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Some 11th-Hour Advice to the Harvard Power Couple (Victor Davis Hanson on the Obamas)
The Corner at NRO ^ | 19 February 2008 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 02/19/2008 6:54:45 PM PST by SE Mom

Re: Michelle Obama's astounding admission that she hitherto had no reason to feel pride in the U.S., and Obama's supposed Biden-like lifting of a campaign refrain from someone else.

The problem is deeper than occasional slips. For most of the last 25 years the Obamas' contacts have been largely confined to universities (Occidental, Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, Chicago) as both students and employees, or to government-sponsored social agencies, or to the incestuous world of Chicago minority politics. These landscapes have proven liberal, sympathetic, and non-confrontational. I doubt very seriously in those environments that the Obamas have had any of their sometimes bewildering statements seriously cross-examined or questioned.

Michelle Obama, true, recites a litany of slights and grievances, but more likely she encountered highly educated white liberal audiences that were not about to cross her or challenge her assertions-a world away from steelworkers in Ohio, the Nascar crowd, the Mexican Americans in LA, the hungry wolves of the D.C. press corps for whom controversy trumps even shared liberal ideology — or Clinton, Inc. for whom power, status, and adulation outweigh everything, including liberal head-nodding, white guilt, and identity politics.

The result is that finally out on the campaign trail both are beginning to enter an arena where most of America does not faint at an Obama rally, but resents deeply a candidate's spouse suggesting that she previously had no pride in her own country, and would think that generous college admission practices, scholarships, and loans were cause more for gratitude rather than resentment.

Some old cynical campaign veteran, cigar in mouth-a Tip O'Neill-type, with the more scars the better-should sit the two kids down, explain the no-holds-barred rules of the arena outside the university and liberal government agency, remind them that African Americans and elite white liberals probably make up about at most a fourth of the electorate, and emphasize to them that by the public's own standard of living, the Obamas have been very privileged and done quite well-and that Michelle and Barack should start to say something uplifting other than the current mantra that the U.S. is a depressing and unfair place and has only one chance of 'hope" and "change" and "redemption" by allowing Barack and Michelle to lead us out of our collective ignorance.

02/19 08:59 PM


TOPICS: Editorial; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: barackhusseinobama; chebama; nobama; obama; vdh
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To: arthurus

Look this has been a civil discussion lets not ruin it...you want to bash McCain take it elsewhere...please.


61 posted on 02/19/2008 7:44:41 PM PST by Dog
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To: arthurus

The party of the Democrats has veered a long way from ‘ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country’. I’d love for someone to repeat that to Obama and ask him how he reconciles Kennedy’s vision with his own. Caroline herself said Obama reminded her of her father. Sounds like she didn’t know her father very well as he died when she was quite young. She must have just meant young and charismatic.


62 posted on 02/19/2008 7:45:35 PM PST by originalbuckeye
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To: Dog
Germany in the 30’s got caught up in their version of this.

And Germany got its Messiah, too.

63 posted on 02/19/2008 7:46:12 PM PST by arthurus
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To: Dog
But he is connecting.

Not forever.

64 posted on 02/19/2008 7:47:23 PM PST by Nonstatist
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To: SE Mom
Slick, smug Socialists.

Every other word that flows out of both of their mouths just drips with arrogant narcissism and conceited, egotistical... smarminess.

God help us when those two Fabian Socialists get control of the Presidency.


65 posted on 02/19/2008 7:49:01 PM PST by The_Macallan
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To: Nonstatist

I don’t know about that.


66 posted on 02/19/2008 7:49:07 PM PST by Dog
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To: Dog

John Kerry had a “PLAN” in 04. Obama is going for “CHANGE” in 08. Both times we have no idea what the PLAN was or the CHANGE is. When is someone going to ASK. With O we can assume what the CHANGE will be but why won’t he come out with it point blank. See how many people will faint then!!!


67 posted on 02/19/2008 7:49:37 PM PST by MarineMom613 (My Son is My Hero!!!)
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To: Nonstatist

From your lips to God’s ears...

