Barack Obama and Bill Ayers? Not Likely...
October 6, 2008 Let's set a few things straight here. The claim that Barack Obama is more "radical" than he lets on, simply because of a supposed association with William Ayers is absolute denigration. I've taken the time to sift through quite a heap of newspaper articles and records, as well as online searches to come up with the following:
- During the time of the Weather Underground bombings (1969 - early seventies), Senator Obama was only 8 to 9 years old. (Senator Obama was born on August 4, 1961.)
- Senator Obama and Bill ayers did serve together in an organization called Woods Fund of Chicago, which was an anti-poverty organization, from 1999 to 2002.
- It is true that Bill Ayers donated $200 to Senator Obama's re-election fund (Illinois State Senate) in 2001. $200 doesn't really much seem like an earth-shattering amount. (By many accounts, Senator Obama was well-liked and respected, and it would be difficult to find someone who hadn't donated to his cause.)
- Also interesting to note, Former President Bill Clinton commuted the sentences of two convicted Weather Underground members. Ayers was never convicted.
Are these the "associations" the McCain campaign is trying to hammer into people's minds? Because in my view, they don't actually seem to add up to anything other than circumstance. This "guilty by association" line of thought wouldn't seem to do anyone any good. In that case, logic would dictate that McCain should be held accountable for his association with Watergate burglar G. Gordon Libby. I should hope that Senator McCain doesn't condone conspiracy, or burglary. John McCain Finds His Own Radical. It is odd that so few people would take it without bothering to check the facts. We can't take anything at face value these days, so it's always good to check your facts.
UPDATE: In light of recent comments, I feel the need to further clarify my viewpoint, and add further information that I think is relevant to this conversation. I don't generally make it a habit of adding to my posts, but I think this time I'll make an exception.
***First off, I (possibly wrongly) assumed that the Annenberg I found referenced was the foundation that produced the public education materials. I have since read further into the project, and can see that the two in question did indeed serve together on the CAC board. Barack Obama was the first chairman on the CAC board. However, I don't necessarily see that these happenstance circumstances tie the two together in a politically significant way. I don't see that they were friends. Colleagues, perhaps, but not friends. You don't have to be friends (or even agree) with the people you work with.
I wasn't primarily interested in finding evidence of contributions to political campaigns. I was more interested in finding any evidence of sympathy for the causes Ayers had championed in the late sixties/early seventies. There is no such evidence that Senator Obama condoned these behaviors. There is, however, evidence that he publicly denounced any such radical acts of violence.
As for ACORN, I can find nothing that implies that Senator Obama actually served as an organizer, trainer, or worked with any other capacity within ACORN. It is also widely assumed that Project Vote was associated with ACORN, which it was not. What is true is that Senator Obama served as lawyer in a successful lawsuit with the Department of Justice against Illinois to force compliance with federal voting access law. The Department of Justice and Barack Obama worked together on behalf of ACORN.
Perhaps most famously, Ken Blackwell may be one of the figureheads behind the Obama/ACORN association, but there seems to be little to no basis for this line of attack. Blackwell had already made a name for himself by being both Ohio Secretary of State and chair of George Bush’s Ohio election campaign. His judgment and reliability seem questionable in light of these facts.
For convenience and clarification, I'm posting links to the various sources from which I'm pulling information, and some of the articles themselves. If you have an opposing point of view, and articles or information that are relevant, please post them! I'll be more than happy to read and consider the information contained within. I have no qualms with entertaining opposing viewpoints. I make no claims that I'm always right or perfect, and can make mistakes.***
OBAMA/AYERS
New York Times,
Associated Press, CNN, New York Times,
Washington Post, Detroit Free-Press, Chicago Sun-Times
OBAMA/ACORN
BARACK WAS PRAISED FOR COMPLETE PROJECT VOTE; ACORN WAS NOT INVOLVED
Obama’s Voter Registration Drive Registered 150,000 New Voters, The Highest Number of a Single Local Effort. In 1993, Crain’s Chicago
wrote of Obama’s effort to register voters for Bill Clinton’s election,
“Last year, Barack Obama galvanized Chicago’s political community, as
no seasoned politico had before. The director of Illinois Project Vote
orchestrated an unwieldy band of 10 staff members and 700 volunteers to
the tune of 150,000 new voters for the general election — the highest
number registered in a single local effect. ‘Under Barack’s leadership,
we had the most successful, cost-effective and orderly voter
registration drive I’ve ever been involved with,’ says Alderman Sam
Burrell of the West Side’s 29th Ward.” [Crain’s Chicago Business, 9/27/93]
Chicago Magazine: Obama Headed “Most Effective Minority Voter Registration Drive.” Chicago
Magazine reported, “None of this, of course, was accidental. The most
effective minority voter registration drive in memory was the result of
careful handiwork by Project Vote!, the local chapter of a
not-for-profit national organization. "It was the most efficient
campaign I have seen in my 20 years in politics," says Sam Burrell,
alderman of the West Side’s 29th Ward and a veteran of many
registration drives. At the head of this effort was a little-known
31-year-old African-American lawyer, community organizer, and writer:
Barack Obama.” [Chicago Magazine, 1/93]National Project Vote Director Sandy Newman: Obama Did “One Hell of a Job.” Chicago
Magazine reported, ““Project Vote! is nonpartisan, strictly
nonpartisan. But we do focus our efforts on minority voters, and on
states where we can explain to them why their vote will matter. Braun
made that easier in Illinois.” So [Sandy] Newman decided to open a Cook
County Project Vote! office and went looking for someone to head it.
