Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Cracks in Barack


Growing up, I learned several things that Barack Obama seems to have missed. Most people I knew were civil, but some were downright mean. I learned that not everybody liked me, even when they found out how nice I was. They were dishonest, selfish, cruel, and ruthless. They didn’t care whom they hurt while getting what they wanted unless they were afraid of getting beaten up or arrested. I learned to avoid dealing with them unless I had to, and then to be prepared for the worst, and never go in without backup. I don’t know how it was where Obama grew up in Honolulu and Indonesia. Maybe he didn’t meet people like that, but that’s unlikely because they’re everywhere, at least everywhere I’ve ever been.

Maybe Obama has led a charmed life. Maybe he was able to enchant everyone he’s ever known the way he’s enchanted American voters. If he becomes president, he will definitely come into contact with some bad people who will challenge him to see what he’s made of, and some of what he’s saying lately worries me. He claimed several times that he’s willing to meet with world leaders who are sworn enemies of the United States - without any preconditions.

He wants to talk to Ahmadinejad. As a radical Shiite, President Ahmadinejad of Iran believes the 12th Imam, or Mahdi, has been living in a well for over a thousand years and will come out to rule the whole world if Iran creates chaos. To accomplish that, he’s defying the US, the UN, and the EU to build nuclear weapons with which to “wipe Israel off the map.” There’s nothing like a nuclear war in the Middle East to create chaos. If that weren’t bad enough, Ahmadenijad is supporting Hezbollah - a terrorist group dedicated to destruction of Israel and the United States. He supports Hamas, another terrorist group dedicated to the destruction of Israel. He trains and supplies weapons to Shiite terrorists who kill American soldiers in Iraq. Obama said he would talk to Ahmadinejad without preconditions. When scores of experienced American diplomats were appalled, Obama tried to backtrack.

How about Chavez? As a radical socialist, Hugo Chavez is nationalizing American oil companies in Venezuela. He threatens to choke off oil to the United States, supports communist guerillas in Colombia and Bolivia who smuggle cocaine into the United States, and conspires with Iran to bring us down. Obama said he will talk to Chavez without preconditions. When scores of experienced American diplomats expressed shock, Obama tried to backtrack again.

Maybe those crowds he speaks to while campaigning in the primaries don’t understand what Ahmadinejad and Chavez are like. Or if they do, maybe they believe Obama will charm them as he’s charmed Democrat voters. Does Obama believe he can work things out with foreign leaders like those guys? Obviously he does. “Yes We Can!” he says. How? Well, he is “The Change.” What change, you might ask? “Change You Can Believe In.” Hey - it’s worked for him with Democrats. Who is to say it won’t work for him with foreign tyrants?

One reason Obama looks good is that so many Americans are embarrassed by President Bush. They think he’s dumb, and when he speaks he tends to reinforce that impression. Obama seems smart because he speaks well and he went to Harvard. That he’s black is a bonus for a lot of Democrats who suffer from “white guilt” and are always looking for ways to prove they’re not racist.

Other are suspicious of Obama because he put down small-town Americans, saying: “They get bitter. They cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” He thinks they’re not sophisticated enough to understand economic dynamics as he does and that attitude has cost him votes in West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky. Perhaps those “bitter” voters are wondering if he and his wife got into Ivy League schools through Affirmative Action and have become snooty about ordinary working-class people like them. They or their brothers-in-law have been passed over for jobs as firemen or policemen because of Affirmative Action and they resent it. They’re small contractors who have lost jobs to competitors employing illegal immigrants - and they resent that too. They don’t like it when Obama ridicules them while speaking to rich liberals in Marin County who use illegals as nannies and gardeners. Obama represents a Democrat Party which has played the racial victimhood card and the class envy card for decades. If I can paraphrase Obama’s spiritual mentor, could it be those Democrat chickens are coming home to roost?

Voters are beginning to suspect that Obama is naive and he doesn’t know how to handle bullies like Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Putin or Kim Jong-il. Most voted against him in the last several primaries. Come November, when their choice is between Obama and McCain, it’ll be interesting to see what they do.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think I'll vote for Donald Duck this time. That's what I think of all three front runners.

Harvey in North Baldwin

Anonymous said...

