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September 24, 2008
Who is Bill Ayers?
Earlier this week, a Wall Street Journal op-ed brought attention back to the connection between Senator Barack Obama and a '60s radical activist, Bill Ayers. As cofounder of the violent left-wing organization the Weatherman, Ayers has been called a domestic terrorist by many state operatives.
Currently, Ayers is an American elementary school theorist, and is connected to Obama through education reform efforts from his days in Chicago. But it merits asking, who is Bill Ayers? And what difference should it make in our estimation of the Democratic candidate for President of the United States?
This much is uncontested: Bill Ayers participated in the bombings of several public monuments, including the New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, the US Capitol Building in 1971, and the Pentagon in 1972. He was a leading member of a radical, leftist terrorist organization called the Weatherman. He spent a short period of time in jail after turning himself in for these crimes in 1980. And he is affiliated with US Senator Barack Obama.
But what is the nature of that affiliation? And perhaps more importantly, what does Bill Ayers believe and how does he act today? Without question, if Senator Obama has in any way shown signs of supporting Mr. Ayers' admittedly guilty and violently radical past, his candidacy would be suspect. But there is no evidence that this is the case.
To begin with, the connection between Senator Obama and Mr. Ayers comes down to three principal items. First, and most notably, they served together on a Chicago school reform initiative called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, an effort that designed community partnerships with local public schools and was also launched in fifteen other communities. Also serving on the board of the Annenberg Challenge in Chicago were individuals such as Patricia Graham, former dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Arnold Weber, former president of Northwestern University.
Critics may wonder how a self-admitted domestic terrorist rose to lead a well-reputed school reform initiative? Because Mr. Ayers, since his days with the Weatherman, has gone on the straight and narrow. He is currently a distinguished professor of education at the University of Chicago who has garnered attention for his academic efforts in pedagogy, along the way working with officials such as Chicago Mayor Richard Daly.
The second connection is that Mr. Ayers and Senator Obama also served together on the board of an anti-poverty foundation called the Woods Fund of Chicago, which continues to provide support to organizations that seek to educate and empower low-income residents of Chicago.
Third, Mr. Ayers contributed $200 to Senator Obama's Illinois State Senate election campaign in 2001.
So does Senator Obama support a hyper-radical leftist ideology of domestic terrorism, as some skeptics warn? Does he support an unorthodox, militant view of the role of public education? There is no evidence of it. After all, Senator Obama was only eight years old when Bill Ayers committed his violent acts.
I'd love to hear facts about their relationship and how it might impact the next five weeks if you have evidence or conclusions that I've missed here!
Aaron Tang is the co-director of Our Education, a non-profit organization working to build a national youth movement for quality education. He also teaches 8th grade history in Saint Louis, MO.
Ayers Info on NRO
Posted by: rl122176@yahoo.com on Sep 30, 2008 2:54 AM
The best detailed record of the Obama-Ayers connection I've found is here on National Review Online courtesy of Stanley Kurtz. Unfortunately this is a right-wing journal, but they're the only ones who seem to be willing to follow this story. If not for Kurtz's persistence, the records of the Chicago Annenburg Challenge (CAC) might still not have been released to the public.You left out a couple of things in your conclusion. First off, not only did Ayers donate to Obama's Illinois senate campaign, but Ayers hosted the kick-off event in his home. That suggests a little closer connection than a $200 check. More importantly, the work of the CAC, which Kurtz repeatedly states is Obama's only executive experience, spending between $100-150 million on Chicago public education was basically a failure according to the evaluations of their own internal reviewers. The end of the article quotes the CAC documents stating that no significant improvement in student achievement was found after all the money spent on CAC programs.
You can read the article and decide for yourself whether Obama supports a radical education agenda, but Ayers clearly does. In my mind, the University of Illinois's relationship with Ayers is more embarrassing than Obama's, but Obama's claim to any expertise in the area of federal education programs would seem to be severely tarnished by his poor performance leading CAC.
Lies re Ayers
Posted by: hungryaardvark on Oct 6, 2008 8:55 AM
Your article contains obvious lies. Bill Ayers was never convicted of anything. Your lazy and easily checked lie is well known to anyone who cares about facts. Are you a Palin speechwriter?In the company of terrorists
Posted by: olympicrange on Oct 6, 2008 9:43 AM
The Republicans are getting out their spears and rattles and chanting around the party fire again "FEAR! FEAR! FEAR!" is the mantra. Now it's going to be a desparate attempt to conjure up illicit associations with former left wing radical activist-- William Ayers. Well, let's not mention it was nearly 40 years ago when Ayers was a radical activist. Uh-- he's now a member of the University of Chicago School of Education faculty. (The radical stuff went on when Obama was eight years old.) Obama, who was a professor of constituttional law at the University of Chicago and active in Chicago community politics fell into "proximity" with Ayers when being presented as a candidate for Illinois State office. This isn't exactly a trenchcoated subversive operation. Later Obama-- BECAUSE of his service to the community-- served on the board of the Woods Fund. Ayers was on that board. Let's see-- THE WOODS FUND-- radical lefty political subversive organization? Uh-- no-- The Woods Fund was founded in 1941 and has a reputation for funding programs that benefit the underpriviledged. Let's see-- some as subversive as The Art Institute of Chicago.By the way-- another 60's activist, Angela Davis, who was fired from teaching and told "you'll never teach in the California system again" by Ronald Regan (then govenor), is now a distinguished professor at Berkley. Activism is energy. Sometimes it's misguided. Sometimes it's right on. Sometimes it grows up into productive work in all sorts of arenas. Any way you slice it-- it beats complacency in the face of war and injustice.
It is logical that Obama would have come into contact with Ayers -- They lived in the same community and taught at the same college, and were interested in some of the same issues (each with differing view points and life experiences). We cannot afford to let the Republicans manufacture a "boogie man." There are too many important real issues at stake.
The REAL Barack Obama
Posted by: Eddie's Mom on Oct 28, 2008 9:35 AM
Barack Obama has MANY questionable associations and friends. Electing Obama is to give people like domestic terrorist-Bill Ayers, hate mongers-Rev. Wright & Louis Farrakhan and convicted felon-Tony Rezko a direct line access to the White House.Obama's Plans for America is chilling.
GIVING AWAY YOUR $$$:
In 2001-Obama was already talking about redistributing wealth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck
And again in 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwtnPi7hi0U
I am a strong, intelligent Asian American woman that believe in hard work aand self sufficiency. I work for what I have-I deserve to keep what I make. Don't you?
THE 95% TAX CUT that the Obama campaign talks about is bogus. He is saying whatever he has to say to get elected. About half of the 95% he talks about don't even pay taxes!!! An Obama administration will be giving your money and my money to people that don't even pay taxes!!!! Do they deserve the money more than you, the earner??? Huh?
ECONOMY-We all know the it's a tough economic time in America and around the world. Then why does Obama want to raise taxes on any body! Business is slow already-why tax them more at this time? Businesses will have to either lay off people, raise prices or close up show. Slow economy + higher taxes = Bad for businesses and its employees. Bad for the current economy.
BANK FAILURES: Guess who is resposible for a large portion of our current economic predictament? The Democrats who believed that everyone deserves to own a home even if they can't afford it! The failure of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac caused a domino effect of bank failures.
It all started back in 1977 with Jimmy Carter and the Community Re-investment Act.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act
Obama's relationship with FM & FM:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,423701,00.html
Barack Obama WANTS people to rely on the government rather than help people to help themselves a philosophy that I agree with. Barack Obama is pro larger government and reliance on government support. My family and I came from China where the presence of the government is strong-that is not what America should become just because times are tough.