Monday, April 14, 2008

Chameleon Candidate

As a McCain supporter, I receive an e-mail from my new best friend, Rick Davis every day or so. Rick Davis is the Campaign Manager for the McCain campaign. Today's letter came in the form of a donation request, as they all do. This one focuses on the big ole faux pas Senator Obama made out there in San Francisco that came to light over the weekend.

The silver lining of this long, long, long campaign season is that the junior senator from Illinois is under more scrutiny than he has faced in previous runs for office. This time around it's a national campaign and he has strong contenders. In previous elections, we have learned, he did away with competition for his seat in Illinois state government by technical maneuvers, as reported in the Houston Press article, and then for his seat in the Senate his only challenger was a last minute run by Alan Keyes. Talk about having it handed to him.

The national press, while working hard to put him in the White House, has now been embarrassed into actually doing some reporting on Senator Obama. Not so much his background, which would be helpful, but at least finally some reporting on real time events. Obama was narced on by, of all places, the Huffington Post and a blog entry about the fund raising event in San Francisco with the millionaire and billionaire swells on what is known as Billionaire's Row. Being the chameleon that he is, Obama was all about being one of them. Which, technically he is, with the more than million dollars made since he's been a published author.

Obama said, "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the job have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them." "And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Also quoted by Mayhill Fowler at the Huffington Post, Obama "revealed his previously unknown college sojourn to Pakistan". Well, now. Take that you fancy people.

So, not only are the citizens in small towns in Pennsylvania bitter, unemployed, church-going, gun-toting people, they probably haven't been to Pakistan either. Mon Dieu.

There was no press at this private event. I'm sure Obama felt safe in exposing himself to his crowd. Too bad it wasn't the same self he has so carefully been crafting on the campaign trail.

The people in Pennsylvania, like most of America, except on the coasts of America, are not bitter people. They are optimistic, can-do people. They go to church out of joy and faith, not clinging to faith with bitterness. They believe in the Second Amendment. And, yes, jobs have actually been created in Pennsylvania over the past 25 years.

After the Clinton and McCain campaigns chided Obama on his elitist opinions, it was also pointed out that most Americans do not think those living in the middle of the country, flyover country, are anything but regular people.

Most Americans have nothing against immigration, but are not accepting of illegal immigration. Most Americans are not racist. Most Americans are welcoming, giving people. We are a generous and optimistic people. It seems only in Obama's world that he dwells in the negative, or he would not have remained a member of his church, for example. He married Michelle, who wrote a thesis at Princeton about not wanting to think about "further integration and/or assimilation into a white cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society; never becoming a full participant." She has always been a full participant, as far as I read. Ivy League educated, lawyer, generously salaried VP at Univ of Chicago Hospital system, million dollar home, children in private school and after school enrichment cultural programs, Senate wife and now a speaker to large audiences. We should all be so downtrodden.

Obama chided Hillary for drinking in Crown Point, Indiana. She was in video coverage doing a shot of whiskey and then chasing it with a beer. Obama said she was "throwing back a shot and a beer." Well, Senator Obama, in Indiana that is called a boilermaker. See, the average people there know that and it is very common in bars. Has been forever. He was the one, after all, shown drinking a brew in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, home of the beer with that name.

And, for the gun reference Obama chided Hillary with today? OK, call her Annie Oakley. That was easy. But then, mixing up lines written to make a joke of it all, I'm sure, he joked that he didn't believe she was in a duck blind with a six-shooter. Yeah, I would hope not. So, his botched joke further proved the out of touch point.

If we are not to judge Obama by the people with whom he associates, maybe we should just listen to him.

Most of my relatives are living in small towns in Indiana. Not many have lived the kind of life afforded to Barack and Michelle Obama. Yet, they are not bitter, racist, hostile to immigrants, or despondent. Many didn't go to college. All are working that want to do so. Some drink boilermakers and bowl. Others shop at Whole Foods and buy arugula, like Barack and Michelle. The point is that they all are regular Americans. And none of them feel the need to speak to one group of fellow Americans any differently than to others.

Today, John McCain put out this statement: "During the Great Depression, with many millions of Americans out of work and the country suffering the worst economic crisis in our history, there rose from small towns, rural communities, inner cities, a generation of Americans who fought to save the world from despotism and mass murder, and came home to build the wealthiest, strongest and most generous nation on earth. They suffered the worst during the Depression, but it did not shake their faith in, and fidelity to, America. They did not turn to their religious faith and cultural traditions out of resentment and a feeling of powerlessness to affect the course of government or pursue prosperity. On the contrary, their faith had given generations of their families' purpose and meaning, as it does today."

