(in happier times)

More than 700 comments and you all have more to say on Barack Obama's press conference renouncing Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Memeorandum has a wrap-up from around the blogosphere. So does the New York Times.

The transcript of the press conference is here.

Here's what Obama said about Wright in his Philadelphia race speech:[More...]

from the "Netroots." This time from Matt Stoller:

Clinton is running as a full-blown conservative.

What a dopey thing to write. While I agree with Stoller's criticism of Clinton on the gas tax holiday, see Krugman, some bloggers seem incapable of stopping at legitimate criticism and must jump the shark to foolish inaccuracies.

Just dumb stuff.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only.

Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic reports some Michigan Democrats have submitted a proposal to the state Democratic party. It's an alternative one to those that will be considered by the Rules and Bylaws Committee later in May.

The plan was submitted by Sen. Carl Levin, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick,UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, and DNC Member Debbie Dingell.

It's not a fair plan. It not only gives Obama all of the uncommitted delegates, a number that includes those who voted for Edwards, Dodd, Kucinich and Gravel, it gives him some that voted for Hillary.

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Your turn. This is an Open Thread. BTW, in an object lesson in "be careful who the Netroots backs . . ."

Meanwhile, back at the polls, SUSA's KY Poll says Clinton by 36:

Hillary Clinton decisively defeats Barack Obama, 63% to 27%. In three SurveyUSA tracking polls over the past 30 days, there is no movement in the contest. Obama gains a little bit of ground in Greater Louisville, but loses an equivalent amount in other portions of the state.

Whites (90% of the vote) 67-23 Clinton. African Americans (8% of the vote) 71-15 Obama.

By Big Tent Democrat

Barack Obama and his camp made the right political choice in having Barack Obama denounce and reject the Rev. Jeremiah Wright (and not just his words) today. This decision was also the right thing to do. What Wright has stated now on numerous occasions, both in the pulpit and elsewhere, is appalling, foolish, offensive, divisive and delusional.

Obama should have done this long ago. And while I am sure his Philadelphia speech was lovely, it really was not about what Jeremiah Wright had said and done. Today, finally, Barack Obama addressed the issue of Jeremiah Wright. And he did so quite well.

Of course politics is central to all of this. Obama is a politician. But I think his words today were sincere and heartfelt as well as politically shrewd today. Let's hope he has limited the damage.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

More . ..

Following up on the thread below about Barack Obama's press conference today on Rev. Wright, Chris Matthews says Obama needs to turn the conversation back to the economy and win both North Carolina and Indiana. If he doesn't and Hillary does well, the race will go on until August. (I disagree with that and believe it will be decided by the superdelegates in June.)

CNN's Bill Schneider says the same. This is an attempt to win Indiana and N.C. and get Hillary out of the race.

Candy Crowley said it was hard to see on tv but he was uncharacteristically very emotional.

Shep Smith on Fox says the same.

CNN will replay the entire press conference, including his statement and the q & a at 3:00 pm ET.

Comments closed. New post here

Update: The live-blog below is of the q and a after the statement, when I first tuned in. I'm watching a replay of his speech and it's even more harsh on Rev. Wright. It was unequivocal. Be sure to watch the replay of his original comments. CNN will replay at 3pm ET.

Barack Obama is on CNN now giving a live press conference on Rev. Wright. I'll live blog.

He's throwing Wright under the bus. When he hears conspiracy theories about AIDS or that Farrakhan is a great person, it goes directly contrary to what he believes.

The person he saw yesterday was not the person he has come to know over 20 years. He understands Wright felt villified and attacked and wanted to defend himself. But the insensitivity and outrageousness of his statements and performance during q and a period shocked and suprised him.

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PPP's Indiana poll has Clinton up 8, 50-42. The story is familiar:

[Clinton] leads 54-38 with white voters [(85% of the vote)], 54-39 with female voters [(55%)], and 55-36 with voters over the age of 65 [(21%)]. Obama, as usual, does well with black voters (73-21) [(12%)] and voters 18-29 (50-40) [10%].

Indiana has an open primary but it’s unclear who will benefit from that. Clinton leads 48-47 with the 14% of voters who described themselves as Republicans. Obama has the 52-37 edge with voters who described their affiliation as being ‘other’ than either Democratic or Republican. Those voters made up 12% of the survey.

James Lee Woodford was released from a Texas prison today after serving 27 years for a murder that DNA evidence now shows he didn't commit.

Woodward is the 18th Dallas County inmate, and the 31sth in Texas, to be exonerated by DNA testing.

Also today, State Senator Rodney Ellis announced that Texas will hold a summit on wrongful convictions on May 8 at the state capitol. [More...]

Adam Liptak in the New York Times examines the results of a new study on the death penalty and crime. There are two key findings.

The first one is not a surprise: The death penalty is imposed more often when the victim is white.

The second is potentially ground-breaking:

It found that the race of the defendant by itself plays a major role in explaining who is sentenced to death.

It has never been conclusively proven that, all else being equal, blacks are more likely to be sentenced to death than whites in the three decades since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Many experts, including some opposed to the death penalty, have said that evidence of that sort of direct discrimination is spotty and equivocal.

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I am with Kos, Fox should NEVER be legitimized.

Obama was wrong to go on Fox and so is Clinton.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only