Obama is both, it’s very hard to take.

texas tea – you are correct. entire communities are gathering together to discuss issues affecting them. it happens every sunday. it’s called “going to church”. welcome to America.

Yakyakyak.
Bottom line…..Obama will never, ever be elected to the Presidency of the USA.
Lets’s keep reporting Obama’s 6 to 10 point lead in the polls……this will drive the indies and conservatives to the polls in droves.
As to the youth vote…..half of these morons can’t find the USA on a map. I just had a conversation with one typical “youth voter” who thought Jefferson was the President during WWII.

Mc Cain fought for our country was a prisoner of war and put our country ahead of himself. He will take care of our boys our there and will not abandon them like the democrats want to do. My husband and I were democrats.We are so sick of the fighting among yhe democrats. They can’t get along among themselveshow can they run a country .

LadyGwen2, that’s just not the case. Jackson simply has another view point than Obama.
It is a very well known difference.

Barry Obama the media phenomena is so full of BS…typical, of course, for all politicians…
His story of change is nothing but the same only repackaged with new intonation infusing us with shame. He’s so lame, his politics the same while the only difference–his name–leaves very little unique in his game.
Propped up by the media.

texas tea – also, I would like to add that Obama wasn’t discussing an issue based on race, as you claim. That’s a distortion of what actually happened. Obama was discussing an issue that affects the black community in a black venue. This doesn’t means he was exculding whites from a larger conversation about an issue that also affects them, it simply means he was addressing his audience directly. If you seriously consider that “racist” then I believe that you need to consider what racism actually is. Your criticism seems misplaced and foolish to me.

Cynthia,
You say that the majority of children born out of wedlock are white, but that’s due to the fact that the number of Caucasians is much greater. What percentage of the black population have children out of wedlock compared to the percentage of the white population? I would guess whites would be much lower. But either way, you must admit that black men who have children many times don’t take the responsibility they should for the children they father. Any man, white, black, Hispanic, Oriental, who is careless having unprotected sex and impregnates a girl, has as much responsibility in parenting that child, as the mother.

It would be great if a candidate would address the problem of fathers being denied access to their children in the name of “welfare reform”.
Big government does not want fathers in the picture. The reality is that fathers are just a paycheck and help keep the wheels of social services turning.
The assumption that most fathers don’t want to be in the picture is sexist and misinformed. The reality is that fathers are denied access, manipulated and frustrated by a sexist court system and a beauracracy that feeds on their paychecks to make welfare reform seem successful.
The greatest shame of this country in the last 20 years bar none!

Not voting for Obama is not going to hurt Obama. Obama has a beautiful family and can afford health care. Obama will still have a job in the US Senate.
Not voting for Obama is taking out anger on those that can least afford it. The invisible people that democrats fight for. Make those people suffer more. Show them what real hurt is. Make the small child, single mother, the hungry.. pay. That will show them.
Revenge against the innocent. Revenge against the people who live in hardship.
Hillary fully backs Obama.
Hillary is not a hateful woman who wants to make other people suffer for her loss.

Fighting Back – there you go, confusing your derranged opinions with facts again. Why are all the anti-Obama sockpuppets so full of emotion and so short on facts?

The population of the U.S. is very diverse and it is impossible for ANY candidate to appeal to everyone, so there will be inconsistencies in the speeches of EVERY candidate. Deal with it. In this age of global interaction, a highly informed world view is necessary in order to select the person qualified to be president of this country. The results of the last election prove many people in this country lack important information needed to choose a good leader. A good leader will absolutely need to be a good manager, a good judge of character, be willing to state the truth and deal with it, and be willing to delegate authority and responsibility to qualified persons of integrity. Barack Obama has these most important qualities.

How is this “flip-flopping”? Its telling it like it is, I’m sorry that its taboo to tell the truth. But you arn’t going to fix a problem by pretending it doesn’t exist.

texas tea – It will be time to move on when there are no more troubles facing the black community. And I pray for that every day.

It isn’t only Afican Americans in a one parent household I was one of them and believe me it was no piece of cake I am white and not rich and still helping my family out in any way i can and i am 66 years old but can’t claim them on my taxes. This country better wake up it is almost to late. It isn’t the United states anymore when you check out what country owns what in this continent. Japan owns most of California , Germany has interest in almost every state but do you see any of them here cleaning up after floods and hurricanes I don’t.

People need to take responsibility for themselves and their children and stop depending on the government (which is really the American taxpayer) to do so.
We need to stop all entitlements unless they are truly deserving. That means cutting off ALL benefits to illegal immigrants as well! Hell, they’re not even citizents of this country and they’re put ahead of citizens because ALL politicians are pandering for their votes. It’s wrong. We have enough problems taking care of our own, we don’t need to invite tens of millions of more poor people.

What is wrong with our Obama? We are voting for him to be a President, not a Preacher. Man, when he gets power, he’ll tell us how we should chew our food.

HOmeless, veterans? Sure, programs should take darn good care of your, for all you gave and still give. You are not a 20 something lazy child on the street, pumping out babies. Not all poor at the same, and progams should distinguish, not purely on race or income. But, those that refuse to try or learn, should be cut off entirely.

Obama: An elitist, arrogant, self-indulging, hypocrite!

Raleigh Voter – I used to believe in small government(I’m an Independent) and because of my conservative Christian values I voted for Bush twice. My support for Obama is simple. We need a balance of power and it’s time to shift our focus from wealth driven economics. Who can best serve this country? Barack Obama because he has the courage to tell us what we need to hear and not what we want to hear.
Who do you think pays for this American dream? The World

Marine combat vet huh?
I don’t buy your crap. Here’s why. My wife and work the local homeless shelter and we see FIRST HAND who’s walking their talk. In our community it’s the Baptist church members (I attend a different church) who volunteer for 90% of the work and provide almost all the funding.
Not ONE political activist to be found!
No they’re off chiding everyone to purchase carbon credits or some other bs. You talk a good panhandle, but your motives are as transparent as a garden variety political activist.

Steve – the problem with that lame analogy is that there are only a limited number of fish in the sea and some folks are fishing with industrial trawlers while others can’t even afford a rod and reel.

Again, the Jackson gaffe incident was a beautiful strategic play. It was so perfectly executed and exactly what Obama needed. Sent a strong signal that he will be equally tough on the poor who take advantage of the system as he will be on the rich who take advantage. Emphasizes that he is not “the black candidate”. Of course, he would not lose the black vote no matter what he does so it’s very safe. But whether planned or not, it was beautifully done.

How do we know that Obama won’t change his position on black fathers? He’s changed it on everything else.

I think the media needs to start asking Obama “is that your final answer” during interviews. Hard to tell what he really believes.

Far from it, some of my best friends are black. They work hard, and make a difference. They agree with me. I hate lazy, useless people that refuse to try. Stereotypes are basically averages, mathematically proving that the next time you flip the coin the same result will occur again. Are you arguing math? Hey, if the shoe fits

The audience that Obama is speaking to doesn’t hear the message. What, do you think they watch the news at night?

Obama: Just tell him what you want to hear and he’ll say it!

We are going down hill fast and need change immediately. Failure to achieve change will make us the clowns of the world. We all know that Mc Cain will simply be a G.B. third term. Shall Mc Cain win the elections be prepared for more embarrassment, war, and the loses of loved ones. Mc Cain, like Bush is a hard headed bully who thinks everything should be solved by means of war.

