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Steele: The Media Didn't Vet Obama -- Because He's Black
While guest-hosting Bill Bennett's radio show today, RNC Chairman Michael Steele complained that President Obama was never thoroughly vetted by the media -- especially on the matter of his ideology and his connections to Jeremiah Wright -- because the media wanted the black candidate to win:
"He was not vetted, because the press fell in love with the black man running for the office," said Steele. "Oh gee, wouldn't it be neat to do that? Gee, wouldn't it make all of our liberal guilt just go away? We can continue to ride around in our limousines and feel so lucky to live in an America with a black president."
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Josh
Matt
Eric
Yeah Mike, it's still racism when you do it.
May 22, 2009 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Running a two year campaign = not vetted
And yet some complain he's already running his campaign for 2012? The man just wants to be properly vetted!
May 22, 2009 2:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Journalists riding around in limousines? The man is truly daft.
May 22, 2009 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well at least someone is finally broaching the formerly taboo subject of Jeremiah Wright in the media.
May 22, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
A truly balanced media would have played the video 10,001 times instead of just 10,000 times.
May 22, 2009 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm looking forward, finally, to an exhaustive discussion of Bill Ayers. The media has really fallen down on the job on that one.
After that, I'd like a frame-by-frame analysis of the terrorist fist bump from just about a year ago. Two weeks of talking about that just isn't enough.
May 22, 2009 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Frankly, I am a Republican but one who is sick and tired of my party, and I would take Reverend Jeremiah Wright every time over Cheney. Cheney's tirades about Gitmo, his association with his buddy Rumsfeld and his explanation of everything all the while Bush is quiet as can be smells to high heaven. It becomes clearer and clearer as more evidence comes out that Cheney was the real power behind the presidency or that he ran a stealth operation totally unsupervised by G. W. Bush. So you had this really unlawful trio, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Gonzales all conspiring to make their illegal waterboarding sound legal and Bush either out of the loop or totally ineffective. Sad state of affairs to be sure.
May 24, 2009 10:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's refreshing to hear you admit that about the Republicans. That's really a big step and I respect you for saying it.
May 25, 2009 12:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Excuse me, but WTF????
We can continue to ride around in our limousines and feel so lucky to live in an America with a black president."
Next thing you know he'll be telling us about all the welfare queens who forced the media to not cover Obama.
May 22, 2009 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep. He's more than halfway there.
May 23, 2009 1:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, Christmas...
May 22, 2009 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
My suspicions are now confirmed. Steele is a total and complete loon.
To follow his "logic" (and I use the term loosely) shouldn't his own selection as RNC chair have something to do with Republicans' collective guilt about their own racism?
May 22, 2009 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, Steele got it because he is the most intelligent person in the entire republican party. Nothing else needs to be said.
May 23, 2009 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
When the GOP says vet, they mean he wasn't destroyed.
Did the media's Liberal guilt peak in 2007 - 2008? Because Shirley Chisholm ran for President - that would have been the ultimate, a Black and a woman. Then there was Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and even....Alan Keyes(????????????)
May 22, 2009 2:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jealous, Mr. Steele?
May 22, 2009 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
what a sick puppy who is convincing everybody that he is a fool and a jerk! Mr. Steele is not long for the head of the RNC. Too bad for us because he sure does help our cause!
May 22, 2009 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Talk about being a hater. He's jealous of Obama.
May 22, 2009 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
To the point of being obsessive and creepy.
May 22, 2009 5:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nah - he's not in the full Keyesian yet.
But he's getting there in one hell of a hurry...
May 23, 2009 8:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmmm. Did any members of the RNC seriously vet Steele before voting him in as Clown-in-Chief?
May 22, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
He certainly doesn't have anything up his sleeves... ;)
May 22, 2009 11:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
That trick never works!
May 23, 2009 8:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
The GOP didn't vet Steele, because he's a frigg'n idiot ... like Fail'n Palin.
May 22, 2009 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
We didn't fall in love with Obama because he was black, if that was true we would also love Steele which both political sides decidely don't.
