On Anderson’s Cooper 360 they did a major investigation into the relationship between Bill Ayers and Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for president. Obama’s campaign tried to downplay the relationship by arguing that, in the words of Obama himself, “Ayers was just another guy in the neighborhood.” McCain’s campaign, on the other hand, and especially Sarah Palin, have tried to make the case that the relationship went further than Obama has been willing to admit thus far.
During Anderson Cooper’s show, CNN researchers concluded: “But the relationship between Obama and Ayers went much deeper, ran much longer, and was much more political than Obama said.”
As the CNN piece points out, claims that Bill Ayers is a ‘former radical’ are incorrect. He may not use force any longer, but he is still a radical. Only a few years ago he told the New York Times that he did not regret his past terrorist activities and that he believes he and his friends ’should have done more.’ Additionally, in April of 2008, Ayers published a blogposting in which he ranted against capitalism, describing it as a tool for oppression, thuggery and slavery.
“But the relationship between Obama and Ayers went much deeper, ran much longer, and was much more political than Obama said,” the CNN concluded about the relationship.
“One place where their paths repeatedly crossed according to a CNN review of board minutes and other records, was Chicago’s Annenberg Challenge project.” The report went on to say that “according to program participants and records Bill Ayers fought to bring the Annenberg grand to Chicago.” The Annenberg grand was “a $50 million grand” which would be used to “match locally raised funds to improve schools.”
Barack Obama was, CNN points out, “recruited as the chair” of Ayers’ organization that aimed to bring the Annenberg project to Chicago schools in order to ‘improve’ the system (more on the ‘improvements’ later). “For seven years, Bill Ayers and Obama, among many others, worked on funding for education projects including some experiments supported by Ayers.”
The piece was filed by Drew Griffin, for CNN’s Andersoon Cooper 360 show.
That was not all, CNN found. They also served “on the board” of a second organization, the Woods fund. “Among its recipients: Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity Church where Obama attended and a children and family justice center where Ayers’ wife worked.”
Lastly, “for Obama, the chairmanship of the $100 million Annenberg board helped volt him from southside Chicago lawyer to political player and that too has another connection to Bill Ayers.” In 1995, shortly after joining the Annenberg board, a female state senator appointed Barack Obama suddenly as her apparent political heir. “Where was that introduction made?” CNN wondered? Simple: “in the home of the 60s radicals Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn.”
Again, as CNN pointed out in the piece, the Obama campaign pretends it does not matter in any way. A spokesman for Obama told Drew, on CNN, it is bad journalism to delve into the Ayers-Obama connection, and serves no other purpose than destroying Obama’s image. Drew responded by saying that Palmer, the state senator, told him that she had not organized the meeting in which she was to appoint Obama as her political heir “in any way.” Rather, it was organized for her, on her behalf, one could say. Furthermore, a doctor (who attended the meeting) said “it was indeed Barack Obama’s political coming out party and it was hosted by Bill Ayers.”
Watch it:
