Over 1-1/2 years ago, on February 10, 2007, I posted an article in this blog titled “The Creeping Socialism of Barack Obama”. I’ve had several comments posted, both positive and negative, during all those months and the latest was today (11/6/08). I’d like to share this last comment because both the comment and my reply might interest those of you who have feelings about this election victory for Barack Obama:
Kylelee writes:
“America has spoken and despite the republicans attempt at striking fear in the hearts of the voters, Obama is now our 44th president. I’m confident he will get the job done, and I’m proud of my country for not falling for the cheap tricks that were thrown at them. I’m glad my country has matured enough to elect a man of African decent to the office of president. It shows that Barack has true vision and leadership which is why the American public was able to overcome their prejudices to vote him into office.
Finally, Barack is NOT a socialist. His idea of putting a heavier tax burden on the rich only makes sense. He is not taking their money and giving it to the poor. He only wants to lessen the burden on individuals who are struggling right now. The rich will not become poor and the poor will not become rich. The rich will stay rich and the poor will have more of an opportunity achieve their dreams.”
Yes indeed, America has spoken and Sen. Obama will soon become our 44th president.
While Kylelee is “confident” Sen. Obama can get the job done I remain only hopeful that he doesn’t do too much damage to our country. He will be my president too and I will support him when I believe he’s right but I will attack and vilify him when I feel he’s wrong.
Race ‘seems” to have been a big issue in this election (as it was in this comment) but I believe that’s overstated. I believe that Obama’s race had *almost* nothing to do with his winning the election! The “almost” is because the majority of black voters DID vote for him ‘specifically’ because he’s black and they felt this was some kind of racial milestone. I can certainly understand that and I’m sure that helped his vote total but it doesn’t look like that was a deciding factor. On the other side of the imagined racial divide, I believe there are only a very few white Americans who would have voted against Obama because he’s black (or almost black anyway). There will always be a few bigots (on both sides) — if I believed that there was a Hell, I would gladly wish them there.
The major factors in Obama’s win over McCain, as I see them, were 1) The overwhelming hatred for President Bush which most likely would have doomed any Republican candidate to defeat; 2) the severe economic downturn which can in part be placed at the feet of the Bush administration but in a much larger part be placed on the Congress and Senate which have been dominated by Democrats for the past two years (funny how that wasn’t publicized more in the media!) and 3) would be the media itself who gave Obama a much easier ride than they could have, if they had not, for whatever reason, wanted him to win the presidency.
Let me repeat two specific portions of Kylelee’s comment:
1) “It shows that Barack has true vision and leadership which is why the American public was able to overcome their prejudices to vote him into office.”
What this election shows is NOT that; what it shows is that the majority of the American people are foolish enough to want to tamper with principles that made this country great, principles that mean nothing to Obama, principles such as self-sufficiency and personal responsibility.
2) “Finally, Barack is NOT a socialist. His idea of putting a heavier tax burden on the rich only makes sense. He is not taking their money and giving it to the poor. He only wants to lessen the burden on individuals who are struggling right now.”
Well apparently Kylelee is herself a socialist thinker — so she’s a poor judge of what is and what isn’t socialism.
Taking people’s money by force and giving it to someone else is, on its face, illegal but in Obama’s thinking (and Kylelee’s) its perfectly acceptable and, on top of that, “it only makes sense”.
We are already living in a virtual ‘nanny-state’ and Obama just wants to make it larger and more all-encompassing. He said this himself in a TV interview; this is not a direct quote but it is very close: ‘we live in a culture where its every man for himself, we have to change that so that everyone is responsible for looking out for each other.’
That sentiment is wonderful on a community level and on a *voluntary* basis but it has no business coming out of the mouth of a man running for president of this *once proud* nation. No longer can we be proud because every level of government, in far too many places in this country, is infested with people like you Kylelee — people who really believe that we can, with impunity, take from those who earned their money and give it to those who did not.
The United States of America, with your help, may well be on its way to becoming a third-world country, not only because we have lost the pride and dignity we once had but because the kind of thinking displayed by Barack Obama (and Kylelee) will certainly destroy our economy.
(NOTE: I come down hard on those who want to “take from the rich” not because I’m anywhere near rich — I make very little and live from paycheck to paycheck — but because I love what this country used to stand for: individualism, personal responsibility, opportunity, volunterism and pride in our strength, freedom and liberty.)
My Views on Politics and Society 