Kondracke: Phony or pragmatist?
posted at 9:55 am on July 10, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Mort Kondracke poses this as a rhetorical question in his Roll Call editorial, but he appears to be leaning towards “phony”. After all of the policy reversals and waffles Obama has served up in the past month, some of which Kondracke applauds as pragmatic, can he be trusted? If he was willing to throw the netroots under the bus on FISA reform, just where will Obama take a stand on principle?
We haven’t seen that happen yet:
But much more dubious — in fact, raising questions of character — is his abandonment of a solemn promise to run his general election campaign with public funds if his Republican opponent did.
Obama still says he favors public financing and he even claimed with a straight face that his collection of hundreds of millions of dollars from small, private donors — along with a lot from big donors, too — actually constitutes public financing.
From this episode — which probably matters only to political insiders — we learn that Obama is a politician of … shall we say, flexible principles. Pastor Wright told us as much before Obama disowned him, although the pastor certainly deserved to be disowned.
Then there’s his position on the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he said during the primaries — and continues to say on his campaign Web site — should be renegotiated. But lately he’s said that statement was “overheated.”
It seems he wants it both ways — satisfying the anti-free-trade AFL-CIO on the one hand and a passel of pro-trade New York investment bankers on the other.
To be fair, Obama is hardly the first politician to attempt to be all things to all people. However, he ran on the explicit promise that he was not that kind of politician, and that he despised that kind of politics. That was the trade-off, Obama claimed, for his lack of experience; he was therefore not infected with the dreaded Beltway Disease. Without that immunity, Obama becomes just another politician — and a greenhorn one at that, with no track record of success as a legislator and no experience as an executive or in the military.
The reversal on public financing may be the worst, as it speaks directly to character and principle. If Obama’s main theme has been change, reform has been the largest part of that theme. Public financing, he assured people throughout the primaries, was a bedrock of that reform. Yet he abandoned it, and lied about the reasons for doing so. Contrast that with John McCain, who refused to abandon his support for the Iraq war when it appeared it would doom his presidential campaign — or when McCain refused early release from his torturers in Viet Nam to get a break over those captured before him.
Not only did that reveal a lack of character, but it may have also revealed poor political calculation. His fund-raising has dropped 20% or more each successive month since his peak in February, to the point where McCain outraised him in May. Obama now has to spend time raising money when he should be campaigning, and he also has to compete with the Denver convention committee and Hillary Clinton’s debt-retirement tour. McCain has it relatively easy, with the RNC raising ten times as much as its counterpart.
Kondracke wonders whether Obama will change course on Iraq and complete his journey to the center. He calls it unlikely, but he believes the media has to start asking tough questions from Obama on his other course changes to determine whether Obama has the character to be President — or whether he’s a snake-oil salesman adjusting his pitch for each audience. That may be as unlikely as Obama changing party affiliation.
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Does it matter what Obama believes? He’s going to inevitably win in November.
This blog says it all: 14 Obama stories on the front page. 1 McCain story.
lorien1973 on July 10, 2008 at 10:02 AM
The Beltway Disease is fairly dangerous; but, not nearly as debilitating as the dreaded Loop Disease.
It won’t kill you, but it’s expensive as hell to treat.
yo on July 10, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Which, I believe, even beats Huck’s record of 11 posts on the front page. And even then, we got some Romney posts mixed in at the time.
lorien1973 on July 10, 2008 at 10:02 AM
I’d say Obama is a pragmatic phony.
Texas Gal on July 10, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Yah, like THAT will happen. Just like they did Kerry.
Mojave Mark on July 10, 2008 at 10:03 AM
“Castro is not a Communist. He is committed to democracy,” -Herbert W. Matthews, New York Times.
Akzed on July 10, 2008 at 10:06 AM
And it’s not just here. Add to that the fact that McCain is already going around calling himself the underdog. So he already thinks he’s probably going to lose. Not exactly inspiring, is it?
BigD on July 10, 2008 at 10:06 AM
If the media have to “start” asking questions to figure that out, then there’s no hope for them. It’s all too obvious that Obama is a snake-oil salesman, and only the willfully blind can fail to see that now.
Obama ‘08: On All Sides of Every Issue.
AZCoyote on July 10, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Why is it “ridiculous or even pernicious” to wonder these things?