WE think he should get slaughtered...but let’s look at a demographic we’re not thinking about here.

For YEARS “we” have talked about the youth vote, the college kids, if “we” (Dems and Reps) could just get them to come out and vote...but- after each cycle..we sit back and say- maybe next time. They simply do not show up on election day (in significant numbers)...let alone for primaries.

Obama has mobilized thousands upon thousands of YOUNG, first-time voters to actually register and get out on primary day.


68 posted on 02/19/2008 7:49:56 PM PST by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: MarineMom613

If we had an honest media someone might get around to asking....but we don’t have one.


69 posted on 02/19/2008 7:51:25 PM PST by Dog
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To: SE Mom

Great VDH article bump.


70 posted on 02/19/2008 7:51:30 PM PST by Sans-Culotte
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To: SE Mom
I absolutely adore VDH; even so, this is one of the classiest and most tasteful things he has ever written.

Cheers!

71 posted on 02/19/2008 7:51:49 PM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Left2Right

Still, it absolutely amazes me that he could have so much support since so many of his positions are so anti-American. These are strange times.

A quote I keep thinking of lately:

In every age the men who want us under their thumb, if they have any sense, will put forward the particular pretension which the hopes and fears of that age render most potent...

C.S. Lewis


72 posted on 02/19/2008 7:52:09 PM PST by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: originalbuckeye

That wound cannot be “healed” so long as it is useful for political and material gain, so long as non-blacks have any assets at all.


73 posted on 02/19/2008 7:55:03 PM PST by arthurus
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To: SE Mom

I was watching BHO in Texas and I thought he said that he wanted to repeal the Bush tax cuts (no surprise) and give tax relief to families making less than $75K and for families making less than $50K they would not pay any taxes. So, there’s a lot of people making less than $50K if they would just get their lazy arses to the polls who would vote for him just for the “free” education and medical proposals alone. That is scary.


74 posted on 02/19/2008 7:56:01 PM PST by Comparative Advantage
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To: Dog; SE Mom
Look this has been a civil discussion lets not ruin it...you want to bash McCain take it elsewhere...please.

Plenty of people around here who seem to live for no other purpose than to bash McCain. Obama is dangerous, even more so than Hillary and that's saying a lot. He must be stopped in the general election. Some will piss away their votes to show their displeasure with McCain, I don't care much for the man either but he's a damn sight better that either of the communist America haters on the democrat side.

Anyone may stay at home on election day or vote third party or write in, as for me, I am voting for McCain and against 4-8 years of communist rule.

75 posted on 02/19/2008 7:57:44 PM PST by Graybeard58 ( Remember and pray for SSgt. Matt Maupin - MIA/POW- Iraq since 04/09/04)
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To: originalbuckeye

White Americans won’t be let off the hook for slavery for a very long time, if ever. Obama’s only connection, other than through his marriage, with American slavery is to be descended through his mother from some white slaveowners.


76 posted on 02/19/2008 7:58:01 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Graybeard58

See? This is what I’m looking at too. Hillary is small fry compared to this man...


77 posted on 02/19/2008 8:00:24 PM PST by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: Comparative Advantage

Yep- you heard right- I wrote it down...though my hands told my brain it was a lie!


78 posted on 02/19/2008 8:01:33 PM PST by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: SE Mom

Needless to say, families making even $150K are far from rich. But, at least, he’s out front with who he considers “rich”, families making more than $75K. That should be a wakeup call for a lot of independents.


79 posted on 02/19/2008 8:04:26 PM PST by Comparative Advantage
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To: arthurus
If you bothered to listen to Obama's speech tonight you would have heard what he intends in that regard. I wasn't for McCain and didn't vote for him in the primary but while I don't like him, I do trust him to do what he says he will do and it isn't that.

I don't trust Obama at all but I do believe he will try to do what he says and that scares me because he is likely to have both the house and senate to make it happen.

80 posted on 02/19/2008 8:06:00 PM PST by WHBates
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