BlogHer EXCLUSIVE: Barack Obama answers policy questions from women who blog (Video)

Intriguing advice

i like the video so much ... well i just want to share this video with you guys that i saw earlier in pollclash about the two presidential candidates talked about their plan on the huge taxes that we are paying and so far i like the plan of Obama than McCain has..just try to chek the video out in pollclash ( http://pollclash.com )

I've been undecided so far, though leaning toward Obama. I loved this interview and am looking forward to the issue-by-issue discussion from the various interview cuts.

Blogher--You've got so much more of my respect now! I am so impressed that you've stuck your neck out like this. Wow.

I am also so impressed with Obama and the way he has given us this time and attention.

How wonderful for blogher (which seems to be just EVERYWHERE lately, I actually heard about this coup on another site!) , great for Barak and great for the public, male and female to add texture to the conversation.

 I'm glad to hear you've invited Sens. Clinton and McCain as well. Excellent work to all!

washy || http://washwords.wordpress.com || washwords.dc@gmail.com

I understand that you want "Change"

Hopefully it will be the kind you want.

Marla Jo - the right to cast my ballot for whom I please was a right granted to me with blood and on the backs of those who fought for it. As such, I have ALWAYS since being able to vote - which has been for well over 40 decades - selected the candidates for whom I would cast my vote based on the issues important to me. As such, in my life time, I have voted for Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and even a few Asians. I have voted for Reblicans, Democrats, Independents, and even some Libertarians.

So as an African-American woman, I am both offended and deeply dismayed that YOU have taken it upon yourself to speak for me and to categorize me in such an inane manner. To say that I and other African Americans support Obama simply because he's Black is as ignorant as me saying that you support Hillary Clinton because she's married to Bill.

I respect your decision to support Hillary Clinton - that is your constitutional right. But, do not cantonize yourself as the spokesperson for the  African Americans who have elected to support someone else - even if he's MULTI-RACIAL!  That is neither your right nor your calling!

As you can see, I am very capable of speaking for myself. That, my dear, is not something I - nor any other African American for that matter - needs you to do.  

And for the record - I started off this political season supporting Hillary Clinton. It was not until I began to hear divisive and demeaning campaign tactics that my support began to diminish for her. I started leaning toward Biden - but unfortunately he dropped out of the race. I never liked John Edwards - even when he ran 4 years ago as VP...he smiles too much for me. Then, after Iowa, I began to take a closer and YES EDUCATED LOOK at Obama.  I researched his platform, his stance, and yes even his rhetoric and made an EDUCATED DECISION to support Senator Obama because he's Black, or Multi-Racial, or even a MAN. I support him because I believe that he is the BEST PERSON for this job at this time!

So please, the next time that you deem it necessary to speak for me and millions of other Americans - DON'T!!! Or if you must speak - preference you statements about me and millions of other Americans as "this is only my UNEDUCATED AND UNINFORMED opinion"!

 Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP

He's got it right, and that's why we see another hit for Obama.
Obama Yes We Can, the campaign song and video recently released to the world by quintessential songwriter Andy Fraser,
chosen to “fire-up” the crowds at more and more campaign rallies.
Encouraged by the reception within the Obama community, support continues at full volume!!
www.ObamaRocks08.com is spearheaded by UK citizen, legendary musician Andy Fraser, with the intent of mobilizing music lovers,
especially the young to support Obama, thru' his hit song-writing talents, urging "the U.S voter to get it right this time, as we have all
witnessed what getting it wrong can mean... to the world at large".
Offered as a free download on Fraser's new politically oriented web site, www.ObamaRocks08.com it encourages voter education
and involvement by providing visitors with links to Barack Obama's official Web site and Rock the Vote where prospective voters may
register to take part in upcoming Democratic state primaries.
Digg this story at - http://digg.com/politics/Obama_Rocks_Music_Vid

E. Cool

Chill out. Find below an excerpt from a diary I posted at Daily Kos. Please read it, so hopefully you'll stop insulting those of us blacks who support Obama as being sheep content to play identity politics. Keep an open mind and ask yourself why you feel so threatened. It's your right to support the Clintons as i did for many years, however, your vitriol against Obama and his wife is glaringly malformed.

And, yes, the the title is a deliberate double entendre.

I Do Not Support Obama because He is Black:

These are my thoughts on the issue of race in the campaign and the
notion that blacks support Obama because he is black or because of
black pride.

I am a woman. I am black. I am proud of Obama because he seems
genuinely engaged in important issues. I'm proud of his community
organizing, his level head and his message of change and hope. I'm
proud that he chose not to deny his black Kenyan heritage even though
his father abandoned him. I'm proud of the way his campaign is being
run.