Obama’s message is not a tough love messge — it’s a coded message to middle class whites to make them think that he is capable of acting as a patriarch to black men, as they are weak. He’s attempting to speak at a very subconscious level, attempting to capture trust, that you can trust him for managing the black man. This may actually work with a few bigots, it’s useless with the middle class because the middle class has not interest in this parlor game.
========================================
Obama — just messin’ with you man!!
========================================

what gets me is a goverment both dems and rep is this good cop bad cop thing the voters fall for it every 4 years our goverment is broken no one will talk about that. all i here is more money and you know where that will come from the tax payer if you tax the oil companeys they add it to the price of gas then who pays. if you go after the rich who owns companeys and tax him he will lay off or rase his prices of his goods the game is fixed

Pomanju,
How do you feel about the fact that Sen. McCain has had nothing to say on this topic. It is exactly a week old. Surely he has an opinion.
Or maybe it hasn’t been given to him yet!

Obama: Never anything of substance — Just fluff. Some people life fluff.

Timmon will make a great Vice President. Better than Chimney anyways. LMAOROF

Lance: Obama’s supporters need to ask why 18+ millions democrates are planning to switch or not vote. Let me honest.

Jesse Jackson is right, Obama is talking down to Black people, Obama could have sent the same message without picking on little Black boys who sometimes dream of being a sport’s hero, after all, all boys dream of this White included.

When did it become so wrong for someone to preach a worthy idea like personal responsibility? Are his motivations really more important than the idea itself?
It seems likely that the issue cannot be solved through government policy alone and that personal responsilibity will play an important role.
Since he is running on a compaign of change, he needs to stress the importance of personal responsiblity that leads to change. Throughout his campaign, he has repeatedly called upon people for action, not just to sit back and cross our fingers after the election.
His words may have been to a black audience, but they apply to everyone. It seems that anyone who hears this message should be obliged to examine their own actions.

Marxist? (pffff) Look it up first.
And hey, guess what?
The largest mortgage bank in America just collapsed. So how much do you think your house is worth now SUCKER!
Don’t worry about Obama. You’ve already been hosed.

Great Comment-kcareymac

Rasmussen polls show TODAY both McCain and Obama tied now according to their website.

The economy has been shaky ever since the extreme liberals hijacked the Democratic Party and put Obama up.
Posted by: rogersm234 | Jul 13, 2008 2:43:56 PM
************
Um…WOW! Obama announced his candidacy in Jan 2007. The economy started it’s steady decline in March of 2005.
Nice try, junior!

Still a lot of bigots on this board. Obama tells it like he sees it and lets the chips fall where they may. This is pandering??

JB,
If you don’t see the Marxist rhetoric in Obama’s speeches it is you who is slightly deranged. Obama very clearly favors income redistribution, more government control and regulation, the “we”, etc.
That doesn’t mean I think he holds the former USSR as a model of a good country, but like it or not he is very socialist.

I love how arm-chair community here seems to have have things all figured out. Unfortunately this “wisdom” doesn’t seem to have the attributes of sage advice.

ABC News – rogersm234 is back!!! You know the one who kept posting negative comments so you had to delete them and block him and he kept changing his username to get back on? Well, I REPEAT, HE’S BACK!!

The problems many Black Americans face are much more complex than little boys who dream of playing baskerball professioanlly. Where are Obama’s solutions?
Why doesn’t Obama pick on someone his own size? Obama publically humiliated his grandmother, she was not able to defend herself either.

Someone up there said, “Democrats and independents are voting for Obama.” I’m an independent and I’m not voting for Obama or McCain. I’ll probably sit out this election and let the others fight it out. I don’t really care one way or the other who gets elected between Obama and McCain, I am just looking forward to the end of the Bush era.
As for the single mom issue… It takes two to have a baby. Women should be more discriminating when choosing their sexual partners. The best bit of advice I heard as a young woman was to consider any man with whom you have sex as the father of your child. Any form of birth control can fail. So each time you have intercourse, you could become pregnant. Learning this is easy, practing it is hard. I know because I became pregnant before I was ready to be a parent.
Both women and men should be responsible for their actions. The government should not be responsible in any way. Government should not legislate responsibility. Any presidential candidate should be encouraged to communicate this message.
Celia

Sally,
WOW. There are almost as many blacks on welfare as whites, despite the fact they make up a fraction of the population compared to whites.
Seems your post backfired! lol

Willie: Again I repeat… I feel sorry for you.

Ja: That is my point. it is just now black people on welfare. Obama needs to talk about all races.

Sally,
No, it is you who missed the point. From the link you gave:
“Blacks comprise only 12 percent of the nation, but, according to the above figures, they comprise 37 percent of the welfare rolls.”
My point is that a disproportionate amount of black people are on welfare compared to their small representation of the overall population.

sally:
blacks get 37% of all welfare but they only account for 12% of the population. Are you that ignorant that you don’t understand the math?

BEWARE – NOTICE TO ALL – Rogersm234 was repeated blocked and posts deleted due to his constant negativity and now he’s back.

tonaystark …..oh we get it, Obama only cares about the poor Black people on welfare, not the White ones. As President Obama should address all people, this is why Obama is seen as the Black candidate.

tonaystark: And you rank first in ignorance.

I didn’t mean to come down TOO hard on black women, but I think it’s incredibly naive think that the entire problem is caused by black men. Lots of theories abound regarding “examples of family structure” the impact of slavery etc. Fine. If you subscribe to those to explain abandonment, the women suffer from the same lack of example. So when you have a black man trying to do the right thing, trying to be involved in his child’s life, you have many many women who see him as nothing more than a child support check. Whether he actually gets to see his children and interact with them is immaterial to the mother. The only thing she’s intersted in is his check…how much it is and whether it gets there on time. Along our way, we have somehow arrived at a point where we give women a pass on everything. We give women a pass on domestic violence, we give women a pass on their responsibilities under custody and visitation orders, and we give women a pass on their role in the breakdown of the family in the first place.

rogersm234: One would think that you would have learned your lesson about being so negative when you were allowed back on this site, obviously not. It must simply be too hard to find something positive to say for a change.

Amen HighlyAnnoyed, but there has to be a scapegoat somewhere and people will choose the so-called weakest link. I am black and i am divorced and remarried…i love my children dearly..i send them birthday cards, presents, call them (when i can get through) and make sure they know i love them. Alot of people who live with their children cannot fathom this level of pain. You being denied your own flesh and blood by courts and their mother. I pay child support gladly but i dont think thats enough for my son who doesnt have a constant father just a man that is around here and there depending on their mothers whims. Yet i have no say because i am a noncustodial parent. The courts enforce child support but emotional support and character support for the growing boys and girls does not rate high on thier lists. A man feels like he did something wrong but if i remember correctly divorce was a mutual thing. Then you have clowns in here who dont even talk to black people, on purpose, but they know everything about them and how the live their lives. People placate me by saying one day the kids will come to you when they are old enough, they will see the truth what is really going on. This may be true but what about all the time lost in between? The time when you would bond with them…your own blood. That time was put into the hands of a woman who doesnt even know how to love herself let alone her children…in my case. Not all women are this way. The only thing i disagree with Highly is that you said black women are very vindictive but i beg to differ–its all women of any rage that can be this way.