When I see one single member of the media anywhere question him as to what he meant when he said that setting any preconditions for the President of the United States meeting with the likes of Ahmadamnutjob would reinforce the idea of “American exceptionalism”–the code phrase of the blame-America-first Left–and I hear his answer, I’ll feel I can begin to make an informed decision on the man’s love of this country as it relates to my understanding of love of this country.
Further, when any member of the media asks him explicitly if he believes in the doctrine of Black Liberation Theology and the Jesus of that doctrine, then I can make an informed decision as to whether being a “Christian” means to him what it does to me, and whether I want to factor that into my understanding of the man.
And lastly, well, all I can say is the people he’s surrounded himself with don’t share my values at all. Now maybe that’s a circumstance of fate. But it hardly seems ridiculous or pernicious for it to give me cause to wonder.
Typhoon on July 10, 2008 at 10:10 AM
Out with the Stevie Wonder theme song and in with the Sugar Hill Gang:
forest on July 10, 2008 at 10:13 AM
I’m thinking that since the regular media orgasms over every little thing the Democratic Messiah does or says, someone needs to do a little critical business.
So why are you bothering to vote or care? It’s obvious you think it’s inevitable. You might as well cling to your guns and religion and wait for the Messiah to take care of it all for ya…. Just shrug indifferently and hope Obama doesn’t get this country nuked because he’s an idiot.
mjk on July 10, 2008 at 10:14 AM
No one–not even “Waffles” Kerry–has flipped on so many issues so quickly. I listed 17 in this thread at 9:53PM.
jgapinoy on July 10, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Barack & Forth.
jgapinoy on July 10, 2008 at 10:16 AM
To be fair, there are a ton of McCain/Republican stories on lefty blogs. Like righty blogs, they’re going after their opponents.
That’s nothing new for politicians, regardless of where they stand. Mark Halperin noted Obama painting himself as the underdog even when he was evidently going to win the Democratic nomination.
amerpundit on July 10, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Not just politicians.
Seems every coach before every big game has to have at least one press conference in which he refers to his team as the underdog, regardless of the spread.
Typhoon on July 10, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Don’t get me wrong. McCain’s actual campaign promise is merely that he’s not Obama and he’s staying true to that. But this cuts both ways. He hasn’t changed his mind on ANWR drilling (imagine how much taxes the government would get for that oil – windfall profits indeed). He hasn’t changed his mind on huge government expansion by giving 20 million illegal aliens all the government benefits that hard working Americans are no longer guaranteed to get (Social Security, Medicare). He hasn’t changed his mind on campaign finance reform either.
ThackerAgency on July 10, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Senator Obama win? Okay, maybe I’m missing something… He’s the most liberal Senator, so let’s check the liberal track record in general elections:
1988 – Dukakis got 21% of the electoral votes
1984 – Mondale got 2% of the electoral votes
1980 – Carter got 9% of the electoral votes
1976 – Ignore Carter’s 55%… it was a Nixon backlash
1972 – McGovern got 3%
The only real difference here is they all had much better opponents than Senator McCain. However, the American public shows no historical interest in electing someone that liberal. Toss in the high percentage of racist Democrats and you have a 50 state loss….
CC
CapedConservative on July 10, 2008 at 10:22 AM
And lately the lefty posts about Obama have ranged from expressing disappointment to outright rage. Things are looking pretty good for McCain at the moment.
forest on July 10, 2008 at 10:22 AM
This is a monumental disgrace. McCain is unfit for POTUS. His first order of duty is protecting the USA, and his insistance on granting millions of lying, cheating, and stealing illegal immigrants amnesty exposes the USA to deep peril because these people are too ignorant to be responsible voters. God knows we have enough ignorant voters already.
McCain is a pandering fool.
saiga on July 10, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Well, I would argue that it’s one thing to say it (presumably as a matter of humility) when you already know you are going to win and quite another to say it when you’re trying to get people to vote for you. I’m not sure the sports analogy works here — sports teams don’t compete for getting other people’s votes. But I certainly don’t recall ever hearing Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, or coaches like Tony Dungee call themselves underdogs.
BigD on July 10, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Please. That is outrageous.
JiangxiDad on July 10, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Which, tied to your first comment, would mean Huck should have won…
right2bright on July 10, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Wow, good post, you lived up to your moniker.
right2bright on July 10, 2008 at 10:33 AM
Huck was never in the driver seat. He was an also-ran through out the whole thing.
