Gawsh - Looks like lotsa Repubs are associated with Ayres as wll.

[Knutey]

Thu, 10/09/2008 - 3:34pm — John Martin

 
The more the McCain campaign tries to tie Barack to William Ayers, the more ridiculous they look.  But hey-- at least the economy is doing well!

After his stupid, youthful days with the Weather Underground organization, William Ayers became a normal, productive member of society.  After recieving his PhD in the 1980's, he became a professor of education at the University of Illinois, wrote 15 books, and served as an advisor to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.  As Daley told the New York Times recently, "He's done a lot of good things in this city and nationally...  This is 2008.  People make mistakes.  You judge a person by his whole life."

In 1995, Bill Ayers was part of a team that helped create the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, an education reform project that worked with half of Chicago's public schools.  Barack Obama, then working as an attorney and law school professor, was elected chairman of the eight-member board of the CAC.  The board included individuals of diverse political backgrounds, including Ray Romero, the President of Ameritech; Stanley Ikenberry, the former President of the University of Illinois; and Republican Arnold Weber, who had served in the Nixon White House.



Arnold Weber-- Republican.  Donated to John McCain.  Worked with William Ayers

In their best efforts to portray Barack as out of the mainstream, some on the right have tried characterizing the Chicago Annenberg Challenge as a dangerous fringe organization.  What they do not discuss is the fact that the CAC was funded by a foundation belonging to Walter Annenberg, the billionaire Republican philanthropist who served as Richard M. Nixon's ambassador to the U.K.  Annenberg and his wife, Leonore, gave the CAC $50 million in the 90's.

 

The Annenbergs-- Republicans.  Bankrolled William Ayers with $50 million

But Walter and Leonore weren't just giving money to educational foundations started by William Ayers.  They were also giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Republican National Committee and various other Republican groups, as well as to a whole host of Republican candidates, including the following:

George W. Bush       $4000
Mitt Romney       $5000
Strom Thurmond       $1000
Fred Thompson       $500
Rick Santorum       $3000
 

Rick Santorum-- former Republican Senator.  Received $3000 from Ayers' backers.

Why would billionaire Republican philanthropists give millions of dollars to a program that was working with William Ayers?  Why would George W., Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and all those other Republicans accept money from the people who were funding this William Ayers-associated group?  Why won't McCain discuss these connections between the Republican Party and Ayers?

Here's the icing on the cake: just yesterday, the McCain campaign put out a press release bragging about the fact that Leonore Annenberg has endorsed him for president.  Yes, you heard it-- a McCain backer bankrolled William Ayers with millions of dollars.

More icing: You know that Republican Arnold Weber I mentioned earlier?  The one that served on the board of the CAC with Barack?  Not only did he work with William Ayers in the 90's, he has also donated at least $1000 to the McCain campaign.  That's right-- McCain is accepting money from associates of William Ayers, and so far has not given the money back.

I'm feeling a little cheated.  Months ago I was promised an October surprise.  It's already October 9th, and all I've heard is that Barack knows a guy who's been working with McCain supporters and Republicans since the mid 90's.

Technorati Tags: William Ayers Leonore Annenberg Arnold Weber Barack Obama


http://www.republicansforobama.org/?q=node/3027

[BT]

Since who associated with Ayers is not the issue but who has been extremely unforthcoming (That would be Obama for those not keeping score) about their relationship with Ayers then this article is nothing but a diversion.

[sirs]

Since who associated with Ayers is not the issue but who has been extremely unforthcoming (That would be Obama for those not keep score) about their relationship with Ayers then this article is nothing but a diversion.

Isn't that the SOP?

[Michael Tee]

As a matter of PR, Obama should (IMHO) have come out swinging in favour of Ayers from day one and attacked his attackers as witch-hunters and Red-baiters, the heirs of Senator McCarthy.  He loses points for not doing so. 

But does anyone seriously believe that the public is going to be shocked that Obama tried to dodge some of that mud being thrown at him?  That this will be a major factor in this election?  You are really clutching at straws if you think at a time like this, the public is going to turn a little defensive obfuscation into a major credibility problem and game-changer when they have so much on their plates already.  I think they can understand that any politician attempts to minimize contacts that are perceived as liabilities, that Obama's reluctance to come forward, bare his breast and enumerate every single link he ever had to Ayers, is not exactly surprising behaviour in any politician.

You're missing something in evaluating credibility.  The whole Ayers-based attack is tainted in itself.  It didn't become a credibility issue till Obama, in the eyes of his attackers, didn't come clean at the outset.  In its origins, when launched by its perpetrators, the attack was pure guilt-by-association, a slimy and unethical attack, based on an association with a man who had been a model citizen for literally decades, doubly contemptible as a smear of both the "rehabilitated" Ayers and of Obama for associating with him.

There is a huge difference between failing to come clean about a legitimate cause of concern - - had the accusations concerned, for example, an association with a Mafia capo - - and failing to come clean regarding an unethical smear.  If the smear itself is unethical and morally tainted, the obligation to respond to it in an ethical way remains as strong as ever, but the public mind will not become upset over a failure to take the high road in such circumstances because of a very strong feeling that "you fight fire with fire."  Coming clean gives ammunition to guys who stop at nothing in their attacks, so in a way is foolishly and naively assisting in allowing evil to triumph over good.