The very people Obama insulted, intentionally or not, are the very backbone of this country. They get up and go to work and school and take care of their families and communities every day, whether it is an election year or not. America is not "just downright mean", as Michelle said in a speech.

Obama was raised in Hawaii and attended private school there. He was briefly a resident in Indonesia and attended religious school there. He graduated from Harvard, editor of the Law Review. He was hired by a corporate law firm in Chicago, as was Michelle. He chose politics and every three years has sought higher office. He should just accept who he is and stop with the chameleon act. It'll trip him up every time. Press present or not.

Listen. They tell you who they really are.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know? Well, you know. So much I could say, but won't.

But, I can't NOT say the following:

Obama was raised in Hawaii because his grandfather was a serviceman based there, who stayed there. He went to private school on the islands on scholarship. He put himself through Columbia and Harvard on school loans. He was the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review and could have written his golden ticket with any firm in this country. But he didn't. And Michelle? She was raised by a stay at home mom and a blue collar dad, and both she and her brother put themselves through Princeton on school loans, too. Loans the Obamas only recently paid off, it should be noted.

To call these two elitist is a sham. The only thing elitist about this whole event has been those who act like working class Americans are too stupid to know what the man was saying. From the interviews I've seen, they get it, even if his opponents salivate at that thought that they can't possibly.

Anonymous said...

Excellent! Yes we are listening, remember it was Obama who said, "words do not mean anything."

I am sure right now he is coughing on that one!

GrEaT sAtAn'S gIrLfRiEnD said...

No P{ress? LOL!!! Reckon a certain Senator now includes webloggers like Mayhill Flower from the Hington Post as 'Press'?

A very smart Dem, semi lib lady Ben Franklynlander recently took the Senator to task - pointing out there is nothing magic about religion (or guns) and that Americans don't really 'cling' to anything - they embrace. And as for religion and weaponry - Penn staters 'embraced them in bad times - and good.

http://pamkemp.blogspot.com/2008/04/quick-thought-from-disgusted-but-not.html

Right Truth said...

He tries to have it all ways, first he's a poor kid raised by a single white mother on food stamps. Then he's a 'world' traveler, raised in Africa, in a village,... then he's the Harvard educated 'community' worker, ...

He can't make up his mind. One thing he is NOT, a man who has any idea WHO HE IS. He cannot find his own identity, how is it that we are supposed to identify him? We can't.

Debbie Hamilton
Right Truth

Anonymous said...

It was a village in Indonesia, not Africa, and it was 4 1/2 years while he was in grade school - the first two enrolled in a Catholic school, the next in a public school.

He knows exactly who he is, and with not that much effort, you could find out, too. You know, if you had any interest in the reality/truth as opposed to firing blanks. It might even help strengthen your opposition arguments, if they had a tinge of basis in fact. Of course, that's just one cult member's opinion.

Karen, don't know if you would ever watch MSNBC, but McCain is on there right now, doing the Hardball Tour, and acquitting himself rather studiously, I must say.

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Karen Townsend said...

Jennifer: I think asking if I would ever watch MSNBC is a bit snide. Occasionally I do if it is something of interest to me. Otherwise, I sure know why it's the lowest rated of the name brands. And, acquitted? Of what? Did he commit a crime? Besides having his campaign chugging right along? - ed

Anonymous said...

Snide is really not my style. Given some of your previous takes on various media, I was sincerely not sure if you ever watched the channel or not. And I was stating that he gave a positive presentation - even to this leftist - in the way he handled the hour. He did a very nice job and was most professorial. It was the single most insightful give and take, in a conversational sense, that I've seen from him in years, without having seven or so competitors sharing the stage. I was attempting to pay him a compliment, not take him to court.

'Acquitted' is a common turn phrase where I come from for a person's bearing in a given situation. I'll be more careful with my own choice of words in the future.

Karen Townsend said...

Jennifer- I know snide is not your style. I enjoy the give and take of all sides. It's a long season and I'm a bit worn down by some 'troll' issues I'm dealing with today. Some people are hateful by nature, I suppose.

I am watching a re-broadcast of Hardball. You see why I can support McCain. He's a good man. The second student to give him a question from the audience? He's the oldest son of the Fox and Friends Morning show! Funny. He's a political science major at Villanova.
Thanks for the heads up, even if I do have to endure the obnoxious Chris Matthews.

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Anonymous said...

Golly, pandering penguin, you accidentally deleted the only piece of honesty on your whiny little blog:

And, acquitted? Of what? Did he commit a crime? Besides having his campaign chugging right along? - ed


Hahahaha...too much...only a wingbat. They all sound like their presidunce.
Hint...try a dick-shun-air-ee. When you start getting clues that you're really dumb, maybe you should begin to wonder about some of your 0-pin-yunz.