I'm proud that a half white, half black man, a Christian with a
Moslem father and family ties from east to west has emerged as a
unifier and a positive symbol already influencing change ( http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL04445785... ) internationally even without direct negotiation. ( http://allafrica.com/stories/200805071185.html ) I'm proud that he has precipitated a much needed, long ignored discussion on race.

You see, I'm proud and excited that Barack Hussein Obama is ALL of
us. In him, I see not only the hopes of black children, but also the
hopes of Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern, indigenous and white children.
I see how he excites and propels an 82 year old woman like Jean Weiss ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SXN_W3LkrY )
into action.

I'm proud that we the people are the power behind his campaign.
I'm proud that acknowledges that he works for us. I'm proud that
Obama's unprecedented campaign frightens those in the establishment who
want to maintain the status quo.

Up until a few months ago, I was a HUGE Clinton supporter as were
many blacks who only started to take a closer look at Obama after Iowa.
Ironically, I would get into arguments with pro Obama white friends in
which I would use many of the talking points of Hillary voters - It's
time for a woman, the Clintons have experience, Obama should wait.

When I saw the video where it looked like he snubbed Hillary on
the senate floor, I thought he was rude and a complete a-hole. I was
not impressed. The Clintons had me. I had been in their corner for over
a decade and I was not budging.

Then their campaign strategy started to unravel through diabolical
chess moves which caused me to pause and to listen closely without
prejudice. The rest as they say...

I resent the implication that blacks support Obama just based on
melanin. It is highly insulting and assumes that blacks, for example,
would support Alan Keyes over Hillary were such a match up to occur.

In the beginning there were blacks who were wary of Obama whom they
viewed as an outsider not deserving of being the first African American
president, because he did not have ancestors who were slaves and he
had not been vetted. I still hear such rumblings from a few black
intellectuals.

The Clintons screwed up big time. They have squandered much of the
goodwill that they had in the black community. I will not support any
candidate, black or otherwise, who talks about obliterating a country ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u1nmGmtD18 ) with innocent men, women and children. I support Obama because his values are closest to mine.

Blacks overwhelmingly and passionately worship a pale skinned white
dude with blue eyes called Jesus (at least that's how he's been
depicted -Well, there's this BBC story ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1243339.s... ).)

If it were merely an issue of race, blacks should be followers of
Islam because many Moslems have darker skin than the Jesus dude as we
have come to know him. I realize this might sound ridiculous, but it
isn't any more so than the preposterous supposition that blacks
overwhelmingly support a candidate based on skin color.

---------------------------------

Videom: Progressive Video Medium ( http://www.videom.com )

I used the code and video on my political blog, thanks.

Erin did a GREAT job...way to go!!!!

:-)

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com ( http://catherine-morgan.com/ ), The Political Voices of Women ( http://politicsanew.com/ ), Care2 Election Blog ( http://www.care2.com/politics/features/ )

cut your nose to spite your face!

If you would rather have a hundred more years of war than vote for an antiwar candidate then you were never a true democrat. As much as I support Obama, I would vote for Hillary, should she be the nominee.

Say hello to McCain.

Videom: Progressive Video Medium ( http://www.videom.com )

I love that you divided this into individual segments so if someone doesn't want to watch 10 minutes or just want to go to the topics that interest them, they can. 

No clue what to do. At this point I'm voting Republican. I think that says it all.

What I think of your answer is that you are absolutely entitled to your opinion. If I understand you correctly, you might consider supporting such a ticket, but it require getting past hard feelings that you have toward Michelle Obama. Do I understand you correctly? 

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://blogher.org/blog/kim-pearson )|Professor Kim ( http://professorkim.blogspot.com/ )|

yay! I'm thrilled that this happened! I was truly surprised that it took so long to get a yes--I hope Clinton and McCain follow suit quickly.

excellent interview, Erin.

-steph

A Year of CrockPotting ( http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com )

Do those words ring a bell? That is the exact phrase when Michelle Obama was asked whether or not she would support Senator Clinton if she were the nominee. I was so ashamed as an African American that she answered this question this way. I've chosen to see what you think of my answer.

I would totally vote for the dream ticket of Clinton and Obama in which ever order.

However, I am a huge Wes Clark fan, and would be pretty thrilled if he were the choice for VP for either one of them too.

Back when he ran before 2004 he brought up something I thought was so interesting: that running NATO operations in Europe was like being a Governor...he was in charge not just of military operations, but of the base schools and roads and so on and so forth. I always thought that was an interesting point, and would bring not only security gravitas, but executive experience gravitas to the ticket.

