Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Chandler Blunders By Endorsing Obama
Yesterday, Chandler made what I consider a political blunder. He decided to publicly announce his endorsement of Sen Barack Obama for president.
"I just came to the conclusion that of the candidates that we had, this candidate, Sen. Obama, is ultimately the one who has the best chance of bridging all of the divides that we face in this country," Chandler, D-6th District, said at a news conference in Louisville. "We need special, different leadership."
This is nothing less than a bizarre move before Kentucky's primary. A primary in which Obama is going to get slaughtered by 20+ points. I imagine Obama will lose Chandler's 6th district by a wide margin. Why would he go so strongly against the will of his constituents? Especially in a way that will most likely harm him politically.
I know Yarmuth! endorsed Obama, but Yarmuth! is a dyed in the wool liberal. It makes sense that he would endorse Obama. But Chandler is supposedly different. For years Chandler has been trying to position himself as a southern "Blue Dog" Democrat. One in touch with the roots of the Democratic party and its people. A more conservative Democrat than the national party. For him to go against the grain in the primary he must really believe that Obama is the best candidate.
This get's me back to Chandler's quote on Obama "Obama, is ultimately the one who has the best chance of bridging all of the divides that we face in this country, We need special, different leadership." Really. I want to know what part of Obama is going to bring us back together? The part where he calls rural Kentuckians bitter. That they only cling to guns and religions because government has failed them. That sounds more like Karl Marx than some new bipartisan champion.
Then there is Obama's lack of ability to understand the capital gains tax. He wants to raise the rates to promote fairness. He doesn't know that it won't soak the rich. But it will tax hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians that have money in 401K's and other investments. A move that will slow investment in the market and further damage our floundering economy. Are these beliefs that Chandler shares?
And of course there is the fact that Obama is not a new type of politician. He is an old school liberal with deep ties to the left and the corrupt party machinery in Illinois. What other conclusion can you reach when you see who he has associated with in the past? He is friends with Tony Rezko. A man who is on trial for corruption charges in Illinois. A trial that is likely to take down the governor of Illinois. He is friends with Pastor Wright. A preacher who harbors racist convictions. He is friends with William Ayers. A man who is an unrepentant terrorist. One who blew up buildings and murdered innocent people in his youth.
Why do these connections matter? Because they are the only way we can judge Obama. He has no political record of note. All we have is his judgment in deciding with who to associate. It seems to be pretty shaky when you look at people he has befriended. Yet Chandler thinks he is the best person to lead our country?
If I were running against Chandler, I know I would begin to start asking questions about what beliefs he has in common with Obama. Chandler's blunder provides a golden opportunity to tarnish his "conservative" reputation by tying him to Obama's liberal vision of America. If Obama becomes the nominee which is likely, how will he do in Kentucky? I am willing to bet that he gets trounced a second time. If so then the endorsement could turn into an anchor. One that haunts Chandler in the fall. We will have to wait and see if Republican challenger Tony McCurdy can leverage this blunder into a chance for Republicans to pick up a completely unexpected seat.