This blog treats Obama like he’s already the president-elect and is trying to decipher what’s about to happen in the next 4 years.
lorien1973 on July 10, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Illegals shouldn’t have been allowed in, BUT THEY WERE.
We should NEVER allow someone to come in and work in our country who we do not wish to have become American citizens.
No Guest Worker Program!
However else the “illegal” problem gets dealt with, humane and decent treatment is required. Bravo for John McCain for that part at least.
JiangxiDad on July 10, 2008 at 10:34 AM
*Laughing*
Yeah, well… I remember Tom Landry saying it.
Who else matters?
Typhoon on July 10, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Toss in all the new voters from “The Dumbest Generation” (the current crop of youngsters) that obama has enchanted, and add them to the swelling crop of something for nothing victimites that are too stupid to compete in out economy, and you have a pig in the voting python.
No matter which of these candidates gets elected, the dumbing down of the American population will continue to soar because the irresponsible victimites are dropping offspring at an alarming rate.
The government spent 65 billion on the Katricians in New Orleans and had virtually no positive effect other than to maintain the huge vegetable vote farming operation there.
65 Billion. Talk about a profound waste of money. A subsity to increase dead weight. How stupid is that?
saiga on July 10, 2008 at 10:36 AM
My dream would be for the new stadium in Arlington to be named after Landry.
Will not happen though; it will end up being called Pepsi-Nike-Pappa John’s Stadium.
carbon_footprint on July 10, 2008 at 10:39 AM
I actually think that the 1976 race is the most telling of American’s opinion of liberals. The fact that Carter only received 55% of the vote, running against a weak Republican (Ford) and an entire party covered in the muck of Watergate is huge. In that environment he should have had 80% of the vote.
Govgirl on July 10, 2008 at 10:39 AM
I’ll toss those voters in when they actually show up and vote in a general election. For an honest look at those voters, take a close look at the Lieberman results…
CapedConservative on July 10, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Vince Lombardi? (I have no idea whether he ever called his team the underdog, but I can’t imagine so)
BigD on July 10, 2008 at 10:40 AM
There has to be a better solution then lining up all of the “lying, cheating and stealing illegal immigrants” and shooting them.
I truly believe that McCain is trying to resolve this without tearing this country apart.
Reagan came up with a solution, the Dems just backed out of it (watered it down and did not enforce it). But it was a pathway to legal immigration status. Nothing wrong with a “guest worker” program, we have done that for decades. And nothing wrong with a path to citizenship. If we stopped the illegal access, and began the “weeding” out process we could assimilate what we have here now without much problem.
The trick is to secure the border, and to put in a process to remove the non-productive immigrants, the ones that are draining our system, not supporting it.
right2bright on July 10, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Allah? Is that you?!
Jaibones on July 10, 2008 at 10:45 AM
I agree, just because someone has “14 posts” doesn’t make him the President. Could be 14 posts showing he is sinking. And seeing as he is our (conservatives) main foe,it makes sense to have a number of posts outlining his many mistakes.
Would you like to see more posts about Nader?
right2bright on July 10, 2008 at 10:47 AM
You go, girl.
Jaibones on July 10, 2008 at 10:47 AM
The worst was Obama telling the Unions that he would force Canada and Mexico to re-negotiate NAFTA, or the US would withdraw from it. While at the same time reassuring the Canadians that he had no intention of withdrawing from NAFTA.
That’s not pragmatism. That’s out and out lying, to somebody.
I believe the vote has to go for Phoney.
MarkTheGreat on July 10, 2008 at 10:47 AM
I sure hope you are right. I am worried sick that the USA is loosing it’s edge. The near future calls for steady nerves and a stout hearts, and I am just not seeing it. The illegal immigrant situation needs tough love to turn around, and McCain nor Obama seem to have the spine to re-assert the rule of law. Without that, we are in deep trouble.
I understand the need for compassion, but when it is taken as the US being suckers by the illegals, we must be firm.
saiga on July 10, 2008 at 10:49 AM
problem with labeling him a flip flopper though, is we used much of that up with Kerry and its still in peoples minds…plus McCain is flip flopping.