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

This video makes me extremely proud to be a part of the BlogHer community.  Kudos to all involved.

Personally, I can't see how we don't end up with the "dream" ticket, considering each candidate has half the Democratic vote. I think either candidate has the responsibility to offer and accept (as the case may be) the vice presidental position.

Either way it comes down, that's my vote.

Liz Rizzo ( http://blogher.org/blog/liz-rizzo )

I blog at Everyday Goddess ( http://everydaygoddess.typepad.com/ ).

Great Interview!!! WOW!

James From BabySpot.com

I've personally covered these candidates for nearly a year now, been studying their positions a lot longer. I did not forget that you are African American, and I assume that you haven't forgotten that I am, as well. 

And yes, I am sorry when people can't listen respectfully, and with an assumption of good faith, to those with whom they disagree. 

And let's be clear, I have no problem with your support for Clinton, who was garnering the lion's share of African American votes until the South Carolina primary. I think that's your business. My only problem with your argument is the categorical statement that African Americans who support Obama are only supporting him because of his race. 

Now, here is my question for you and other Clinton supporters: what do you think of an Obama-Clinton ticket? Alternatively, what would you think of a strong Clinton supporter as the running mate, such as Gen. Wesley Clark or Gov. Ed Rendell?

Looking forward to a conversation. 

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://blogher.org/blog/kim-pearson )|Professor Kim ( http://professorkim.blogspot.com/ )|

Excuse me? Sorry I had this experience? I'm certainly not. It only enhances my senses. People are people, regardless of color. I suggest that you, Kim go have a look at both of the Democratic candidates and see for yourself that there is very little difference. I've done my homework and then wrote that letter to the DNC.

I think that 90 to 92% of the black vote going to Barack Obama speaks volumes. Don't forget, I'm African American myself and I see what goes in our communities. You know this. 

Have a wonderful day,

Marla Jo 

...that the same cannot be said of sexism.

it would be so much worse if we were still in a place where we couldn't voice our disagreements, our anguish, our doubts about race relations in America. And we certainly need to take a long, deep look at the role our mainstream media plays with this conversation.

While I completely agree with you about race relations, I can't help but feel that concerns about sexism in this primary have been silenced or written off. I see precious little discourse on the subject, and the posts/articles I have read seem to be met with ridicule or a "so what?" attitude.

I don't know why this is, although I suspect it has something to do with sexism being more ingrained (and supposedly non-existent?) and therefore harder to identify than racism.

I luuuuuurved this article about it ( http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/04/14/obama_... ).

(And sorry, I realize this is a bit O/T! Go BlogHer! Go Obama!)

---
Kristy Sammis
BlogHer's Conference & Event Planner
e. kristy@blogher.com

I've talked to African American Clinton supporters who've said they wouldn't vote for Obama, and African American Obama supporters who said they wouldn't vote for Clinton. The sentiment you've expressed is part of the reason so many people are wondering whether this election will be a replay of 1968, where Republicans were able to take advantage of the divisions within the Democratic party to elect Richard Nixon. It will be ironic if this happens, especially in light of the intense disaffection that many voters are expressing with Pres. Bush.

I am curious why you assume that African American voters for Obama are only voting for him because of his race. Isn't that a bit like assuming that you only support Clinton because you are both women? I'm not an Obama shill, but I do believe that there are thoughtful people on both sides of this issue.

On BlogHer, I've read arguments from African American Obama supporters that are policy based: his initial opposition to the war, his legislative experience on issues such as ethics reform ( http://obama.senate.gov/issues/ethics_and_lobbying... ) and nuclear non-proliferation ( http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_n... ), the breadth and diversity of his life experience, his ability to put together a strong team of advisors, and his approach to policy issues. We've also heard from African Americans who agree with you that Clinton is the stronger candidate.

Finally, if you are looking for a place that will welcome civil, open, informed discourse about this or any other issue, I hope you'll be an active member of the BlogHer community. I've never seen a more welcoming place online. 