HI ,I think this country is goi down because of liberals ,illegals ,and imported slaves who now are trying to get their revenge!
poor usa

The race is all tied up now! You know what that means….McCain wins the presidency. People are waking up.

Rodger Mcclintock said: “Why do we assume Obama is a black man. He is as much white as he is black.” Mr. Mcclintock it’s really simple. If you, I or no one had ever known Obama had a white mother, you’d have considered him a black man. For sure, when and if Obama is ever stopped by police on the streets, they too will consider him a black man and treat him accordingly. Just let him visit any city in America as simply “Obama” and you’ll see how ones race is determine in American. It doesn’t matter what lineage flows through the bloodline. Simply but, Obama is black because he looks black because those are the rules governing race in America that dates way back to when there were such terms as Mulatto, Ocotroon, Quadroon and all. Obama is black plain and simple. Just as Tiger Woods is black, no matter if his mother is Asian. They both look more black than some blacks who have too black parents who happen to be light skinned.

If obama believes black fathers should be invovled in rasing their children,,, why the hell is he running for president NOW?
wait 12 years, his kids will be in college.
The presidency is a 24/7 job, not a little part time thing like his senate work

Obama should be president of all americans not just the blacks. There will never be black president unless blacks accept that this is not about color, but real hardcore politics. Unless reality is accepted by blacks, a black president is very unlikely.

Obama: Mister ‘present’.

Equality champion, please don’t fall into the trap of thinking that black people vote in lock step as a homogenous group. I, for one, am not voting for Obama because I disagree with virtually all of his policies. I’m a small business owner and frankly I don’t see how any of BO’s ideas would help me. There are people on the board talking about affirmative action. I’ve never been a beneficiary of any affirmative action program. I went out and earned what I have. I fought tooth and nail just like everyone around me. Some things I got, some things I didn’t. In fact, I suspect that AA worked against me in the UC system… so I went to USC. That’s another story. But we aren’t all on welfare, we aren’t all dependent on affirmative action, we aren’t all supporting Barack Obama hoping that he does something specifically for black people, we don’t all make babies and abandon them, and we aren’t all Democrats.
This year, more than any year I can remember, race has dominated public discourse. We say that we need MORE race discussions. I beginning to doubt that. I am beginning to think that MORE race discussion will backfire, because it causes us to concentrate on our differences rather than our similarities.

Rep. Conyer’s is getting excited about a President Obama supporting his black reparations bill. Check it out:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/patient-conyers-hopes-to-move-slavery-bill-during-an-obama-administration-2007-03-12.html
The reparations group NCOBRA estimates that reparations to blacks should be roughly 5 trillion dollars [see http://www.ncobra.org. This will be hard for a country that is 9 trillion dollars in debt to pay. In addition to that, Obama has promised trillions in other new spending, including enormous amounts of foreign aid. If you want your country to survive, just say NoBama.

David from Texas – yes, you’re right, there are about 5 times as many unwed white mothers and 10 times as many unwed hispanic mothers according to the Arizona department of human services:
http://www.azdhs.gov/plan/report/ahs/ahs2006/pdf/5b15.pdf

By the way, Obama’s buddy, the Reverend Wright is one of the key players in NCOBRA and was the headliner at their 2007 national conference. With a left wing House, Senate, and President, what chance do you think there is that reparations will NOT be given if BHO is elected? Very slim.

Obama is going to win.
Deal with it.

I think I finally figured this out.
Elitist = Getting A grades at an Ivy League school
Populist = Getting a C average in the Ivy League
Thus, George W. Bush is a populist and Obama is an elitist.

OH I can answer the unwed white mother statistic and why it changes….it depends if the one taking the poll is including hispanics as white which is often done now especially by surveys with a black agenda. Hispanic unwed teen mothers is something like 50% of the population and once factored into white statistics, it makes it sound better to the I hate whites groups. Get rid of welfare especially for unwed teen mothers, and would see the statistices for unwed teen mothers in all groups shoot down. Their families should be taking care of their unruley teem and their grandbabies.

Barack Obama may not be everybody’s dream and he might just disappoint some. Howsomever, he’s the closest thing to telling the hole diggers to stop digging the hole we all share in someone else’s country and begin to start building America. All we’ve managed to do in Afganistan is increase poppy production by keeping the population from stealing from each others fields. More heroin for the world. Jeff Sterling Micanopy,Florida. USA

There are a lot if ignorant and prejudicial people posting comments here. Most are afraid of having an African American person as President of the U.S. Don’t listen to the people who are trying to “swiftboat” Senator Obama as they did to Kerry in 2004. Do your own research and then vote for the person you think will do the best job for our country, regardless of the persons skin color!

Fact: There is a breakdown in the American family. The reasons for this vary, but the solution is clear. Personal responsibility period. The US government can neither give it or take it away. The institutions that rule us are comprised of people, people elected by other people…again PERSONAL responsibility.
I love this country even though it was built on the stolen land of natives and grown by the labor of my slave oppressed ancestors. I love it. I love it because there is still NO better place to be on Earth where everyone has opportunities and freedom. I am afraid that ten years from now, I won’t have a reason to love it anymore. Where is the country headed? What happens when it’s people can not afford medical treatment or education? What happens when all the jobs are shipped overseas? What happens when gas prices cripple the very legs on which every industry stands? Where are we going? You have two options in November. Pick the one who can change the course. Choose wisely. It’s too important to let melanin choose for you.

So, what’s the next topic Barack will lecture the African American community on? Cleaning up their credit, dressing appropriately at the workplace? Maybe he’s the leader that “black America” needs (or wants) even though others have been saying the same things for decades. But, if true, then he really needs to drop out of the race and focus on that full time. I don’t think most Americans are looking to elect the next spokesman for the African American community.
Barack said the other day that we don’t need another “Dr. Phil,” referring to Phil Gramm. But, it seems to me that it is Barack who is really trying to act like Dr. Phil. I mean, isn’t that what Dr. Phil does? Have people on his show and lecture them about being better parents?

He’s going to win folks.
Yes he’ll probably only be there 8 years.
It doesn’t matter.
What matters is all this ignorant racism that is still alive.
2008! folks that’s scary
I personally don’t think that he’ll do any more harm than that spoon fed C average student.
It’s time for change, and Obama is it.
God bless America, for real.

Perhaps since Rev. Jackson believes that the number of children growning up without a father is the fault of the government, he can convince his “brothers” to keep it in their pants until the government can get their act together……Opps but I guess that would mean he would need to keep it in his pants too.

First, in his speech on racism, he states that whites don’t understand the problems blacks have because they never experienced slavery (read victims)
Second, Obama hints that the blacks are in the fix they’re in because they’re too lax – need tough love (read fault)
Two drastically different opinions for people who can digest such. If the later position isn’t pandering, the definition of the word needs changing.
Intelligent people know!

Truthseeker, the Fortune Magazine article clearly states that Obama would end “the Bush tax cuts on families making more than $250,000″, not $150k.

