Posted on 02/23/2008 8:27:29 AM PST by Caleb1411
Barack Obama is now the clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. He's risen high on his inspiring persona and uplifting rhetoric. At a time of prolonged war and economic uncertainty, he appeals to Americans' hope for something better than the bitter partisan infighting that has paralyzed Washington. And Obama offers an opportunity for closing America's racial divide. It is hard not to cheer his success.
Yet, politics is also about issues. And on this score, Sen. Obama represents less hope and change than a wish list for every conceivable liberal special interest group.
This shouldn't come as a surprise. According to the respected and nonpartisan National Journal, Obama is the most liberal U.S. senator, with a voting record actually to the left of Bernie Sanders, Vermont's self-proclaimed socialist. Consider what Obama actually promises to do:
Taxes and spending: There is no doubt that an Obama presidency would represent a return to traditional tax-and-spend liberalism. According to the National Taxpayers Union, Obama has so far proposed at least $287 billion per year in new government spending. And that was before he unveiled his $150 billion "green energy plan" last week. Nor does that include the spending proposals he has supported in the Senate but not discussed on the campaign trail. For example, Obama is the co-sponsor of a Senate bill to spend at least $845 billion over the next five years to fight global poverty. CNBC economic analyst Larry Kudlow estimates that when all is said and done, Obama's new spending plans will cost us more than $800 billion per year. He would pay for all of this with higher — much higher — taxes. He would, of course, allow the Bush tax cuts to expire in 2010. But that's just the beginning. Obama has also called for removing the cap on Social Security payroll tax, a $1.3 trillion tax hike over the first five years. And at a time when the U.S. economy is slowing down, Obama would significantly increase taxes on business, investment and job creation, including nearly doubling taxes on capital gains. Americans would face some of the highest marginal tax rates in the world.
Health care: A President Obama would take America down the road to a government-run health care system. He supports a concept known as "managed competition" under which insurance would remain privately owned but would operate in an artificial marketplace with strict government regulation, much like a public utility. The government would determine what types of benefits you would be required to purchase and how much insurers could charge. Young and healthy people would have to pay more than they ought to in order to subsidize premiums for older, sicker individuals.
While he would not actually mandate that individuals buy health insurance — a point of contention with Hillary Rodham Clinton — Obama would mandate that all employers provide their workers with insurance. That proposal would almost certainly end up hurting workers. An employer is indifferent as to whether compensation comes in the form of wages, taxes, health insurance or other benefits. Employers will therefore have to find ways to offset the added costs. This they can do by raising prices, lowering wages or reducing future wage increases, reducing other benefits such as pensions, or hiring fewer workers. As always, employees will be the net losers, with the low-skilled suffering most.
Regulation: A health care mandate is not the only new regulation that Obama wants to impose. For example, he would require businesses to pay an undefined "living wage." He would require paid "family and medical leave." He would regulate mortgages and credit card interest rates. He would impose a host of environmental and labor restrictions. The net cost of this regulatory burden will almost certainly be higher unemployment and greater poverty.
And it's not just businesses that would feel the regulatory hand of an Obama presidency. Consumers, too, will have to pay, as he imposes new costs on products ranging from homes to automobiles and appliances. In almost everything we do, Obama sees a need for the government to intervene.
A President Obama would mean a much bigger, more intrusive and costlier government. Indeed, when considering his policies, one searches in vain for any break with liberal orthodoxy. Personal accounts for Social Security? Entitlement reform? School choice? Obama rejects them all, calling such proposals "Social Darwinism."
That's a lot less inspiring than Obama the candidate.
God Save the Republic!
And when he is elected this magical promise of non-partisan cooperation will vanish in the mist. He and the Dems will ram their liberal, socialist agenda down America’s throat and accuse those who challenge them of being evil, partisan, obstructionist, hatemongers.
And when he is elected this magical promise of non-partisan cooperation will vanish in the mist. He and the Dems will ram their liberal, socialist agenda down America’s throat and accuse those who challenge them of being evil, partisan, obstructionist, hatemongers.