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://blogher.org/blog/kim-pearson )|Professor Kim ( http://professorkim.blogspot.com/ )|

The DNC, Main Stream Media and Pundits, and Obama Supporters and Super Delegates.
It seems to me that you hear what you want to hear and you see what you
want to see, but let me be extremely clear on what has gone on during
this primary season and what will happen after it is over.
First of all to the Obama voters, I cannot speak for the White Obama
voters someone else would have to speak to them. However, I can speak
to the African American Voters because I am an African American. It is
easy for you to try to justify 90-92% of you voting for Obama, but the
truth is the truth. You are voting for Obama simply because he is an
African American. Let me ask you a question. How many of you did what I
did and researched both candidates equally; How many of you pulled down
the policy and voting records and evaluated them against each other?
How many of you sat down and thought about the things that are
affecting you on a daily basis and then took a good solid look at both
candidates and made a decision? How many of you, if your life or the
life or your children depended on it, can easily list two or three
bills that Obama has voted on or written? How many of you know his
stance on Healthcare, the Economy, and Education? If your life depended
on it right now today, how many of you know exactly what Barack Obama
stands for. How many of you know what the change is that he has
promised? If your life depended on it could you explain what the Change
actually is? I say this because I find it offensive that my own
friends, family members and co-workers choose to call me a sell out
because I am a Hillary Clinton Supporter and I simply say to them, I am
not interested in making History. I am interested in the future of this
country that my nine year old child will grow up in, period. I have
done the homework. I have made a decision and I am sticking to it. It
offends me even more when fellow African Americans feel that it is ok
to walk up to me on the street or at my Childs school and say to me,
’so do you think he is gonna do it? Do you think Obama is going to
win’? What makes them think first of all that I am an Obama Supporter;
and when I tell them I am not, why do they have the audacity to say to
me, ‘come on sister we owe it to him’. How can you just assume because
I am an African American that I will automatically vote for Barack
Obama?. Ask yourselves the tough questions. Step back and take a good
look at yourselves and see what you come up with. To those supporters
who have been so vile and disrespectful to Senator Clinton, you are the
reason why the party is being torn apart and it shows your lack of
knowledge in what your candidate stands for, because according to him,
he is the great unifier. But his followers seem to be the great
dividers. All you have to do is take a look at the blogs. Debating the
issues is one thing, but vile personal attacks and nasty rhetoric is a
sign of the characters of those who support him. This says to me that
if he were to be elected to office, you would not hold him accountable.
You would continue to bury your heads in the sand. How can you Unify a
country when you continue to use the Race Card. Everytime someone
disagrees with Senator Obama, they are labeled racist. His
Administration would be mired in constant back and forth about race. If
you do not agree or you speak out against him, you will be considered
racist. This is the type of White House we would have and nothing would
get done.
To Senator Obama: Your arrogance is not becoming. The way that you talk
down to people is not attractive. You are asking us to put you in
charge of the people of the United States of America, yet you act as if
you are Superior to us. You take us for fools, by expecting us to
believe that you had no knowledge of what your Pastor was preaching for
20 years. You expect us to believe that you and your campaign did not
inject race into this campaign, but those of us who viewed this primary
with clear open eyes, know what you have done and we will have our
voices heard in November. It is not your race, take it from me I am a
sister, it is your lack of substance and your inability to come up with
your own views and your own policies, and we will be heard in November.
You are supposed to be a Uniter, but you have caused more division in
this country than I have seen in the past 30 years.
To Senator Clinton: I support you 150%; I know in my heart of hearts
that you are truly a champion for the people. I have known your work. I
have researched your policies and I have watched you during this
campaign. In times of trouble you are the one that I would want to have
my back because I know that you would go down fighting for us. Thank
you for your body of work for the American People, although it may not
feel as though they appreciate it right now. Those children that have
healthcare because of you Thank you; those women that are able to spend
time with their children after their birth; or those children who are
able to take time off work to take care of their elderly parents,
without fear of losing their jobs due to your hard work on FMLA Thank
you. The people of New York Thank you. This country is lucky to have a
fighter like you, although they do not deserve it. Thank you for your
brilliance.
To the Main Stream Media and Pundits, you chose to praise this unknown
man without thoroughly vetting him and now it is too late. You, I hope,
will take full responsibility for this when he tanks this country. You
all do not even have the common decency to act as if you are trying to
be fair and balanced. Chris Matthews cannot stop salivating over Obama;
Tim Russett seems as if he gets angry every time Hillary wins, his eyes
just bug out of his head. It is a sad thing for me to say that I have
gotten all of my fair and balanced news from Fox News Network, which is
totally unbelievable. You have assailed Hillary Clinton and tried to
make a Mockery out of Bill Clinton. You along with Barack Obama and his
camp, have made the case that Bill Clinton is somehow a Racist because
he said something that was totally true. Because of your dislike for
the Clintons, you have trashed them constantly. and you are the ones
who started the whole ‘The Clintons’. I do not see the name Bill
