Obama, Byrd, and Illinois Poverty....

[1corona4u]

Interesting article from 2006;

<snip>

"Barack Obama has shown a Midas touch in so many ways that it's easy to forget he's just another new senator. In the past year, the freshman from Illinois has become a best-selling author, a millionaire, a Grammy Award winner and an important fundraiser for Democrats."

The story went on to say Obama has helped raise more than $6.5 million for his political action committee and other Democratic candidates and party committees "as he crisscrosses the country." Obama also is credited with raising more than $800,000 for the re-election bid of 88-year-old West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, through an e-mail message he sent out through MoveOn.org.

As I read the accolades - "a best-selling author, a millionaire, a Grammy Award winner and an important fundraiser for Democrats" - the thought crossed my mind: how exactly does that help me, or for that matter, anybody else in the Land of Lincoln?

Ironically, on the same day the glowing AP story appeared about our senator with the Midas touch, I happened to read another story that illustrated how the hard-working folks in Illinois have not enjoyed nearly as good of a year as Sen. Obama.

Let me explain.

During the past year while Obama was busy becoming a millionaire, penning a best-selling book, winning a Grammy and raising $800,000 for Sen. Byrd, Illinois residents were slowly sinking a little deeper into the hopeless poverty abyss.

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2006/02/16/opinions/columnists/muir/10004594.txt

[jillan]

1. ouch!

[1corona4u]

2. Yeah, no shit...

He'll probably get a pass on this too....I mean, it was a few years ago and all....

[jasmine621]

5. Ahemmmm. nt

[IndianaJones]

3. I hate Byrd. nt.

[1corona4u]

4. Apparently Obama likes him...

or at least he did 2 years ago...

[IndianaJones]

9. Byrd is the worst kind of racist and homophobe. nt.

[1corona4u]

12. I can't even imagine why Obama would come to his aid...

I really can't...not given Byrd's history....

[IndianaJones]

13. I have to spread that blame around to a lot of Democrats. That man is disgusting...

yet he is held up as a hero by many.

[1corona4u]

23. Yeah, he is....

[MadBadger]

6. How much digging did you need to do to find a two year old story?

[1corona4u]

7. I typed 2 words into Google and there it was....

took me all of 32 seconds...

Here's another one;

Senator Gives Big Boost to Byrd; Obama’s Appeal Helps Raise $634,000
by Paul J. Nyden

Early Tuesday afternoon, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., sent an appeal over the Internet urging people to contribute to the re-election campaign of Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.

In less than 24 hours, more than 15,000 contributors gave $634,000 to Byrd’s campaign, according to the National Journal’s daily Internet publication “Hotline.” The average donation was about $42.25.

In Obama’s appeal, sent out by the MoveOn Political Action Committee, he wrote, “In 2006, Senator Byrd will be the target of Republicans because he stands up for what he believes. Will you join me in supporting Senator Byrd’s campaign for re-election, before a critical deadline this Thursday?”


http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0331-11.htm

[sandnsea]

8. His record speaks for itself

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet90/sponsor/OBAMA.html

Health care for kids, increased earned income tax credit, circumventing Bush's overtime laws, hospital report card. Money for historic black colleges.

How in the hell is it Barack Obama's fault that Illinois has a high poverty rate.

[1corona4u]

11. Yeah, you're right....

his record does speak for itself. ....

[AX10]

10. ...

:thumbsdown:

Shame on you Senator.

[Adelante]

30. Shame on Hillary Clinton then

She did a fundraiser in Manhattan for Byrd. General Clark raised money for Byrd. So it's only Obama you scorn?

[AtomicKitten]

14. The Obamas paid off their student loans with the proceeds of his books.

What an effin nightmare, right?

[1corona4u]

16. I think you missed the other point in the article....

You do know who Bryd is, don't you?

[AtomicKitten]

19. Yes, I also remember Robert Byrd was right-on about Iraq, as was Barack.

http://prorev.com/byrdtalk.htm

[1corona4u]

21. So, you're all good with Obama raising money...

for former high ranking member of the KKK?

[AtomicKitten]

24. That was in 1942 when he was 23 years old.

This line of attack on an old man is lame and sad and, really, just downright pathetic for these boards and the Clinton campaign.

[1corona4u]

28. So, again....you're ok with it....

I'm not a Hillary supporter...

[Critters2]

40. You've never changed your mind about anything?

Byrd is one of the few members of Congress who's ever shown any concern about animal cruelty issues. And that wasn't 23 years ago!

[nancyharris]

15. No State comes close

to the amount of poverty in New York.

[Adelante]

17. To clarify, he became a millionaire from writing books

According to the Obamas’ tax return (Obama and Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut are the only candidates to release one), their income hit $1.7 million in 2005 and $991,000 in 2006.

The big boost came from his writing, following the stirring speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention that made him famous.

First came a memoir, “Dreams of My Father,” and later “The Audacity of Hope,” which was on the New York Times bestseller list for 30 weeks.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0712/gallery.candidates.moneymag/5.html

[1corona4u]

18. And...you have nothing to say about the Byrd situation?

[Adelante]

27. A great many Democrats respect Byrd, including many DUers

Despite his earlier history, because of his devotion to the Constitution and brilliant speeches against the Iraq war, and recently against Kyl-Lieberman and any threat of war on Iran. He has said he regrets his past and many people feel 60 years later he's earned the respect he has.