Good news is both are flip flopping to the Right, which goes to show Americans, while confused/ignorant, are still a Center-Right nation.
jp on July 10, 2008 at 10:50 AM
I should have said no “guest worker” program that does not include some way to citizenship if the worker wants to apply.
JiangxiDad on July 10, 2008 at 10:51 AM
And, he’s really vulnerable on this one. Barry needs some major help on the energy issue. If he is willing to take the gamble and pre-empt McCain on this one, it is probably lights out. People buy groceries and gas every week, so the pain will be a constant reminder till elections. The greenies won’t forgive him, but independents buy gas and eat.
a capella on July 10, 2008 at 10:51 AM
I keep saying this over and over.
Barack Obama has NO principles. He quit his church when the heat got too hot. That says EVERYTHING we need to know about this man. Only because there isn’t a reporter in America who is actually religious has there been so little attention paid to it. It went way beyond simply disowning Pastor Wright, who was retiring anyway.
Kondracke will never write about this because he isn’t religious either, and he blames the “religious right” for preventing stem cell research (his wife died of Parkinson’s disease.)
rockmom on July 10, 2008 at 10:53 AM
Oh, my. That’s a tall glass of pessimism there, saiga. Sure, the Katrinites are a shameful example of the worst in America, and the money poured into their cess pool is an astonishing example of the power of victimhood.
But this generation is far from the dumbest. You’ll see – even though they have lived a sheltered life, brainwashed and bombarded by a relentless media barrage of pc bs about global warming, bds, lies about Iraq, ad nauseum, they will – most of them – recover to lead rational, productive lives.
My daughters just laugh at their friends the libs, and keep pointing out patiently that their talking points are mostly lies. Those kids will figure it out – we did.
Jaibones on July 10, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Thanks for bringing Lombardi name up. So many speeches but here is one.
Can’t you just feel his presence when you read his quotes?
right2bright on July 10, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Carter didn’t run as a liberal.
He ran as a centrist; as a former Naval nookular engineer. Plus he was from the south. Toss him out, and you get a truer result: Since Vietnam, every time the Dams have nominated a northern liberal, they’ve taken an ass kicking.
They will this year as well.
Typhoon on July 10, 2008 at 10:58 AM
I have no problem with a guest worker program that allows a path to citizenship if wanted, or just a job for a while and then return. My only problem is anything ILLEGAL. Starting your American experience by lying, cheating, and stealing, then getting rewarded for it is a prescription for making this kind of behavior OK as a US citizen.
I believe we need to come down hard on illegals, and demonstrate to our new citizens tha the rule of law is the American way, not cheating to succede.
saiga on July 10, 2008 at 10:58 AM
14 posts could just show that Obama has done a lot of dumb things lately, while McCain hasn’t done anything unusual lately.
MarkTheGreat on July 10, 2008 at 10:59 AM
I assumed that’s what you meant. It is the only real logical way out of this mess.
right2bright on July 10, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Obama is like the kid who didn’t study for a test he thought was going to be T-F, shows up to class only to find out it’s mulitple choice and checks “all of the above” as the answers to all of the questions.
Dusty on July 10, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Phony.
Jaibones on July 10, 2008 at 11:05 AM
And what do you mean by hard.
To me that would be, remove the non-productive ones and the ones who have committed crimes (yeah, I know they “crimed” by coming in, but you know what I mean), fine the ones that want to stay, put them on “parole”. Violation of parole, and they get shipped out…a major violation to me would be being paid cash for any work and not reporting it and paying taxes on it. Even an automatic pay deduction for every dollar made, paid into an “amnesty” account to offset the costs of the new program. Let them pay for assimilation.
right2bright on July 10, 2008 at 11:06 AM
I sure hope you are right. I did not coin the term, but I watched a yap show about text messaging etc. and how for hundreds of years the most prolific readers were ages 18-26. Now, that age group is way down the list, and the pundit said cell phones, computers, and TV were largely to blame.
I have 2 teenage girls that are pretty sharp, but the boyfriends they bring home are profoundly ignorant. I have asked several of them simple questions about generally when the civil war was, WWI, WWII, the depression, the revolution, etc and they didn’t have a clue which cewntury most of this stuff was. Last night I asked one how much a billion was, and he had no clue. When I told him it was a thousand million, he was astounded.
Like I said, I hope you are right.
saiga on July 10, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Obama was used to the willing stupidity of his supporters in IL.
