They SEE a Opportunity? They have been attacking Obama for about a week now on this already.

Wow, that's a shock. Do you have any insight eric on what the gop attack machine plans on doing with the dump truck load of garbage associated with the clintons? Any insight on that one as well. You should be "fair and balanced" you know.

That speech signals the end of his viability as a candidate. He can't win as the African American candidate. He can only win as the transcendent candidate whohapeens to be part Af-Am.

He just told Americans his white grandmother was sometimes a racist. Many are going to hear that as him telling them they are racists. That many are racists will not change their resentment or their vote. A key trick to his campaign has been to get other people to talk about race--preferably outraged whites. Now he has outraged whites--or at least scared them.

He has now peaked--maybe not in the dem. nomination process (though I think so--he can still get that, unfortunately)--but as a GE candidate.

You saw the beginning of the end yesterday.

You know what's sad? Folks think that Wright's rant about the US giving black folks AIDS is crazy UNTIL they are gently reminded that the US gave black folks syphillis. Tuskegee Experiment (look it up). From the fact, it's not hard to see how some folks could share that sentiment. I'm not saying that the accusation is true or even reasonable in isolation. I'm saying that giving our history, I see how folks can arrive at the conclusion.

They'll make 527s about any Democrat that is nominated no matter who it is. If it's Hillary, you'll see that "I did not have sexual relations.." clip so many times you'll want to vomit. They'll blame Hillary for Bill's impeachment and they'll try to convince people that Obama is Malcolm X. That's how they work.

They'll have to find a way to turn the pastor into an imam so that it's consistent with the Obama is a secret Muslim smear. So it hasn't ALL been handed to them; they still have to find ways to be creative.

I'm also shocked someone actually said guara-damn-tee.

That these folks could take the war records of decorated vet and turn those acts of heroism into liabilities still completely boggles my mind. The right wing slime machine is capable of anything, that much is clear. This is not argue for or against HRC or Obama, it is just a fact. These are just horrible, evil people.

The question is what can we progressives do in response?

i dont see how how blaming hillary for bill's impeachment would hurt hillary among GE voters. if true, that would separate hillary from bill.

yes, 527s will come after either dem candidate. but attacks that play on racial fears are the most powerful ones in american politics.

yesterday, obama gave fodder to the attack machine. he did not distance himself from wright. he said wright baptized him as an american. admirable that he stands up for wright--but devastating as a candidate.

a terrible and likely fatal error.

They'll do this tack, but it will backfire on them because we'll call them racists, and say to Americans, "They're only attacking Obama on this because he's black, and they haven't held McCain to the same standard because he's white." We will use the racism card, and force them to back down on this, which will marginalize the Republican Party even further.

Obama is NOT Kerry and will respond quickly and effectively to these attacks. Besides...the type of voter the "ads" would resonate with aren't voting for him anyway.

Also I wouldn't be surprised if this year we see third party groups attack the "attackers". This year, discrediting will be a two-way street.

Obama-Dodd '08 (Chris)
Obama-Edwards '08 (John)
Obama-Biden '08 (Joe)
Obama-Ford '08 (Harold)
Obama-Clinton '08 (Hillary)

make your pick.

Go right ahead and try it. They have no idea how much determination they'll be met with. What a pathetic excuse for a man Chris LaCivita is.

Here is a plausible vision of our electoral future. Many of you will mock now. But will you remember in Nov. that you scoffed now?

http://anglachelg.blogspot.com/2008/03/fun-with-electoral-college.html

As for who I am for, I plan to vote for the democratic nominee. I was initially an Obama supporter. The campaign has changed my mind. I also voted for Kerry and Gore and Dukakis and Mondale.

Won't be fooled again.

Here is a plausible vision of our electoral future. Many of you will mock now. But will you remember in Nov. that you scoffed now?

http://anglachelg.blogspot.com/2008/03/fun-with-electoral-college.html

As for who I am for, I plan to vote for the democratic nominee. I was initially an Obama supporter. The campaign has changed my mind. I also voted for Kerry and Gore and Dukakis and Mondale.

Won't be fooled again.

I'm an enthusiastic O supporter, but i think he's toast because of Rev. Wright. It was a great, important speech, and I'm glad he stuck by the reverand. But the 527s will crucify him. I'm not saying i'd prefer hc -- i'd rather go down with all flags flying with O. But that last undecided 5 or 10 percent of the electorate is pretty dopey, and i think they can be easily swayed by saturation advertising the week before the election that associates O with Wright. Snippets of his speech will help that cause.

Marginal Player, do you honestly, in your bones, think Obama is racist?

Because if you do, you're insane.

Really, the stuff you spew. Twenty years from now, you're gonna be Strom Thurmond, a pathetic anomal.

This campaign, at this time, has astonished me. That people could criticize Obama's specch, which was by FAR the most sophisticated, intelligent, and honest dissection of the racial troubles that exist in our country, strikes me astonishing.

After reading the criticims of this speech by white people, I, as a white person, despise white people

I mean, not my granma, but just the pundits, the political hacks, and the garbage that is spewed by the MSM.

Obama stepped up to the plate, and hit it out of the park.

His critics bowed over the toiled, and vomitted a torrent of nonsense.

..... my goodness the man I support is an empty suit? If in my entire life I can fill the pocket on the empty suit with my accomplishments as that empty suit has in about three years of his I will consider mine a more valued existence. Yeah give me a man that has walked the streets that has organised with the downtrodden that has a totality of experiences most city blocks have never endured. Did you see the NYT article that they did on Barack Obama's mother, the one who carried a male name her entire life because her parents wanted a boy and named her as such anyways? Give me THAT MAN to possibly rescue this country from the abyss it's sprialing down.

I think Obama wins, and i'm rooting for him. Why? Because I will laugh my ass off. I knew from day 1 that W was an idiotic, long before most people, and I thought he was an incompetent even back when 90% of you fools gave him your support (remember back in Sept 2001? October, December...)
Watching W, that dumb bunny Dr. Rice, and Rummy fuck up the war, among other things, had been hilarious entertainment for me. But you know what? Obama won't be much better. Oh, the US is so screwed, 12 and maybe 16 years of executive incompetence. Short the dollar : )

.... how dare Wright not attribute the systemic racism endured through the 20th century of his congregants and mainly their ancestors and NOT chalk it up to randome chance or juss such an amazing set of coincidences, forget about giving voice to those that wished to silently go along with passive or not so passive racism which existed daily in the lives of his congregants and their ancestors........

I agree with Morris. Like others above , I voted
for Obama but yesterday's speech turned me to HRC.

It was an honest , thoughtful speech. They don't win elections. For that he would have had announce his immediate resignation from Trinity church ,renounce Wright and delete his honest description of the roots of Black rage. I think more highly of him as an individual for not doing that and less highly as a candidate.

It wasn't enough for him to say that white's suffer too. The emphasis should have been reversed: whites are suffering; oh, and blacks too.

Liberals make far too high an estimate of Joe Lunchpail's generosity of spirit. He's secretely disappointed that life hasn't turned out as he'd expected in high school. He'll vote for the candidate who gives him something to temporarily blot that: patriotism , his superiority to
someone else- muslims, blacks, whoever is the flavor of the month . That's why he watches Fox

HRC is less scrupulous and when, as it will , a similar situation arises during her campaign- if we're lucky enough to have her as the candidate- she'll do whatever has to be done,

"Nice guys finish last" Leo Durocher.

Pity.I think Obama might have made a good president. That train has left the station.

Too bad for the GOP this came oyut in March!!

LOL

"Not this time" is right.

I bet the initial glee at RNC headquarters the reality has started to sink in -- this stuff would have been gold in October. Too bad Hillary and her allies put it all out there 8 months prior to the general. The issue is exhausted so well that we will just be tired of hearing and talking about it after another week.

Hillary has accomplished her goal of "Vetting". Too bad for the GOP there's nothing left.

Now the MSM should start "Vetting" MCcain .....

"...WAHHHHHHHHHH THE 527'S will get him, oh be still my beating heart we can't possibly serve up somebody some nasty naughty 527 group will skewer."

Well said. You could nominate Abe Lincoln and he would be slimed and smeared by the GOP dogs.

I have an idea. Why don't we make some 527s to beat up John McCain in October?

Stop playing defense.

I think the MSM needs to stop rolling over for the rightwing.

In 2004, they constantly replayed and broadcast the Swiftboat ads as "news".

This was a huge boost to the GOP.

The MSM needs to show some restraint in following the GOP lemming-like.