S.C. Ministers on Barack Obama’s List Say They Didn’t Endorse Him; Democrats Angle for Last-Minute Converts
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two black South Carolina ministers listed by Barack Obama as supporters of his campaign say they never endorsed the Illinois senator, while at least two others say they affirmed their support only after being contacted by the campaign when questions were raised over their endorsements.
Hillary Clinton, too, has stumbled when it comes to claiming the support of the clergy. And with just over a week to go until Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, the questions over endorsements coincide with gambits by the two frontrunning Democrats to pick off each other’s supporters and win them over to their sides.
The moves suggest that every endorsement, however low-key, counts — but the enthusiastic head-counting has had its drawbacks.
Earlier this month, Obama’s campaign released a list of what it said were nearly 130 senior pastors in South Carolina endorsing his run for the Democratic nomination. When contacted by The Associated Press, several ministers said they have yet to decide who will get their vote and were unclear how they ended up on the Illinois senator’s list.
“I really haven’t decided to endorse him yet. I was thinking about it,” said the Rev. Clifford Gaymon of Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church in rural Clarendon County.
An Obama spokeswoman said the list was created after campaign organizers called ministers and asked to release their names publicly.
“We used all our resources to ensure we had the most accurate and up-to-date list, and we worked to check with everyone on the list,” said South Carolina spokeswoman Amaya Smith. “It’s a pretty long list of people.”
But some ministers said their names were used without their permission. Gaymon, mistakenly listed as retired on the Obama list, said he’s been to campaign events to find out more about the presidential candidate, but did not receive a phone call about making an endorsement.
The Rev. Michael Blue of Door of Hope Christian Church in Marion was added to the list without permission and has asked the Obama campaign to take his name off the list, said church spokesman Ronnie Green.
Clinton ran into some of the same questions after her campaign released its list of endorsements from black ministers late last month.
Blacks compose nearly half the Democratic primary vote in South Carolina, and the candidates are looking for an edge with the critical voting bloc.
The majority of people endorsing each candidate was accurate, according to the AP reviews, and many supporters said they are eager to lend a hand.
Both campaigns lists’ had some sloppy record keeping: misspelled names, churches listed in incorrect cities and beside incorrect names. But, like Clinton’s list, Obama has some other substantial inconsistencies.
When Obama’s campaign released its list of ministers Dec. 4, it said everyone on it was a senior pastor, unless otherwise noted. That meant there were 122 senior pastors and three associate pastors of different churches and ministries, including four retirees.
Before supplying a second list to the AP a day later, the campaign withdrew two names and added one, and noted a fourth associate pastor. The AP review found at least two more associate pastors and a youth pastor’s assistant.
The Clinton and Obama campaigns also got into an endorsement spat Wednesday, with each claiming to have converted a former supporter of the other.
Clinton’s campaign spotlighted Iowa ironworker and former Obama labor steering committee member Bob McFadden, announcing Wednesday that he has switched his support to Clinton.
“Hillary Clinton won’t just talk the talk — she cares about the issues important to all of us and will work to change the direction of our country,” McFadden said in a Clinton campaign statement.
Obama countered, announcing that Army veteran Kent Sovern, formerly the Iowa co-chairman for Clinton’s Veterans Committee, has defected to caucus for Obama.
Clinton and Obama got into another sparring match over the weekend over who can lay claim to the backing of members of the Bill Clinton administration.
Obama suggested Friday in Iowa that he has more Clinton-era foreign policy experts backing his candidacy over Clinton’s. But when asked to cough up the hard numbers, Clinton’s campaign provided 85 names, while Obama’s provided 47.
On Wednesday, the Clinton campaign released a list of more than 200 foreign policy experts and former officials who are supporting the New York senator for president. More than 150 of them served in Bill Clinton’s administration. Among some of the notables were former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Supreme Allied Commander of Europe and 2004 presidential candidate Wesley Clark.
Click here for a list of Clinton’s foreign policy supporters.
Clinton tried to play down the endorsement aspect of the campaign Saturday in New Hampshire.
“But this is not a campaign between lists of advisers. This is a campaign between real people, with experience and qualifications to become president on day one,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mr Obama is a cheater!! He started his political carrier with the funds of a one Mr Rezco who is an indited businessman!!!!
He tells about running a different campaign!!!!!!! I ask him some questions!!!! He tells he is a very superior decision maker, but he says he was boneheaded to buy a land from Rezco!!! Common Obama, you bought that land for 300 thousand less than the asking price the before one day, when Rezco’s wife bought the next land for asking price!! You made whopping 300 thousand profit on one deal!! You are very shrewd cunning cheater, you are a razor sharp knife, with honey touch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just think about it, we are all blaming Clintons for attacking Obama!! Oh!! pooooor Obama!! Didn’t he attacked Clinton saying She was on Walmart Payroll, when he was working for poor, and only to retaliate his comment Hillary replied about His involvement with REZCO(Cheater, slum lord)!!!
When one of the channel asked him about REZCO, he just said that he was boneheaded to do that deal, that’s it!!!!! he moved on and said that he thinks people don’t care about it and all they care is for change!!!! Are we mad and boneheaded like him!!!!!!! to elect an boneheaded leader like him!!! Yes We are!!!!! That is why he is winning like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wake Up fellow Americans!!! Realize there is no change with Obama, only cheating !!! If we elect Him we are sending people like REZCO into White house!!!!!!!!!!!!
A great man said “If you want to judge a person!! See his friends!!!!! With REZCO is his first Fund Raiser and His initial political contributer and Friend!!!! You Judge Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Oprah!! you are great lady!!!!!!!!!!!! Haven’t you asked all these questions before supporting him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hillary is better than Obama!!!!!!!!!