It’s a little different world now.
Lucky for him most Democrats are both unquestioning and ignorant.
drjohn on July 10, 2008 at 11:07 AM
I think that this defines the true center on the issue, where half of the voters sit on either side of that line. Actually, I think more than half sit on the side of a plan allowing eventual citizenship even for those who are presently here illegally.
(How did we get on this?)
Jaibones on July 10, 2008 at 11:08 AM
True, but the real surprise has been how many others are also willing to buy his meaningless rhetoric about hopenchange.
Jaibones on July 10, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Reminds me of General George S. Patton as well.
Swinehound on July 10, 2008 at 11:17 AM
And what do you mean by hard.
right2bright on July 10, 2008 at 11:06 AM
What I mean is that I think a new program needs to be created that creates a new starting line. In order for illegals to get a path to US citizenship, they must first return to their home country, and and apply for a legitimate guest worker program visa. I think the fact that they came here illegally and broke our laws should be held against them to some extent, and thier application process shold me more stingent to offset their past illegal behavior.
If they want it bad enough, they need to demonstrate they are worthy to become US citizens. Rewarding bad behavior is never wise, but they should be given a chance to redeem themselves and run a gauntlet slightly tougher than an un-tainted applicant.
saiga on July 10, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Perhaps your girls will clue them in? If not, make sure your daughters know how to balance a checkbook for later in life.
Swinehound on July 10, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Oh please. The only reason Mort is questioning whether Barry is phony or not (as if we don’t all know the answer) is because Mort if for Universal Health Care and that’s the kind of change Mort believe in. Moreover, this is ludicrous:
Passed promptly? That’s farcical. This has been hanging out there for a year. If Barry was in favor of this FISA reform he should have been shouting from the rooftops that it needed to be passed immediately, not a year later.
All the dithering that the Dems did about the eeeevil telecoms accomplished nothing but to put our national security at risk, and Barry dithered right along with them.
Buy Danish on July 10, 2008 at 11:23 AM
Well said. Furthermore, the potential citizen should be fluent in English before being granted citizenship… But then again I’m probably racist.
Swinehound on July 10, 2008 at 11:23 AM
That’s not the point. This is a conservative blog (sorta at least). McCain is having troubles shoring up the vote. Ed is more conservative than Allah, it seems. It’s curious that we do not see more “pro-McCain” posts in an attempt to shore up that vote. I think the writers for this blog have already realized who is going to win in November and are just setting up “I told you so” scenarios.
lorien1973 on July 10, 2008 at 11:26 AM
I vote for the Campbell’s Soup Bowl.
kirkill on July 10, 2008 at 11:26 AM
Obama is a phony patchouli-oil salesman.
kirkill on July 10, 2008 at 11:27 AM
To me, illegal immigration is a serious national security issue that I believe John McCain or Obama doesn’t understand. A democracy depends on an informed electorate to to make sound decisions. Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement. Past amnesty has done nothing but promote more illegal immigration, and to me, doing the same thing and expecting different results is down right stupid.
Down this path, we will no doubt wind up with the Kosovo effect as the illegals continue to flood our country until they are a majority and vote themselves the national treasury.
saiga on July 10, 2008 at 11:29 AM
Are we forgetting when McCain dumped his bedridden wife for a wealthy child bride?
Or when he worked with the S&L crowd to bilk millions of Americans out of their savings?
Selective memory: It’s how the right stays pompous…and wrong.
alphie on July 10, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Obama lied, hopenchange died?
Pretty much.
MB007 on July 10, 2008 at 11:33 AM
Why would you need a ‘guest worker program’ if those ‘guest’ workers were applying for citizenship? Wouldn’t that just be someone here on a work visa?
What I don’t understand is why people think that granting citizenship doesn’t cost anything? I’d be all for it if I didn’t think they’d bankrupt the government entitlement programs faster. Sure, give them citizenship if they don’t get government benefits.
It’s not who they are, it’s what citizenship gives them. . . MY MONEY.
Agreed, sorry about this. But really the solution is to open up a new guest worker program with no possibility of citizenship. Farmers have workers, government entitlement programs aren’t strapped, people who want to work can. We already have a legal immigration system in place and that doesn’t need to be ‘reformed’. SECURE THE BORDER! But the solution is simple unless you want to give away the money of the American people for more votes.
