Why Obama threw Rev. Wright under the bus today
Posted April 29th, 2008 at 2:40 PM by Jon HamI’m watching MSNBC and Andrea Mitchell is asking NBC correspondent Athena Jones why Obama chose now to finally, unequivocally, part ways with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. In her reporting wisdom, Jones is talking about how Wright offended Obama with his remarks yesterday at the National Press Club. I don’t think so.
My guess is it had something to do with the poll call I got last night. All questions were about the Obama-Wright relationship and whether that made me think more unfavorably about Barack Obama. Then they asked if I was more inclined now to vote for Hillary since this blew up. Due respect to Athena, but she should do a little more reporting and actually ask Obama why he did what he did a few minutes ago.
I would put money on the fact that Obama saw the results of that snap poll and said, “My God, I’ve got to ditch this guy.”
UPDATE: Ben Smith of Politico says he’s heard from Obama and Clinton operatives who say they weren’t doing any polling last night. He wonders if it was a media poll, which I guess is possible. If so, however, it sure was designed to find out what effect Rev. Wright’s rhetoric would have on Obama.
UPDATE: Marc Armbinder of Atlantic.com seems to be wondering how a Republican got a call that was clearly aimed at registered Democrats. FYI: I’ve been a registered Democrat since 1968 and have never changed my registration. Just so you all know. That’s why I got two Obama robo-calls tonight. I’m on the list.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Welcome to the land of the push poll. Once again, I apologize for having to put you guys in North Carolina through this, but we can’t have the Dems settled on a candidate just yet.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
[...] Update: Rich Lowry speculates that Obama’s team must have some awfully bad polling numbers on Wright to warrant this spectacle today. Jon Ham, North Carolina resident and father of Mary Katharine, says he got a call just last night. Last week’s numbers from Survey USA: Obama by nine. Today’s numbers: Obama by five. [...]
April 29th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
[...] I guess when the comments offended him when it began to hurt his campaign! Rich Lowry seems to think that the campaign got some not so welcome numbers. Jon Ham will explain Why Obama threw Rev. Wright under the bus today [...]
April 29th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Man, I really should think about changing my voter registration to Unaffiliated at some point so I can get calls like this. The GOP is doing no polling right now, as far as I can tell… and I’d love a chance to pee in the Democrats’ pool from time to time.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Congrats on the Memeorandum mention.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
[...] Gee, I wonder why Obama, the anti-political posturer, disowned Wright today. My dad got a call last night that might explain.I got some more information about that call. It was a live call last night around 7 p.m., not a robocall. The woman on the phone identified herself as with a polling firm of some sort, but did not indicate that she was working at the behest of either campaign.The call was 6 or 7 minutes long and started with “Are you a registered Democrat?”After that question, the caller asked, “How closely have you been following the Rev. Wright story,” to which the voter could answer “Very closely,” “Somewhat Closely,” and “Not Closely at all.”The next question was, “How has your view of Obama been affected by this story,” … [...]
April 29th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Push polls don’t necessarily have to come directly from a campaign, especially if the campaign in question doesn’t want to be tied too closely to said poll.
I’ve asked a pro I trust to tell me whether I’m losing my sense of smell.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:47 am
This wasn’t a push-poll. It ostensibly was from “North Carolina Opinion Surveys” and I’m surprised that Mr. Ham got that far into the poll because early on it asks if one is going to vote in the Democratic primary. If the answer is not “almost certainly” or “probably,” then the call is ended.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Piniella, read the second update above. I AM a registered Democrat, though I don’t often vote that way in general elections.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:05 am
[...] O yes, it was politics: I’m watching MSNBC and Andrea Mitchell is asking NBC correspondent Athena Jones why Obama chose now to finally, unequivocally, part ways with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. In her reporting wisdom, Jones is talking about how Wright offended Obama with his remarks yesterday at the National Press Club. I don’t think so. [...]
April 30th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Jon,
“I’m watching MSNBC and Andrea Mitchell is asking NBC correspondent Athena Jones why Obama chose now to finally, unequivocally, part ways with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.”
Just to be clear, THIS is what Obama said:
“Whatever relationship I had with Reverend Wright **has changed** as a consequence of this,†Mr. Obama said Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/us/politics/30obama.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
He didn’t says “has ended.” He said “has changed.” Not to be too picky, but I see equivocation – if that’s a word.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Guess I really am too cynical…or perhaps not cynical enough. Rush Limbaugh led with this, specifically the “this is from Obama” angle.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Jon Ham Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Piniella, read the second update above. I AM a registered Democrat, though I don’t often vote that way in general elections.
This is irrelevant. The poll asked if you would vote in the Democratic primary. If you answer ither than “almost certainly” or “probably,” you get kicked out f the poll.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Piniella, why is this so hard for you to understand? I answered that I was “absolutely certain” I was going to vote in the Democratic primary. I responded to the question of when I was going to vote: “I always vote on election day. I don’t believe in early voting.” Why would you think I, a registered Democrat, would NOT vote in the primary. I haven’t missed an election, national, state or local, since I turned 18.
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
[...] Obama, of course, had to stick with his new tack of pretending people he’s known for years have suddenly become raving lunatics and not like his grandmother after all: Obama, who has disavowed Wright, said, , “As I have traveled this country, I’ve been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that unites us. [...]
June 15th, 2008 at 11:07 am
[...] I must be on someone’s polling list or something. [...]