The truth is the cable news can't mention Reverand Wright's name without blushing because they know that the weeks of obsessive coverage on Wright is an embarrassment to the journalism field. There is no way Wright should have received that much coverage. It was a media witch hunt trying to bring down Obama, and he rose above it like a champion with a speech that will go down in history. Just as he rose above the Republicans yesterday in his national security speech. It isn't because Obama is black, it's his amazing ability to communicate to us like we are adults that is so appealing--something Steele could definitely take lessons on. Steele isn't cool and needs to quit trying to be. I doubt he was ever cool, just one of those awkward wannabes.
May 22, 2009 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
So if Obama was white and had a white pastor like Reverend Wright who said "God d-mn America" and don't visit any black stores only those owned and run by white people...oh yes, and had only been a congressman serving less than a year in the lowest rated Senate in the history of our country, then you would have still voted for him??
People like you need to get a reality check...it's reverse racism in action here. You liberals are in fantasy land with a guy who only speaks rhetoric and reads from a teleprompter...ah, I could have gotten a good grade in speech class if I would have been able to read from a teleprompter--too bad Obama won't release his college records...the guy probably doesn't want the country to know that he shares Reverend Wright's sentiments in his thesis.
May 23, 2009 12:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
You must be a very happy person (at least if it is true that ignorance is bliss).
Harvard Law Review? Why do you want to see Obama's college records? You think he was a "D" student? Get off the TelePrompTer bus. Maybe if Dubya had mastered the art of reading he could have used one and made sense once and a while.
Obama is too smart to waste his time memorizing speeches; he is actually using the time to think about the issues that confront our country thanks to 8 years of abuse. There is nothing wrong with using technology to maximize the way you spend your time.
May 23, 2009 1:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
As a black politician, Obama does have to manage the race issue. In local/state elections he had to win in the South Side of Chicago. Because of his diction and posture, he came off as "too white". It's quite likely that attending Rev. Wright's congregation and supporting only black merchants was to dispel this issue. Of course, he had to run considerably "whiter" nationally.
If he was a white politician with the same views, intellect, resume, and speaking ability, he would have won 70-30 at least.
BTW Sarah Palin had a nutjob white pastor, and he got very minimal coverage.
May 23, 2009 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
karla: Name one president who gave speeches without notes. Even Lincoln read the freaking Gettysburg Address from his handwritten notes--in fact, the only reason the speech was preserved was because someone who was present retrieved the notes as the president dropped each page after reading it.
Oh, and gosh, that same Lincoln was elected POTUS after having only ever served in a state senate. But reading between the lines of your post, I bet someone like you probably isn't a Lincoln fan.
It must be nice to live in a little bubble where reality doesn't ever intrude. If ignorance is bliss, you must be extremely happy.
May 23, 2009 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, in 1846 Lincoln was elected to and served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
May 25, 2009 2:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
You are aware, that George W. Bush spoke from a teleprompter?
Difference was, it barely helped. He still couldn't form his sentences.
May 24, 2009 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Compared to Bush and his handler Cheney, Obama is a total genius. He is bright, articulate, compassionate, concerned and decisive. Let me put it this way. Obama is a genius and his entire persona is one of confidence and empathy. He will even correct the messes that Cheney and his cohorts, Rumsfeld and Gonzales mucked for President Bush.
May 24, 2009 10:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
When I think of Michael Steele, this scene comes to mind. Every time. He must do that every morning.
May 22, 2009 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is Michael Steele actually suggesting that people of color have always had it easier than whites in the U.S.?
Malice and stupidity can be so hard to tell apart...
May 22, 2009 5:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah Steele, the gift that keeps on giving... Every time this loon opens his mouth what continues to fall out is another nail the Republican's coffin..
Keep on rockin Mikeey....
May 22, 2009 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is something wrong with that man. Seriously.
May 22, 2009 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Steele: "What do I have to do to make you love me?" (croon Elton John songs to you all?)
May 22, 2009 9:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's the Black calling the Cat a Kettle, or something like that. Paging Dr. Freud.
