Posted by
JDComments on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 8:45:25 AM
Amongst the many paeans to Barack Obama, a universal theme is the fact that
Obama is a work in progress who has the ability to embrace nearly whatever qualities he chooses.
as an
article in
Newsweek by Ellis Cose puts it. But is that true?
Approaching it from a different angle, let me ask the question : How many of you know a 40 year old man who hasn't determined his political leanings or views on important issues?
Aside from that minority which seems stuck in adolescence, the answer is that most men on the cusp of middle age have developed their operating philosophy , and probably will change it little if at all over the remainder of their life. Indeed, this may even be what what mean when we refer to
maturity.
Now Obama is an intelligent, well spoken man who no doubt
knows what he believes, and in fact it has been
reported in detail that his voting record is solidly Liberal, to the extent that
he has earned 100% ratings from Americans for Democratic Action, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Organization of Women, the NAACP and the NEA.
Does that sound like a man who can embrace whatever qualities he chooses to you?
What the MSM is really saying is that he can
appear to be whatever he chooses because he has had limited time on the national stage. In fact
stage is the operative word here, since he is being treated like an
actor who can assume whatever role he wants in his quest to appear presidential. But that is not, nor should it be, the case, or Robert DeNiro would be in the Oval Office today.
We expect [though we are usually disappointed] more from our politicians than for them to facilely take on the coloration which makes them most attractive. When we elect a President, we grant him extreme latitude to conduct business as they sees fit based upon what we believe their core values and beliefs are. We may be fooled, but we
believe we know what lies at the heart of the person we elect.
And for that reason it is perverse to trumpet the lack of substance of a candidate as if he were a piece of clay waiting to be molded by public opinion, even if , like Bill Clinton, that may be the case.
The fact that the Dems have seized upon Obama for this reason is indicative of the fact that they know their values and stands are out of touch with mainstream America, and so they need to present the blank canvas as their standard bearer, hoping that the electorate will vote for a chimera.
It's an amazing acknowledgment of their philosophical alienation from the average American, and a threat to our system of government as well.
They say you get the government you deserve. In that case, when lack of substance becomes an attribute to herald , what does that say about the people who would vote that person into office?