Barack Obama finds himself haunted by the '60s

Will the taint of the late 1960s and early '70s -- at least as it affects mainstream politics -- ever fade?

Barack Obama, who was grade-school age during the peak of the counter culture, could be excused for muttering that question to himself after Wednesday night's debate in Philadelphia on ABC-TV.

Throughout much of its first half, the faceoff with Hillary Clinton must have seemed like a root canal for him -- and no more so than when his links (however tenuous) to an extremist from the days when radicalism was often the norm on college campuses was explored.

As we noted in a running blog on the debate, questioners Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos were in a no-win situation. After a period when it seemed there was a debate every other day, almost two months had passed since the last one.

Gibson and Stephanopoulos could have ignored the various furors that have flared -- and been thoroughly covered -- over that time. But they would have been widely scorned had they done so.

So they raised the expected topics (and, as a result, have been widely scorned anyway): Rev. Jeremiah Wright's rants; the non-existent sniping in Bosnia; "bittergate."

The unexpected came when Stephanopoulos, under what he termed "the general theme of patriotism," asked Obama about "a gentleman named William Ayers (pictured above and, as a young man, below). He was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol, and other buildings. He's never apologized for that."

Ayers and his even more notorious wife, Bernadine Dohrn, were on the lam ...

from authorities for about 10 years. After various charges against them were either dropped or reduced, they became established parts of the progressive political scene in Chicago (both are college professors).

And they reside in Obama's neighborhood. Stephanopoulos noted that "an early organizing meeting for your state Senate campaign was held" at their house "and your campaign has said you are 'friendly.' "

He asked Obama to "explain that relationship for the voters and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem?"

Obama, who a moment before had complained about "manufactured" issues, responded: "George ... this is an example of what I've been talking about. This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

"And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense, George."

Obama had made his point and probably would have been well-advised to stop there. Instead, he struck a blow against bipartisanship by mentioning that he is friends with Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who he termed "one of the most conservative Republicans" in the Senate and a politician who "once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions."

Continued Obama: "Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn's statements? Because I certainly don't agree with those, either.

"So this kind of game in which anybody who I know, regardless of how flimsy the relationship is, that somehow their ideas could be attributed to me, I think the American people are smarter than that. They're not going to suggest somehow that that is reflective of my views, because it obviously isn't."

Clinton, seeing an opening, went through it, noting that Obama had served with Ayers on the board of a philanthropic education foundation in Chicago. And she mentioned that an article about Ayers, in which he said he did not regret setting off bombs, happened to run in the New York Times on 9/11.

Her blow landed, she added: "I know Sen. Obama's a good man and I respect him greatly, but I think that this is an issue that certainly the Republicans will be raising."

Well, yes ... and now with her imprimatur.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credits: Associated Press; Chicago Historical Society 

Comments

[Kay Lane Ray Rafko]

Obama worked with Ayers in the 1990's. The press has all the right in the world to question Obama in the BitterGate and now that Obama worked for terrorist William Ayers. He said he was 8 when Ayers bombed New York. Nice try. But he was 30something when he served on a board with Mr. Ayers in the 1990’s, the Woods Foundation, which was a paid, underlined PAID directorship position. They worked together, attended fundraisers together, Ayers held fundraisers and was a contributor to Obama’s Chicago’s campaign, plus they are neighbors and visited each other quite often. Enough said. This relationship deserves being vetted. As an adult Obama made the decision to work with a terrorist. This is a legitimate issue, the judgment and associations of the possible nominee. Its goes straight to the reason why democrats have lost the last two elections. It is fair to argue Obama’s condescension to the small town folk because it goes directly to issues like religion, xenophobia, gun ownership and culture. And his associations with Farrahkan, Wright, Ayers and Refko should be fully vetted.

[Chris]

Hillary Clinton use to work with the "Black Panthers"...why didnt they ask her about that?

[katherine]

It's an interesting thing that when Sen. Obama FINALLY gets asked tough questions bad journalism is decried. I agree that the debate should have been more about issues. However, Sen. Obama has some serious association problems that the public has a right to know about. Do you think Sen. Clinton could get away with having a campaign party at Ayers' house??? I don't think so. Just because Ayers lives in Obama's neighborhood doesn't mean that they automaticaly have to associate. Why doesn't he choose his associates more carefully? We have a right to know about this.

