July 03, 2008
Words are Nice. Actions Are Better.
Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama is on a tour across America designed to rehabilitate his reputation, after a CNN poll conducted on June 26-29 revealed that a surprising number of Americans—Democrats (10%), Independents (29%), and Republicans (40%), or 25% overall—say that the candidate lacks patriotism.
I must wonder how much a string of speeches will do to convince people that Obama loves America. They are, after all, "just words."
He certainly loves parts of America. San Francisco. Chicago. New York. D.C. University towns and union enclaves. Where left wing ideologies and identity politics hold sway, you'll find a part of America that Obama likes and understands.
The rest of the nation may as well be another world for the freshman Senator, as remote to him as the Indonesian schools of his youth are to the rest of us.
He doesn't seem to understand that the America outside of his comfort zone doesn't associate the sincerity or depth of love with this nation with fealty to the political party in charge at the time. He's used to seeing feckless American liberals threaten to leave the country if a Republican wins an election—though regrettably, few of these fickle souls live up to their word—and associates that as a normal behavior. Instead of "My country, right or wrong," his life story is a tale replete with a string of associates and mentors that boldly proclaim "my country, my way, or God damn you all."
Speeches are nice, and he certainly plays a teleprompter as lyrically as a human being can.
But Barack Obama has lived his life in the counterculture of America. He counts among his greatest influences a communist poet, a lynching advocate priest, a crackpot conspiracy-mongering reverend, and the detritus remnants of the last great experiment in American self-loathing.
The majority of Americans have been raised with a nearly instinctual love of this nation that is not tied to who resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and that doesn't associate pride or shame in their nation of birth solely on the policies and actions of elected officials that will blow away on an electoral wind.
The freshman Senator from Illinois is surprisingly insulated from the American experience, even as he claims to credit America for his success. He claims to believe in the America, but every policy he outlines, every dream he frames, is nailed to an ever-engorging government. A program for this. A policy for that. Restrictions here, entitlements all around, and a tax on both your houses to pay for it all.
Barack Obama is in love with the possibilities of American government. It's too bad he has so little trust in the American people.
Your last line is too charitable. I don't believe he's in love with anything but his own ambition.
Posted by: Val at July 3, 2008 10:35 AMIt may be worse that you say, CY.
Posted by: Peter at July 3, 2008 11:33 AMDuring the primaries, Pat Buchanan was interviewed on MSNBC, and he said that throughout the primaries and the general election, the key question voters will have about Obama is this: "Is he one of us?"
I vote no, and you'll never be able to convince me otherwise.
Obama lost me at Jeremiah Wright, and he confirmed my suspicions with his San Francisco comments. Both Wright and Bittergate are windows into Obama's soul, and they tell us all we need to know because they show us what he is like when nobody is looking. Now that everyone is looking, he's a changed candidate. It's nothing but an Eddie Haskell routine, and voters are the grown-ups whom he's trying to dupe.
Posted by: SAM at July 3, 2008 11:53 AMYou're right about one thing, Obama is in love with what America COULD BE. On the other hand he has a vicious hatred for what America stands for. Rugged individualism, courage, morality, equality of opportunity, (instead of equality of outcome) the never ending striving of the human spirit, etc...
Posted by: Capitalist Infidel at July 3, 2008 12:04 PMYou're right about one thing, Obama is in love with what America COULD BE....if only America were more like the European Union, relinquished it's sovereignty to the UN, and voluntarily destroyed its economy and standard of living for the benefit of developing countries.
There you have it -- patriotism as defined by Barack Obama.
Posted by: capitano at July 3, 2008 01:19 PMI doubt Obama knows what America is all about, all 57 States. He has spent so much of his time studying under Rev Wright and the tenets of Karl Marx and Saul Alinsky, he hadn't much time for freedom, liberty and the American way.
Posted by: bill-tb at July 3, 2008 05:53 PMSomething strange happened to me between my sophomore year in high school when I refused to sign up for Carter's draft (hep me!) and when I had my first child - I fell in love with America.
My oldest son is working on his Eagle Scout rank because he wants to go to a service academy and "blow stuff up for the good guys." I cannot explain how proud I am of him for being a better man than I was.
Screw Barry O'Bama and his band of poltroons.
-OT
Posted by: OT at July 3, 2008 06:23 PM... and a tax on both your houses to pay for it all.
CY? Phone call for you. It's from some guy named Bill Shakespeare. Get this -- he's accusing you of plagiarism and threating to sue. :-)
Seriously, though, that was a brilliant line.
Posted by: Robin Munn at July 3, 2008 11:43 PMBarry is not one of us, and McCain only partly so. This is my year for voting third party. Just say no to Amnesty.
Posted by: Increase Mather at July 4, 2008 09:44 AMBarry is not one of us, and McCain only partly so. This is my year for voting third party. Just say no to Amnesty.
I remember when that attitude got us (Boy) Clinton and Hillary! as co-Presidents.
Posted by: iconoclast at July 4, 2008 10:21 AMiconclast, that's why even though I'll be throwing up a bit in my mouth....I'll be pulling the lever for McCain
Posted by: Capitalist Infidel at July 5, 2008 06:47 AM"... even though I'll be throwing up a bit in my mouth....I'll be pulling the lever for McCain."
Ha! That's what I've been feeling but didn't know how to put into words. Thanks.
Posted by: DoorHold at July 6, 2008 11:39 AM"He certainly loves parts of America. San Francisco. Chicago. New York. D.C. University towns and union enclaves."
Butte, Montana?
Posted by: Len at July 6, 2008 10:27 PMHe doesn't lack patriotism. I'm sure he gets a real thrill when he sees the hammer and sickle flapping in the breeze.
Posted by: Purple Avenger at July 7, 2008 06:58 AMI used to be a full on supporter of McCain but not so much now. This is the first time I am able to vote and I am extremely excited to do so. I was hoping to be able to vote for my party but with how McCain is turning out Im not sure. I guess my dad was right when he said most of them suck and Im voting for someone else. I cant remember the last time he voted for one of the major parties.
Posted by: Brett at July 7, 2008 10:47 AM