I guess in my roundabout and verbose way I am trying to say that in an election campaign, the public is smart enough to apply situational ethics as they themselves would likely apply them, rather than getting all bent out of shape over a politician lowering himself a very little bit in response to an attack coming at him straight out of the gutter.  They sense the hypocrisy in sirs' and BT's faked outrage at a less-than-100%-credible response to a grossly unethical attack.

[Knutey]

Since who associated with Ayers is not the issue but who has been extremely unforthcoming (That would be Obama for those not keeping score) about their relationship with Ayers then this article is nothing but a diversion.

Hoping that any silly fib will derail O at this late stage is as wishful thinking as y'all thinking you could actually get Bill out of office over a blow job. Bill's popularity went up probly because of your obsessive hatred and silliness. Not even one of your big lies can affect him at this late stage. More more shit McCain throws the more he ends up stinking. Look at what happened to nearly all of the house impeachment mismanagers. Keeristy One of them had to become a libertarian.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Since who associated with Ayers is not the issue but who has been extremely unforthcoming (That would be Obama for those not keep score) about their relationship with Ayers then this article is nothing but a diversion.

Isn't that the SOP?

=============================================
The entire Ayers flap is a diversion. Ayers is no longer a villain. It is therefore totally unimportant what the relationship he had with Obama was, since Ayers has ceased to be a threat to anyone. On the contratry, he has become an asset to his university, to his readers, to his students and to the country.

It would not matter even a teensy-weensy bit what Obama said, the chuckleheads who drone on and on and on about this would never support Obama anyway. It is a total non issue.

[sirs]

Since who associated with Ayers is not the issue but who has been extremely unforthcoming (That would be Obama for those not keep score) about their relationship with Ayers then this article is nothing but a diversion.

Isn't that the SOP?
=============================================
The entire Ayers flap is a diversion. Ayers is no longer a villain. It is therefore totally unimportant what the relationship he had with Obama was, since Ayers has ceased to be a threat to anyone.

And that's called a diversion, since NO ONE IS MAKING THE CLAIM that Ayers is some current terrorist threat

[Xavier_Onassis]

And that's called a diversion, since NO ONE IS MAKING THE CLAIM that Ayers is some current terrorist threat



Since that is the case, Ayers is no threat, and neither could anyone he associates be a threat. The diversion is that you keep yammering on and on and on about it, as though it were meaningful to anyone. Palin brought this up, but she is a trained seal and knows nothing beyond what her trainers tell her, so that is hardly any reason. This is not an issue to anyone except clowns who would not vote for Obama under any circumstances.

[sirs]

And that's called a diversion, since NO ONE IS MAKING THE CLAIM that Ayers is some current terrorist threat

Since that is the case, Ayers is no threat

Since it's only you saying it, SHOW US where anyone IS CLAIMING THAT AYERS IS A CURRENT TERRORIST THREAT.  Ball in your court, big fella.  Time to back it up the accusation

[Xavier_Onassis]

Time to back it up the accusation


Back it up what the accusation?   

Accusation none there is to back it up.

Stupid they are who keep running their mouths about this.

Sense they do not make.

Reason to harp on this exists it not.

[richpo64]

He's lapsed into Yoda.

Somebody get a nurse.

[sirs]

Time to back it up the accusation

Back it up what the accusation?   

Now you're pleading "dense"??  We'll try to make this simple.  You're implying that that Ayers relationship to Obama is being brought up to asscoiate Obama with some apparent dangerous terrorist.  Show us anywhere, where the issue is the danger of Ayers, as a current "threat" of domestic terrorism.  We've been trying to be kind, reminding you that this has never been about Ayers, it's always been about Obama's lack of being up front, yet there you go continuing to bring up Ayers as currently "no threat", when again, WAS NEVER THE ISSUE. 

So, your accusation is that "Since that is the case" (that Ayers is some sort of current terrorist threat), up to you to back it up

[BT]

The entire Ayers flap is a diversion. Ayers is no longer a villain.

And Obama still hasn't come completely clean.

and that is the definition of an ongoing coverup.

If he lies about the small stuff, what will he do about the big stuff, like tax cuts for 95% of all working americans.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Why is Ayers an issue at all if he is no threat?

If Ayers is just some guy Obama knows, why must Obama give a detailed description of the relationship? If Obama had the Ayers babysit, it important whether they were paid in dollars, or they just got to raid the icebox? Must we know how much they were paid, or their preference for pizza toppings and soft drinks?

What is the importance? Why should anyone care?

[Plane]

Ayers is no longer a villain. It is therefore totally unimportant ...........

Dohrn plea-bargained to charges of inciting to mob action and resisting police officers. She was sentenced to three years' probation and a $1,500 fine. Ayers was not charged. Even then he showed a way with words: "Guilty as hell, free as a bird—America is a great country," he said.

   Stomping on the flag is not criminal , because we have not made it illegal, it is a dastardly insult to the people of the USA , but that it is leagal to give dastardly insult to the people is probably a good idea.

   It is better than when he hid in the shadows and planted bombs to show his displeasure with us , nowadays he is an unprosicuteable admitted felon and an educational leader in the city of Chicago.