He was under attack by the right wing at the time of all the fundraising, because he compared Repuke Senators to nazis, the GOP had targeted his district with a multimillionaire challenger, and many Democrats supported him through that including raising funds. I know Wes Clark did. He and Obama were the biggest fundraisers for Democrats in 2006 going where they were most needed. Do you not think the party wanted this? The Democrats needed to pick up six seats to gain control of the Senate; they couldn't afford to lose one.

Think what you will, pass your judgmentsm but life is complicated and so is politics.

[Nailzberg]

20. Just so you know the columnist Jim Muir is a right wing douchebag. He's the local Ann Coulter.

We used to call the paper the Southern Illusion back when I lived down there.
This is a guy that didn't acknowledge we were headed in the wrong direction in Iraq until March 2007. Toes the line for Repubs in his columns.

His take on the Roberts nomination:
"Many of the Democrats, including Durbin and Obama, gave vague, convoluted reasons about not knowing enough about Roberts to vote for his confirmation. I think it's interesting to note that the two senators from Illinois are voting "no" alongside the likes of Teddy Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Joseph Biden and John Kerry. Now there's a mainstream, middle-of-the-road crowd, isn't it?"
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2005/09/27/opinions/columnists/muir/13834761.txt

His sexist reply to a female democratic reader:
The voice on the other end of the phone had a somewhat sinister sound. I would describe it as a cross between perturbed and downright angry. As an experienced newspaper hack, I knew immediately the conversation was not going to be a pleasant one.
"You need to lay off the Democrats and it needs to be sooner rather than later," the female caller said in abrupt words.
The male readers this morning - at least the many who have been on the receiving end of a rapid fire stream of words from an irate female - know exactly about the machine gun-style of tongue-lashing I'm talking about.
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2005/06/28/opinions/columnists/muir/12945657.txt

Muir on Durbin re: Guitmo:
Obviously, his attempt to distort what is taking place at Guantanamo is nothing more than another cheap shot at President Bush.
Despite his ill-advised comments, I want to thank Sen. Durbin because he has single-handedly helped me validate a column I wrote a few weeks ago about the Democratic Party not being the same party it was in the past.
Regardless of how he tries to spin it, Durbin's comments are an embarrassment to the good folks of Illinois, as well as the nation and a slap in the face to the military. He might be the senior senator from Illinois, but he does not represent my beliefs.
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2005/06/21/opinions/columnists/muir/104460.txt

[1corona4u]

22. Doesn't matter....

about the writer....facts are facts, and Obama did in fact raise money for Byrd.

[babylonsister]

25. Byrd's been a senator probably longer than you've been alive.

And yes, I know all about his early ties to the KKK, during WWII in the 40s, but there's no need to disparage him. And guess what? He too was against this bullshit 'illegal occupation'. Got that? So find someone else to take your vileness out on.


http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_C._Byrd

Robert Carlyle Byrd is the Senior Senator for the state of West Virginia. He is a Democrat and was first elected in 1958, making him the longest-serving member of the Senate. (map) Byrd is currently the President pro tempore of the Senate, the third in the line of succession for the Presidency, following the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

Opposition to war in Iraq

Byrd was one of the Senate's most outspoken critics of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Bush Doctrine's support of unilateralism and preemptive warfare.

On October 17, 2003, Byrd delivered a speech expressing his concerns about the future of the nation and his unequivocal antipathy to the policies of President Bush. Referencing the Hans Christian Andersen children's tale The Emperor's New Clothes, Byrd said of the president: "the emperor has no clothes." Byrd further lamented the "sheep-like" behavior of the "cowed Members of this Senate" and called on them to oppose the continuation of a "war based on falsehoods."

[1corona4u]

26. Sorry, not buyng the excuse...

no pass...next

Got that.

[babylonsister]

31. Your ignorance is worse than what your're convicting Byrd of.

And you just earned a place on my ever-expanding ignore list. I'm sure I won't miss you! Buh Bye!

[Nailzberg]

34. Sorry, I didn't realize you were attacking a 60+ year Democratic office holder

I misinterpreted your outrage.

[mopinko]

29. he wrote a fucking email

bfd. and yes, i am an admirer of senator byrd. he is an elder statesman of the democratic party. ever heard of them?

[tammywammy]

41. Agreed.

This goes on the list of silly, stupid threads of the day.

[jackson_dem]

32. Come on folks. We can't blame Obama for supporting Byrd

He is a powerful Senator and many other Democrats did. What he can be legitimately attacked for is intervening on behalf of Lieberman against Lamont when lieberman was teetering. No one as progressive as Obama supposedly is would have done that.

[Alexander]

33. Democratic Senators support Democratic Senators. This is stupid.

You have no fucking clue how politics works, apparently.

[1corona4u]

36. Really?

Is Obama supporting Hillary right now? Or do the rules only apply when there isn't a competiton factor?

[Adelante]

42. "Is Obama supporting Hillary right now?"

What?

[1corona4u]

43. The point is,

you can still be in a competition, without being nasty to the other candidates. Hence, supportive in some fashion. Joe Biden didn't demean any other candidates. Obama and Hillary spend all of their time bantering back and forth.

Maybe they should both take a lesson from Joe, on how to be 'supportive' towards their fellow democrats, in a competitive environment.

[cooolandrew]

35. THis is how dynamic he is just for his party, imagine the world.

[cooolandrew]

37. If Barack can do this for snators if president they will be very willing to move legislation.

[cooolandrew]

38. ALSO last week he was called a Reaganite this week he is the best campaigner for dems. Inconsitant.

[cooolandrew]

39. Edwards Hillary Kerry all rich Ilionois(in certain areas) was poor before Obama was senator.

[mopinko]

44. don't tell me, let me guess

english is not your first language, right?