Obama is an eloquent candidate for the status quo

New Hampshire Union Leader ^ | Jun. 13, 2008 | JAY AMBROSE

[neverdem]

IT'S AN UTTERLY remarkable American story that Barack Obama, by means of extraordinary energy, intelligence, charm and eloquence, is on the verge of being the first black to secure the Democratic nomination for President, but no one who has been paying attention can buy his pledge of change. He offers more of the same.

Beginning most notably with FDR's New Deal, the federal government has been extending its reach in America, ignoring constitutional restraints, usurping the responsibilities of other levels of government and involving itself in virtually every aspect of our lives to the point where we now face a major crisis. Despite little comment by White House aspirants, our entitlement programs are about to explode in our faces.

The need is to restructure them before massive retirements by baby boomers and otherwise retreat from the leviathan state, but Obama talks endlessly of the very opposite: answering every possible individual problem with a massive program. His strategy for the common good -- boiled down to a few words -- is to tax more and spend more, including more on a new entitlement, universal health insurance. For additional evidence of his interventionist ambitions, look at the speech in St. Paul, Minn., earlier this week when he proclaimed himself the Democratic nominee.

He said that if his Republican opponent, John McCain, spent more time in America's schools, he would "understand that we can't afford to leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind; that we owe it to our children to invest in early childhood education; to recruit an army of new teachers and give them better pay and more support; to finally decide that in this global economy, the chance to get a college education should not be a privilege for the wealthy few, but the birthright of every American. That's the change we need in America."

First off, of course, there's nothing very new or different about either Republican or Democratic Presidents ignoring the Constitution's enumerated powers and intruding on the state prerogative of education -- No Child Left Behind is President Bush's brainchild, after all. Obama's plan for federal financing of preschool education amounts to still another entitlement, and on top of that, he wants to help finance education for teachers and dictate how they are paid. The idea that a college education has become "a privilege for the wealthy few" is laughable nonsense, but even if it were true, his idea of handing out thousands of dollars to the majority of students would only inflate tuition costs while being terribly unfair to young people who skip higher education.

He may earn votes this way -- there are always people happy to get something for nothing -- but such ideas are beyond our means, encroach further on our liberties, would likely prove less effectual than many plans coming to the fore in the states and at private institutions, and march us ever close to the semi-socialist European welfare governments. Ironically, the Europeans are beginning to march in the opposite direction -- either that, or they settle for becoming third-rate economies.

For all his rants about lobbyists, Obama represents no break from ties to special interests or independence from popular but ill-advised positions; he was for the lavish farm bill, he supports unions in their misbegotten opposition to free trade, he's an ethanol man through and through, and maybe he made at least some voters in Nevada happy with his opposition to the perfectly acceptable nuclear waste depository there. Unlike McCain, he has not been much of a compromiser in the U.S. Senate; if a bill is not sufficiently leftist, it gets no support from him.

Some movement toward the center would be welcome from this candidate, who maybe doesn't have to move an inch to win the general election. Some polls show a close race, but if polling on distant events were to be trusted, the presumptive candidates today would be Hillary Clinton and Rudolph Giuliani.

For much recited reasons, this looks to be a decisively Democratic year, and Obama has destiny written all over him unless, maybe, voters decide they really do want the change he has promised.

Jay Ambrose is a columnist living in Colorado. He can be reached at SpeaktoJay@aol.com.

[neverdem]

He said that if his Republican opponent, John McCain, spent more time in America's schools, he would "understand that we can't afford to leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind; that we owe it to our children to invest in early childhood education; to recruit an army of new teachers and give them better pay and more support; to finally decide that in this global economy, the chance to get a college education should not be a privilege for the wealthy few, but the birthright of every American. That's the change we need in America."

I can't think of a better way to denigrate the value of a high school diploma or a four year college degree than to have everyone and their mother getting baccalaureates with majors in advanced basket weaving or grievance studies.

Obama Was Dumped by His Mom - twice!

BARACK OBAMA suffered the ultimate rejection when he was abandoned by his ambitious mother - twice! Those desertions led to a broiling inner rage, say experts, and you won't believe how the Democratic presidential hopeful reaped his bitter revenge. GLOBE reveals the shocking secrets Obama has been hiding from America in a desperate bid to rewrite his own history.

I couldn't find a way to access the rest of the story.

