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Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Garp — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:33:53 -0000

Pat Hickey,

Thanks for clearing up that Monique Bond deal. I read it and was confused but gave you the benefit of doubt because it is not unheard of for city employees to work in politics. At least, that is what I heard.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Garp — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:26:53 -0000

Roeser might have his faults but he was good friends and wrote the book about Monsignor McDermott-the founder of Harmarket House who was a living saint so he canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t be all bad.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Bill Baar — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:03:55 -0000

Lincoln,
I would agree with you but for Obama's lecture to Black Dads to grow up.

If I were a black Dad I would have written Obama to take a hike. I think I wrote him to take a hike anyways over this one.

Obama stakes out this kind of pseudo-values turf and he just set himself up for Roeser.

Obama is trying to outflank what he thinks is the influence of the Christian Right and then just ends up bizarrely singling out Black Dads,

"There are a lot of folks, a lot of brothers, walking around, and they look like men," Obama said, drawing laughter from the congregation. "And they're tall, and they've got whiskers - they might even have sired a child. But it's not clear to me that they're full-grown men."

Citing St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, Obama said too many fathers "engage in childish things, who are more concerned about what they want than what's good for other people."

I wish he would stop this stuff and talk issues instead. I think Pols go off on these values rants to avoid talking legislation where they might be but on the spot.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Lincoln Lounger — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 15:18:38 -0000

First of all, "wndycty" is showing the depth of his/her grasp on Illinois politics if he thinks Tom Roeser is a "player" in the Illinois GOP. I hope that's confusion with Jack Roeser that generated that statement.

I think this entire posting is unfortunate. Who cares what Tom Roeser's blog says. He had no impact as a columnist for the Sun-Times, and now, without that, even less.

He's now trying to be provacative like Ann Coulter in order to get attenion. Sadly, it seems to be working.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Bill Baar — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:16:21 -0000

I could really care less about Obama's Mother or Father and wish he would got on with the business at hand and write less about his family.

Obama's using his family to make a soft pitch for himself for President or VP.

Better he pitched his works rather than his heritage...

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

steve schnorf — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:04:12 -0000

Roeser has no regard for political correctness, so a lot of what he says sounds strange to us since we're all so used to running everything through our PC filters.

Rich, feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong here about Roeser's race agenda.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Pat Hickey — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:17:54 -0000

My profound regret for confusing Rep. Monique Davis with CPD spokeperson Monique Bond. The cobwebs were thick and taxing early this AM. Too much roller derby for this boy.

Representative Davis and Representative Flowers were stalwart and selfless in their support of Obama.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Pat Hickey — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 10:32:50 -0000

'If you limit the word Ã¢â‚¬Å“racistÃ¢â‚¬Â for KKKÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ers, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re grossly underestimating the role that the construct of race plays, intentionally or unintentionally, in the thinking of white people.'

Interesting construct in itself there,

How about this;

Barack Obama had very few black political officials and even fewer fair-minded journalists in his corner, when he worked in the Illinois Legislature.

Mary Flowers and Monique Bond were two politicians with the tripes to be early Obama supporters. Obama had his negligable butt handed to him by Bobby Rush when he ran for Congress and was generally ignored by the very people now beating a path into his light.

When Obama ran for the U.S. Senate to fill the seat vacated by ? 'whatisname? , Laura Washington predicted that Barck Obama would not play well in the 'Hood.' Race matters. It matters a hell of a lot. Jesse, Jr. found himself eclipsed by Obama and the media swallowed its gum after Obama's brilliant Keynote speech at the otherwise disasterous DNC. SUPERSTAR!