The name Barack Obama surfaced. “I was asking around among community
activists in Chicago and around the country, and they kept mentioning
him,” Newman says. Obama by then was working with church and community
leaders on the West Side, and he was writing a book that the publisher
Simon & Schuster had contracted for while he was editor of the law
review. He was 30 years old. When Newman called, Obama agreed to put
his other work aside. “I’m still not quite sure why,” Newman says.
“This was not glamorous, high-paying work. But I am certainly grateful.
He did one hell of a job.” [Chicago Magazine, 1/93]Obama Trained Registrars And Ran Media Saturation Campaign. Chicago
Magazine reported, “Within a few months, Obama, a tall, affable
workaholic, had recruited staff and volunteers from black churches,
community groups, and politicians. He helped train 700 deputy
registrars, out of a total of 11,000 citywide. And he began a
saturation media campaign with the help of black-owned Brainstorm
Communications.” [Chicago Magazine, 1/93]Close Daley Advisor: “Barack Ran This Superbly.” Chicago
Magazine reported, “Some of Daley’s closest advisers are similarly
impressed. “In its technical demands, a voter-registration drive is not
unlike a mini-political campaign,” says John Schmidt, chairman of the
Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and a fundraiser for Project
Vote! “Barack ran this superbly. I have no doubt he could run an
equally good political campaign if that’s what he decided to do next.””
[Chicago Magazine, 1/93]Project Vote Credited With Voter Registration Surge. The
Wall Street Journal reported, “Voting experts at the Democratic
National Committee point to surging registration in several big cities,
such as Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia. Most of that work has been
done by the nonpartisan Project Vote, a voter participation
organization based in Washington, D.C. Its director, Sandy Newman, says
his group has helped to register 150,000 new voters, almost all of them
black, in Pennsylvania; 110,000 in Chicago; 70,000 in Michigan; 40,000
in Ohio; and 160,000 (with the help of the New York Public Interest
Research Group) in New York City. With the exception of New York, where
Mr. Clinton holds a big lead, these are all battleground states, and
most of these voters will cast their ballots for Mr. Clinton.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/30/92]Chicago Sun Times Headline: “‘Project Vote’ Brings Power to the People.” The
Chicago Sun-Times reported, “Project Vote, a collectivity of 10
church-based community organizations dedicated to black voter
registration, is off and running. Project Vote is increasing its rolls
at a 7,000-per-week clip. Just last Saturday it registered 2,000 during
the Chicago Defender’s annual Bud Billiken Parade.” [Chicago Sun-Times, 8/11/92]BARACK REPRESENTED ACORN IN A VOTER RIGHTS CASE AS AN ATTORNEY
Obama And Other Attorneys Represented ACORN In Their Suit Against The State Of Illinois To Force It To Implement The 1993 Motor Voter Law. In 2007, the AP reported, “Representing the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN),
Obama and other attorneys sued the state of Illinois, forcing it to
implement federal ‘Motor Voter’ legislation that makes it easier for
the poor and minorities to register to vote.” According the U.S. Court
Of Appeals, 7th Circuit docket for ACORN v.
Edgar, “Appellees, United States and others, sought to force appellant
State of Illinois to comply with the provisions of the National
Registration Act of 1993 (motor voter law)…The United States District
Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted the United States
an injunction that compelled the State of Illinois to enforce the motor
voter law. The State of Illinois appealed…On appeal, the State of
Illinois argued that Congress could not force state governments to
administer a federal program that facilitated the registration of
voters in federal elections. The court stated that Congress had the
power to regulate federal elections under the powers granted by [the
U.S. Constitution] mandated the states to initially set up the system
of federal elections within their own jurisdiction, subject to the
whims of Congress. The court found that these powers and mandates
implicitly extended to voter registration as well. [AP, 2/20/07; ACORN, et al v. Edgar, Nos. 95-1800, 95-1801, 95-1802, 95-1803]
Obama Was One Of Three Miner Barnhill Attorneys To Represent ACORN When The Illinois State Board Of Elections Attempted To Dismiss The U.S. District Court’s Order In ACORN v. Edgar In Late 1995. Miner Barnhill Attorneys Obama, Judson Miner, and Jeffrey Cummings were listed as Counsel for ACORN when the Illinois State Board Of Elections attempted to dismiss the U.S. District Court’s order in ACORN
v. Edgar in November 1995. On January 26, 1996, the U.S. Court Of
Appeals denied the Board’s motion. According to the court’s opinion,
“The court dismissed the appeal of defendant governor and other state
officials because the district court had not issued a final order from
which an appeal could be brought. [ACORN v. Illinois State Board Of Elections, et al. No. 95-3456, U.S. Court Of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]
Obama Was Listed As The Lead Attorney For ACORN
In Court Proceeding Regarding Illinois Motor Voter Implementation
Plans; Deval Patrick Was The Lead Attorney For The U.S. Department Of
Justice. “For United States of America: Deval L. Patrick,
Assistant Attorney General, James B. Burns, United States Attorney,
Elizabeth Johnson, Barry H. Weinberg, Tricia A. Tingle, Peter A.
