Obama’s own voice may haunt him

Barack Obamahas proved to be a difficult target to hit — just ask Hillary Rodham Clinton. Opposition researchers, though, hope that they’ve found a weapon to wound Obama in his own voice as recorded for the Grammy Award-winning audio version of his 1995 memoir, “Dreams from My Father.”

While candidates often have their own words turned against them in attack ads, it’s one thing to see past statements in block text and something else entirely to hear the same words in the office-seeker’s own voice.

“I think the audio version makes a much more immediate impact” than the print version of his memoir, said conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt, who has played audio excerpts from the book on his syndicated radio show. “It turns out to be very jarring to many ears to hear Obama talking about his youthful adventures, his attitudes on race.”

In “Dreams from My Father,” Obama tells the story of his multiracial background, childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, college career in Los Angeles and New York, and years as a community organizer in Chicago, before entering Harvard Law School in 1988. The abridged audio version was released in May 2005 after Obama entered the Senate and was already being mentioned as a presidential candidate. It won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.

”Dreams from My Father” has been widely acclaimed as an introspective and insightful read far from the anodyne campaign-oriented books politicians often produce, traits that Obama’s critics believe make it ideal for use against the candidate.

In a passage describing his high school experience in Hawaii, for example, Obama explains the allure of drugs: “I kept playing basketball, attended classes sparingly, drank beer heavily, and tried drugs enthusiastically. … If the high didn’t solve whatever it was that was getting you down,” Obama intones, “it could at least help you laugh at the world’s ongoing folly.”

While many voters know that Obama used drugs as a young man, they haven’t heard the senator describe his drug use in those terms, or in his own voice. Nor have they heard him extensively quoting from the first sermon he heard from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., his longtime clergyman whom he renounced during the primary, saying, “The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago."

n one excerpt from the audio book that Hewitt played on his show in March, Obama alters his voice to mimic Wright’s and repeats passages from a sermon decrying a society “where white folks’ greed runs a world in need.” Later Obama says of Wright’s preaching, “I found the tears running down my cheeks.”

More?

Obama’s own voice may haunt him - David Mark and Kenneth P. Vogel - Politico.com

Looks like the Rev Wright's message has indeed played a role in forming Obama's character..

Not since Bill Clinton, has a candidate been this scrutinized by the media.

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Consumption is indeed important in a free economy: particularly the freedom of consumers to buy their goods in unhampered markets. However, key to long-term economic growth is investment (savings), which is the opposite of consumption. Public policies that promote consumption — such as low interest rates — do so at the expense of savings. Less savings means less investments; an economy that does not save or invest will consume all of its resources and eventually end up bankrupt.-David Saied

True, but false...

Never has a candidate that has NOT been vetted through their record and experience had tried for the biggest job in the world...

With every other candidate in the last 60 years; you KNEW where they stood...And I'm not talking about "words"...I'm talking through their legislative actions are their experience running a state...

Obama has none of that...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

Then why aren't they publishing his plans and ideas on issues? I don't care about this tired old stuff. What I want the media to report is Obama's plans vs. McCain's plans. Why do I care if he smoked marijuana and liked it and has fond memories of drinking with his friends like any young person? This isn't "vetting" anything but a bunch of personal habits and memories.
Bush didn't have any qualifications at all as I recall. Yes governor of a state where his daddy was governor. And he drank and did dope till his wife threatened to leave him. And he quit drinking and drugging. And I'm happy for the both of them, but all that didn't tell me a thing about how he would react in different situations as POTUS. It was the reality of Katrina and 9-11 and much more that told me what he was made of. And because he had no military record to speak of.
I still don't know as much as I'd like to about either candidate, and November will be here before you know it. I wish everybody who owned a pen or a laptop didn't think the public was just dying for their "take" on every inch of news that is out there.

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Consumption is indeed important in a free economy: particularly the freedom of consumers to buy their goods in unhampered markets. However, key to long-term economic growth is investment (savings), which is the opposite of consumption. Public policies that promote consumption — such as low interest rates — do so at the expense of savings. Less savings means less investments; an economy that does not save or invest will consume all of its resources and eventually end up bankrupt.-David Saied

"plans" don't mean crap if you have a history of doing otherwise...

perfect example...