Barack Obama is a great elected official and he was a great one while in Springfield back in the late 1990's. Mary Flowers and Monique Bond knew that - everyone else is playing catch up and using race as a bludgeon to talk their way into Obama's shared light.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Lee — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 10:20:21 -0000

Roeser was right on target. It's hip to be reserved well versed and thoughtful politician, especially if you can play the race card like Obama. If he talked more about his mothers heritage, the liberal community would be all over him. Of course, black politicians and celebrities have always been able to play the race card and get a pass from the mainstream media.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Anon — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 10:17:26 -0000

Steve, it seems to be splitting hairs to say that Roeser is not racist, if what he writes is racist. To notice that Obama is more interested in writing about his connection to his father than his mother and then conclude that the reason must have to do with his father being black, rather than because his father went missing, because his father was from a foreign land, because boys generally have many issues with their fathers, etc., reveals a racist thinking pattern. The fact that this conclusion was reached without apparently reading the book cover to cover reveals a predisposition to analyze Obama in racial terms. If you limit the word "racist" for KKK'ers, you're grossly underestimating the role that the construct of race plays, intentionally or unintentionally, in the thinking of white people.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Eye4anEye — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:44:33 -0000

YDD, while we're at it...let's ask Lynn Sweet why she slobbers over anything Obama does.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Pat Hickey — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:16:10 -0000

Reddbyrd Says,
'Looks like both Mr. Roeser and his pet rock Curry are softer than snot today.
Roeser is understandable because he still has the picture of Henry Hyde sitting on his lap on his blog.
The other guy thinks Brickhead the Executioner needs a place in state government. Nuf said.
I guess it must be noted that with those two in the brain trust it is amazing that Judy Bore is only down a dozen. ' & ' I try to bring some real world connection to this blog. Please donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t try to label it hateful. Readers need to understand who this crew is pushing or who is taking their advice.
I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have a hateful bone in either wing '

That does not seem to connect.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Reddbyrd — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 08:26:52 -0000

AnON5:24
I try to bring some real world connection to this blog. Please don't try to label it hateful. Readers need to understand who this crew is pushing or who is taking their advice.
I don't have a hateful bone in either wing

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

steve schnorf — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 01:18:48 -0000

Look, I'm no fan of Roeser, and I hate to be in the position of defending him, but fair is fair. I've had enough dealings with him to believe very strongly that no matter how conservative he is, and how much you (and I) disagree with many of his positions and much of his rhetoric, the guy doesn't have a racist bone in his body, and finds racism and racial bigotry repugnant.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

wndycty — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 22:05:00 -0000

steve schnorf, you can always rationalize bigotry. Roeser and his ilk are bigots. The fact that he is a player in the Illinois GOP and hosts a show on WLS-AM are just plain sad. It is not this recent posting on Obama that leads me to believe he is a bigot it is his entire body of work.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Lt. Guv — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 21:47:21 -0000

Thank you Rich.

For those claiming the Senator is playing on race, just recall that it was not that long ago in this nation that if you had a single black person in your family tree, then you were black (usually with a far more cruel word being used). You had no choice regardless of how you may have identified himself. The only individual of mixed descent who had a chance to identify themselves as white was someone with extremely fair skin. If your secret was revealed, to the back of the bus you go. If you had dark skin, on the back of the bus you stayed. Is it any wonder a person of mixed desent identifies as black - of course not. . . Far too recently that is the only community to accept them.
Even more recent in South Africa.

Of course when a person of mixed heritage identifies with the side that isn't black or that it doesn't matter, they're asked why? And far worse. Just look a( Tiger Wood.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

ArchPundit — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 21:33:37 -0000

==But, anyone who knows Tom Roeser at all knows he is not a racist or a bigot.

He just plays one on the internets?

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

ArchPundit — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 21:31:39 -0000

What is well written about it? What is entertaining?

Really. It's a bunch of crap in the passive voice while Tom is fooling himself into believing he is provocative.

Anyone who doesn't grow up with their father, even if they have more of a relationship with them than Barack did, has a certain fascination with who their father is.

The only reason to bring up race is that Roeser sits there and hears the word Africa and goes bonkers about Obama's race obsession--which is actually Roeser's race obsession.

How much mileage did Reagan get out of his drunk father? Did anyone complain that he didn't credit his mother enough?