ThackerAgency on July 10, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Barack “Flexible Principles” Obama.
Chump Change – You can believe it.
profitsbeard on July 10, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Right on the money (pardon the pun).
saiga on July 10, 2008 at 11:39 AM
The election is going to be about Obama. People are going to vote for him, or vote against him.
Doesn’t mean he’s going to inevitably win.
misterpeasea on July 10, 2008 at 11:41 AM
That’s a recipe for success.
lorien1973 on July 10, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Hey right2, thanks for that. Wouldn’t you give something to hear one of our politicians talking like that, and meaning it?
Rush Limbaugh is the only one we hear it from.
BigD on July 10, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Ed is as pro-McCain as you will find. I think Ed does a great job of spinning an ultimately flawed candidate in the best possible light. I give him a hard time, but it’s all entertainment to me. If you’ll notice that most of the stories that are about Obama are negative stories about Obama. McCain rarely has a negative story on him here.
But this election is either Obama or not Obama. Obama is actually a terrible candidate – Jesse Jackson doesn’t even like him. Obama might lose. I hope he does. But to have to choose from two senators in a congress at historical lows doesn’t portend to be freedom or change in any way shape or form.
ThackerAgency on July 10, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Don’t underestimate Americans. We vote for adults not neophytes for president. We’ve gotten it right for the last 30 years. Remember Clinton only go 43% of the vote so we got that one right too. To quote Oddball from Kelly’s Heroes “Have a little faith, baby.”
The more we find out about BHO the less we like and the more of an embarrassment he is. After the Reichstag style stadium coronation of Hussein, all that will be missing is the torches, Obama will consistently wane. Instead of “Sig Heil” it will be “yes we can.”
Mojave Mark on July 10, 2008 at 11:51 AM
I think the point is not that Obama gets alot of coverage here and in other places because of any bias, I think it’s that Obama makes news (good or bad) and McCain doesn’t. I hate to say it, but at least he’s interesting.
BigD on July 10, 2008 at 11:54 AM
That’s an easy one Mort…
Barack Hussein Obama = PHONY
BHO still hasn’t produced a legal, certified copy of proof that proves he was in fact born in Hawaii. The BCs posted on the Daily KOS, and on HIS anti-smear web site, have been deemed forgeries!
byteshredder on July 10, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Yeah, well…just to keep on a theme…
So was (Pistol-packin’) Barry Switzer.
Typhoon on July 10, 2008 at 11:57 AM
I might’ve said fascinating instead of interesting. Like morbid fascination. How can a clueless America-hating idiot commie-socialist who surrounds himself with such unsavory characters (not just his wife!), possibly believe he could be elected President?
misterpeasea on July 10, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Texas Gal nailed it @10:03. Obambi is a pragmatic phony. The sad part is that that he doesn’t have core values and the majority of Americans don’t have a clue what that means. The dumbing of America has made Ariel Durant look like a prophet when she said,”A great civilization cannot be conquered from without until it destroys itself from within.”
volsense on July 10, 2008 at 12:04 PM
I vote for C: Both A and B
SouthernGent on July 10, 2008 at 12:30 PM
He’s at least pragmatic when it comes to getting elected. He’ll say whatever it takes.
He has core values. They’re communist values. What he lacks is the conviction in those values. Probably because he doesn’t have a real-world clue about the practical implications of all his policy prescriptions. Being a constitutional law professor does not give you a good grounding in reality.
misterpeasea on July 10, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Sickle Cell in 08!
marklmail on July 10, 2008 at 12:45 PM
I don’t think I can top that.
Do let me make it clear that I am not an Obama supporter.
BigD on July 10, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Obama will change on Iraq once he is office. He will use the standard “I now have info as president I did not have as the nominee”.
Snake oil salesman? I don’t know. What I do know so far, Obama is the first Black Bill Clinton.
Tough questions? Not a chance. Even if in name only, the Dems/MSM etc desperately want the grand pulpit. Having had the White House only 12 of the last 40 years there aren’t enough buses for the things they will throw out the window to hear Hail to the Dem Chief.
patrick neid on July 10, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Gosh people, give the birth certificate issue a rest. That will not sway the election decision by undecided voters. Besides, his MOM was a US Citizen, thus, so is Obama.