Clinton on the ballot. It is totally disrespectful the way that you
have treated President Clinton and Senator Clinton; absolutely no
respect. You have failed the American People and it will come back to
haunt you; let me see you spin the disaster which is Barack Obama.
To the DNC: For 22 years I have been a loyal member of this party, a
party that I thought was the party of the people. But I now see that
you all are nothing but the good old boys club. You have totally thrown
Senator Clinton under the bus. Someone who has been loyal to this party
and fought for this party; someone who has shown so much strength and
passion for the people, because you cannot break away from the good old
boys club. It took this long Primary season to see just how flawed and
undemocratic your system really is. First of all you penalize the
American People, the voters, for what their legislators did. You did
not have the common sense to say, ‘ok we will fine the Michigan and
Florida Democratic Party monetarily for moving up their primaries’. No,
you chose to take away their right to have their votes counted. How
undemocratic is that at a time when we have soldiers coming home in
body bags because they are fighting in a country to give others the
right to simply vote. Yes the candidates agreed, but why should they
have had to in the first place. No one had the common sense to say that
we cannot disenfranchise millions of Americans? You have a system where
someone can win an entire state and come out with only 10 or 13
delegates more that the person that lost. How is that Democratic? That
means that the notion of one man one vote is not the what this party
runs off of. You have a system of Caucuses, which does not allow for
elderly and hardworking Americans to participate in; is that
democratic?, You put Super Delegates in place to make decisions and
vote how they want to, but mid game because it does not benefit the
candidate that you want, you strong arm them into voting how you want
them to vote. This is the party of the people? You have a system where
you have a number of 2025 delegates and neither candidate has reached
that mark; but you declare a winner and then the good old boy network
decides that they will come out in droves to back him up, even though
millions have not voted. So then you are saying that the Super
Delegates make the decisions? Which is it?
To the Super Delegates: There is something to be said about Character
and what I have seen in the last couple of months has no signs of it.
For those of you who backed Hillary Clinton in the beginning and then
felt it necessary to throw her under the bus when she was behind in the
delegate count or was being declared down and out by the pundits, you
are the reason why the Democratic Party is divided; those types of
antics are unprofessional and disingenuous. It is one of two things:
You were backing her because you thought she would win, or; You backed
her because you believed in her candidacy, her policies and what she
stood for. If it was the latter, no matter what the numbers said or
what the Pundits said, you would stick with her. It is called courage
and conviction, something that her true supporters have shown. For
those African American Super Delegates who have been threatened and
brow beaten by your fellow African American Colleagues, Talk Radio and
constituents, thank you for having a back bone and standing up for what
you believe in. That is what true Character is all about. I suspect
that the turn coats will hear from their constituents in the future.
Jumping on the winning bandwagon does not take any effort, but standing
firm to your convictions takes everything.
What will happen next? The Pundits, the DNC, and Barack Obama
Supporters have all said, ‘Oh people are just saying that they will
vote for McCain or stay home in November, but that will not happen. The
party will come together’. Understand this loud and clear. We did not
vote for Hillary Clinton because she is a woman. We did not vote for
Hillary Clinton because she is White We voted for Hillary Clinton
because we felt that she was the best person for the job and that she
would fight for the people of this country. We did not vote against
Barack Obama because he is Black or he is a Man. We voted against him
because we felt that he was not the right person for the Job. We felt
that he is not experienced enough; We felt that he was not honest about
the way that he feels about this country; We felt that he has no
substance; We felt that he gives great speeches, but has not backed
them up; We felt that he gets defense when he is questioned about his
policies and his way of thinking. What makes you think that that has or
will change? We will Not vote for Barack Obama. We will take our
chances with John McCain because at least we know that he loves this
country without a doubt. At least we know that he has the National
Security background in the event of any issue; At least we know that he
has a record of reaching across the aisle, even at the dismay of his
party. We know absolutely nothing about Barack Obama. We will not vote
for him no matter how you wave it off or dismiss what we would or would
not do. It will not happen. Common sense tells us that in the next four
years nothing but clean up will take place. I will take my chances with
someone that I know where he is coming from (McCain), as opposed to
someone who has shown no substance and only the promise of Change in
Washington (Obama). Obama? who is supported by all of the very
Washington Insiders that he chastises, Obama? who will be so indebted
to the old Washington Insiders he will not know which way is up. Now
you ponder that. Pundits, say what you must for ratings and see what
happens in November. And by the way, if and when Hillary Clinton gives
her Concession speech, it will be the last time that we will watch the
mainstream media again until election night. No convention, no
commentary, no Sunday shows. We are not interested in the Dog and Pony
show that the Democrats will make Hillary Clinton perform for the so
called good of the party, after the party turned their backs on her. We
love Hillary, but we will not vote for Obama because she said so. We
are not robots and we will not drink the Kool-Aid. Keep this in the
bank until Election day.
Sincerely,
An Ex-Democratic Voter,

