this is unseemly .

He is living proof of that.

Considering that they are voting 80% to 90% for Obama.

This is exactly why I find the it next to impossible to support Obama in the general election.  I don't think that he has a snowballs chance of winning, but  if he does, his surrogates are poised to alienate 75% of the country.

Where's the threat from JJjr? Surely you can't believe that JJjr controls the black constituents of all the superdelegates? Clearly no one is stupid enough to think that. So where's the threat?

His comment that one shouldn't stand in the way of a  possible black president because one is black is a bad argument and inappropriate, even though it has been done by Hillary for her benefit too.

But he is right in that representatives who go against their constituencies which may be predominantly black or pro-Obama should vote for Obama to reflect the will of their voters. Going against that could lead to a backlash, particularly in the black community.

"race card" is a dumbass expression which belittles the way race affects our society.

Just stating some facts and about where this gentleman might wind up.

I thought that I had some smart or snappy remarks to make.  But, now I'm just sad again.  What looks to be strong-arming techniques for Black superdelegates to get in line seems to go a little beyond open hardball (even for Chicago.)  Because we have 6 months until the convention, and this type of stabbing and maneuvering will not get better any time soon, we could be facing some deep cuts.  Just to see how reconcilable or irreconcilable things are at this point, my question: Does anyone here--without regard to how it plays in an argument for whom you might support--believe that the type of behavior purportedly engaged in by Jesse Jackson Jr. is acceptable?

I'm honestly just disgusted.  Each day, there's some new crap like this either from the media or from some famous Obama supporter or from Obama himself.  I'm really getting sick of it.

This makes me physically ill. Apparently playing the race card is only okay when he does it himself. I hope all of the attention around this backfires on him and starts turning reasonable and fair-minded Super Delegates (and supporters) away from Obama. Injecting race into this isn't okay, regardless of who's doing it.

Do you have any idea what the GOP could do with this??? I am a liberal gay Democrat and it pisses ME off enough to vote for McCain!!!

Once gain JJJr.'s a little clumsy, but it doesn't really have anything to do with race. Any politician who casts an important vote that stands in opposition to the declared wishes of 80-90% of their constituents is obviously putting their political future at risk. That the vote in question could be the difference between nominating the first black President and not, just adds fuel to the fire for black politician who represents a predominantly black district.

For a blog that is dedicated to politics I find this hand-wringing hilarious. Its politics, if you go against your constituency you face consequences ask Joe Lieberman or Al Wynn. By the way what is wrong with this sentiment, is this not the whole point of democracy, represent your constituency. Somebody better tell John Lewis that he is playing the race card "again".

I can't think of any way to give a benign explanation to this comment of JJ Jr. It sounds very much like he's telling Cleaver that it's his obligation to support Obama for race reasons.

If it's only about supporting who your district supports (doubtful if the quote about "do you want to go down in history as the one to prevent a black from winning the White House?" is correct), I imagine he's also calling up all of the superdelegates from Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, etc. where Obama won, and is also privately okay if Kennedy, Kerry, and Patrick switch over to Clinton? Not likely.

I think it's perfectly fine, even commendable, for African Americans to vote for Obama out of a sense of racial solidarity or pride. Same with women and Clinton. A lot of people who are neither are also damn proud that the Democratic Party will be making history this year. But there's a huge difference between that and telling somebody he or she has to vote that way.

I've said, I don't know Obama.  I don't know what he stands for.

But now I know.  The more I know Obama, the less I like him.
I found this comment in myDD last week,  and this young man summed it up quite well.

============
Rick Spratley Said: on February 5th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
As a young person, I was leaning towards Obama. He seemed Fresh and New and was against the war. But after I thought about it, what do I really know about Obama? Maybe
not knowing is a good thing.

I guess, for me, I had my last minute fling, but I did the honorable thing and picked the girl I know will raise Our Country!
==============

Because of Rick Spratley's comment, I still have faith in out new generation.

This is incredibly stupid of Jesse Jackson, Jr. It's being reported in mainstream news. This will create a huge backlash AGAINST Obama among white voters he will need in upcoming states like Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. And, it won't help him in red states in the general election, either. Obama's campaign evidently ran to the NYTimes with the story so they could hype that Lewis was going to change his mind. Hasn't happened yet. So, this pressure story has legs, and it won't help Obama.

Really stupid.

Ok so if the new Obama argument is that the superdelegates should vote the way of their districts, then Kennedy, Patrick, and Kerry should immediately switch their vote to Hillary...since their constituents TOLD THEM that that's who they wanted to be the nominee. But according to Obama rules, they stay with him.