[jones]

OBAMA WAS AWFUL IN THE DEBATE, we cannot risk our country on him! OUR TIME HAS COME FOR DEMOCRATS TO FULLY SUPPORT SENATOR CLINTON TO WIN IN NOV.
Hillary dominates Philadelphia we now know who won the debate according to our focus group. Senator Clinton is the debate winner, 23% believe Senator Obama won while 50% believed Senator Clinton won. Debate Analysis, 4/16/08
ABC News Political Radar Rick Klein – Clinton is back to the strong presence we saw early in the cycle.
MSNBC News Chuck Todd – Obama ‘did not have a good night. Obama’s answer on Ayers and the flag were simply weak. He seemed unprepared, Kinda surprising because questions seemed to stump him each time.
Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder – Theres no way Obama could have fared worse.
Washington Post’ Chris Cillizza— Obama struggled quite a bit when asked about Rev. Wright his pastor.
New York Times’ Katharine Seeyle: Hillarys in her element as she goes into details. Shes becoming expansive, seemingly in her element as she goes into details; Mr. Obama does not look as thrilled to be still standing there.
Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall – Hillary ‘certainly seems more self-assured.'She certainly seems more self-assured on the Iran question than Obama did we could clearly see he was on delicate territory.
Philadelphia Inquirer –Obama is again less certain and rambles again. When asked about the Washington D.C. gun ban. Gibson asks him to deny that he has ever advocated a complete ban on hand guns in 1996. Obama says no. But whatever the truth, no other answer is possible
NBC News’ Matthew Berger – Obama tried to have it both ways with Israel. Obama's answer on an Iranian attack on Israel tried to seem to have it both ways: highlight his support for Israel but not lock him into treating an attack on Israel like an attack on the U.S. But it may have looked more like a no because it wasn't a firm yes. Clintons answers were direct.

[Rude]

It is always telling when a blogger does not tell the entire story. Left out was the fact that Bill pardoned two convicted members of the same organization. If you are not going to tell the entire story why should anyone read your blog. People with less education tell much better stories.

[Nick]

Barack's glass jaw is beginning to crack...

[Alamantra]

I think the Bill Ayers flap is a fabricated non-issue. One of your other comments says: "As an adult Obama made the decision to work with a terrorist." I couldn't disagree with this mischaracterization more and am really put off by seeing someone throw the word "terrorist" around like that. Using such mischaraterizations one could call Tom Hayden a "terrorist" because he was a member of the Chicago Seven and a protester during the 1999 Seattle WTO protests. Yet he went on to be both a member of the California State Assembly and then the California State Senate. ...He's been supporting Barack Obama. I suppose this makes Obama guilty of starting the 1968 Chicago riots. After all, Sen. Obama is from Chicago.
The point is that the 60s were the 60s and we're hoping that most people will notice that we are now in a new century. People aren't who they were forty years ago.
I was sickened by the sheer abuse of the public airwaves that ABC indulged in last night. By far the worst "debate" that I've ever seen. The only "debate" to it is in whether we should even call that a "debate."

[KWinn]

This wasn't a debate; this was an ambush however Barack held his own. Shame on Charlie Gibson for gutter politics..expected of George S..but Charlie Gibson. It's amazing how Billary supporters can say she was calm; of course she was..all she had to do was add to the attacks by George and Charlie..

[Bobc]

"I was not in church when Rev. Wright said those things."

"I didn't word that well."

"I didn't know he said those things."

"I mis-spoke."

Politicians are all the same, their quest for fame and not concern for our country is killing the country.

They will say and do anything for more campaign contributions and votes....some don't care if the votes come from lawbreakers from another Country!

[v]

Last gasp deserperation of the Clintons. It has backfired on them seriously. Maybe she thinks if she can help John McCain defeat him, she can run again in four years at the age of 65. I will not be surprised if she turncoats it like Lieberman.
This will only strengthen Obama. It will backfire on Hillary and she will be even more hated then Nadar

[Anee]

All the snobamaians are crying, up all night too, that their guy got asked difficult questions and he failed miserably. I guess George didn't get the memo, be nice to snobama.
snobama looked like a deer caught in the headlights, wish we would have had this debate months ago and we wouldn't be in this position with not enough delegates to win the election.
Snobama couldn't even answer truthfully about his gun position on a questionaire.

[John S]

It is foolishness to call this a debate. George S. joined up with his old boss to talk about a non-issue. The question about Ayers was formulated by Sean Hannity. Not that is bad, but the conservatives and the Fox News crowd need to run again Hillary in November, cause they will devastate her, and Bill Clinton.

Why Obama stayed with Rev. Wright? Well, ask Hillary why she stayed with Bill Clinton who was impeached for lying, and who was having sex downstairs in the White House, while Hillary was upstairs.

