It’s Not Who Obama Looks Like, It’s Who He Acts Like
Barack Obama warned us on Wednesday that his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, will try to scare us saying Obama “doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.” Anyone who rides a bus in a major metropolitan area from time to time is quite aware of, and comfortable with, the ethnic diversity we encounter. None of us would deny the trepidation we experience with the occasional presence of gang bangers, skinheads or mischievous teens we encounter regardless of our own ethnic composition. But I doubt our elected representatives have been inclined to take advantage of the experience in the districts or states they represent. Nor has the press that covers them.
That’s not to deny that race is an issue. Everyone is more comfortable with what they are familiar with. And the more race is the most dominant issue in ones life than the more it will distort ones outlook on the greater community and, in turn, make the community more suspicious of that individuals judgment and intentions. Should it be any surprise then, that white voters who solidly supported Obama during the Iowa Caucuses [ when throngs watched Opra make appearances on his behalf ] would have trepidations upon hearing the venomous sermons of Reverend Wright of the Trinity United Church of Christ [ "Obama's Chickens Come Home To Roost!" ] where Obama attended for 20 years and where Barack and Michelle were married? When these sermons came to light Obama denied any knowledge of the content.
No, it’s not his looks or his odd name for that matter. Once called “Barry” by family and friends, Barack Hussain Obama engenders fear in many mainstream Americans with the conflicting statements he makes, his denial of the ones he regrets, his reluctance to openly discuss his positions, his associations, and his disdain for American traditions and institutions. And week by week more questions mount than are answered.
In a country that grew to be the worlds dominant economy through free enterprise Obama now proposes punishing innovation and success by punishing American oil companies for sky rocketing gasoline prices when he states
“I’ll make oil companies like Exxon pay a tax on their windfall profits, and we’ll use the money to help families pay for their skyrocketing energy costs and other bills.”
His statements about American Oil companies bare a greater similarity to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez than anyone to appear on any American currency. In the fashion of Chavez, Obama makes grand gestures about “Change” which includes condemning his predicessors and little substance about the change he proposes. Yes, it may be a giant leap to make this match, but I’m certain that if citizens of Venezuela knew what changes they were in for and what grand gestures would cost their country they would have hoped for more details of what was in store. What is not such a leap is to imagine a world in which the likes of Chavez and Islamic nations with similar dispositions toward the United States restrict our oil supplies; we are in no position to delay the development of domestic resources as proposed by Obama and the Democratic Leadership.
What we are not familiar with is the arrogance of a candidate who would denigrate a segment of the population that “cling to their guns and religion” as Obama did in his statement about Pennsylvanians, a candidate associated with an unrepentant terrorist like William Ayers, and the accomplishments of our military as is the case with General Petraeus and his innovative anti insurgency strategies. What he does do with the statement he made is preclude the opposition from bringing up the association with Reverend Wright and the Trinity Church in the fall campaign. If the issue is raised in a campaign ad you can be assured it will be quickly branded as racist.