GOP PLAN TO DEFEAT OBAMA

The Republican Party must really be afraid they can’t beat President Barack Obama on their own merits.  In addition to their “birther” games and continued questions regarding Mr. Obama’s citizenship and legitimacy to be president, the GOP recently added an old name to their current playbook — Pastor Jeremiah Wright.

You may remember this name from the 2008 election.  Rev. Wright, who was then Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago where the Obama’s attended, made some damning remarks about America, which was played over and over again on videos that were used in hopes of defeating candidate Obama.  It didn’t work!

Well, the GOP apparently believes in the old saying “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” since they have been secretly scheming to replay old footage of Rev. Wright in the hopes that this time it will make the difference.  Hmmm…

Republican dirty tricks funder and Chicago billionaire Joe Ricketts, originally intended to spend upwards of $10 million on a vicious attack on Obama with Jeremiah Wright as the centerpiece. The scheme was entitled “How To Defeat Barack Hussein Obama,” and Republicans were about as giddy as a Girl Scout on cookie day at its concept, since they were left seething mad that GOP nominee John McCain refused to let them portray Mr. Obama as a disciple of Wright, who they considered to be a crazed, deranged pastor who hated America. But word of the Republican plan leaked out, putting Ricketts and his many business ventures at risk and on the line.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright

When liberal groups heard of the secret GOP plan they immediately went into action, encouraging like-minded investors to drop their accounts with TD Ameritrade, the brokerage firm Mr. Ricketts founded.  New political opposition also faced Ricketts’ plans to seek public financing for improvements to Wrigley Field, home of the baseball team he owns, the Chicago Cubs.  Ricketts was also forced to write a letter to reporters at his New York news organization, DNAinfo.com, assuring them “my personal politics should have absolutely no impact on your work.”

Soon after the GOP plan was leaked, it became clear to Ricketts that he had a catastrophe on his hands. In an attempt to save face, Ricketts backpedaled that he had rejected the ad campaign, saying it was “not in keeping” with his own political style.  Yeah, right!

CNN contributor Roland Martin said “Dredging Wright up in 2012 is silly, childish and shows desperation.” Others followed in a denouncement that also forced Mitt Romney to weigh in against it. The plan was halted.

Republicans are now under intense pressure not to invoke Rev. Wright’s provocative statements for the remainder of the campaign. With so much unregulated PAC money encouraging wealthy individuals to weigh in on behalf of candidates and causes, Joe Ricketts is now a case study in the risks of political novices with big checkbooks seeking to play amongst the big boys in politics.