As for lapel pins, no one was wearing them. Look around and wonder why this is even a question.

[Insult Comic Dog]

Gibson and Stephanopoulous were disgraceful. No substance whatsoever in the first half of the debate, just "gotcha" games. Then when they did get into "serious" issues, it was Charlie pressing about capital gains tax cuts that he must find so dear, but most of us don't spend much time worrying about.

The Ayers question was the lowlight... it is now known that George got that from Hannity.

I'm sure we'll hear the usual BS about Obama needing to "answer the tough questions" (translation: they think they have a license to throw crap at him until it sticks) or needing more "vetting" (he's probably been "vetted" more than any candidate in history at this point - if you have to rely on guilt-by-association gotcha questions). And I'm sure most of you in the press will continue to withhold criticism of ABC out of "professional courtesy" (or in this case, unprofessional courtesy) but I think people are seeing through it.

[H-ROD]

How much is Charlie Gibson geting paid by the Clinton camp, I think the fix was in, but it did;nt work Obama won anyway even with all the hard balls pithched his way and the soft ones going to clinton ! (yes Obama can in 08)

[Ed]

Tom Hayden was a member of SDS, one of the "Chicago Seven". He chose to help lead an organization that explicitly advocated for the use of violence to achieve societal change. Whether he went on to serve within the system doesn't negate the fact that at one point he took part in a violent organization. Wouldn't this be a helpful piece of information in seeing the whole man? In contrast, Martin Luther King, Jr. took a very different route, leading for change via nonviolence as a young adult. Would we say that that involvement had nothing to do with his development and evolution into the leader he became? Of course not.

[Martin]

Tom Hayden did not plant Bombs. William Ayers did. We are all capable of drawing the distinction between the two.

Barak H. Obama has shown he will embrace the support of radical groups, and those that are violently anti-american.

Now he is free to associate with anyone, as they are free to speak out against American hegemony. Neither will ever be prosecuted, for what they say, or the fact that they are freinds.

However, simply because an association is not criminal, does not mean that we want the leader of the United States of America to associate with such people.

That is politics, and it is appropriate that Barak Obama, pay a political price for his liberal ethical standards when choosing with whom to work, campaign, and govern.

What we are seeing revealed finally, is that Senator Obama has all of his adult life choosen to work, write, and worship, with people on the far left of American politics.

He knows, that he will have a hard time winning a majority in the general election if we all believe (correctly) that his personal politics are radically leftist.

This is good journalism; to discover what the candidate wants to conceal, so we know truly what manner of man we are electing.

[Quentin]

Let's get a grip here. Bill Ayers was never a terrorist though he arguably associated with some--as did many others. These facts are also pertinent:

--Ayers turned himself in and was never charged with anything related to terror
--He thorough renounced his previous radicalism
--He is today a distinguished professor of education at UC-Illinois.
--He set up an effective anti-poverty foundation in Chicago, which is how Obama knows him.

In other words, the Clinton camp (and I include Bill Clinton's former aide Stephanopolous in this), is charging Obama with knowing a guy who forty years ago knew another group of people. Can the media sink much further? I think if we are going to have debates it should be on policy issues only and moderated by the Leagu of Women Voters.

Quent
Michigan

[Jenna]

I think Charles Gibson did a wonderful job moderating. He was fair and even handed. Geroge S. he seemed to stick it to both candidates as well. I don't think anyone can say either got treated with kid gloves.

Obama seemed off his game and he needs to be able to stand up to all the mini controversies that he would like to be above. It's the nature of the beast. If you think Hillary is bad, wait until the Republicans get their chance to tear into him. There is so much she can't say that Republicans won't hesitate to say.

[Lynn]

Now Clinton has been associated with "The Family" since 1993. This is a conservative prayer group that has ties to dictators like Suharto. I am sure that she did not know this, just like Obama did not know about Wrights offensive statements. Just like Obama was 8 when the Weather Underground was operating. And what about HIllary's "Screw them" comment in 1995 when she was talking about working class white men who voted Republican in 1994 causing Bill to lose Congress? Hillary has a lot of baggage that will come out with the GOP. It was shameful of Charlie and George of ABC not to raise all her issues as well. Just start with NAFTA and Colombia and Khazakstan. What about how Bill praised the dictator of Khazakstan a few years back just to help his Canadian friend?

