I've blogged about many of these issues and associations here, but some of this is even new to me. My question for Obama followers: how do you square your support for this guy with these facts?
This is a question you need to answer, and you would be wise to be honest with yourself.
There's my two cents.
4 comments:
Boy, I was a little worried that you had discovered some video that had some new stuff and not just a retread of old political nonsense. Whew...I am relieved.
I have absolutely no problem "squaring my support" for Obama with these facts.
I watched the video, took notes about the "facts" and assertions and here are my responses:
"Fact 1"--Can America really elect a man with THREE Islamic names?
Yes--this is stupid.
"Fact 2"--Obama's father was a Muslim.
The father he met once when he was ten? That's true. Obama's a Christian. No problem here.
"Fact 3"--Obama went to a "Muslim school" for 2 year.
FALSE--this has been debunked, but the gist of it is that he went to a PUBLIC school in Indonesia where a lot of Muslim children went.
"Fact 4"--he has a "vague" voting record.
Actually, "vagueness" is an opinion, not a fact. And his voting record is open for scrutiny.
"Fact 5"--the Che poster in ONE campaign office.
Probably true, but Obama had NOTHING to do with that. This is just stupid.
"Fact 6"--the flag pin.
Been there, done that. He's wearing it now. I will not base my vote on who wears the most patriotic piece of "flare" on their lapel.
"Fact 7"--"refuses" to place hand over heart during national anthem.
FALSE--they have ONE video of him not doing it. I have listened to the national anthem before without my hand over my heart...I must be a communist spy. There is NOTHING, NOTHING, proving Obama has "refused" to put his hand over his heart.
"Fact 8"--Trinity.
Yeah, he went there. He's repudiated it. Old news. Plus, I think he's got enough critical thinking to accept what he agrees with and filter out what he doesn't.
"Fact 9"--"unpatriotic" sentiments by Michelle.
Michelle has clarified those remarks. Oh, and "unpatriotic" is also an opinion, NOT a fact.
"Fact 10"--Jeremiah Wright.
Repudiated. Old news. Critical thinking.
"Fact 11"--Hypocrisy with the Don Imus situation.
I don't really think the video shows a clear double standard. If you want to see double standards, watch the Daily Show clip titled "Sarah Palin Gender Card." It's pretty good.
"Fact 12"--Liberation theology.
Yeah, it's a little nutso. But, Obama comes across as a Christian to me. He's said Jesus is his savior. I don't think he buys into liberation theology on any large scale, and I bet that it wasn't preached at Trinity as much as the endless loop of those 30 second blips might cause one to believe.
"Fact 13"--the connection: Che Guevara is a "christ figure" in liberation theology AND "appears in Obama's campaign."
FALSE, FALSE, FALSE. Che may be a "christ figure" in BLT, but he has not "appeared in the campaign" because one staff volunteer in Houston puts up one flag in his/her office.
"Fact 14"--the "typical white person" about his grandma.
Obama has clarified those statements. Plus, he's said he loved his grandma. He understands that people are complex and maybe aren't just racists/non-racists. Sounds like a pretty direct contradiction with black liberation theology.
"Fact 15"--Obama will meet with terrorist leaders.
If it keeps us from fighting more wars, more power to him. PLUS, Bush has sent envoys to meet with both Iran and North Korea before.
Again, I really thought there might be something original in here. There wasn't. Despite the ominous music and the emphatic repetition of "Barack HUSSEIN Obama," I didn't find the video persuasive AT ALL.
So, as Ann Coulter likes to say, B. Hussein Obama will still likely get my vote come November.
You're funny! The reason for this post is that there are new people viewing this blog all the time, and it is only now that many Americans are really starting to pay attention to the race. I mentioned that I had already dealt with many of the details in the video, but since you've taken the time to comment, I'll take the time to respond to most of these points.
Facts 1-2 -- True. I agree with you that this is stupid, and that he's not a Muslim. I've never said otherwise. I think most Americans would agree (though some people will inevitably buy it). The key thing about this is that these facts suddenly become a major factor when considering how the rest of the world views Obama. As I've blogged about before, it is not only important to Americans what he believes, but it is also important what our enemies think of what he believes, and they believe he is a Muslim precisely because of his name and his father. If you read the Jerusalem Post article linked there, you'll also gain an understanding of why the fact that Obama isn't a Muslim is actually more dangerous to America. It doesn't make sense to us in the West, but that's what separates most educated right-leaners from most educated left-leaners: the ability to understand and accept that Muslims have a fundamentally different understanding of life and religion than we do. We simply cannot transpose our views and willingness to compromise onto them because that would be comparing apples to oranges. The Left either doesn't understand this critical fact, or isn't willing to acknowledge it. This is why Obama is willing to negotiate with them. It is also why all previous attempts at negotiating with radical Muslims have failed, and it is why all future attempts at negotiating with radical Muslims will continue to fail. When a central doctrine of Islam says that it's okay for Muslims to pretend to accept peace for the express purpose of re-arming and preparing for the next war, and when history shows us the ironclad acceptance and almost universal utilization of this policy, it suddenly becomes awfully hard to defend negotiation, doesn't it? The only thing that works is victory first...then the victor can dictate the terms.