May 22, 2009 11:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, we finally get the truth from someone who can speak it without being accused of being racist. Our country has gotten so politically correct that the media runs scared at saying anything negative about a minority or gay person. What happened to Miss USA recently would have been a travesty that got the judge fired if it were a poor homosexual who had been treated so poorly by a biased judge. Basically, our media is dying hard and fast as they are a bunch of liberal pansies who don't do their job...Obama was not vetted--quite obvious as everyone was fawning over his meaningless rhetoric and not understanding that he was less qualified/experienced than the villified Ms. Palin. Why couldn't the media who flew to Alaska to search through Palin's family garbage cans do the same in Chicago? The media ran from every connection Obama had as they were all problematic--former crooks or terrorists. He is destroying our country and yet because of his race and liberal leaning, he gets a free pass. Yes, the media can scream about Pres. Bush's spending for 8yrs., yet Obama spends more than Bush's entire time in office in less than 100 days and not a blip....hmmm, where's the outrage now that our dollar is going to be obsolete because a bunch of idiots elected a guy because he was black. The president running and ruining our auto industry and banking industry--where's the cry of unconstitutional now??
May 23, 2009 12:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sarah Palin qualified? She doesn't even know what she reads! She obviously never had a deep thought in her entire life, and is a shitty governor! She's married to someone who belongs to a group that wants Alaska to secede from the US, yet she got away with labeling places, "The Real America!" She isn't qualified to be much more than a grifter, which she does very well.
May 23, 2009 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
How refreshing to have Republicans in the minority. All of the lies and distortions and spinning has now melted down to a few crack pots, including Michael Steele, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, and Fox News. The garbage that is spewed is still believed by those who have not learned to discern facts. They are just desperate to figure out what to do to get their glory days of looting the country and going into unnecessary wars back. Just keep attacking the Democrats instead of looking at yourselves Republicans, and what you did to screw it all up for yourselves.
May 23, 2009 12:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Michael Steele exhibits a desperate "self loathing". Call it "identification with the oppressor"; also known as Traumatic Bonding, Stockholm Syndrome or battered woman syndrome. An attempt at "protective coloration"; seeking to camouflage by becoming as much like the abuser as possible. Joe Lieberman is a good example. I cringe whenever I hear either of them speak.
May 23, 2009 4:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Query for those who are clamoring for his transcripts - actually, make that TWO queries:
1) Has every candidate who ever sought the office had this requirement to release transcripts?
2) Are you of the opinion that universities give out magna cum laude honors to those who haven't actually done the work to deserve it?
I've asked a variation of these questions in several forums - I've yet to get an answer, coherent or otherwise. Maybe the fifteenth time will be the charm...
May 23, 2009 8:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Compared to Bush who didn't need teleprompters BECAUSE HE HAD AN EAR PIECE TELLING HIM WHAT TO SAY. (Sorry for yelling, but it lessens the need for me to bang my head on something.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bavI7Jc1Cfg
Also Harvard Law Review president. Not a small deal.
May 23, 2009 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
That is priceless! I never saw it before. It explains why he had that tortured way of pausing after every short phrase. He was effing listening to himself! I guess that removes any doubt about the "lump" during his Al Gore debate!
Lord, how did we endure 8 years of that schmuck!
May 23, 2009 3:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oooooh, so when a token plays the race card, that's okay with White folks?
May 23, 2009 8:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Token? Who played the race card? And not everyone here is white.
May 23, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shorter Steele: Obama got his job the same way I got mine, and look how incompetent I am!
May 23, 2009 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dang, I nearly fell outta my lim.O.sine I was laughing so hard!
May 23, 2009 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
The young white kids of this country are all afflicted with white guilt? Gee. Who knew?
May 23, 2009 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think the only reason the GOP picked this m oron is so he can throw racial slurs at the President without ever being called a racist
May 23, 2009 5:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
If race saved the President,then why isn't it working for Steele?
May 23, 2009 10:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Spot on!
May 24, 2009 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who Mike Steele the only Obama look alike left in the party after Alan Keyes went to jail?
May 24, 2009 5:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
This guy is an Uncle Tom of the highest order
May 24, 2009 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Too bad vetting Obama never occurred to the Clinton campaign, yep they just gave him a free ride. Maybe state dpt. was pay off.
May 24, 2009 6:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
That son-of-a-gun was there doing his best lying on Obama just like the rest of the Rushpublican'ts.
May 24, 2009 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Note to Steele, way to be in the moment. The opportunity for vetting was four months ago, or better. Obama is your President. Deal with it.
May 25, 2009 12:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please, God, keep Steele exactly where he's at. Manna from heaven!
May 25, 2009 2:30 AM | Reply | Permalink