Many comments on here, blasting whites for their thoughts about blacks. Instead of listening to our reasons, you dismiss us and call us names that imply hate. Do you really believe that these emotions are based on 100s of years of percieved hatred, or are we as capable as others of developing originals thoughts based on what is occuring around us and in our world?
Democrats blame others, blame conservative, blame whites, and even blame themselves for a poor system that doesnt make it a perfectly level playing field. Thats unrealistic
We can all be equal, all have the same, eliminate the “haves” and “have notss”, but we will only be taking steps towards Socialism. Which failed, let me remind you. Sure, Democracy needs a revamp, but not to a failed system.
Are the Liberal Senators, and their rich families, really willing to see every have an equal share of it all? Let them go first, give up their 100% salary pension programs for all years after only 6 years in office. Let them share a working mans health care system, instead of their specically designed system with 100% coverage for even elective medical care.
Level playing field? Not until all of our leaders either give first, or give up on this idealistic goal and find another set of goals.
I often think, if people cant succeed in this nation….. a nation that provides more opportunities, breaks, and second chances than anywhere else….. maybe its them, and not the system.

PEOPLE HAVE TO REMEMBEMBER THAT OBACK IS HALF WHITE!

We need to do away with Affirmative Action. Make people responsible for their education and they will have the tools necessary to compete in the job market without having special concessions. It is ridiculous to award more points to a job seeker based on thier color especially when the other guy has a college degree that he had to take out student loans to get because he didn’t qualify for grants because he works for a living. Our government needs to start rewarding the right people for being productive citizens and trying to help themselves instead of vice versa.

I dont understand what is wrong with a leaders tellling people to take responsibilty for there kids, i am white and i grew up without a father, why is it that this is just a black issue? maybe its more prevelant there but i think its a ‘all around’ issue. I for one took respobsibilty for my son and love him to death. I just dont understand the big deal, its not ok abonden your kid and anyone who think it is ok needs to re-evalute there morales

Funny,
every criticism of Obama that people listed above comes straight out of the press. Do any of you people know how to think for yourself. Vote for McCain and we will be in Iraq for 100 years, as he promised. Hopefully, the majority of American’s will be able to remember what is important when it comes time to vote. Obama isn’t perfect, but he is clearly the better choice for president.
Get real – Obama isn’t going to be able to pull us out of Iraq for years anyway. Have you been over there? Everyone in my company is eager to get the job done and willing to give his or her life if need be to make sure their loved ones are safe on the homeland.

I think it is very refreshing to see a decent, educated, black man put the thugs and losers in the black community in their deserved place for once instead of making excuses for their lazy butts like Jesse Jackson and AL Sharpton constantly do. Good for you President Obama.

On the question of fatherhood and responsibility: Why is it in this country you need a license to drive a car, but there is absolutely no requirement to have a kid?

This is not rocket science. I don’t care who says what and for what reasons. Kids need — and deserve — two parents and a good education. Hard as it may sound, before one becomes a parent, they need to think long and hard about all the reasonsibilities that come with it. If one becomes a parent before they are established in the world, sure it will be tougher for them to take care of their children, but that is a consequence they face.
- One who knows and now holds an MA with two kids with college degrees

bill5236: you are so right about people feeling entitled to a govt handout.
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Big oil must be one of those kind. They argue that taking away their $100 billion/year in govt subsidies is just like a new tax on them. They only made $84 billion profit last year. Pure profit left after paying off suppliers, geologists, oil riggers,and the lobbyists who are trying to add offshore drilling and Alaska to the 16 million unexplored acres they already have.Sales of our oil to China this year will add even more, plus Bush using the most expensive gas ever to fill up the strategic reserves.
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But big oil subsidies are a bargin considering that big finance raked in that much the year before. Deregulating them freed them from restraints that I’m sure Jose would call Marxist. Funny how when the greed heats up into a meltdown they don’t want to rely on market forces eating into those $84 billion profits. “The Fed should bail us out for the good of the nation.” To the tune of $200 billion.
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Just like the last time a Bush was in the White House. Remember the $200 billion you and I and our kids trickled up to W’s other brother, Neil, an S&L prez? His first day as president, dad issued an executive order against any liability falling on officers of those savings & loans. Again, for the good of the country. Like when the Texas Hunt brothers tried and failed to corner the market on silver. Those big rich boys begged their buddies in the govt to step in and keep that nasty old free market from calling their bluff. They felt entitled to the govt that they’d bought.
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What would be good for the country is to let these hypocrites go through life wihout a $23 million buyout for running a company into the ground and wiping out thousands of jobs. Let them lose, too, their big houses, and all the write-offs for the maids and the limos and the entertaining. Let them wake up in a house that it’s too cold to heat, with no valet to warm the toilet seat in advance. For the good of the country.
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And they should know what’s good for the country. After all, ever since Marjorie Merriweather Post [she built the house that Trump lives in] said it during the Great Depression, what the rich buy to amuse themselves trickles down to us and spurs the economy. For the good of the country.
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Don’t even get me started on the big drug companies. I was a waiter at the luncheon aboard the Presidential yacht the day the boys from Dupont hosted the Secretary of Health to explain their plan to raise the cost of every pill from 30 cents to $1.50. Just because? No, just because with a longer living, aging population it looked like maybe a lot of people would be taking medicines for a long time. Hey, it’s okay, they’ll be on Medicaid, so the govt will pay us.
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Or how the insurance companies socialized medicine. Who elected those capitalist Marxists to rule us, Jose? Not only do they dictate what doctors can charge and for what treatments. Now, they’ve decided they don’t want doctors to treat old people because Medicare doesn’t pay enough. How about it, Bill5236? Is Tiny Tim entitled to survive long enough for Mr. Scrooge to turn good, or will being on Medicaid do Tiny in before the flu does?
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And when the new digital TVs come in, why don’t the networks and their advertisers dip into their profits to pay for the converter boxes? Because the govt is going to take $100 from each taxpayer, spend $20 on govt overhead and salaries, then give every family up to 2 $40 vouchers for converter boxes. Where in the Constitution does it say that govt does that?
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Let’s be like the Americans who founded this country. They thought govts should fear them and not the other way around. The wanted govt to do no more than what was necessary to be free.
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Just leave each taxpayer with the original $100 and get the govt’s hand out of our pockets.
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While we’re at it, let’s stop hating on each other over made up fear issues. Like: I hate to see the flag burned. I also hate to see it on bikini bottoms, napkins, sale posters, and bandanas. But we’ve got real problems to get outraged about. And problem makers who mock and crush and twist what that flag stands for, much more than some tasteless abuses can ever do.
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Odd that we haven’t had any Code Orange
Alerts since the Congressional elections 2 years ago. Let’s let fear go and have a little courage to protect our freedoms. I am 47 time more likely to be hit by lightening than to be killed by terrorists. So, I swear, I am ready to die if it means that my kids will grow up to a country that doesn’t indiscriminately spy on its own people or take away the right to a fair trial or lower ourselves into the sty of those who torture and break our word about it. .
That risk is a tiny little act of faith that only requires me not to cringe, so my kids can live in a country that doesn’t cry national security every time one of their villains gets caught betraying our CIA agents and endangering all the people associated with them just to pay back criticism of what turned out to be a lie anyway.
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And I love them so much I can’t even think about abortion sanely, only that it must be terrible to feel that is the only choice. I am so thankful I have not had to make it. For those who must, I am sorry. But that is a choice for a mother to make among uncertain and harrowing alternatives. Ultimately it falls to women, who bring us life, to decide when they cannot. The most those who are not the mother can do is to present our beliefs in hopes of informing her.
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It’s certainly not govt’s job to grant and deny that decision. Govt has no place in our bedrooms at all. We don’t need the govt telling us that birth control doesn’t get reimbursed but Viagra does. Let insurance companies that aren’t impartial lose business if they want. And by the way, if you’ve never seen you husband naked in 54 years of marriage and my wife and sleep in the nude, thanks for reminding us to pull down the blinds, but that’s it. And it’s the business of neither on of us why Michael across the street always comes home with a grocery bag and a big blue plume on his anniversary. Also not our business that his spouse is named Moose.
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Sit down and listen to each other and most things make sense after awhile. If you want to get married and think that marriage is only between a man and a woman, then go to a church that only marries people under those circumstances. If you’re already married, you may have done that and not even thought about it. Right after you went down to City Hall for the license and blood tests. And if that license determines what taxes you’ll pay or make medical decisions for you or live in your house on your pension after you go, then give all committed couples the same right to that license. Don’t be telling me about how the license is to protect family, because my sister is on her third marriage and neither she nor her husband [who's on his third, too] will be having more kids. They met late in life, but when you see them together you know that they are all the world to each other.
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Now she’d be incensed at the thought of sharing her wedding, let alone her marriage, with anyone, man or woman. Or man and woman. You can imagine how she feels about other combinations. Still, even she thinks the license part is fair, although she can’t believe anyone actually discriminates because she herself “has never had any problems like that.”
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If we can figure these things out, then all of us can. My dad, who was a John Bircher, used to say that this was a republic, not a democracy. In a democracy the mob rules. In a republic the majority must allow the minority their rights also, knowing that on the next issue, they may be the minority.
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But I am fed up with the people who think the Republicans can help them and with people who think Democrats can help them. They can only do what we let them. It’s easier to spot slogans and take cheap shots than to listen and maybe agree to disagree. But only we can help ourselves. We can take back this country and work together. We did briefly after September 11th. We had no color in the smoke, no concern but to help, no religion but hope, no grievance but our shared sorrow. Then we were told to go shopping. For the good of the country.
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Well for the good of you and me who are the country, I am going to keep listening very suspiciously. Asking, who is the benefitting? Doing the old Google to get info. Using that snopes.com to check rumors and context. I might change my mind, again, who knows. No one who loves knowledge and seeks truth ever hates finding facts that prove a thought wrong. On election day I am not going to vote a party. Or a hatred. Or an ideal. I will vote for which human, flawed as we all are, who I think can best take this country away from the unelected interests and give it back to its people.

