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Obama's mentor at Occidental College speaks

Thomas Lifson
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/09/obamas_mentor_at_occidental_co.html

Lawrence Goldyn, Barack Obama's mentor during his freshman and sophomore years at Occidental College, speaks out about the young Obama in an interview with The Southern Voice, a gay newspaper in Atlanta. He provides some helpful context in understanding the political and academic development of Barack Obama.

A very big part of Lawrence Goldyn's life as a junior professor of political science seems to have involved his homosexuality. He designed and taught a course on sexual politics, mentored gay students (and some heterosexuals like Obama), and attributes denial of tenure at Occidental in 1981 to perceptions of him as a radical. The article by  Lou Chibarro, Jr reports:

His reputation for holding out-of-class discussions with students attracted a number of straight students, Goldyn said. He noted that many of those students who gravitated toward him were older black and Latino students who were interested in his strong views on social issues and racial politics.

Goldyn said Obama stood out, though, by participating in the discussions as a freshman or sophomore.

"He was younger, and coming to a somewhat elite, private college ... I am sure he felt like a fish out of water, and he had every reason to feel insecure about himself in a place like that," Goldyn said.

Obama appears to have been undergoing a political radicalization during these two years.

[As] the New York Times reported in February 2008 that several of Obama's fellow Occidental students saw the young Obama grow increasingly interested in politics, particularly in his sophomore year. [....]

"He wasn't a very serious student yet," Goldyn said about Obama when the student arrived at Occidental. "So I felt good that I contributed to him sort of getting it together and focusing on what he wanted to do.

Goldyn does not mention whether or not he had any role in Obama's transfer to Columbia. Did he write a recommendation? Did he help Obama decide to transfer to a college with an urban setting, and a strong left wing activist presence?

But the most fascinating observation of all comes at the end, when Goldyn, an enthusiastic Obama supporter, is asked by the reporter to comment on Obama's failure to support gay marriage (he supports civil unions):

"It's very hard to put a whole coalition together, and you have to figure out a way to negotiate and navigate where he is clearly supportive of gay rights, but he cannot come out up front and say that he's in favor of marriage, because the country, I don't think, may be ready for that in an election," he said. "And I don't have a problem with that."

Here you have a man who knows, likes and supports Obama, who, like me, believes he is a phony who will say things just to appease stupid voters.  Goldyn apparently shares Obama's low opinion of ordinary people as dimwits, and approves of Obama's cleverness in lying to the rubes. Superior folk like him know better.

Hat tip: Clarice Feldman

1 posted on 09/14/2008 4:07:50 PM PDT by SJackson
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To: SJackson

Hmmmm... Rev. Wright also said that Obama would have to say deceitful things to be elected.


2 posted on 09/14/2008 4:26:52 PM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: SJackson

And Goldyn, like Wright and the rest of the America hating lefties, ends up living in mansion. His is near the coast in Mendocino. DEEP in the heart of elitism.


3 posted on 09/14/2008 4:49:43 PM PDT by jessduntno (.)
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To: SJackson; Lancey Howard; BossLady; TomasUSMC

His first, longtime mentor was Frank Marshall Davis, n bisexual pedophile. Then this clown. Paging Larry Sinclair


6 posted on 09/14/2008 7:50:52 PM PDT by pissant (THE Conservative party: www.falconparty.com)
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To: SJackson

How many other “gay mentors” does Obama have? And what did they “mentor” him in?


7 posted on 09/14/2008 7:52:44 PM PDT by dennisw (Never bet on a false prophet! ::::::|::::: Never bet on Islam!)
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To: SJackson

Gee, another gay mentor for Barry!


8 posted on 09/14/2008 8:04:40 PM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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To: SJackson

I don’t know about you, but this sure makes me want to pull the, er, lever, for Obama!


11 posted on 09/14/2008 8:19:58 PM PDT by Gritty
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To: SJackson

I read ...somewhere... that Wright is also on the “down low” with men at his church.

I don’t get this. If Obama is or was gay or bi, why haven’t we heard about it more?

If Hillary knows about this — which I have suspected all along, we will hear about it. And she’ll blame the GOP for spreading it.


12 posted on 09/14/2008 8:32:19 PM PDT by IreneE (Live for nothing or die for something.)
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To: SJackson

Lawrence Goldyn was behind Obama all the way...


14 posted on 09/14/2008 8:51:49 PM PDT by an amused spectator (That would be... harsher punishment for parole violators, Stan.)
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To: SJackson
Is it possible Obama is/was on the DOWN-LOW?..
That would be something..
15 posted on 09/14/2008 8:55:27 PM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole....)
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To: SJackson
...radical in a conservative-leaning school

Since the mid-1960's, Occidental has hardly been a "conservative-leaning school." During late 1960's and early 1970's, when I attended, it was a hotbed of anti-Vietnam War activism. In a poll taken of students just before teh 1972 election, 65 percent supported George McGovern for president. When I entered my dorm on election night that year after a late class, the students were sitting around the television in stunned silence overwhelmed by the magnitude of McGovern's defeat.

Things don't seem to have changed much. For example, although it was founded by Presbyterians in 1887, not long ago, Occidental removed the cross from its chapel as being offensive to non-Christians.

18 posted on 09/15/2008 7:42:27 AM PDT by Fiji Hill
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