Marla Jo 

Great job BlogHer! I am thrilled Obama recognizes the importance of the blogging woman's vote! 

Caroline

http://morningsidemom.wordpress.com/

I'm  so excited that one of the candidates finally took up BlogHer on the invitation, but I am still disappointed in one thing -- where are the specifics?  He says the right things in broad strokes, but where are the details, especially on the issue that is so big for me in this election-- poverty.

How will he make sure people like my parents have a more adequate income?  How will he make sure there are efforts for more child care?  When I hear some specific proposals on these important issues, I'll be happy.

PunditMom ( http://punditmom1.blogspot.com ), Contributing Editor, Politics & News ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/punditmom )

Also at MOMocrats ( http://momocrats.typepad.com )

I'm so grateful to BlogHer for bringing all of us into this conversation.

Senator Obama already has my vote, and I've blogged about it here ( http://www.glamourbrain.com/2008/02/til-tuesday.ht... ).

Once again he showed his intelligence, his grasp of the issues, his sensitivity to women's concerns and his ability to speak in complete sentences. All very different from the incumbent.

Smart and glamorous. My kind of guy.

Glamourbrain ( http://www.glamourbrain.com )

I can attest to the bias in those book reviews you linked to.

Yes, there are still racists in this country. Yes, there are still old school angry black preachers who call their congregations to take care of the sick, poor and hungry in their own neighborhoods.

 My father in law, a fine upstanding, calm, non-shouting white preacher will tell you that the Reverend Wrights in this world served their communities well. He will also tell you that Obama was exactly right to terminate the relationship when he did.

 Churches are not about preachers. They're about community.  I am a member of a church (and have been for 20 years) where my preacher still preaches against homosexuality from the pulpit.  I leave church disagreeing with him as much as I did when I went in on that one issue.

 I would no more turn my back on the church community I belong to than I would repudiate gay and lesbian people.  Because it's not about the preacher; it's about the community, which has moms of gay guys and sisters of lesbians within it.  And yes, I push back whenever he goes down that road, too, by the way.

 There are many legitimate reasons to not support Barack Obama. I am not trying to campaign for him.  But in a time where we are facing at least one, if not two Supreme Court appointments in the next president's term, in a time where McCain threatens to privatize Social Security, in a time where our sons and daughters are being sent away to a country that didn't attack us and had no means with which to attack us, yet we still make war, Reverend Wright is no criterion upon which to make any decisions.

If I've been harsh, I apologize, but really, people can say anything on the Internet, a la your book review site. Isn't this election year important enough to do your own reading and homework?

karoli

odd time signatures ( http://www.drumsnwhistles.com/ ) (life)
bang the drum ( http://politics.drumsnwhistles.com/ ) (politics)

Keep up the good work both Blogher & Obama!  Yeah power to the people who know how to use it wisely!

pemo theodore at AstraMatch.com

Now when I go shopping and see a black person I look and say ‘hi’ but then…I can’t help but wonder…”does he/she hate me because I’m white?”

Are you kidding? Do you think that knowing that the KKK still exists and that there are white supremacist groups all over this country should make every black person who would look at you and say 'hi' back should make them wonder ”does he/she hate me because I’m black?”

Yes I followed your links - and it was pretty clearly slanted material.

Yes, there are racists in the world. There are bigots of all stripes. If we knew more about what most of our friends, family, church congregations, and acquaintances thought, we'd probably be appalled to discover how many of them hold beliefs that we disagree with vehemently.

Sen. Obama has addressed the Rev. Wright issue. It falls about on par with the current Vice-President denouncing homosexuality while still loving his gay daughter.

Now can we get back to the substance of the interview and the points Senator Obama addressed? Hell, I've not voted for him (yet) and may not still... but it was a good interview and he said some pretty amazing things.

This was not the right place for this type of fear-mongering post.

Lucretia (aka GeekMommy)

Raising a child in a digital world, still a digital girl

Thanks everyone! We just posted the senator's answers to individual questions for folks who want to discuss specific issues:

Economy ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=XB08HjAu4hk ): Sen. Obama answers "How will you create federal public policy that helps families break the cycle of poverty?"

Environment ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y9VO0Kku_AM ): Sen. Obama answers the question, "We are reaching the point of no return on climate change. What will your legacy be on the environment?"