Barky, I agree that McCain could also be a great leader and I am delighted he is from the party I once supported. I think he does have experience and vision. It is just that through my objective research I believe Obama shows higher intelligence, both i and more importantly emotional, to bring all sides to the table to come up with the best solutions. As a small business owner, I know how important this kind of leadership is to operating effectively and profitably. Our country has suffered enough through bitter partisanship and I see Obama as being better equipped to bridge that divide.

Vince,I assume you are white based off of your comments. You have no idea what it is to be black in this country (usa). It is a statistical fact that blacks (especially males) have a lot harder time of than whites. Lets not forget the history of this country. i live in Portland OR and I often find myself the only black person around. I will not tell you the number of blacks that have been killed by the cowardly cops since i moved here. Its 5 times higher than whites though. I wonder if you whites would feel as you do now towards black males if the roles were reversed and you were taken from your country and culture and whipped, hung from trees and hunted down like a animal just for the fun of it.
Vince, we cry “racist” because the vast majority of the time that’s exactly what it is.
Imagine yourself in a city that was 100% black folks. Everything is tailored for the black citizens, from the clothes to the hair products, movies to toys. You would be the only white person living there (dont be scared). My guess is you would be hollering racial discrimination and racist bastards left & right.
HOW DO THINK WE BLACKS FEEL IN A COUNTRY THAT IS BASICALLY WHITE?

Senator Obama has staked out his ideals and ideas in such a manner that I applaud him. He is just like Bill Cosby whom I’ve admired for a long time. This is the caliber of people who should occupy the Oval office. I respect the Senators’ opinion, ideas and aspirations. Those who oppose what he stands for are alienating many Americans across the board. I’m totally agast at how some continue to grab the microphone at every opportunity to espouse their own limied agenda. Remember “If you ain’t leading, get outta tha way”. “If not Barack Obama, then who?” “If not now, when?”

The only hope we have for change in America at this point is Obama. America is a sinking ship and unless we have a leader who will challenge and motivate us back to greatness nothing is going to change. There is only one thing we can know for sure and that is electing a 70 year old career politician will not produce change.

Donahuej, without delving too much into your personal life… what are the circumstances behind the 3 sons of other black males that you raised? Are you saying that these brothers just made the baby and ran off? Because with all due respect, I find it hard to believe that that happened three times to the same woman.
It’s a touchy subject, I realize, because no woman is going to admit that she had anything to do with it… they tell everyone that the brother was just no good, when often times there was more to the story.

A lot of things have been said about Barack Obama in the past, and I’m not sure I agree with all of them, but one thing is beyond question: the man is a socialist. There is no argument there. Everything in his life up to this point has involved the advancement of socialism. The problem is, the US cannot afford to have a socialist president at this time. Our country is 9 trillion dollars in debt and the last thing we can afford to do is elect a president that is promising trillions in new spending. We have to go in the opposite direction. We have to cut back on spending so we can start paying down the enormous debt. It is also unfair to saddle future generations with debt to pay for social welfare programs for people today. If we continue down the path to full socialism at this time by implementing Obama’s socialist healthcare system, we will destroy any chance the nation has to balance the budget and pay down the debt. If we enact the oppressive tax increases that Obama is proposing, we will bring the economy to a screeching halt and people’s retirement funds will plummet in value. We just can’t afford any more socialism in America at this time.

Brian: Since you are obviously so obsessed with this reparations thing, here’s a news flash for you. African American’s aren’t even thinking about reparations in the turns of money, have you ever in your limited mind think that perhaps just having Obama as President is reparation enough?

Ok say you are write and McCain won’t be bring change—-is not better than Obama type of change. I mean you guys do know where Obama got the ideal of change right? From his kinsman and probably cousin Odina who ran in 2006 with Obama’s help with both campaigning and money for Change of Kenya—Odinga defined his change as bringing Sharia muslim laws to Kenya and is now currently hacking black christians, using his squads to rape women in mass, and burning down black churchs. CHANGE CAN BE A VERY BAD THING.

Roger: Answer this or dodge this altogether> If McCain is elected President, how much do you think he’s going to spend on Iraq?

David from Texas is a moron

Complaining black people – Listen, here’s the formula, it’s not that hard: 1. Take advantage of the free publis school, 2. When you come home from school, study and do your homework – don’t sell drugs and start collecting baby momma’s, 3. Go to college – there are many inexpensive public colleges and tons of aid and scholarships available for black. 4. Get a job. 5. After you are established, get married if you so desire. 6. After you are married, have kids if you so desire (with the woman you married – don’t create baby mommas). 7. Live a good life and save for the future. 8. Teach your kids the above steps. 9. Eventually, die proud of your accomplishments and with a legacy.
Note – The above is directed to complaining black people, not hard working, moral black people.
White trash – The above procedure works for you too. Get off the crank and get a job.