[Fitzverity C. Silvera]

Dear America

Senator Obama's words regarding a portion of America as being “bitter" is accurate.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that hate groups have grown by forty eight percent (48%) between the years 2000 to 2007. This is a sign of increased bitterness in our nation. There are twenty six (26) recognized hate groups in New York State alone. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols are the tip of this bitterness that continues to grow as people lose faith in their government.

The vigilante actions by many on our borders with Mexico with guns in hand against workers trying to find work in America. These actions are being taken by citizens who have lost faith in their government's ability to secure the border. This is the anti-immigrant attitude that Senator Obama describes. The various local municipal ordinances being passed against undocumented workers are occurring mostly in small American communities not in the big cities.

The border was secure until President William Jefferson Clinton signed NAFTA and subsequently PNTR with China. These trade bills destroyed good union jobs with health benefits and pensions here in America. The North American Free Trade Agreement destroyed Mexican jobs and forced this mass migration north.

The New York Times reported that during the Carey Bush election of 2004, working class people were knowingly voting against their economic interests because of their religious beliefs. The “Hot Button” item at that time was Gay marriage.

The media has given a pass to Senator Clinton regarding her lying about her arrival in Bosnia. You do not forget being shot at and certainly not when you are being shot at with an AK-47 with your only child in tow. This is not a little white lie or the result of sleep deprivation. Her statement is a bold and clear lie. Like her husband before her, she is against trade bills until elected. Your key strategist is working to get a trade bill passed while you are opposed to said bill. Why is the journalist community giving her a pass while continuing to attack Barack Obama for what other people have said or done?

It is important to note that after the Million Man March, crime has gone down significantly. Minister Louis Farrakhan was seated at the White House with Ronald Reagan and recognized for using his influence in the Muslim world to secure the release of Lt. Robert O. Goodman on January 4, 1984. He was invited to Philadelphia by then Mayor Rendell to speak and help heal the racial divide; holding hands, singing and lavishing praise on April 15, 1997. On May 5, 2005, former President Bill Clinton praised Minister Farrakhan and the Millions More Movement describing it as a positive idea.

The media has become bottom feeders and have not helped to elevate the dialogue between the candidates. The American peoples’ issues: Jobs, healthcare, social security, education and the war are more important than the mistakes made while speaking since all must admit to doing that.

F. Christophe Silvera, Secretary – Treasurer, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local #808 22-43 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101
Tel: 917-297-2241, email: fitzverity@aol.com

[res08hao]

the so-called blogger, don frederick, calls ayers an extremist. Hell,,I am an extremist, in that I am for the total beheading and or waterboarding of all liberals. Frederick, ayers was a terrorist, and the fact that you cannot say as much reveals your far left bias. of course it is fitting that you are published in the la times, but you better hurry, it is sinking like a stone.

[Genna]

You left out what happened next. That Obama reminded Hillary Clinton that her husband pardoned and commuted the sentence of two other members of the Weather Underground during the last days of his presidency.

Now if only YOU could be accused of merely 'bad journalism'.

[SGV]

Here we go again. Why don't you focus on the real story from last night's "debate"?

Of the 12,700 comments left on ABC New's web site -- about 1000 to 1 are against them for the way the debates were conducted and of the moderators (Gibson and Stephanopolous) insistence on asking questions Americans DON'T CARE ABOUT! The debate was another example of the incompetent, slanted, trash talking tabloid purveyors, that passes for mainstream journalism nowadays.

Last night's “debate” was a new low in TV broadcasting. Everyone involved in that sham should be sent back to junior college for a remedial course in broadcast journalism. The only thing I came away with after sitting through the first 45 minutes of that tripe was the confirmation of my decision to not get my "news" from mainstream outlets (unfortunately, may now include the L.A. Times -- thank you Zell and Mickey!). Did you not hear the boos from the studio audience at the end?

Broadcast news should stick to doing stories about Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Anything bigger is out of their league.

Americans, and L.A.Times readers deserve far better than this.

[Barney]

Clinton didn't land a blow. Get real. Obama pointed out that Bill pardoned two members of the Weather underground. Clintons colusion with George Stephanopolous backfired. Did you forget that George was Bill Clintons top adviser while he was President? Clintojn thinks we are stupid just like Don Fredrick does.

[tom]

Geeezzzz...
what a waste... more Grove politics.
Like does anyone really think that Obama is a 'bad' man??!
Hillary should just join the Republicans already - at least then she can join more closely with the right wing news media that's killed the countries intelligence (ABC = BS) . Also, give me a break... how much dirt could one bring up about Billary???!! Ha!
tommy