& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Obama facing the music

Mohammad Amjad Hossain
Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama has been facing the music from the media particularly radio talk shows and cable networks, including Fox News which appears to be ending the honeymoon with print and electronic media. Obama has been enjoying favourable coverage since he announced his candidacy for president last year. The press has marvelled at his oratory, swooned over his campaign strategy and given him credit for inspiring youth voters, and reach across party lines to come to vote during primary elections. Senator Obama was spared the negative onslaught by the media until recently.
Since Senator Hillary Clinton's election campaign team has raised the question of double standards in media coverage, pundits have begun research work on Obama and are looking more closely into such matters as Obama's relations with indicted Chicago developer Tony Rezko; his ties with Rev. Wright, retired pastor of Trinity United Church in Chicago, who gave inflammatory sermons condemning America; his relations with Louis Farrakhan, a Muslim clergy who is reportedly anti-Jewish and Israel and who praised Obama as real leader in the United States and Obama's one time meeting with former member of the radical weather underground in 60's. This group's leader, William Ayers, was reported to have been anti-govemment because of war in Vietnam when Obama was 8 years old. Senator Clinton's campaign said they have been asking about William Ayers who was a key supporter of Obama’s first race for elected office in Illinois.
In the latest 21st debate sponsored by ABC on April 17 in Philadelphia, Senator Obama was squeezed by moderator George Stephanopoulos with negative questions which began with Obama's association with the weather underground group in particular with its leader William Ayers. In a New York Times article published on September 11, 2001 Ayers boasted of bombing the Pentagon and other government buildings. Stephanopoulos, however. came under scathing attack by broadcast and radio talk shows for moderating such a despicable debate between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama to please his former boss's spouse. Stephanopoulos was President Bill Clinton's Director of Communication. Fox News is still playing up the story.
Senator Clinton's early morning commercial suggesting that Obama is not ready for the presidency is not the latest in a long line of political attack ads.
Obama himself offered an opportunity to Clinton for criticizing the comments Obama had made while conducting fund raising in San Francisco. He has said small towns Americans hit by job losses were bitter, explaining, they cling to guns or religion or antiimmigrant sentiment, or anti-trade
sentiment, as a way to explain their frustration. Senator Clinton described Obama as an elitist, out of touch, and frankly patronizing. By contrast, Clinton said, "I grew up in a church, going family whose father taught me how to shoot when I was a little girl". As her campaign went into full attack mode, Obama countered attacked, mocking Clinton's attempt to portray herself as a gun-toting member of the working class. Obama told a laughing crowd of steel workers in Pennsylvania "She is talking like Anne Oakley- with a six-shooter. I want to see that picture of her out in the duck blind". New York Times columnist Maureen Down also hit Obama for the comments.
Sometimes negative attacks work as in Pennsylvania on April 22 during the primary elections. Obama lost the primary but Senator Clinton did not win with big margin as was expected. Senator Clinton’s ominous TV ad using attack on Pearl Harbour, the great depression and image of Osama bin Laden in Pennsylvania played a great role in drawing attention of conservative and old white voters. Obama himself hurt the voters by telling a group of donors that small town Pennsylvanians were bitter people who cling to guns or religion. Senator Clinton won by 10 point margin. Clinton's big win in Pennsylvania does little to reverse Obama's big lead going into May 6th Indiana and North Carolina primary contests.
That is not the end of negative trend. The political group by the name Willie Horton that helped defeat Michael Dukakis in 1988 presidential race is planning to release ads against democratic presidential hopeful Senator Obama. They are planning to release the ad which draws parallel between Obama’s weakness on gang violence and the war on terror. This was disclosed by Floyd Brown, a conservative strategist. It seems that Obama Is being tested by negative campaign trend. There has been trend in the United States that hostile media treatment is doled out to every democratic presidential candidate since 1988. Obama is no exception in facing the music.