Right? I just want to get this straight. Basically, everyone should vote for Obama regardless. That's what his campaign is saying. Since JJ Jr is PART of his campaign. It's yet another example of the dirty tricks that the Obama campaign plays that somehow isn't deemed dirty tricks because his name isn't Clinton.  What about that superdelegate in NJ that changed her vote to Obama. Her constituents told her they wanted Hillary as their nominee. But it's okay since she's switching her vote to Obama.

Correct? I just want to make sure what the rules are since they change according to what Obama wants.

Funny, I don't remember reading about this on Daily Kos.  I wonder why that is.

I truly thought this would be the one that Obama supporters wouldn't try to rationalize away.  Wow.

This is pure comedy. JJjr doesn't control us black people so he can't be making a threat. Though I bet most of you find us black men (and probably black women) threatening no matter what's going on. We're not a monolith but you better be damn sure that after HRC ran a racist campaign we'll punish our representatives who vote for her. We'll also punish the Dems if they install her as the nominee with some bullshit trickery. Take us for granted and keep up the white backlash talk at your peril.  

Can you imagine the outrage it would provoke if an organization like Emily's List were to start contacting female superdelegates in elected office and threatening them with well-funded primary challenges if they "stood in the way" of the first female president?  

wel it isn't politics of hope...

but I can't get upset about it, it's still just normal hardball politics.

from a black conservative:

the "real obama"?
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/KenBl ackwell/2008/02/14/the_real_obama

The rightwing machine is revving up:

"Some pundits are calling him the next John F. Kennedy. He's not. He's the next George McGovern. And it's time people learned the facts.

Because the truth is that Mr. Obama is the single most liberal senator in the entire U.S. Senate. He is more liberal than Ted Kennedy, Bernie Sanders, or Mrs. Clinton.

Never in my life have I seen a presidential frontrunner whose rhetoric is so far removed from his record. Walter Mondale promised to raise our taxes, and he lost. George McGovern promised military weakness, and he lost. Michael Dukakis promised a liberal domestic agenda, and he lost.

Yet Mr. Obama is promising all those things, and he's not behind in the polls. Why? Because the press has dealt with him as if he were in a beauty pageant. "

"The real Mr. Obama is an easy target for the general election. Mrs. Clinton is a far tougher opponent"

It's not about race, really. It's about a politician being radically out of step with their constituents. If you can find me an Obama super-delegate who represents a congressional district that voted 70 or 80 percent for Clinton, then yes, they might want to consider switching their vote. These black pols lined up for Clinton early because they thought America would never go for a black candidate and they wanted to ensure their own jobs, clout, etc., in the next presidential administration. They've been proved wrong, and now they quite vulnerable because the voters who must elect them every two years or four, have broken, with passion, for the other candidate at supermajority levels. Jesse Jackson's just trying to make sure they get the memo.

Where is the threat in what he said? I don't see him saying "vote for Obama or we'll make sure you lose your next election" or "watch your back."

It's a very honest question, in fact: Who wants to be seen as the one guy who took the Democratic nomination away from the person who has come away with the most pledged delegates and popular vote? Who would want to be known as the guy who helped split the party in half and caused the election of a Republican in a year when the Democrats should have run away with it?

a blight on the jackson family -

I wonder if he is going to call Kerry and say "She won your state, are you going to vote for her now"

hypocrisy

JJJ is the thorn supporter on the Obama side. But he just may have a reason for his stance.

What about the polar opposite on the Hillary side. The Sheriff of Jefferson Parish LA for instance.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/us/pol itics/20commence.html?_r=1&scp=2& ;sq=Milestones%3A+Hillary+Clinton&st =nyt&oref=slogin

or what he did to those poor hurricane refugees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSsgwajSt Co&feature=related

or how this could happen in America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY05V5MAZ Dw

Now go back and read the NY times link again. Puts the whole radical support thing into context doesnt it?

This race (no pun intended) is getting more bizarre by the day. Thanks for posting.

This is pretty much politics as usual.  (The only thing that makes it unusual is that Obama constantly states he's against the old politics and that he alone can change the climate.)  But this stuff is common.  And then comes the payback: Cabinet appointments and other perk assignments.  Jesse Jackson Jr. as ambassador to Israel?  Al Sharpton as Secretary of State?

This is what I wish he would have said, "I'll consider it when Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and every white Superdelegate in California, New York and New Jersey who have committed to Sen. Obama shift their allegiance to Sen. Clinton.  

But of course, that is and would be considered racist.

www.politcialamnesia.blogspot.com