Monday, October 27, 2008

The Truth Seems to Fail the Right (and my brother)

Ok. My brother has prompted me to post. He insists that he has the facts when he posted the youtube video of excerpts of a 2001 interview Barack Obama gave a local public radio station.


Here is the response to the inaccurate representation of this radio interview:

Barack Obama’s Radio Days

(taken from The Chicago Public Radio Blog)

Monday October 27, 2008 by Josh Andrews, Director of Internet Strategy

I came into work this morning to find the radio program I once produced, Odyssey, on the front page of Drudge. Over the weekend, someone posted audio clips on YouTube from a 2001 program we produced with Sen. Barack Obama as a guest. While we are happy to have our work in the spotlight, we want to provide full context for these remarks. Odyssey was an hour long talk show with a very conversational tone, and Obama, then a State Senator and Senior Lecturer at the U of C Law School, appeared a number of times and spoke at length on a variety of topics (we have been highlighting a number of these clips this fall here on the blog - examples, here, here and here). In the interest of full disclosure, here are links to all of the Obama appearances from the program. These lead to an archived Odyssey website with Real Audio links, so forgive the 2001 aesthetic and audio quality. We hope to get mp3s up later today.

The Court and Civil Rights Jan 18, 2001 (The YouTube audio is found in this show)

Slavery and the Constitution Sept 6, 2001

The Right to Vote Feb 27, 2001
We had some trouble converting the end of this show. We’ll get the complete mp3 up later today)

Redistricting Apr 23, 2001

Then Ben Calhoun followed-up this report with this report:

In 2001, Chicago Public Radio interviewed then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama about civil rights. Over the weekend, someone posted excerpts of the interview, edited to misrepresent Obama's statements. The item is now catching national attention.

The clips are taken from an interview that aired in January of 2001. Then State Senator Obama is one of three legal scholars interviewed for a show about civil rights. Over the weekend, someone pulled excerpts of the show and posted them to You Tube—and today, the posting caught fire on political blogs, the Drudge Report, and Fox News.

The 4 minute spliced collection of clips portrays Obama as advocate a redistribution of wealth through the power of the Supreme Court. That folds in with some allegations by the McCain Palin campaign.

The twist here is that, when heard in the context of the whole show, Obama’s position is distinctly misrepresented by the You Tube posting. Taken in context, Obama is evaluating the historical successes and failures of the Civil Rights movement—and, ironically, he says the Supreme Court was a failure in cases that it took on a role of redistributing resources.

The McCain campaign told ABC News it plans to use the material to bolster its criticism of Obama.

I’m Ben Calhoun, Chicago Public Radio.


The truth is hard to walk away from. The only things the right has left is to fabricate and distort the truth to fit their agenda. If you should "beware" of anything..."beware" of the right and their false talking points...they are desperate, and will do anything they can to retain power.

It's just too bad that my brother has bought all of it hook, line and sinker.

Peace.Love.Live.
JPB

4 comments:

Jim-the Classical Liberal (Views from the Right) said...

My dear brother...

I bought nothing hook, line, and sinker...

I found this myself, not prompted by Limbaugh or Ingraham or Hannity or O'Reiley...

In listening to the full context of the January 18, 2001 show, I believe that it is clear that "The Inevitable" definitely is a supporter of "Redistrubutive Change" and "The basis issues of economic justice." DEFINITELY SOCIALISTIC CONCEPTS!!!

In the radio show, The One talks of the victories and failures of the Civil Rights movement. He points to the success of the movement in their litigation to vest formal rights...but then he says:

One of the greatest tragedies (the wording here CANNOT be misinterpreted--GREATEST TRAGEDIES) was the failure of the Civil Rights movement to affect REDISTRIBUTIVE CHANGE...he goes on to say that it was the focus on litigation instead of the political arena (legislation and "community organizing") that led to this failure.

You are right, he does say that the courts are not equipped to handle issues of redistributive change..."I am not oprimistic about the role of courts" to affect reparative economic work.

BUT IT REMAINS THAT HE BELIEVES THAT THIS IS INDEED WHAT NEEDED (AND NEEDS) TO HAPPEN...just not through the courts...after all...IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST TRAGEDIES!!!

Now as for me just being a regurgitator of right-wing talking points...I would be careful casting stones when I live in a glass house, my dear brother...you have had a serious case of Bush Derangement Syndrome for several years and have been a footsoldier for the conspiracy theory loons. I am perfectly capable of forming my own opinions independently of any talking heads...

I found your answer to me offensive, John...
"Again, Jimmy - if you insist ...please stop repeating the awful, desperate drivel that the RNC, McCain, and the rest of the right keep spoon-feeding you ....You keep saying you speak for yourself, but your posts fall so close to the actual delivery of the talking points you state you don't pay attention to.....then you don't even bother to find the facts before you state these fabrications as your own opinion? What happened to you?"

Truth is truth...that there are other voices that are stating it is not my concern...I am on no list to receive talking points...I didn't listen to any of the conservative radio yesterday...I was home watching the boys and not able to listen to get any marching orders...I am not, nor have ever been, a lemming. Give me a break and take your BDS pills again!

If he is so inevitable, why does it matter if this comes out?? I thought you and your ilk were happy supporters of socialistic ideas...

Personally, I think you believe, like me, that this is MUCH CLOSER THAN YOU LIKE and that The One may not be The Inevitable...

jpb2525 said...

I am sorry you are offended. I simply was pointing out what I felt was your particular ability to post what is on the talking-points list for the Republican Party. You may, for sure, have come up with the topics on your own without help - I believe that you are certainly smart enough - however, the coincidence that your posts fall within 1-2 days of them being posted on the Drudge report among others makes me wonder.

I will take you at your word. I stand corrected.

As for glass houses...my conspiracy theories are mine alone - of those theories that I have blogged about - I talked about WAY before they were touted on any left leaning blog, news broadcast, etc....

When I bring up something that may very well be something labeled as a talking point - I will give credit to what I "saw, read, heard" as I am commenting. I guess that is the difference. So my glass house remains.

So, should I be equally offended by your claim that I suffer from "a serious case of Bush Derangement Syndrome for several years and have been a foot soldier for the conspiracy theory loons?"

Because - truly - I'm not offended - nor do I suffer from such a syndrome, nor am I a foot soldier for anyone. As you so point out - "I am perfectly capable of forming my own opinions independently of any talking heads..."

As for your "claims" that the truth is the truth....You miss the definition my dear brother... (By the way ..is that supposed to be patronizing??)

Truth is defined as a “verified or indisputable fact"....as well as "an obvious or accepted fact"

Clearly, your "truths" are not indisputable, or obviously acceptable facts, therefore they cannot be 'the truth' as so defined.

Your volley, my dear brother.

:)

Anonymous said...

Don't you mean "hook, line and stinker"? Gullible people shouldn't be allowed to vote.

Jim-the Classical Liberal (Views from the Right) said...

Maggie...

Would that that were true...then no one would ever vote for the utopianism of the Democrats.