Bill Ayers vs. Charles Keating
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, McCainWhile the nation faces an uncertain future, the two presidential campaigns want you to think about the past. Past associations of the candidates’, that is. The John McCain campaign has decided to refocus on Barack Obama’s association with unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers while Obama is dredging up McCain’s involvement with Charles Keating and the infamous Keating Five scandal.
Obama’s past associations with Ayers have nagged him throughout the campaign. From what I can tell, the association was much more one of political opportunity than ideological congruity. It’s one more piece of evidence that the politics of hope are indistinguishable from politics as usual. Disappointing but not disqualifying. (Note: if anyone can find a decent, non-partisan article on this relationship, please offer a link. This is one of those issues that every piece of writing either minimizes or sensationalizes the matter.)
As for McCain’s role in the Keating Five scandal, he was cleared of impropriety but criticized for poor judgment. Some people still believe that McCain was only included in the investigation by Democrats desperate to make the scandal seem to be a bi-partisan affair. Nevertheless, McCain’s relationship with Charles Keating was questionable at best.
I’m surprised it’s taken until October for the Obama campaign to resurrect the Keating scandal. My guess is that’s because they know the issue is a loser. It’s complicated and McCain was officially cleared of wrongdoing. But as a counterpunch to the Ayers controversy, the Keating scandal may work. After all, major media’s desire to achieve “balance” will likely lead to every Ayers story being abutted to a Keating story.
This could end up a draw for the candidates. But it’s a loser for voters. Neither story from the candidates’ pasts are nearly as important as their plans for their future.
This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, McCain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Non-partisan fact check of the Ayers connection:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_weatherman_connection.html
October 6th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Let me get this straight, you say McCain’s association with Keating.”McCain’s relationship with Charles Keating was questionable at best.” Wait just a second! Keating was McCain’s one of his largest campaign contributors very early in John’s runs for senate. He spent time at the Keating Estates, flew on Keating’s planes!!! That is TOTAL INVOLVEMENT WITH KEATING, not a relationship that is questionable at best!!! McCain was Hook Line and Sinker going to the aid of Keating and his debacle. My mother lost big time in the Keating scheme, who lost with the dinner party that Ayers gave for a fund raiser for Obama when he was a neo pol or was on a community board with him?
Come on ASC, at least choose equal associate examples.
October 6th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Alan, nothing I’ve ever read has suggested that McCain was clean just because he was “cleared.” I’m pretty sure that McCain himself has in one of his books admitted that he exercised extremely poor judgement in going to bat for wealthy contributors involved in the S&L mess.
October 6th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I agree with Krabbie here.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Alan needs to put down the crack pipe.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
A more troubling and more recent association is the Palins’ link to the Alaskan Independence Party. Doesn’t support for Alaska’s separation from America suggest a genuine lack of loyalty and affection for the UNITED States?
Todd Palin was a member of this party from 1995-2002, and Sarah Palin attended their conventions in 1994 and 2006. (NYT 9/3/08).
October 6th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
You guys never cease to amaze me. I don’t go for the jugular and you act like I gave the guy a pass. Clearly he screwed up. Even he admits that. Why do you think he’s spent the last 20 years fighting to get the influence of money out of politics (McCain-Feingold et. al.)
But the Keating scandal is old news. The investigation cleared McCain. You can look at all the facts again if you wish, but it’s a pretty good argument to say “it happened 20 years ago, I was cleared.” This is not exactly an October surprise.
And, fwiw, I wasn’t making a comparison between equals here. If you notice, I bring these two guys up because the campaigns are bringing them up.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:21 am
After extensive investigations, both Senator McCain and Senator Glenn were both cleared of any wrong doing regarding Keating. The Obama campaign is now trying to dredge up the Keating affair, as a smoke screen to divert attention away from launching an investigation over Obama’s association with Ayers. First Obama claims that over a TWENTY YEAR period, he never heard a single anti-American racist sermon from Jeremiah Wright … never noticed the anti-American racist literature in the church’s lobby … never agreed to the ‘Black Values System’ that all the church members swore to … never subscribed to the Marxist ‘Black Separation Theology’ espoused on the church’s website … never knew anti-American racist Louis Farrakhan, who the church awarded a life time achievement award to … and, never knew unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, when Obama launched his campaign from Ayer’s living room, sat on a board together, and whose wives worked at the same law firm http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2008/10/devastating_vid.php
. Obama also worked with Acorn, who has been caught in massive voter fraud, in behalf of Obama. Obama obviously shares an anti-American racist, and criminal philosophy with some very unsavory people, continues to lie about it, and does not have the character, or integrity to be President of the United States of America !!!