Barack Obama’s volunteers in Houston haven’t done him any favors here:
Does Obama know his Houston supporters honor a terrorist in his campaign office? I’m sure he doesn’t. However, it would behoove him to ensure that the flag gets taken down and that he renounces any affinity for Che and the Fidel Castro regime.
Nope. I’m sure he doesn’t know… or rather, didn’t. But the blogosphere has exploded, and some overzealous campaign volunteer has created a problem.
Now, it doesn’t take much to set the edges on fire, and Barack Obama’s political positions were never going to appeal to the folks burning with righteous indignation on the right.
For a taste of the “local”, blogger “Lonewacko” writes (my emphasis):
The three ladies are apparently volunteers who apparently simply opened the office while waiting for paid staff to arrive. Expect creative Obama supporters to claim they’re moles from the Hillary Clinton campaign. Less creative Obama supporters will try to claim that the volunteers were just being hip ‘n’ ironic, despite the three ladies not looking the hip ‘n’ ironic type.
Sigh… Free help and all that.
Apparently Lonewacko thinks folks will fail this reading comprehension pop-quiz, even though he gave the answer in the first sentence. OTOH, we all know that reading skills have been falling. I’m guessing lots of people will have trouble passing that little test.
This is what happens when the political news cycle hasn’t any fodder. We were, after all, in a 24-hour-lull between primaries — an eternity in this electronically driven hyper-cycle. Furthermore, lots of folks have been looking for an excuse to pounce on Obama.
Still — I admit to being bothered by this myself. I’d been considering getting involved for the Obama campaign on the local level… but I haven’t the slightest affinity for Che Guevara… nor any desire whatsoever for socialist revolution.
For a non-lefty Independent like me, that’s a big turn-off. Somebody rather a lot more politically astute than these volunteers needs to get things straightened out over there in Houston.
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Added: James Joyner at OTB passes the literacy test (there’s a reason I have him listed in the sidebar as one of the sane), and comes under direct fire from the frenetic fringes — who are clearly not doing very well with this little pop quiz.