U.S. Common Sense

Over the past few months, the low rumble of William Ayers has been growing louder, and Barack Obama is beginning to hear the roar. Doing his best to address the issue, Obama has said that he has a “friendly relationship” with Ayers, but “not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.” But why is on man becoming such an issue for Obama as of late? Let’s take a look back a few decades ago to find out.

In 1969, William Ayers and 10 other members (one being his future wife) broke away from the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) following the SDS convention and formed the Weathermen; an anti-war movement that embraced the idealism that violent action would have a better impact on the issue than non-violent protests. They also believed that their actions would usher in the Revolution in the United States that many nations around the world were experiencing, including China, France, Mexico, and more. Relying on “white privilege” (the balance to the Black Power movement) and world Communism, the group issued a “Declaration of a State of War” against the United States and began a serious of domestic terrorism attacks and protests throughout the country.

After a year of violence directed at the government and symbols of wealth, the group went underground following casualties resulting from their attacks. Being known as the Weather Underground, they continued attacks on government facilities, including the Pentagon, where they blew up a ladies bathroom. This won them the honor of being on the FBI’s top 10 Most Wanted list. But by the mid-1970s, the group eventually disbanded and the remaining members remained on the run from the authorities. In 1980, Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn turned themselves in to the authorities. Dohrn received three years of probation while Ayers had the charges dropped against him following misconduct by the prosecution. But what does all of this have to do with Obama?

In 1995, Obama was introduced to Ayers and Dohrn at their residence when State Senator Alice Palmer was preparing to run for Congress. Both Ayers and Dohrn were influential liberals in the district that Palmer represented and would support Obama in his run to succeed Palmer. In 1997, both Ayers and Obama participated in an academic panel at the University of Chicago entitled “Should a child ever be called a ’super predator?’” In 1999, both Ayers and Obama were two of the nine sitting members of the Woods Fund for Chicago that focuses on the disadvantaged in the area. After three years together, the two parted until 2002 when they participated in another academic panel, this one entitled “Intellectuals: Who Needs Them?” And through all of their time together, it was only in 2001 that we have records of Ayers financially supporting Obama in one of his campaigns by donating $200.

So through all of this, what do we know about Obama in regards to Ayers? Other than living in the same area, working with each other for three years in a charity-based organization, and $200 in donations, not much. We haven’t heard Obama embrace Ayers terrorist or socialistic views of the past, so we can’t say that he is “anti-American” or a terrorist sympathizer. However, Obama doesn’t seem to understand the impression of his casual responses about his time with Ayers has on segments of the public, and this has been a trend with him. Obama shouldn’t be throwing all of his historical relationships “under the bus” whenever a controversy arises, but he needs to explain better how he views the actions of those around him and why he believes it is ok to associate with them today. Unfortunately for Obama, he hasn’t mastered that yet, and every month there seems to be a new questionable person in his life. As Larry C. Johnson said, “William Ayers, in the age of terrorism, will be Barack Obama’s Willie Horton” might not be too far fetched.

For some additional reading, check out these sites:
The Huffington Post - “Ayers And Obama: What Is Their Relationship?”
Right Wing Nut House - “Finally, the Media ‘Discovers’ Obama-Ayers Relationship”
CNN - “McCain: Obama’s patriotic, but his Ayers ties are ‘open to question’”
Boston Globe - “How Obama and the radical became news”
Townhall - “Airing the Ayers-Obama Connection”

For some additional reading across the web, check out these blogs:
Doug Ross - “Obama and Communism: Ayers, Dohrn and FARC”
Nicholas Stix, Uncensored - “Obama’s Terrorist Connection”
Obama Who? - “More Obama and Ayers Scandal Info”
Crooks and Liars - “McCain bashes Obama on Ayers but stands by his association with anti-Catholic pastor Hagee”
The Swamp - “Bill Ayers, a diary of ‘episodic notoriety’”