Hernandez, Attorneys, Voting Section, Civil Rights Division, Department
of Justice, Washington, DC….For Association of Community Organizations
for Reform Now, Barack Obama, Esq., Davis, Miner, Barnhill &
Galland, Chicago, Illinois, Steve Bachmann, Esq., ACORN, Granger, Indiana.” [ACORN v. Edgar, United States District Court, Northern District, Illinois, No. 95 C 174]
1995: Obama Received The IVI-IPO Legal Eagle Award For IVI-IPO For His Work In Bringing Illinois Into Compliance With The Motor Voter Law. “In
1993, Obama was named by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of “40 under
40” outstanding young leaders in the city of Chicago. He is the
recipient of the 1995 Legal Eagle Award from IVI-IPO
for his work in bringing Illinois into compliance with the National
Voter Registration Act (Motor-Voter). His commentaries have been heard
on National Public Radio and his memoir Dreams of My Father was
published by Random House in August 1995.” [IL State Senate Majority
Caucus Obama Profile (Archived) available here]
Politics
Reader Comments (8)
And ACORN.
And all the money that Obama and company spread around for public education in Chicago was an abject failure. So much for an outstanding record as a community organizer.
There was more than a casual relationship between these two. If he's proud of his relationships and the 'success' of his earlier career, he should stand up and be proud of those relationships and accomplishments. Instead, the Tennessee two step. Looking forward to this brand of leadership!
BTW, what does the commuting of sentences of two Weather Underground members by President Clinton have to do with Ayers relationship with Obama?
Mad
I wasn't primarily interested in finding evidence of contributions to political campaigns. I was more interested in finding any evidence of sympathy for the causes Ayers had championed in the late sixties/early seventies. There is no such evidence that Senator Obama condoned these behaviors. There is, however, evidence that he publicly denounced any such radical acts of violence.
As for ACORN, I can find nothing that ties Senator Obama actually served as an organizer, trainer, or worked with any other capacity within ACORN. It is also widely assumed that Project Vote was associated with ACORN, which it was not. What is true is that Senator Obama served as lawyer in a successful lawsuit with the Department of Justice against Illinois to force compliance with federal voting access law. The Department of Justice and Barack Obama worked together on behalf of ACORN.
Perhaps most famously, Ken Blackwell may be one of the figureheads behind the Obama/ACORN association, but there seems to be little to no basis for this line of attack. Blackwell had already made a name for himself by being both Ohio Secretary of State and chair of George Bush’s Ohio election campaign. His judgment and reliability seems questionable in light of these facts.
For convenience and clarification, I'm posting links to the various sources from which I'm pulling information, and some of the articles themselves. If you have an opposing point of view, and articles or information that are relevant, please post them! I'll be more than happy to read and consider the information contained within. I have no qualms with entertaining opposing viewpoints. I make no claims that I'm always right or perfect, and can make mistakes.***
It is true that Ayers was never convicted, but he has publicly and recently reaffirmed his radical views. The Annenberg Grants were the subject of fierce national competition for half a billion dollars in total. Bill Ayers personally championed the cause of bringing these funds to Chicago. Once successful, he turned over control of the fund to Obama.
You can choose to turn a blind eye, but I see a huge political favor in this. Obama as a political animal was, if not created by Bill Ayers, heavily supported and promoted.
Onward. I don't think I'm choosing to turn a blind eye, and I'm certainly not arguing the fact that Obama may be/have been supported/promoted by Ayers, but I don't necessarily agree that he was created by or supports Ayers or his causes. I also don't think I'm being overly generous to politicians or to Senator Obama. His reversal of his FISA stance, for one, is something that I can't agree with or condone. I don't think he did the right thing. There is also some back-peddling when it came to his view on the pull-out of troops. However, there are many other fundamental issues on the table here.
But as loose-knit or close-knit you view these associations, there are also others to consider. Todd Palin, spouse of the current Republican VP candidate was involved in an anti-American, pro-secessionist Alaskan political party. That seems like a liability. McCain was also a chair in USCWF, responsible for the Iran-Contra affair, and while that affair didn't break until 1986, and McCain resigned in 1984, he was very much there in 1981, when American Embassy employees were held as hostages. So he may have been part of the process that led up to this event. Some may see that as weak correlation, but I think it's no further a stretch than linking Obama to actions committed by Ayers when Obama was 8.
Point being, you can find points to affirm the viewpoints of either side, if you really want to. There are other things to consider, to be sure, but this is too long-winded as it is. I'm glad that we disagree and can have an open discussion without being rancorous. I certainly haven't intended to attack you or your viewpoint. It seems that you offer me the same respect. I'm merely defending my position.