He talks about Change and Hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oprah says a quote that he is a guy with an ear of eloquence and a tongue of truth!!!!
Common Oprah!!
What about REZCO deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! had he asked a few people in Chicago!!!! they would have told about REZCO!!!!!! But he did not do that and dealt with him all these years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This proves he does not have both things you said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He returned whopping 86,000!!!!!!!!!! dollars to REZCO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in this campaign!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oprah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you just gave him!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2300 dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but do you think REZCO is a boneheaded person like Obama to give him whopping 86000 dollars to Obama’s campaign with out any profit!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is just known amount!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you don’t know how much it is unknowingly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama!!!!!!!!!! is different!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he keeps changing his positions, but if somebody points it out, they are playing dirty politics!!!
So what we are doing is We are electing a leader!!!!!
1.) Who was drug edict in his young age!!!!
2.) Had a fraud businessman as a friend, fund raiser until now!! and had done real estate deals with him and profited more than millions from that!!!
Roger, you asked for help, Here it is.
Hillary is very experienced. Remember her universal health care initiative, as first lady? (Co-President) Of course you don’t! It was held behind closed doors, away from public scutiny. When a few details were leaked to the press, it fell apart. She is vastly experienced in trying to deceive the american people. She denide knowlege on how 40 FBI files got into her office; Some intern was likely to blame. She denide knowledge of Rose Law firm billing irregularities. (racking up phony hours, and stealing money from clients). She stonewalled and then shredded documents that could have (or should have) put her in jail. She denise knowlege of how Chinese money got funnelled into her campain. She denided knowlege that her brother and husband were charging huge fees for presidential pardons. She also didn’t know anything about AirForce One’s china plates and silverware ending up in her house. So you can see, she is very experienced at denial and playing stupid. You want that kind of experience in a president? You want a female president? You want a African-American President? How about Condeleasa Rise! ANYONE BUT HillARY in 08!
Of course these people endorse Hillary, they want their old jobs back where they didn’t have to do anything and got a nice cushy office.
Did I miss something? What experience does Hillary have? Experience at using the FBI as her own private eye to get the dirt on her political opponents? She has never ran anything before. And people want to give her my bank account so that she can pay for all of those ‘gifts’ that she put under the tree? Remember her comment to the NY times that she has a million little ideas, but America can’t afford them all? We can’t afford any of her socialistic ideals. I know realize why she says that it takes a village to raise a child since her husband was never around. Like at the stark contrast between the Clintons and Mitt Romney, where Mitt married his high school sweetheart, has five kids who actually like him (and are all married with kids)…he is a true role model. Mitt was a very successful businessman, has ran multi-million/billion $ companies, saved the Olympics from financial ruin and ran an executive position as governor.
As for Obama, what has he ever done? Organized some political organizations? Was a state senator? and…um…anything else? He can get out and stump and say anything because he has no background, no back story. nothing.
We need a true executive leader. We need Mitt Romney.
So the allegations against Clinton are vague without names and basically baseless, because you can’t write a piece without baselessly criticising Clinton even when the Obama campaign has clearly done something wrong with facts backing it up. You wouldn’t do very well in journalism school if you submitted this article for marking.
I think you should not vote for someone because they maybe the same color or a female like you are. If you really want to know about a person just do a little research about the past and the present. If you find something fishy that is what you will get for a President. Just listen to the way they speak, if they use the one um that means they are for sure uncertain about what they say. Trust me people the world needs someone who is well sure about the decisons that are being made for the United States.
Help, please some body help me. Bill and Hillary keep telling us voters that she has experience. But when you do your research, you can’t find anything. And of course Hillary won’t tell us what her experience is. If anyone out there could help me with this, please help. The only thing I can see is Bill wants to be the first president to be elected to office three times. I hope Hillary is not basing her experience on Bill beacuse he did nothing good for the country, oh, I sorry, he did show us how to cheat on your wife. I am not against a women being president, I would welcome it for a change. but Hillary isn’t the one, think ahead, how would you explain to your childern that you help put this cheater and lier in office, what would they think of you. I don’t think our childern would be proud of us. So do the right thing vote for a candidate who has morals and is honest and will do what is right for the country. Do you research then vote.
preachers only have one vote like anybody else I would not vote for some-one just because my preacher support some-one
I hope Hillary wins the Democratic Nomination. Its easier to defeat her than any other candidate. Hate Politics is an ugly beast, but we no longer have statesmen in our country, we are left with politicians.
“Research” got the last line about 99% accurate. Democrates have to fool people into thinking that, they are for the little guy. They are for big government and not the little guy. They try buying votes by offering handouts. these handouts always have strings attached. This is so they can grow government at the same time. example: tax breaks for people who buy a hybrid. “Research” needs to understand the key difference between the parties. Republicans want you to keep more of your hard earned dollars. You know how to spend your money the best way for your family. Democrats want to take as much of your money as they can, and then at election time, remind you of what little they gave you back. Wake up, remember! travel gate, cattle gate, Vince Foster’s safe was ramsacked before his body was cold, Hilary had 40 FBI files illeagally in her office. ETC….She denies any responsibility for anything. ANYONE BUT HILLARY IN 08! were can I buy that bumpersticker?
“Only brain dead people vote for Democrats, and brain dead thiefs vote for anybody named Clinton.” MUST BE A LOT OF BRAIN DEAD REPUBLICANS TO HAVE VOTED IN 2000 AND 2004 FOR SOMEONE WHO IS AND WILL BE CONSIDERED ONE OF AMERICA’S WORST PRESIDENTS….