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Ignatius J. Reily — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 21:18:52 -0000

Roeser's take and tone would be fair if Obama's published thoughts and words-- whether in a speech, an interview or a book-- were his very last. In that case, the analysis wouldn't seem so bizzare because it would serve as one individual's curious retrospection on the thoughts of a very public figure. However, since the Senator is still very much alive, and if he chooses to speak further on the subject, at any point in the future, next week or next decade, at that instant, Roeser acends from mere matriculant to imbecillis laureatus.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

steve schnorf — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 20:31:03 -0000

There are a lot of things I don't agree with Tom Roeser on, including his criticism of Obama. If I am going to be represented in the United States Senate by a democrat, then I can't think of a better one than Obama.

But, anyone who knows Tom Roeser at all knows he is not a racist or a bigot.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

wndycty — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 20:03:56 -0000

Roeser and his ilk are bigots, there is not really much to discuss.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Yellow Dog Democrat — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:41:54 -0000

Uncle Slappy -- Funny, I thought Republicans only believed that being "gay" was a lifestyle choice. You can choose to be "black" or "white" now too? Can I choose to be 24 again?

Anonymous 5:14 -- The psychological make-up of politicians might be fair game if you're a psychologist, or if you happen to know them personally. I don't know why or what it is about Republican Jack Ryan's psychological make-up that led him to take his wife to a sex club, or leads Jim Oberweis to want to round up all immigrants in Soldier Field, or led President Bush to avoid combat, and it would be unfair of me to speculate, since I am neither their psychologist nor do I know them personally.

And Obama is not seeking out his father (who I believe is deceased), he's going to his an ancestral homeland, for the same reason Mayor Daley visits Ireland, jews travel to Israel, and people have been asking since the beginning of time "Who am I, where do I come from, and why am I here?"

Obama doesn't do everything out of design, he is a human being, not a machine, and your rhetorical efforts to dehumanize him are typical political tripe, which would be shameful to any decent purpose.

Obama has no more political purpose for visiting Kenya than George Bush did for invading Iraq. (you guys are weak, weak, weak today). But I will agree with you about mothers and daughters. Perhaps if Senator Obama were either of those, he would've written that book instead.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:24:22 -0000

Damn. This started out to be a thread with thoughtful comments. Most comments are tinged with partisanship, but thoughtful just the same. And then along comes ol' Hateful himself:

Reddbyrd.

You just not able to turn off the hate, are you Redd?

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:14:21 -0000

Observations:

1. The psycological makeup of politicians is fair game.

2. It is logical to ask why a person seeks out a father who abandoned him.

3. It is also fair to observe that politics is a possible motive.

4. Oedipus was taken from Thebes to avoid his killing his father. He left Corinth to avoid killing the person he believed to be his father.

5. Oedipus did not know that he was marrying his mother, the Queen.

6. Everything Obama does is done with design and purpose.

7. The mother-daughter relationship dwarfs all others combined.

Re: Speaking his, um, mind

Uncle Slappy — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:56:58 -0000

Roeser is entitled to his opinion on the matter, since Obama saw fit to write about it; that made it fair game. His opinion is a bit odd, though (but then again, most right wing radicals thrive on odd opinions).

I will say this about Obama and the "black" issue: If Obama picks his "white" heritage over his "black", he is no longer "black", and therefor no longer the political novelty that made him a "rock star". If he were "white" (which he is half, but most people (he included) seem to forget this), he'd still be in Hawaii, perhaps practicing law there.

Sadly, while whites in Illinois have pretty much stopped voting in a racist manner, blacks have picked up where the formerly racist whites left off, seemingly in a misdirected effort at "revenge", or an "our turn" mentality. Sooner or later, this will trigger a white reversion to the same type of politics. Until all races stop voting based on race, it will never end, and it's racist no matter WHO engages in it.

Look at Cook County right now: do you think the shananagans being perpetrated by black Democrats isn't going to trigger anger and resentment in white voters, along with bit of tit for tat? It's hard to believe that it won't. As always, history repeats itself.