By the Editor, CentrePoint News

Even though Barack Obama’s association with Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers has received more attention, one of Obama’s early associates has been overlooked.  CNN’s Barack Obama truth piece correctly pointed out that Obama has had frequent contact with William Ayers, but it was state legislator Alice Palmer who personally chose Obama as her hand-picked successor.

But who is Alice Palmer?

In 1995, Alice Palmer was an incumbent State Senator from Chicago’s south side.  Yet her career as a radical began in the 1960s.

Former State Senator Alice Palmer was educated at Malcolm X College in Chicago and moved on to get a Ph.D from Northwestern University.  

While that’s not subversive, the New Zeal Blog writes, “Palmer, with her husband was also inviolved in the Chicago based Black Press Institute. It was as a representative of this organisation that Palmer served on the executive board of the [1] US Peace Council from 1983 to 1985.”

The U. S. Peace Council is an important part of the radical equation:  ”The US Peace Council, was according Rob Prince of the Colorado Federation of Teachers, created by the Communist Party USA.”

The Blog also says, “In Lawrence S Wittner’s 2003 book, [2] The Struggle Against the Bomb, Prince, a 15 year veteran of the CPUSA National Council describes how he was “part of a nucleus of Communist party activists” that set up the US Peace Council in 1978/79.  There were several known communists serving alongside Palmer on the Peace Council executive.”

Renew America reports that as a member of the Black Press Association, Palmer wrote for the People’s Daily World, the newspaper of the Communist Party USA:  ”In 1986, Palmer wrote an article for the People’s Weekly World, a house organ for the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). In that dispatch, Palmer favorably recounted her experiences attending the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.” 

To announce his campaign for the State Senate, Obama held a September, 1995 rally at the lakefront Ramada Inn.  The 200+ person event was emceed by Alice Palmer and covered by the Hyde Park Herald and was merely the public announcement.  

An earlier political meeting at the home former Weather Underground Terrorist William Ayers, and planned by Alice Palmer, was Obama’s real intro to Chicago politics.  This gathering was a Who’s Who of Chicago militant politics.  

The New Zeal Blog says, “In 1995 Palmer introduced Obama to many of Chicago’s radical elite in the home of former Weather Underground terrorists Bill Ayres and Bernadine Dohrn. Also present was Obama’s long time friend, neighbour and supporter [3] Quentin Young, a member since 1983 of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Young was once accused by the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities of being a member of the Communist Party USA-specifically the North Chicago based communist doctors branch, the Bethune Club.”

Knowing the damage the association could do to Obama’s campaign, his campaign staff has tried to downplay the relationship.  The Obama campaign has said that Senator Obama actually challenged Alice Palmer for the State Senate seat.  

The Investor’s Business Daily reports that the Obama campaign says “Palmer ‘pulled her own plug.’”

In the same story, the IBD tells us that ABC News senior correspondent Jake Tapper writes, “It is Obama who is the truth-challenged one. ‘This is not a lie, this is true,’ Tapper says. ‘Palmer had decided to run for Congress, and Obama was tapped to run to replace her. When Palmer lost in the (U.S. House) primary, she wanted to stay as a state senator. Obama said no. He had every right to do so, but he decided to fight her for the nomination instead of stepping aside in deference to her.’” 

The story goes deeper and there are far more connections than we can report in this space.  

Yet, these details raise serious questions.  Why did Obama’s rise in Chicago politics come from the extreme, radical left?  Why were so many of his mentors members of the Communist Party, USA or other radical socialist groups?

What do these facts tell us about how he will govern if he wins the White House?

For the New Zeal Blog, click to…

[4] http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2008/08/obama-file-23-alice-palmer-obamas.html

For the Renew America piece, click to…

[5] http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/vernon/080526

For the Investor’s Business Daily story, click here…

[6] http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=304210671922915