Sorry you had problems with bullies when you were younger. Maybe this is why you fear having a President who is fearless in talking with them. Listening to one's enemy is hardly the same as embracing their beliefs. It is merely a start to find out what the two of you may have in common in regard to common goals, and if possible, to work from there. This man has guts, and he's already commanded the respect of men with power from Rockefeller to FoxNews owner Rupert Murdock to Hamas. Let go of your fears and any notion that McCain and his easy embracement of a new Holocaust in Iran is the answer. His strategy will result in WWIII when Russia and/or and China jumps in - and they will - because they need the oil and gas from Iran. We'll all die. Choose life. Choose humanity. Choose change.

Anonymous said...

Jim in Tampa -- to Obama and his supporters Change means Retribution and pay back from the fat cat white guys who have made gagillions of dollars taking advantage of minorities and poor people. Tom is being way to generous in his appraisal of a terribly flawed man and candidate. He is a product ot south Chicago racism and victomhood. It is truly a disgrace that he is the best that one of our two major parties can offer...

Anonymous said...

A commenter said "Let go of your fears"....? Hmmmmm....okay. Its not a matter of fear, its a function of discrete prudence based on an acknowledgement of historical behavior and facts instead of foolish pie-in-the-sky fainting hope. "This guy has guts"....say what? I guess so, if you consider blaming staff for every mistake & gaffe "guts". And talk about fears---geez that chicken little scenario at the end of the diatribe on "hope & change" says more than the entire previous passage. Tom is spot on here. Barack Obama - think Jimmy Carter. I know -- I was there, and like an idiot I voted for him. He was the change & hope & new direction candidate then. If there has been any American that has done more harm to our nation in the past 75 years I am unaware of who it is. Face reality, Obama is the new Carter.

Anonymous said...

In reference to Jimmy Carter - "If there has been any American that has done more harm to our nation in the past 75 years I am unaware of who it is." - I don't think this anonymous writer has been paying attention to the last eight years. Carter didn't make it public policy to flush America down the toilet. But I digress...

The thoughts on Obama are certainly interesting, though I don't have an issue with wanting to talk to so called "enemies." After years of a bullying and stubborn mentality by this administration, an open discussion might yield something. I think Republicans are afraid Obama will give the store away in concessions to Iran, Venezuela and North Korea. I don't believe that. I think he wants to know what he's up against. True, nothing might get resolved from talks, but I don't see the harm in trying. You never know until you try.

This country's status in the world is terrible and it's going to take someone positive to try and erase the nightmare that is George W. Bush. I think Obama can do that. McCain, while more foreign-policy savvy than the current president, would probably just blow up the place in the end. After all, he did promise more wars.

Tim - Waterbury, VT

Anonymous said...

This comment is meant for Tim from Vermont and the other Chuckleheads who have posted comments about fears.
Until you have the courage to post your name on comments you make, do not talk about anyone else's fear.
And to those who are critical of our President, you should thank him for your freedom and eliminating terrorist activity in the United States of America.
Mr. Carter attempted militarily to free US Citizen in Iran and failed....miserably!
Time will prove that our President did the right thing in Iraq and should clean out terrorists no matter where they are.

Bob Sharkey, Lamoine, Maine

Anonymous said...

To Bob -

This is from Tim in VT. I'm confused. Are you referring to me as someone who does not have the courage in posting my name? Or is it to those who did not put their names? I do agree that if you're going to comment, someone should put an identification. People shouldn't be afraid to respond to something they don't like. However, I could leave my full name and address, but I don't want all the attention.

And how do we know Pres. Bush has eliminated terrorist activity in this country? The terrorists could be laying low, biding their time. We know they're meticulous and incredibly inhumane. They're also intelligent, which to me is most terrifying. I don't give this administration any credit for ending terrorist activity. It may be the case that we know this in the future, but I don't have any proof of that now.

And Freedom? Didn't his Patriot Act take away some of our basic freedoms? I can't wait until January. Bush needs to retire to his ranch in Texas and leave this country alone.

Tim - Waterbury, VT

Anonymous said...

This is for Bob. Reasonable people agree to disagree. I used to post mine and my site when leaving my opinions, which I view as humanitarian more so than liberal. I became a victim of both identity theft and cyber-bullying from some really nasty, obsessive people. The raw hatred from white supremests, loony right wingers, warmongers and religious fanatics was unanticipated and unbelievable. I see your demand for the name of someone you disagree with as a ploy to come after them with vengeance. I'm an ordinary woman with two kids to protect, not some guy with an itchy trigger finger and ready to take on a 250 pound stalker who hates my 'liberal' opinions. And by the way, I left the earlier post you hated about bullies. You sound like one. Shame on you.