From Whittaker Chambers letter Letter to My Children (in the Foreword to Witness, Random House, 1952):
The revolutionary heart of Communism is not the theatrical appeal: "Workers of the world, unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains. You have a world to gain." It is a simple statement of Karl Marx, further simplified for handy use: "Philosophers have explained the world; it is necessary to change the world."Communists are bound together by no secret oath. The tie that binds them across the frontiers of nations, across barriers of language and differences of class and education, in defiance of religion, morality, truth, law, honor, the weaknesses of the body and the irresolutions of the mind, even unto death, is a simple conviction: It is necessary to change the world.
Their power, whose nature baffles the rest of the world, because in a large measure the rest of the world has lost that power, is the power to hold convictions and to act on them. It is the same power that moves mountains; it is also an unfailing power to move men. Communists are that part of mankind which has recovered the power to live or die -to bear witness-for its faith. And it is a simple, rational faith that inspires men to live or die for it.
It is not new. It is, in fact, man's second oldest faith. Its promise was whispered in the first days of the Creation under the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: "Ye shall be as gods." It is the great alternative faith of mankind. Like all great faiths, its force derives from a simple vision. Other ages have had great visions. They have always been different versions of the same vision: the vision of God and man's relationship to God. The Communist vision is the vision of Man without God.
And racists.
No matter what he promises or says in words, he is a muslim and muslims believe in telling whatever lie to achieve their ends - even including the lie that he belongs to a “Christian” church. Left, right or moderate - all Americans will be subject to the crushing and violent imposition is islam.
Maybe if the nut case wins the country will turn right. Hopefully before it is too late.
The democrat “debate” the other night was nothing more than a Communist mud-wrestling festival for liberal idiots. The two Marxists on the stage were in a race to see who could buy the most votes and sell America down the river the fastest.
“And when he is elected this magical promise of non-partisan cooperation will vanish in the mist. He and the Dems will ram their liberal, socialist agenda down America’s throat and accuse those who challenge them of being evil, partisan, obstructionist, hatemongers”
First: He will not be elected. You might believe only you are smart enough to know caliph obama is a Black Muslim socialist who is the most liberal senator in America, but millions of others know as well.
Second: If he ever were to be elected it would be with help from those who are willing to put their own concerns over the welfare of America. As bad as mckennedy might be, he is 1000% better than caliph obama.
Third: caliph obama is on his way to an as kicking of biblical proportions.
My signature was wrong. Let’s try this.
A Marxist thru and thru.
The one thing we know for sure he will do is continue to vaporize and cloud over what it is he actually would do. The problem is that John McCain is not really telling us what he would do to win the war, which is his big schtick. So far we’ve seen mostly conventional wisdom.
I think he'll carry a few blue states, but he won't get one red state and he probably won't get one of the swing (purple?) states.
His views are to left of McGovern. When people find that out, they will reject it.
In the aftermath, we'll all be called racists.
He’s smooth, he’s attractive, he’s likable, and he’s a demagogue. I’m afraid a lot of people will not pay attention to the last trait. Demagogues give people false hope, and Obama’s good at that.
Not sure I have seen any evidence that he is Muslim. Maybe he is but I haven’t seen the evidence.I have seen a lot of accusations. - have seen a lot of hate-filled rhetoric, and unsubstantiated claims, but no evidence.
And what exactly do you mean by “ass_kicking”?
And finally, just for the record, I made no claim about how smart I am.
Consider what Obama actually promises to do
I’ve considered it and won’t vote for it!!!!!
“Maybe if the nut case wins the country will turn right. Hopefully before it is too late.”
Roosevelt/Truman gave us Eisenhower, Kennedy/Johnson gave us Nixon, Carter gave us Reagan, Clinton gave us GW; all good Republicans, but each more conservative.
What would Obama’s turn to the extreme left give us? Don’t forget the baggage that he would bring along...the moveon.org types, the code pinks, the michael moores...all the leftovers from the 60s...activists for every liberal cause. After these people are in power for 4 years (or perhaps 8), with their extreme left socialist/communist agenda, there is no telling what the backlash of the american people will be and what type of candidate they might support.
Who thought Obama would be so popular with so many mainstream democrats? Personally, I thought he would just be dismissed as too far left and would be left behind early in the primaries.
It is actually a little frightening.
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