However, part of Obama’s problem with connecting to real America is this kid had a very UNreal UNAmerican upbringing. For gosh sakes, his mom had an obsession with muslim men. Had one’s baby, and married another and allowed that said baby to go to a fundie muslim school in Indonesia or wherever that was. Obama was not raised here in his formative years. His ad that says he has Kansas values is so full of bullcrap that it is astonishing. Then after spending his formative years learning how to be and think like a muslim, since that is the household he was raised in, he goes to the elite ivy league schools!
That man does NOT know how real Americans think, no matter what their racial or ethnic backgrounds are. He is twisting himself into a pretzel because he is trying to be all things to all people. Have we ever seen a hard left liberal run to the right so fast after the primaries were over? This empty, vapid, no core values nothing man is just plain astonishing. It is even more astonishing that about 45% of the electorate is planning to vote for him.
karenhasfreedom on July 10, 2008 at 1:58 PM
When Obambi wins in November with huge majorities in both the Senate and the House and the agenda kicks in with socialized medicine, ‘reparations’ for certain identity groups, national PC speech and conduct codes backed by harsh criminal law etc. the people will quickly understand that even a landslide in the opposite direction in 2010 will not permit the reversal of the most disastrous errors. Once socialized medicine is adopted it will never be jettisoned and you’ll only hear vacuous talk of ‘improvement’ as is the case in other countries where it has been adopted and this will be so no matter how much it costs. Once the reparations checks are sent out no one will propose that the monies be returned. The new speech laws will stifle contrarian debate; we will indeed live in interesting times.
Annar on July 10, 2008 at 2:41 PM
Hussein isn’t going to win in November, but we won’t like the alternative much either.
dogsoldier on July 10, 2008 at 3:27 PM
Phony.
Terrye on July 10, 2008 at 4:34 PM
It doesn’t have to sway undecided voters. If he isn’t a US citizen, they can’t vote for him. Or if he’s merely a “naturalized” US citizen, they can’t vote for him.
And it’s not quite as simple as “his mom was a US citizen, thus, so is Obama.”
It’s not a campaign issue or a PR issue; it’s a law issue.
I would like to know, definitely, if he is eligible to be President. It’s kind of important.
misterpeasea on July 10, 2008 at 5:51 PM
–A Dem-controlled ethics committee exonerated McCain in K-5
–It was wicked of him to dump his 1st wife…28 years ago!
A man can do a lot of changing over the course of 28 years.
Have you got any recent, true dirt?
jgapinoy on July 11, 2008 at 12:30 AM
Liar! The first wife will prove you wrong any moment. She’s their friend and will attest to your lies. You and other are propagaging myths, because they are convenient to you.
Entelechy on July 11, 2008 at 1:24 AM
Plus Cindy was not a child – liar again! Stick to facts, clean or dirty.
Entelechy on July 11, 2008 at 1:25 AM
What’s it all about, Alphie?
Obamarx ‘08
Eat your own gruel; quit passing it off to us.
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 8:41 AM
ABSOLUTELY! Obama absolutely defies the Constitution.
Fulfilling the requirements set by law is not an optional choice. The onus is Obama’s to provide PROOF of his own legitimate claim to have met ALL of the requirements; it is not anyone else’s responsibility to provide proof; it is Obama’s own Constitutional responsibility to do so. He refuses to do so via PASSIVE AGGRESSION.
Any alteration on a legal document makes it invalid. That FROM THE ONSET Obama IS holding out his willingness to support and uphold the Constitution of the United States of America in itself proves to any thoughtful American that Obama is an ineligible candidate to CHOOSE.
How much more obvious must Obama’s deceit be? He won’t willingly conform to Constitutional law of which he presumes to be an expert. He refuses to set the example for America. That Obama has NOT provided proof of his eligibility vs. illegitimate claim will remain on the table whether or not he is elected; he is DIVIDING AMERICA, not unifying us under the law that protects us and our world. He will disregard every law. He will hold to his bitter silence with his community activist organizing global business interest communist hands.
Obamarx 08!
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 8:58 AM
What is Obama beyond a cult of personality. I mean, really, what?
Paul-Cincy on July 11, 2008 at 7:49 PM
Obama = Clinton – (ability to lie glibly and believably) – (actual knowledge of the history and structure of the US government) – (ability to execute)
landlines on July 11, 2008 at 9:27 PM
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