There ya go...

Anonymous said...

Directly from the holy bible: "Suppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it. Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors. "The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him." (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)

Karen Townsend said...

Excellent, Anonymous! Now I verify who you are. I thought you sounded familar. Still only insults, no substance. You'd think in your profession that more would be demanded of you.

Anonymous said...

Obama Would "Immediately Review" Potential Of Crimes In Bush White House: 'Now, if I found out that there were high officials who knowingly, consciously broke existing laws, engaged in coverups of those crimes with knowledge forefront, then I think a basic principle of our Constitution is nobody above the law' 4/16

Anonymous said...

Still only insults, no substance. You'd think in your profession that more would be demanded of you.


The insults come AFTER you delete factual and evidence backed posts which prove that you can't deal honestly with oppositional evidence. There's just no talking to you like an adult, so you get the insults -- or simple truths -- that you ask for.

Karen Townsend said...

Yes, I know, Anon. Just like when you told me I should feel honored to be chastised by you.

Again, you're profession. Not surprising. Maybe it's encouraged by your higher ups. Interesting.

Anonymous said...

Well...bored now...you do that to me, but I have to check in once in a while. Go back to babbling amongst each other...telling yourselves you're really not evil idiots is not helpful though.

AC said...

Wow, look what I missed because I had to clean out the detritus left by our tenants! Let's move on to the real meat of your post (hehe, I'm joking you know...but I'm incompetent to add to the political discussion and you know I agree with you anyway)

Now, I wish to discuss the "boilermaker". Married to a Purdue man as I am, they are a favored libation here. I use scotch, he uses bourbon and we agree on the best, dark, local brewery beer. The last few times we have gone to our favorite brew-pub, the waiters had informed us that they could no longer serve us two drinks at once! No more beer and a bump????

After decades of beering and bumping? After we made the poor kid feel bad, he explained that we could get a *shot* and a beer, but we couldn't sip a double. Wha'??? No sipping allowed? Better to just belt a few back??? After we badgered him a little more, he finally just brought us our standard, the beers first and then the liquor. I still don't get it. I'd like to see that rule take effect in Indiana.

Karen Townsend said...

AC, Yeah, good times around here.

My Purdue man drinks bourbon, as a general rule, though he loves a good Scotch. We don't partake in the boilermaker as a normal pleasure but I know it's still popular in Indiana. Most of my relatives are in central to southern Indiana. Crown Point is further north then them.

If I do it, my choice is bourbon. Southern, you know. The husband and I drink a local microbrew, St. Arnold's. They have a website if you are curious. We've toured the brewery and they recycle the cardboard packages of the six packs by collecting them back from customers and our reward is a beer mug with the brand logo or a t-shirt or goodies like that. We just prefer to support local business and it's fun to go for the occassional free tastings on Saturday afternoons!

Anonymous said...

As a Republican and congenital would be imperialista, I prefer the Sundowner...gin and tonic After a long day of directing the poor, directionless, little brown people, the Brit lord, fatigued by his honorable and lofty endeavors, would characteristically sit back on his broad ass on his broad veranda, and give himself a little reward...with a dose of tonic to ward off the agues, chills, malarias and whatever guilt pangs might breach his thick saxon skull...never really a serious problem, of course. And, of course, it's a MAN's drink...um, yas, harumph.

Anonymous said...

Karen - wow. Your trolls are out in force here. It is not my intent to be one of them, which I know you know. I enjoy the give and take, too. And respect your articulation every day of the week.

Whoever this person is bravely hiding behind the anon tag, well, it (he/she) is an embarrassment to thinking people everywhere.

ANYWAY.

The only Boilermaker I ever drank (and got sick on, for the record) involved plopping the shot down into the glass of beer and chugging them together. We call a shot and a beer (separate sips) a sidecar 'round these parts.

Karen Townsend said...

Yeah, your kind of the boilermaker looks more fun - dropping the shot in and all. Being Indiana, the other way is more sedate! In Montana, my sister and her husband have a drink where they mix beer with tomato juice. Different version, same idea.

Anonymous said...

Well, I am a Montanican, a Norwegian (ergo a troll expert), and a drinking man. We always called those Bloody Marys, though the recipe has evolved in other parts of the county, a concept we have no need of since, except for the whale killing and the DOL, we have no need of further perfection.By the way, I cannot help being a troll as there was one in my great grandmothers woodpile back in the old country. It came in one night when great granddaddy was fishing fifty miles out to sea in the stormy North Atlantic. They say Rasmunsdatter spake fondly of it when grampers was away too long.