Fact 3 -- Okay, so that must mean that we're not a Christian nation despite the fact that 75-80% of Americans call themselves Christian, right?
Fact 4 -- How is it an opinion that the guy has close to 200 'present' votes on record? I think that's pretty factual.
Fact 5 -- That Obama had nothing to do with this poster is exactly the problem - the word came out, and he did nothing about it. Why not? Che Guevara was a serial murderer, an anarchist, and a Marxist revolutionary...why would Obama not demand it be taken down? Sure, he didn't ask for it to be put up (I'm assuming here), but that doesn't mean he should have let it stay there. It's not stupid at all to point this out.
Fact 6 -- I agree, been there done that. No need to rehash it again. My previous arguments stand.
Fact 7 -- If the police catch a thief in the act of burglary, should they let him go because they only caught him doing it once? One time is all it takes on many things, and honoring one of the primary symbols of our nation and national pride is one of those things. He proved it himself, and was caught in the act. TRUE.
Fact 8 -- Let me see if I get what you're saying. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is a preacher self-admittedly steeped in black liberation theory, which professes black victimhood and seeks black power through violence and destruction if necessary (here, here, here). The Pope himself once wrote about this theology, calling it a 'radically Marxist' theology of 'bloody revolution' that distorts some key parts of Biblical authority, altering its fundamental Christian doctrine. Barack Obama sat in this church, listening to this theology for 20 years. Some of the more choice snippets that have come from Rev. Wright's pulpit include assertions that the U.S. government created the AIDS virus to kill black people, the infamous quote "God-damn America!", and the suggestion that America deserves to be attacked by terrorists. When the political heat became too great, Obama eventually left the church, but he never did condemn Rev. Wright himself, nor do I recall him condemning the belief system in general. What you're saying is that Barack Obama sat in church for 20 years and 'filtered' out all these bad messages. Seriously??
Michael, listen to yourself. This, combined with your recent post explaining that although you really can't point to any of Obama's qualifications or major accomplishments, you still have a 'feeling' he might do a good job as President make me wonder if you're thinking about this at all...! Have you become an Obot? ;)
Fact 9 -- Yes, she 'clarified' these remarks after saying them repeatedly for a couple days on the campaign trail. The words speak for themselves: "this is the first time I've been proud of my country." Context, my friend, context. On 'unpatriotic' - been there, done that, don't need to rehash it. My previous arguments stand on this one, too.
Fact 10 -- Not repudiated. History doesn't lie, only those trying to reinterpret history. Old news that still matters to many, many Americans. Critical thinking is what makes me bring it up again.
Fact 11 -- Interesting video! While Stewart is funny, he also managed to cherry pick some quotes by Rove that were contradictory - good for him. But, I would ask what the context of those quotes was...I'm pretty confident that Rove talked about much more than the population issue alone, but that wouldn't have been as funny on TV, now, would it? The Bill O'Reilly comparison was good - he stuck himself on that. The primary difference between Hillary and Palin is that Hillary played the victim card whenever she felt picked on. Palin has not once said or done anything to assume the mantle of victimhood. Find me an instance, and I'll retract that statement. And, really...you're getting your news from the Daily Show? You do realize that's a comedy show, right? ;)
Fact 12 -- I bet it was. I've read interviews and articles from other African Americans in Chicago that were confused that people thought Wright's rants were anything bad. They were so used to hearing this from lots of black churches that they thought nothing of it.
Fact 13 -- Yes, the appearance of this guy in an official Houston office does bring it into the campaign. Once again, Obama himself may not have put up the flag, but he certainly could have it taken down if he felt it was offensive. The fact that it's still up means he doesn't find it offensive, right? Regardless, if he didn't buy into BLT but rather a more normal version of Christianity, why did he continue to attend the church? Surely he recognized that BLT was way outside the mainstream, right? Why would he risk his political career on that if he didn't really buy into it?
Fact 14 -- Why does Obama have to constantly issue clarifications? It's because he says what he thinks off the cuff and gets himself into trouble. This mention of 'typical white' people being nervous about black people is every bit as racist as Imus' knappy comment. Why is it okay for him to say that and clarify it later and expect us to move on by, but Imus is publicly flayed for his comment and subsequently gets fired after his clarification?
Fact 15 -- It won't. See my point above. See Islam. See history. Yes, Bush sent envoys...not pledged to meet directly without pre-conditions. Big difference! These things are critical in the political power plays that establish who calls the shots and who follows. For a man so in love with nuance, Obama doesn't show any understanding of this particular application of the word, and that spells real danger to American lives and property.
With all due respect, I believe that you were not persuaded because your mind was made up before you even watched it. But, honestly, mine probably was, too. :)
***Michael, listen to yourself. This, combined with your recent post explaining that although you really can't point to any of Obama's qualifications or major accomplishments, you still have a 'feeling' he might do a good job as President make me wonder if you're thinking about this at all...! Have you become an Obot? ;)***
I can assure you I've thought long and hard about this race. I've read about the issues, and I've read about the people. I've read the smears, and I've read the debunkings. I'm pretty sure I haven't become an Obot.
Whew! I'm glad!
Post a Comment