You guys are all over the map talking about all things related to Obama and even further, race relations in this country.
You’re missing the 800lb gorilla in the room which is that there is a false premise in BO’s “tough love” position.
Black fathers love their children just as much as anyone else does.
But as any non-custodial male knows (regardless of his ethinicity) you are at a gross disadvantage when it comes to maintaining a relationship with your child.
My OPINION is that it is worse in the black community because the nuclear family was broken down a long time ago, and so the father’s rights with regard to the children are more widely disregarded by custodial parents (women). And courts? Commissioners and judges cover their arses by erring in favor of the female in all but the most extreme cases.
That’s why you have these horrific statistics, not because black men make babies and run.

What angered me (and possibly Jesse Jackson) about Obama’s “father’s day sppech” was the ridiculous assumption that a more active participation is wanted or even possible for most non-custodial fathers. The system is unfortunately set up to encourage unwed girls to reproduce wantonly. They know the men involved will be hunted down and forced to pay. They aren’t interested in the man’s actual child-raising involvement in most cases, meely his child suppost payment. Girls love babies…how handy is it that the government will help collect child sipport for them, while leaving most men without any real rights (men get a bit more if they’re married, hence the unwed pregnancy rate is directly related. Obama’s assertion that “responsibilities don’t end at conception” for men, is remarkable because it ignores the obvious fact that responsibilities only BEGIN with a woman’s CHOICE to have and KEEP a baby. I also would like to cut his &%$#@ off.

Brian, if you aren’t an idiot. I don’t know the definition of one. Just think, the Clinton’s left America in great shape and the Bush’s continue to screw it up with their agenda… idiots still can’t see that.. I hope gas goes up to $10 a gallon at the pump, we become a nation of the very rich and the very poor and after the war in Iraq in its 17th yr the Iraqis and Iranian start working together to undermine the US and by this time McSame as Bush will probably have died of wreaking the country. Someone says, GOD oh GOD why didn’t we vote for Change? I just love it..

As a blackman I took offense at the Sen. from IL comments,because they have no place in a national political campaign.We can solve theese problems in our communites,only when we turn our collective thinking inward.The electing of a pesident Obama,Mcain or anyone else will not change our condition.As 6 percent of the population,the stigma that comes with being a blackman belies the facts,there are more single white women raising children than black women. Is it possible that the good Sen may go to a white church,and chastise the domanite society for their behavior past and present,I dont think so.Why is it so that politicians flock to black churches to castigate the social iil’s of our society? with an all to willing congregation just agging them on,with the usuale culprit a blackman.I say enough, millions of blackmen get up each and everyday and be men. they protect,provide and love their children, women and their communnities they don’t ask for reward or acknowldgement,nor do they need to be sterotyped by politicians.

Jay Mills & Tom: Two men who wants to cuts another man’s n**s off. don’t you realize you would have to touch them first hmmmm?

vote4peace – NCOBRA, Rev. Wright, Farakhan, and Obama are not talking about cutting checks for blacks, they are talking about setting up a 5 trillion dollar fund managed by blacks that would distribute the cash in ways that they feel are fair. They recognize that giving checks directly to blacks would be a mistake because many of the blacks would blow the whole check within a year on crap that does not help them (don’t believe me – check out the NCOBRA website. But you better hurry – they have already taken down much of the content to protect Obama). Can you imagine how this $5 trillion fund would be misused and the graft, theft, and dirty deals that would occur if this happened.
If Obama was just a black person that decided to run for president, the above would not be that much of a concern. But when you consider that almost all of the player’s in NCOBRA are friends or at least acquiantences of Obama, it starts to get scary. When you consider that Obama’s pastor, spiritual advisor, and close friend of twenty years (old Rev. Wright) is one of the leaders of the movement and his church of twenty years is a strong supporter of the movement. As I stated previously, Rev. Wright was the headline speaker at the NCOBRA national meeting in 2007. I ask again, if BHO is elected, is there any chance that there will NOT be reparations.

Politicians are generating the vast majority of black and white fatherless children. Obama is an ignorant sl.., er, politician, yeah.
Just go to you tube and look up Dr. Stephen Baskerville (professor of government) and he will explain how most fatherlessness is just another government industry gone power-hungry and eating up families for power and profit… It must be identified and stopped now, and stop ignorant politicians from blaming it all on fathers when this corrupt industry is THEIR baby.

Brian
Yes, the scary black people are coming for your money. Be very afraid.

Didn’t Obama spend 3 or 4 years of his life living and working with Black communities in the impoverished South Side of Chicago? He said a few words, made a few observations in a speach, and shared his views openly. I think this shows his strong sence of responsibility for speaking up for what he believes. He didn’t sugar coat it? I can’t understand what the fuss is all about.

Robin – So you leftists are finally admitting that you are socialists? What took you so long?
BTW – China is finally prospering because they are implementing capitalistic policies. They lived in a filthy Marxist cesspool for decades when they were following socialist economic policy. Do you realize that China has open sewers in the street? Yes, that’s right, the waste from their toilets leaves their houses and flows through an open trench down the street and into the nearest body of water. Even with the recent capitalist improvements, it is still this way in most of China. As more capitalism is introduced, their economy will continue to improve and they will eventually have normal plumbing. Socialism destroys peoples souls.

PS Look at how France, perhaps one of the most socialist of European nations, deteriorated under socialism. Hopefully Sarkozy will fix that. :)

All I can say is “Wow.”
I just spent three hours reading each and every post on this story-with some detours to visit referenced websites-and I am appalled at the thought that the World Wide Web is just that-world wide. Look at yourselves. I realize America’s image is already in the toilet, but that is a very limited view-our politicians and movie stars; a very small segment of the population. However, this kind of inflammatory rhetoric comes from the ordinary citizens, and I am embarassed for you.
I usually read the blogs looking for an intelligent political discussion (since most of my friends get that glazed look at the first mention of politics) but I usually see a big nasty food fight instead… except rather than food the particpants are throwing excrement.
Having said that, I would like to try and add my two cents… feel free to adjust for inflation.
I would be interested to know if anybody has seen proof of Mr. McCain calling his wife that C-word. I think that if it’s true it speaks to his basic character, but I haven’t found anything yet that wasn’t obviously doctored in some way.
Also, who are the 18 million democrats who plan to NOT vote democrat this year? Are you referring to Hillary’s supporters? As I understand it, she did recieve nearly 18 million votes in the primary process, BUT… evn during that very bitter primary season, nearly half of her supporters stated in exit polls they would be willing to support Obama. Not to mention, since the primary has ended and tempers have begun to cool, those numbers have begun to change in his favor. Am I mistaken? And at the risk of raining sulfur down upon my head, what portion of the original 18 million were even Democrats in the first place, rather than Independents, disgruntled Republicans, or even Rush Limbaugh listeners?
I think the original topic of discussion about single parenthood was a good discussion point, but it was rather clumsily phrased for someone as oratorically gifted as Mr. Obama. His inexperience on the national stage is showing. I am all for tailoring the message to the audience, as long as the overall platform of the campaign is honored, but he could still phrase it in terms of Americans’ family issues rather than African-American… or Latino… or Rural American… you get the idea. As the old cliche goes, “The truth hurts” and a politician will almost always get nailed for telling it like it is.
And on to my last point. All over the place I see people criticizing both candidates for not being specific enough on the issues, and I agree that it’s frustrating to get vague messages from the people who want to lead our country, but WE MADE THEM THIS WAY. No politician can afford to get too specific because then they can never change the plan, for any reason, because they would be accused of flip-flopping. No matter how gloriously detailed the platform might be, politicians are stuck with vague platitudes if they are to have any hope of actually getting elected and given a chance to implement their plans.
So now I will get off my soapbox and throw it on the bonfire along with the deed to my house and whatever cash I have on hand… I’ll need it to stay warm this winter.