[Ptarmigan]

Change starts with us. It does not start with the government.

[SandRat]

No, Obama is not an eloquent candidate for the status quo, O-BANE-man is an eloquent candidate for retrograde.

[b4its2late]

If this is the same Jay that I am thinking of, he is a good reporter. But I would not attribute eloquence to Obama. I’ve heard him stumble and bumble on more than one occasion and there is plenty of time left for him to do even more of it.

[SERKIT]

Here's a dose of Barry's flavor of change (predictable status quo for LibDems):

Imagine Barry as Prez, Joe "The Plagiarist" Biden as Veep, John "F'n" Kerry as Sec of State, and Jamie "The Wall" Gorleick as either AG or head of CIA....

After you get done puking, hold your nose and pull the handle for John McCain.

That was easy!

[SERKIT]

Here's a dose of Barry's flavor of change (predictable status quo for LibDems):

Imagine Barry as Prez, Joe "The Plagiarist" Biden as Veep, John "F'n" Kerry as Sec of State, and Jamie "The Wall" Gorleick as either AG or head of CIA....

After you get done puking, hold your nose and pull the handle for John McCain.

That was easy!

[DustyMoment]

Change is really cool - I LOVE finding it in the pocket of a pair of pants I haven’t work for awhile.

BUT . . . . . . . . . before we get too hung up in a word and Obama’s use of it, I’d like some clarification. If elected, what does he plan to change (besides the linens on the WH bed)? He hasn’t really gone into any specifics, but he is definitely the candidate of “change”. Change what? Change how? Change why and how will his changes improve the US?

The Obamaniacs run around spouting that Obama is for change, but none of them can define anything else about his “changes”. The more Obama talks, the more he reminds me of Jimmuh Cahter AND John F’n Kerry. Cahter was a Washington outsider and the most dismal president in recent memory. Kerry had all of these “plans” to fix all of America’s problems, but he wasn’t willing to reveal any of them unless he was elected. Kerry, whose 20+ years in the Senate are marked by the fact that he has never allowed a speck of dust to land on his senate chair. Other than that, he has all these “plans” after 20 years of an undistinguished career??

Keep flappin’ your lips, Hussein, the more you talk, the more people realize that you’re a bigger bag of hot air than the Hindenberg.

[LegendHasIt]

Eloquent? ELOQUENT??? (just quoting the title, not you, Neverdem.)

I just listened to a CNN interview of him on Iraq... Every third word (almost literally) was “Uhhh”.

The guy read some prepared speeches well, but lately he hasn’t been able to even read very well.

That CNN thing was actually painful to listen to. President Bush is eloquent by comparison.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/06/16/sot.obama.iraq.trip.cnn

[musicman]

"Obama is an eloquent candidate for the status quo."

[Dumpster Baby]

majors in advanced basket weaving or grievance studies

Hey, you making fun of my Fiber Arts degree? Huh?

Program Description

Students in the fiber arts curriculum explore nearly every process used for the construction and decoration of fabric. Part of the program covers processes from very basic carding, spinning, dyeing, and felting of wool, to the use of the loom and the study of complex weave structures. The BFA in Art with a concentration in fibers degree program focuses on the history of fabric, clothing, shelter, and on contemporary fiber artists and designers. Part of the uniqueness of this program is the location. The Southwest has a long history of textiles, beautiful museums, and many cultures still practicing their traditional textile methods, as well as contemporary galleries and art centers that combine to make this area a fertile ground for developing artists.

Additional Program Fee: No

Second Language Requirement: No Career Opportunities

Graduates with a BFA degree are prepared to establish their own studios and begin making art or design fabrics for use as interior fabrics or as one-of-a-kind garments. Students are also prepared to begin a graduate program. Some undergraduates have gone to New York City to work in the field of designing textiles. Others prefer to focus on their own art for exhibition. Graduates also setup their own studios and design wearable or fabrics for interior use, while others make their living by doing commissioned work for interior spaces.

[patriot08]

ELOQUENT??? What’s eloquent about ‘ol purple lips? He can’t do shiite without his teleprompter.

