Barack Obama's Farrakhan Problem

Barack Obama pedals away after responding to John McCain's charge that he lacks experience and maturity on matters of foreign policy and national security. Note: this site regularly posts humorous photos related to the Obama campaign -- scroll down to see.

In the Washington Post Op Ed section on January 15, 2008, Richard Cohen wrote an excellent piece about Barack Obama's uncomfortably close relation to Nation of Islam head Louis Farrakhan. In the recent debate, Obama said he "rejects" Farrakhan's strong support of his candidacy -- and then, when pressed, relunctantly said he also "denounces" the Black Muslim leader's anti-Semitic views.

Here's what Richard Cohen said about the issue:

"[Farrakhan] has vilified whites and singled out Jews to blame for crimes large and small, either committed by others as well or not at all. (A dominant role in the slave trade, for instance.) He has talked of Jewish conspiracies to set a media line for the whole nation. He has reviled Jews in a manner that brings Hitler to mind."

"And yet [Obama's minister and spiritual advisor Jeremiah] Wright heaped praise on Farrakhan. According to Trumpet [magazine, a Wright-organization publication], he applauded his 'depth of analysis when it comes to the racial ills of this nation." He praised 'his integrity and honesty.' He called him 'an unforgettable force, a catalyst for change and a religious leader who is sincere about his faith and his purpose.'"

"These are the words of a man [Wright] who prayed with Obama just before the Illinois senator announced his run for the presidency. Will he pray with him just before his inaugural?"

"I don't for a moment think that Obama shares Wright's views on Farrakhan. But the rap on Obama is that he is a fog of a man. We know little about him, and, for all my admiration of him, I wonder about his mettle. The New York Times recently reported on Obama's penchant while serving in the Illinois legislature for merely voting "present" [on 130 controversial issues] when faced with some tough issues. Farrakhan, in a strictly political sense, may be a tough issue for him. This time, though, 'present' will not do."

Steve says: Hillary Clinton has accused the press -- correctly -- of not pressing Obama on difficult matters, including Farrakhan's strong support of him. Specifically, media types have refused to ask Obama where he agrees with Farrakhan -- and where he doesn't. Why exactly should the Senator and, for that matter, his controversial wife, be immune from the hard questions posed to every other candidate.

Obama has mentioned that he can't be anti-Semitic because he has gained strong support from Jews in Illinois and nationally. However, his Jewish supporters, such as his national finance Chair Penny Pritzker, are far-Left types who tend to blame Israel for many of the problems in the region. .

Obama's heavy financial support from MoveOn.org's anti-Israel legions.

(Note: Ms. Pritzker, from Chicago, is one of the wealthy financial speculators who bears responsibility for the subprime mortage crisis.)

Richard Cohen describes Obama as "a fog of a man." In other words, it's often hard to tell where the incredibly glib, but insubstantial, Illinois Senator stands on any issue.

Consider Obama's recent statement (in the last debate) that he might re-invade Iraq if al Qaeda "establishes a base" there! That from the critic of George W. Bush's invasion of Saddam's nation. As John McCain pointed out, it apparently comes as news to Obama that al Qaeda already has a base in Iraq. Obama's response was to talk about mistakes made in 2002, which tells us nothing about what he would do in 2008 and 2009.

With Obama ready to invade our ally Pakistan, a country with nuclear weapons, and to re-invade Iraq, he doesn't sound much like the anti-War candidate. In fact, he sounds like someone making it up as he goes along.

Here's the link to Richard Cohen's article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/14/AR2008011402083.html

CAN PENNSYLVANIA REVERSE ITS DECLINE?

NOTE: MY NEXT COLUMN WILL APPEAR FRIDAY MORNING (JAN. 4). I'M FIGHTING A HEAD COLD, AND IT HAS BEEN WINNING!


Murtha, the human equivalent of the Johnstown Flood

In recent years, as Pennsylvania has become "Bluer," more Democratic, the state has accelerated its long decline. Here's how Michael Barone's and Richard Cohen's The Almanac of American Politics, 2008 edition, puts it:

"[The state has had] the slowest population growth of any major state. There were 9.5 million Pennsylvanians in 1930, 12.4 million in 2006. Pennsylvania cast 36 electoral votes for Franklin Roosevelt in 1940, and 21 for John Kerry in 2004; it had 30 congressmen, as many as California, in 1960, but now has 19 to California's 53. People growing up here are as likely to leave the state as stay, and few out-of-staters move in. Pennsylvania looks and sounds more like it did in the 1940s than any other major state. With the significant difference that Pennsylvania in 1940 had lots of young people, while the Pennsylvania of 2006 has the second largest elderly population (after Florida) of any state."

The Median Household Income (MHI) in Pennsylvania is about $2,000 less annually than the U.S. average. Tuition costs at public colleges and universities are the highest of any state. The state has many fine institutions of higher education, but as Barone and Cohen point out, there are few jobs for graduates -- and many have to leave the state to find decent jobs.

In the congressional districts centered in the two large cities -- the 1st and 2nd districts in Philadelphia and the 14th District in Pittsburgh -- the MHIs are $10,000-plus below the Pennsylvania average and more than $11,000 below national averages. The seats in the 1st, 2nd, and 14th Districts are extremely "safe" for Democrats.

What about another traditionally safe seat -- that of Rep. Jack Murtha in the 12th District? There, population growth has not just been slow, but rather non-existent. Barone and Cohen estimate there's been a decline of 17,000 residents since the turn of the century. Population in Murtha's hometown of Johnstown has been in decline for two generations -- and has fallen about 6% since the year 2000.

When Murtha was born 75 years ago, the population of Johnstown was more than 60,000, but now it's just over 20,000. As a leader, unfortunately, he's been the human equivalent of the Johnstown Flood.

The MHI in the 12th is $30,600, almost exactly the same as in inner-city Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It has been a depressed area, and there's little prospect that will change under its current Congressman, John Murtha.

What jobs have been created in the Johnstown area are the type that result from short-term government handouts ("earmarks") and that rarely outlast the tenure of a powerful congressman. They're the kind of jobs not available to most recent graduates.

Murtha gets great credit for all he's "done" for the 12th District -- and especially Johnstown. A critic would say that Murtha has driven such a huge number of people -- especially the young -- from Johnstown that unemployment appears to be relatively low (although still higher than national averages).

Some Republicans in Pennsylvania, particularly the 12th, throw up their hands. They'll tell you that Murtha is an "icon," that he's the "savior" of his district. Of course, the facts are very different.

He's handed out hundreds of millions in earmarks, and the main beneficiaries have been corporate executives, high-priced professionals, and lobbyists. One lobbying group headed by a former Murtha aide (PMA Group, led by Paul Magliochetti) has given him over a million dollars in contributions. They certainly didn't do so for his expertise in good government or his talents in job creation.

The points I've been making about Murtha aren't easy ones to get across to typical voters. However, when many people are relatively poor and short on prospects, they know it, much as they might wish things were otherwise.

Can Bill Russell win against an entrenched, cash-rich incumbent like Murtha? He can if he can raise enough money to get his message across and mobilize supporters who know the real story in Pennsylvania generally -- and in the 12th District particularly.

Everyone who cares about the future of Pennsylvania and the 12th District wishes Russell well.