Obama: Same as Kerry only more so!

Robin – You are a typical leftist fool. You know nothing about how economies work. With all of the evidence out there about what a disaster socialism is, you still cling to your little Marxist dream. You were probably a little red diaper baby when you were young being fed leftist propaganda by your hippie parents.

Dante,
Excellent point. I haven’t decided on whether what you say is the sole factor driving this situation, I’ve often attributed it to the culture and poverty. But you might very well be right, given that virtually everything the government touches they destroy. This is why I’m oppposed to socialism for this country – just look at public education debacle. Given this, would you really want the government to make health care decisions for you?

enoughpolitician: First of all Obama isn’t the Messiah, secondly I’m a woman, and your point is?

Robin,
Once again, your China example shows how little you understand about world economies. GOVERNMENT REGULATION HAS NOT HELPED CHINA’S ECONOMY; THE SLOW DEREGULATION IS WHAT HAS SPURRED ITS GROWTH.
Understand? The very reason why China has grown is because they’ve slowly become more capitalist/open market (again, not that they’re there yet fully).
While it’s true that socialism and communism are those words politicians use to scare others, the name socialism fits Obama accurately. There is no way around it. Doesn’t matter who is on his economic advisors board, OBAMA will make the final calls.

Don’t these young woman know how to say NO, NO, NO. And the guys should go take a very cold shower for a very long time. Results—Less babies are created. Every child should be wanted, loved and cared for by both parents.
Children are our HOPE for tomorrow.

This discussion is getting irrational. Neither Obama nor McCain would completely revamp our free market system. It is here to stay but it needs constant tuning. Just for your information I own a small business and love the free market. But, just as Bill Gates has famously said, you need an effective government to be a partner to be successful. I love football and I would never dream of having a game with no officials. We live in a great country but it has be suffering from gross mismanagment the past 7 years. We need strong leaders. Obama will be as he has shown in the way he is running his campaign. McCain would be to much like what we have just suffered through. Enough of the nonsense kids. Let’s all grow up and stop throwing words around without talking substance.

It’s over.
Mickey Mouse has sent word to Barack Obama’s campaign headquarters that if he doesn’t return to work by Monday he will be replaced.
Later this afternoon Goofy was seen boarding a flight back to Orlando, leaving his Barack Obama mask and costume in the boarding area.
No further events are planned at this time by the Barack Obama campaign. No refunds are expected.
Hillary ’08

WOW! Who knew?! People venting with all kinds of issues from “Marxist school unions” to the fear of “reparations”!
This country needs to learn how to find consensus and focus and as California’s governor said, learn to stay the course. Fathers help their children learn to define what’s right; focus and stay the course. As I read the posts, I fear we are seeing the consequences of absentee fathers. RAGE!
We have become a country of whiners whose threshold for pain is low. Being a father requires experiencing the pain that leads to gain, and the joy that comes with that. But abdicating the responsibility and finding other problems to whine about and not be determined to fix them, lead us to where we are today – a frightened, paranoid bunch.
Bullying doesn’t make you brave or make up for your shortcomings. If we focus on making sure fathers take care of their homes, you’ll be amazed how far that lesson of tenacity will go toward changing this great country to a country to busy to hate.
Come on People!

Brian: If you care so much about all that you mentioned,then how come you’re not doing something about it like running for President instead of knocking someone who trying to?

vote4peace – I’m sure by denying the problem, it will just disapear. Or maybe it makes you uncomfortable to think it’s the truth. I assume you live in a good neighborhood with a nice yard and nice smiling white neighbors. That would explain why you are so out of touch with reality outside the suburbs.

Robin: Thank you for your comment, that’s what I’ve been trying to say all along. The Republicans are pushing people away more and more with their negative rhetoric. And for self proclaim McCain blogger “enough politican” I’m sure McCain is happy that you’re pushing potential voters away, that goes for the rest of the negative Republicans as well.

So let me break the cycle of poverty down because I don’t think anyone gets it.
You take a single mom with a child. Let’s assume the dad doesn’t want to pay because the courts won’t give him visitation because he is abusive. Mom works long hours to be able to support them on a single income. The kid must be in daycare or with a babysitter, which costs money. Mine happens to be 320 dollars a month. The kid gets no attention from mom since she’s always working and tired when she’s home. No guidance or direction and not much of a close relationship with mommy. So now the kid gets older and maybe looks for attention with peers, has sex, and gets pregnant/gets someone pregnant. Lather, rinse, repeat. I’m not just speaking for myself but for many women I know in the same situation.

Single mom in MI,
No, I don’t live in that type of neighborhood. I live in a neighborhood full of “mothers” like alley cats who chase the fathers off after birth, to grab the free handouts from government generated by this:
Check on you tube for Dr. Stephen Baskerville (professor of government). His videos clearly show how most fatherlessness is just another government industry gone rampant and power-hungry (history repeating itself) and eating up families for power and profit… This is what destroyed the black family Long before it turned on all families. The black family by the way was stronger than the white family.
Ponder that one while I’m grilling a great rack of ribs for dinner, without you here to mess that up.

Obama is awful…..and I think many are getting very tired of his and his supporter’s nonsense.

I agree with conley ,
This may sound drastic but what about offering subsidized vascectomies for unemployed or low income men of all races, they can be reversed. I don’t think a politician white or black could “go there” with out making us remember the Tuskeegee thing. The gov. pays for a young girl to have a baby, why not pay a young man to not have one. We can only speculate on the freakonomic results in 20 years if this could happen
RMC

enoughpoliticiancrapalready – All you did was pounce on a small portion of my example. Okay, so lets say the dad isn’t paying child support because he gets disability and government can’t garnish that. I’d rather you think about the part I said about welfare because you gave me the impression you’re a believer in food stamp millionaires.

Obama’s mama wasn’t an atheist as he is claiming now….she was actually a full fledge card carrying America hating Marxist who sought out men with such views hence Obama’s father and the fact Obama’s kinsman Odinga also is a Muslim Marxist. I am not sure about Obama’s step-father but given Obama hate america views to the point of having young Obama woken at 4:00 in the morning for lectures…well could probably surmise that he was just more than another muslim hating America too. As far as Obama’s church—Rev. Wright was a muslim before starting the church and preached that one could be both muslim and christian at the same time…all while publishing Marxist and Muslim junk in the church’s magazine. If it walks and quacks like a duck…Obama keeps having ties to Marxism, terrorism, and Islam pop up over and over and over and over.

enoughpoliticiancrapalready – I watched a video…and I fail to see how the government seperates fathers from their children. He claims evidence but cites absolutely NO research!!! How can you back him up? Simply because he is a professor and appeared on the news? Many men pay child support. Many men also do NOT pay child support. I don’t think anyone is worried about the men who are already taking responsibility.

Obama: The king has no clothes!