[chase19]

Endorsed by Louis Farrakhan and his organization, “Elijah Muhammad taught that the Pope of Rome is the anti-Christ... It makes me sick to my stomach to see black people running over each other just to kiss this cracker. Who in the hell is the pope of Rome? He’s an imposter, he’s an idol, he’s a false icon that must be torn down. — Khalid Abdul Muhammad, Nation Of Islam & New Black Panther Party, Appearance at the “Black Holocaust Nationhood Conference,” held as a prelude to the Million Man March, October 15, 1995

[westpoint64]

I watched the clip...and found a few things about it that made me uncomfy. First off, why is Obama always facing down or the other way when saying something? Is it because he’s nervous or lacking confidence or is it something else?
Secondly, it seems like we’re getting the “I’m so smart, I’m a superior foreign policy expert and I’m preparing myself for the office I am soon to be in after a few months” message loud and clear, too.
The guy seems to have this idea that he’s already president, oh-so-important, and somebody who really needs to be listened to. He seems so full of himself.
Not only that, he’s so full of ambiguous, verbose, pompous DemSpeak. If he thinks he’s going to pull the troops out, then dictate to factions in Iraq what they’re going to do and not do, he really IS as naive as James Carter...
and the results will be just as inevitably disastrous as Carter’s.

[Theodore R.]

Yes, he doesn’t have anything to say, but the sheeple wouldn’t understand if he had something important to tell them. They think he is great in his circumlocution, even though that word too is unfamiliar with the socialist sheeple.

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

energy, intelligence, charm and eloquence

Man, I am so tired of hearing this bs. Even when people criticize Obama, they have to compliment him, I presume because they want to make sure that everybody knows that they're not racist. Obama is not eloquent, for ****'s sake. Obama is a teleprompterist.

Obama the Eloquent

Obama the Eloquent Part Deux

Obama the Master of Diplomacy

[SunkenCiv]

Despite little comment by White House aspirants, our entitlement programs are about to explode in our faces. The need is to restructure them before massive retirements by baby boomers and otherwise retreat from the leviathan state, but Obama talks endlessly of the very opposite: answering every possible individual problem with a massive program. His strategy for the common good -- boiled down to a few words -- is to tax more and spend more, including more on a new entitlement, universal health insurance.

It's a snowjob, IMHO. The author claims that Obama is just a nice, safe, mainstream politician, no different than McCain. Thanks neverdem.

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

I would not attribute eloquence to Obama. I’ve heard him stumble and bumble on more than one occasion and there is plenty of time left for him to do even more of it.

You seem to not understand what it means to eloquent. I also get the impression that you are not thinking about what it is like to gieve 10 speeches a day for 18 months. The man is constantly on camera and despite what the media would have you believe he is not a god. When Obama has to speak well he does. If you underestimate your opponent you are cetain to lose.

On the other hand, perhaps you live in a altered state of reality. Do you think Bush is eloquent?

[FreedomPoster]

Much of that early history is documented here:

http://theobamafile.com/ObamaFamily.htm

Beckwith has created quite a resource.

[Beckwith]

Endorsed by Louis Farrakhan and his organization, “Elijah Muhammad taught that the Pope of Rome is the anti-Christ... It makes me sick to my stomach to see black people running over each other just to kiss this cracker. Who in the hell is the pope of Rome? He’s an imposter, he’s an idol, he’s a false icon that must be torn down. — Khalid Abdul Muhammad, Nation Of Islam & New Black Panther Party, Appearance at the “Black Holocaust Nationhood Conference,” held as a prelude to the Million Man March, October 15, 1995

Chicago Reader profile of Obama, which is now linked to on the alternative weekly’s home page, notes that the then-aspiring politico “took time off from attending campaign coffees” to attend the 1995 march:

“What I saw was a powerful demonstration of an impulse and need for African-American men to come together to recognize each other and affirm our rightful place in the society,” [Obama] said. “There was a profound sense that African-American men were ready to make a commitment to bring about change in our communities and lives.

“But what was lacking among march organizers was a positive agenda, a coherent agenda for change. Without this agenda a lot of this energy is going to dissipate. Just as holding hands and singing ‘We shall overcome’ is not going to do it, exhorting youth to have pride in their race, give up drugs and crime, is not going to do it if we can’t find jobs and futures for the 50 percent of black youth who are unemployed, underemployed, and full of bitterness and rage."

Obama has been making this CHANGE speech for years. It doesn't mean SQUAT!

http://www.forward.com/blogs/bintel-blog/13058/