Health care ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=FQD8TdO8YeA ): Sen. Obama answers "How will you allocate scarce resources to help solve the country's health-care crisis?" and "What is your position on requiring all major private, Medicaid, or federal health insurance plans cover birth control?"

Iraq ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=nyZ8RoRR-eU ): Sen. Obama answers three questions about the war in Iraq:
1. Will you work to end the Iraq war before the 2008 election? If so, how?
2. How do you propose to keep paying for the costs of war?
3. What are you physically going to do to help the Veteran's Administration and soldiers in need?

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://blogher.org/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

This was a team effort a LONG time in the making. I sincerely hope to see Senators Clinton and McCain follow suit shortly.

I think it is also important to note the Senator was aware of our site -"yes, the women bloggers' he said off camera-and took the time to address our concerns.

Of course, as an Obama supporter I am biased, however he has now gone on the record with our community and it makes me feel even more of that....yes, I'm going to say it.....hope.

Erin

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain ( http://queenofspainblog.com/ )

That's how I feel watching this video.   And, also? So very, very proud to be a BlogHer member.  As a woman and mother who spent several years struggling with health care issues due to having no insurance, I especially appreciate Senator Obama's understanding of the situation. 

I'm so pleased for BlogHer and Obama. This is definitely win win on the recognition and respect fronts.

Feminists don't have to be female.

I've been wresting with a political post per a NARAL endorsement of Obama endorsement of NARAL and hit a major snag. This straightens it out and sheds light on canddate strengths that go beyond talking points and all the way into emergent perspectives and paradigm shifts.

Build Peace ( http://buildpeace.blogspot.com )

Virtuality ( http://www.virtualknowledgegroup.com )

My Life As An Avatar ( http://www.blogher.com/http/secondana.blogspot.com )

( http://buildpeace.blogspot.com )

I'm still not an Obama fan and I don't think he'll get my vote in November if he is the Democratic nominee but I do appreciate that he took the time to talk to BlogHer. I really appreciate it.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings ( http://www.flamingohouse.net/ )

I am hoping that Hillary will also agree to be interviewed.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen ( http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com )

To IamPaul'sMom,

Before I respectfully disagree with everything you just wrote, I want to applaud BlogHer and the entire political team for working so hard to get this interview accomplished. The points Obama made were succinct and prudent. And I thought he was more specific than he had been in the past. I am already an Obama supporter, but the fact that he was (once again) making history by embracing this interview with BlogHer is icing on the cake for me. If I could "super-size" my vote, I'd order the largest available!

Now, there is one quote of yours I'd like to address:

"This country truly is in the worst place it’s ever been
racially".

It isn't. We do indeed continue to be in a treacherous position, but it would be so much worse if we were still in a place where we couldn't voice our disagreements, our anguish, our doubts about race relations in America. And we certainly need to take a long, deep look at the role our mainstream media plays with this conversation. Yes, some of the snippets we see on TV of Wright may seem crazy. But not considering the context in which they were said (which is difficult for ANYONE to ascertain unless one was there in the pews at the time) is even crazier.

Please, feel free to disagree with those of us whose opinions differ from yours, but do not claim that reading the article you suggested will make everyone feel better. I do NOT want my vote back.

Again, congrats to BlogHer. I'm so excited to be a part of this community.

Notions of Identity ( http://notionsofidentity.blogspot.com ) 

Given our history of treating black people badly in this country, I am not surprised that many black people don't like or trust white people. What I am surprised by is that so many black people have it in their hearts to trust white people at all.

The article you cite doesn't make me feel better, because it is not factually accurate.

You are certainly entitled to your feelings about Wright and Obama, but you are not entitled to your own facts. Rather than rely on reviews of Obama's books, why not read them yourself? Rather than rely on others' characterization of his church, why not watch their services -- they are streamed online here: http://www.tucc.org/home.htm. Wright has books as well that detail his views on a variety of subjects, including some of his sermons. I am sure that you can obtain these books through your public library if you don't want to pay for them.

Just so you know my perspective, I wrote this ( http://www.blogher.com/node/17236 )about Trinity United Church of Christ in 2007, and this ( http://www.blogher.com/patriotism-wrights-jeremiad... ) in 2008. I think this ( http://newblackman.blogspot.com/2008/05/guest-post... ) is a good analysis of the most recent episode that led to the final break between Wright and Obama.

Finally, if you want to know what this child of the Black church and occasional online attender of services at TUCC thinks of people who describe themselves as white, perhaps this ( http://www.blogher.com/dream-lives-reaching-healin... ) will help you.