Obama CLAIMS he's for unity and lives in a post-racial world...

IF we took him at his word, he could swing it...

But instead of simply taking him at his word, we now find that he's spent the last 20 years of his life listening to his "spiritual mentor" use vulgar and racially charged commentary against both his country and other races while Obama sat there silently while telling the world what a great man his pastor is...

What do "plans" mean when there's no teeth behind it?...What are "plans" to someone if they've shown to live their lives against the grain of their plans?...

And you don't think they should be questioned?!?...

I would agree IF they have a solid record otherwise...You could point to a Joe Biden or Tom Tancredo and see that they've lived past their "youthful indiscretions" based on their experience in Congress and/or other history...Somebody who did pot or something else when they were 25 doesn't mean much now if they've been in Washington politics for the last 20 years...We KNOW that's not the way they live life now...

But Obama does not HAVE that record or experience...He's a guy who has less than 4 years in the Senate, and half of that he's been campaigning instead of doing his work for his constituency...We simply don't know his "youthful indiscretions", and we have no way of knowing if the impact on them has left a lasting effect...

As I've said LONG before this primary got under way...Being a Governor gets automatic points...If Bush was horrible as a governor, he'd have never made it to the Republican nomination in the first place...But he was actually successful as a Governor (and of a state that would be considered in the top 25 of global economies)...That's even better than Mitt Romney or Bill Richardson...

Unfortunately, we don't have a Governor as a candidate right now, so we're making do with what we've got...

With McCain, everyone already knows the scoop...he's been around for 20 years...Like Hillary, there wasn't much new information to be digested...

But with Obama, EVERYTHING is new, so the fine tooth comb's been working overtime...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

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Consumption is indeed important in a free economy: particularly the freedom of consumers to buy their goods in unhampered markets. However, key to long-term economic growth is investment (savings), which is the opposite of consumption. Public policies that promote consumption — such as low interest rates — do so at the expense of savings. Less savings means less investments; an economy that does not save or invest will consume all of its resources and eventually end up bankrupt.-David Saied

I thought that warranted saying again.
These days, I just chuckle whenever I see somebody call Obama a racist.
I laugh whenever people try to paint him as a racial divider.
Obama's speech on race was incredible. And the closest I've seen anybody try to approach it so far is to read into ONE part of it, proclaiming all sorts of junk which is never even really hinted at.
I think people on the right would call him "white" if they thought it would lose Obama some votes...

We've got people who complain about Obama "modifying" the presidential seal, but a sitting president misrepresenting the intelligence to provoke us to go to war, and lying about how much it will cost and how long we will be there, doesn't bother them...
And then compare the Clinton Kosovo criticism from Reblicans to the Bush Iraq defense from Republicans. 180 degree whiplash!
WTF???


Plus, this whole junk about knowing his voting by his record?
What's McCain's record say about him?
I'm talking about his ACTUAL record. Not just the latest stuff he's done, but the "before" McCain...

McCain has done almost a complete 180 on his voting record to make himself look like a mini-Bush.
But the Republicans don't mind...

I am starting to think we are too close to the forest for the trees. Some of this debate is starting to remind me of a bunch of teenage rants. So and so said blank. So he's in big trouble. I'm telling.
I am tired of the level of discourse. And its a funtion of this election taking too god damn long to finish. We know these two guys as much as we need to to make our decisions. Now they next few months will only accomplish making these two less palatable to any of us. So that by the time they are elected the rancor will be so bad that nothing will be accomplished. And we will be waiting to do it again.

Yes yes yes...

The "right" would do that...Never the Left...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

I have no difficulty condemning BOTH sides for their actions.
In fact, I think it was somebody on the left who did say he wasn't "black enough"...
It's deplorable no matter who does it.

But in my post, I was recounting a continuing trend in Republican politics.
This forum has shown incredible bile towards Obama at an incredible rapid fire intensity.
Thanks for ignoring my point...