Lucky to be Obama -Pt.2 (Mayor McDumbass)

If Geraldine Ferraro was taken out of context, then Thomas McDermott, Jr's accusations against the Obama camp are plainly as racist as they are spurious. The mayor of Hammond (IN) and pro-Clinton supporter slammed its neighboring city Gary for busing and carpooling students to the polls in advance of the May 6 primary.

Rather than a commendable effort, Mayor McDermott sees it as underhanded politicking.

To the mayor it seems "like an orchestrated effort on behalf of the Obama campaign to take kids who should be in school learning to read and write, instead giving them a day off and telling them to vote for Obama."

For one, to describe anything Gary officials do as "orchestrated" is complimentary. For another, he likened the organized effort to "corralling"---as in chattel---and is convinced Gary's youth population will vote overwhelmingly for the black candidate over his favored white candidate, and he hates the prospect.

"These kids come from the worst performing schools in the state of Indiana and we are giving them a day off to go vote for Obama," quote the mayor. "They can vote on election day like everybody else."

Huh? I know American high schoolers are not the sharpest knives in the drawer but they can read well enough to discern 'Clinton, Hillary' from 'Obama, Barack' and with only two names on the ballot the math won't pose a problem either.

Hammond, it might interest you, was founded in 1884 (it is the oldest city in Lake County) and has never elected a non-white (or woman) mayor. Any rationale behind Mayor McDermott's slam fall short of being anything but racist; and if not racist then highly unpatriotic, which in our history has always been the bigger of the two injustices anyway.

Lest we forget, if it were remotely possible, our country is at war and if those same students, be they honor society or special ed, can be dined and driven to the MEPS by military recruiters to sign up and die for this country, then they can certainly afford to miss a few periods of textbook education in lieu of real life civics education.

How could any elected official or public servant discourage voters from performing the civic responsibility of voting? American forces---elder statesmen, military might, even celebrities---venture to distant, often turbulent and violent lands to secure the people's participation in the democratic process which for many parts of the world turns out to be a new exercise. A new exercise in freedom.

Freedom? Hammond, it might interest you, used to famously host grand KKK rallies during the terrorist group's heyday. Oh how the Klan paraded through Hammond, Indiana's main streets with no fewer than a few city officials amongst the fold---and every adult in the region today knows it, including junior.

The mayor's attacks are baseless of facts---Obama's camp hasn't a thing to do with it. Gary officials are not pushing or grooming or "corralling" students to vote one way or the other and, besides, who knows, a few might even have Republican sentiments...like his father the republican and former mayor, Thomas McDermott, Sr (and vote for Clinton)---tactless---"I think Sen. Obama should distance himself from this type of behavior"---shameful, and desperate.

And that's a good sign for supporters of Mr Obama!

I think Mrs Clinton should distance herself from questionable and racist boosters like Mayor McDumbass. Her campaign has certainly had enough practice at it.