Single mom in MI,
Read his book, from the library: “Taken into Custody – the war against fathers, marriage and the family.” That has nearly 1000 source references for all the documentation anyone could ever want. He does discuss the dismantling of the black family as the precursor to this current “equal-opportunity” mess and documents it all to the hilt there.
I’ve really got to go and hit the BBQ grill now. And my kids will be back soon, so I’m going to go do my most important jobs now – being dad.
As much as I’ve enjoyed meeting and discussing with you all, I’ve gotta get going now. I truly wish you all the best.

Tough love is for adolescents
not for men who desert their
families.

Soetoro No!
You are entitled to your opinion. But an occasional fact or source would be useful.
Otherwise it’s much like a parrot saying, “Pretty bird.” No one considers that an opinion, and after a while it gets really annoying.

McCain = war hero, low taxes, eliminate waste.
Obama = balloon government spending, high taxes, associates with racial and social radicals
Liberalism is like an old used Chevy Vega. It failed and is a known loser. Obama is just another slick used-car salesman, pawning off that Vega like it’s the cat’s meow. He may trick college kids who have never seen the vega into believing its a Ferrari, but those of us who have seen liberalism’s spectacular failures know better.

It is amazing how quickly these discussions get out of control.
Some of the things posted here are mind blowing to say the least. My favorite though is:
Look up Dr. Stephen Baskerville (professor of government) on you tube. His videos clearly show how most fatherlessness is just another government industry gone rampant and power-hungry (history repeating itself) and eating up families for power and profit.
Posted by: enoughpoliticiancrapalready
Feminists withold the male birth control pill huh enoughploiticiancrapalready? Goverment is to blame for millions of women not keeping their legs closed and millions of men not keeping it in their pants?
Last I checked a woman could keep em closed if she wants to and a guy can keep it in his pants if he wants to. Nobody is holding a gun to anyones heads making them reproduce like rabbits here.
The cause of unwanted pregnancy or suprise pregnancy is the millions out there that don’t bother to take responsibilty for themselves. There are a multitude of various birthcontrol methods available.
Also if you REALLY think femininsts are withholding a male birthcontrol pill get a grip on reality. 3 of the major side effects of birth control is Stroke, Blood Cloats & Heart Attack. You think women ENJOY that possiblilty? If guys want a pill PLEASE god give it to em so women don’t have to take 99% of the responsibilty of Birthcontrol.
Also I am sure by now men have heard of Vasectomy………..get one if you that darn set on making sure you don’t father a kid you don’t want.
Later in life if you want kids……..ADOPT. Millions of children world wide need homes with loving families.
Ok well that is the end of my rant…..lol.
Sorry if I upset anyone off but you can’t please everyone all the time. Honesty stinks.

Obama was raised a marxist muslim…..referring to him as such seems only natural. You should read up on his marxist mother…what a nut job. No wonder Obama turned out to be a compulsive liar with no morals…I don’t blame the black community not even his black father that abandoned Obama, but I do blame the white psycho that forced her issues upon him as a child.

I will never vote for someone who is basically a repeat of the George Bush administration. Obama… love him or hate him, he’s way better for America than McSame.

Mc Cain fought for our country was a prisoner of war and put our country ahead of himself. He will take care of our boys our there and will not abandon them like the democrats want to do. My husband and I were democrats.We are so sick of the fighting among yhe democrats. They can’t get along among themselveshow can they run a country .
Posted by: Dorothy | Jul 13, 2008 11:28:20 AM
I, too, was once a staunch supporter of the Democrats. I didn’t like the way they treated Hillary.

You have to wonder why Jesse Jackson has been ok for so long with the deteriorating condition of black families. Men (of any race) who will not take the responsibility to be there to raise the children they conceived should get no ones sympathy. We need more leaders in the black community to take a stand on this issue.

Wow! I posted a comments with links to Karl Rove and then all of my stuff was deleted. What the hey?

Douglas Dunn, who is paying you for your words of wisdom, or ignorance? Since when has it become acceptable to deny speech rights to anyone?
Whether you like it not, not everyone agrees with the Marxist direction the democrat party is leading this nation towards. That is not hate, nor is it racists. It is freedom of speech and reality. This is America, not the Soviet Union. Try to adjust.
You forgot to mention who owns and controls the democrat party.

It is amazing to me to see so many people who actually believe Obama has a chance. Hahahahaha! This is the real world not Obamas make believe never never land.

What is missing in Obama’s message is the fact that most fathers are not being allowed to be equal parents to their children once mom decideds she wants child support instead. We need government to get out of the way and pass Equal Physical Child Custody laws in all states and end Welfare Title IV-D that requires the state to create single parent homes with bloated support payments. Most divorces and custody actions are filed by mothers since they know that they will get sole custody as long as they are not unfit. If you want to keep fathers in the family eliminate no-fault divorce and sole mother custody.

JESSIE JACKSON JUST LIKE BILL CLINTON IS AN ADULTLER, JACKSON IT TAKES A MAN TO BE A FATHER, THE PROBLEM IS THAT CORRUP BLACK LEADERS DO NOT WANT TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH, 82% OF BLACK CHILDREN ARE WITHOUT FATHER, WHAT A SHAME, AND JESSIE JACKSON A PASTOR HAS A CHILD OUTSIDE HIS MARRIAGE, THIS IS THE REASON WHY HE WAS OFFENDED BY OBAMA’S COMMENT, OBAMA IS TELLING THE TRUTH, THE US GOVERNMENT AND THE BLACK COMMUNITIES HAS TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFE, LONG LIVE OBAMA.

It would be so nice to have a president who isn’t afraid to speak the truth. I havent heard him flip flop at all. You sheep just take your cues from the media. and they’ve been using the term flip flop in politics since the 80′s you should find a new one.

yawn! The country is falling apart and the emphasis and flak is over black men not knowing how to have commitment and responsibility to their families. It is a problem, but this is not the appropriate time and in the scheme of things this is 10% of the population affected or who needs this message. How will this get our country a long over due energy policy that works!

Donna Brazile had the gall to defend last Sunday Jesse Jackson’s statements about cutting Obama’s genitals. She said she knows Jackson, and what he really wants is for Obama to talk not only about personal responsibility, but also the moral responsibility of government to help African-Americans. This is what I do not understand about democrats. First, Jackson’s remark is inexcusable, and indefensible, and Brazile should admit that it was a mistake even if he knows Jackson so well. Secondly, young people who use crack, fathers who abandon their families, and teenage girls who get pregnant should not look to government for help. They need to help themselves. They need to take responsibility for their decisions and actions. How stereotypical for Brazile to bring these personal problems to government’s door. No wonder Gore lost in 2000.

Jesse Jackson is always making off the wall comments that have emotional impact but very little substance. As a civil rights leader he is always in the middle of any controversy. I think Obama is operating on a much deeper level. As a former Republican I can say that I will vote for Obama because the man regardless of his race makes sense. Folks like Jackson, just don’t get it. It’s not about the black man or white man or whatever color you may be but about being true to your convictions and being honest with yourself. The black community in my opinion should embrace Obama not because of his skin color but because of his empathy, logic and understanding of how we all must work together to make America great. As a middle age white man, I’m not concerned about Jackson and his antics, I am more concerned about Obama and how he will help to bridge race divisions. Let’s all pull together and support his plan. Thank you.