Thursday, May 01, 2008

Obama Slips, Hillary Clawing Back; Dems Are In The Tank With this One

In the latest two Indiana polls, Barack Obama has definitely lost some ground. Note this PPP poll, as well as this poll from Survey USA. Clinton now enjoys an eight and nine point lead, respectively.

Most experts are thinking it's the Rev. Wright Rampage Tour. I happen to think it's a combination of this and the elitist comments - some of which were made in a room with a bunch of San Francisco elitists, when he thought no ears but theirs would hear.

But just what makes this Rev. Wright thing so concerning, to many of us in the mainstream?

Part of this can be answered in this essay by Heather Mac Donald, from the City Journal. Much of it has been said and debated, but there are some new twists and angles that should be looked at carefully.

Take this for instance:

At the NAACP meeting, Wright proudly propounded the racist contention that blacks have inherently different “learning styles,” correctly citing as authority for this view Janice Hale of Wayne State University. Pursuing a Ph.D. by logging long hours in the dusty stacks of a library, Wright announced, is “white.” Blacks, by contrast, cannot sit still in class or learn from quiet study, and they have difficulty learning from “objects”—books, for example—but instead learn from “subjects,” such as rap lyrics on the radio. These differences are neurological, according to Hale and Wright: whites use what Wright referred to as the “left-wing, logical, and analytical” side of their brains, whereas blacks use their “right brain,” which is “creative and intuitive.”

Looks like Rev. Wright is making statements very similar to some contentions that are presented in the book, known as The Bell Curve. Mac Donald doesn't use these exact words in her analysis, but she does in so many words:

One would hope that Wright’s audience was offended by the idea that acting out in class is authentically black—it was impossible to tell what the reaction in the hall was to the assertion. But one thing is clear: embracing the notion that blacks shouldn’t be expected to listen attentively to instruction is guaranteed to perpetuate into eternity the huge learning gap between blacks on the one hand, and whites and Asians on the other.


Instead of using overall intelligence as the marker of Wright's flawed assertions, he focuses on how blacks learn best. His contention that blacks cannot be expected to sit still in class and learn by reading, thinking, and discussing, is flawed and Ms. Mac Donald calls him on it. For this reason, I think her article is a good read.

But Rev. Wright is not the only reason for Obama's slip in the polls.

More than all of this, many have refused to recognize the fact that at this moment in time, there is a battle for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party going on in this election. Everyday, the split is looking more and more like a battle between both the elitists and hard left-wing factions of the party (supported by George Soros and the likes), and the working class Democrats. Obama represents the one and Clinton other.

This is becoming very divisive and causing a lot of hard feelings in the ranks.

Hillary does not have the support of the money machine that has been operating as the base of the Democratic Party. Howard Dean and the other Soros puppets are trying everything they can to deny Hillary a chance at the nomination. They are pressuring super-delegates to commit, before more damaging material about Obama's "pastor disaster" and more elitist statements can be brought to the forefront.

They want Hillary out, even though she is making some ground among Democrats (and despite the fact, Obama is looking more and more like a the more flawed candidate of the two). The longer this goes on, the less attractive he is looking to moderates (some of which were enamored with him early on, before his hard left connections were brought to light). Many have already had some second thoughts, despite the party elite being under intense and widespread pressure to nominate him.

If they strip the nomination from Obama at this stage of the game, they are in trouble deeply. They do not want to lose the black vote. (They won't lose it to McCain, they just won't get it. Blacks traditionally stay home when they are unhappy.) But with so many people having these second thoughts, how can Democrats overlook this late surge by Clinton?

They can't, but they will. It's already been decided.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Talk about irony - the people who scream the loudest about racism are among the most overt, unapologetic racists in America. They're even racist against their own race!! (Ms. MacDonald's article, which also appeared in the WSJ, hits the nail so hard on the head).

I'm so glad to see Barack Hussein Obama getting exactly what he deserves. He is just a dishonest jerk for feigning surprise that his pastor is a looney racist. The best part is that the "pastor disaster" is the gift that keeps on giving. Just when Barry thinks the coast is clear, someone is going to start asking him about his book Dreams for My Father, in which he refers to white people as crackers, discusses in detail his rage at white people, and generally exposes a deeply angry and suspicious view of "people who don't look like him," to use his own words. It will be the coup de gras when it comes out, but it will probably be too late - after he has been selected as the nominee.

It's amazing to think John McCain - assumed to be politically dead a year ago - has such a good chance at becoming President now. Thanks, Democrats!

-Greg

LA Sunset said...

//The best part is that the "pastor disaster" is the gift that keeps on giving.//

Just wait until the GOP 527s get cranked up in the general election. They are laying low for now, allowing the Hillary 527s to do the work. But by the time November rolls around, Obama may lose the general election by a landslide.

Anonymous said...

But by the time November rolls around, Obama may lose the general election by a landslide.

Remember Dukakis? I see a similar general election. Actually, didn't you do a post on the similarities?

LA Sunset said...

//Actually, didn't you do a post on the similarities?//

Out of 1700+ posts over the years, I am sure I mentioned it. ;)

Either that or I compared this with the McGovern debacle.

As an addendum, I think Hillary is posturing for 2012. When the Dems are licking their wounds, trying to figure out what went wrong, she will be able to pour salt on the wounds. I say this because, even if she wins all of the remaining primaries with a 70-30 margin, these bozos have made their choice.

I listened to the Hillary interview with O'Reilly last night and if I believed in income redistribution (a la Robin Hood), I would think she handled the session very well. She certainly carries more authority and weight on an intellectual level, than BHO.

Can you imagine him in an interview with Billy Boy? He hasn't got the guts, because he would look like the greenhorn novice that he is. Bill would rip him to shreds and spit him back out. Hillary, on the other hand, held up well and actually looked like she enjoyed the hard questions.

Obob said...

very true about the GOP 527s. Why waste money and energy and let Hillary do their bidding?
The more I look at Obama, he is missing something. He doesn't seem to have that appeal that I would climb into a bar fight with.
In 2000, I looked at GW as the guy I would follow into a bar fight for the fun of it. Al Gore, he would have been in the bottom of the pile after starting it and trying to run.
Obama reminds me of the guy who gets knocked off his barstool for being that jerk.