Peace.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://blogher.org/blog/kim-pearson )|Professor Kim ( http://professorkim.blogspot.com/ )|

to be sucked into this thread, but your post highlight prompted my curiosity.

I have no idea if I'm alone... but nope... I don't ponder whether someone hates me for my skin colour. I don't even ponder whether they hate me for being gay, or because of my gender, or anything else - I just work for change.

I *will* ponder the issues that create our human condition, be it the collective condition, or some subset down to the one. I will ponder how to improve lives, how to best advance all of us on things like education, health care and the like.

I'm not out to count my vote in terms of black or white. I'm not out to look at the presidential election with such a divide in place. Not out to say 'OMG, did you see what (insert name here) said, and then act like that is tied squarely to whatever candidate someone perceives they are associated with.

Well, we've all got family, and we've all got friends. Hell, I've even written a blog post titled 'I Am The Problem Relative.' Must others wear our faults or issues around their necks when in public - 'see what my associations hath wrought?'

Each of us stand on our own merits. That I might say something stupid or insensitive or mean does not mean those who are my friends have to live me down - or explain me away. 

I'll stand with those who wish to move past skin colour or gay or gender as issues and start looking at all of us as human beings with real concerns, with our having real ability to make change happen. 

nelle ( http://www.nelle2nelle.org/ )

Obama explains his health care policy and dealing with scarce resources in a very succinct, powerful way here. This is just a great snapshot into his platform. Straightforward, clear.

Brava!

I find this place that we are in in our country the saddest I’ve ever
experienced. I NEVER knew that black preachers actually taught/preached about
whites in their churches. Never. I had NO CLUE.

I saw Obama for the first time and I’ll never forget it. I thought … wow,
what a wonderful well spoken man he is. A fresh face, someone new to Washington,
someone that really seems to ‘get it’, someone that seems like he will really
try to HELP the American people. I was SO THRILLED to find a person that I
really thought BELIEVED in truly helping others and uniting our country. BOY was
I ever wrong! I was shocked to hear the rants of Wright and then to know that
Obama sat in that church for 20 years and his kids - it floored me. Saddened me.
However, like you I am grateful to Obama and Wright to have opened my eyes. Now
when I go shopping and see a black person I look and say ‘hi’ but then…I can’t
help but wonder…”does he/she hate me because I’m white?” I’m not alone..and
neither are you.

I have a link: http://elect2009.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/obama-bo...
that actually is where his books have been reviewed. It’s a great read and it
truly shows how Obama ‘really’ feels. I’ve researched endless hours actually
trying to figure out HOW in the world did this country ALLOW someone with these
kind of associations run for Commander In Chief.

I know what will make YOU feel better..it did me. It’s an article that “tells
it like it is” is the way I see it. Here’s the link: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25634 it’s an article
that truly “tells it like it is” -

This country truly is in the worst place it’s ever been
racially.

I loved it, and how great for Obama to agree to be interviewed by BlogHer.

Jodi 

http://www.momsfavoritestuff.com

All around.

I particularly appreciated the thoughts on birth control, education, and the banking industry.

Thanks Erin & BlogHer!

Liz Rizzo ( http://blogher.org/blog/liz-rizzo )

I blog at Everyday Goddess ( http://everydaygoddess.typepad.com/ ).

I couldn't be more proud to be a member of the BlogHer political team right now.  Erin, Elisa, Denise, Morra, Julie and Lisa put the pedal to the metal to make this happen, and I was honored to be invited aboard. 

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://blogher.org/blog/kim-pearson )|Professor Kim ( http://professorkim.blogspot.com/ )|

I am so impressed by BOTH Senator Obama and BlogHer. Good for you (and us all!)! I think that Clinton and McCain would be foolish to squander the opportunity to talk to BlogHer.

Jae, Mama 2 3 Kiddos ( http://chaosensues.blogspot.com/ )

I want a president who understands that blogging voices will continue to matter long after the election.    

Hi everyone,

If you're one of the people who has emailed or called me, unable to get the YouTube embed code, try this: Refresh your page and the embed tag should show up at the end of the video

OR just copy this code below:

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EswSmbfhseo"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EswSmbfhseo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder ( http://blogher.org/member/lisa-stone )
Surfette ( http://surfette.typepad.com )

It's no secret that I'm not really that in awe of Obama as many of his supporters are, but it was definitely politically expedient of him to agree to this interview and it's unfortunate if Clinton and McCain squander the opportunity.  As a Clinton supporter, I'm particularly disappointed if she refuses.

Great Interview! Thanks for the reminder as to why I voted for Barack Obama. Great questions chosen, thank you.

Deb
Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow