The Great Mulato Hope
By Miguel Guanipa (12/20/06)
When Elbridge Thomas Gerry signed the Declaration of independence it is recorded in a letter by Benjamin Rush that he was beckoned by fellow signatory Colonel Benjamin Harrison of Virginia, with a wry yet stern reminder that the Colonel would have a great physical advantage over Mr. Gerry when they all hung for treason. "From the size and weight of my body"- remarked the Colonel - "I shall die in a few minutes; but from the lightness of your body you will dance in the air an hour or two before you are dead".
The sturdy fabric and steely determination which was so much a part of the makeup of such men is only externally mimicked today by many of those revered in the political arena. Among one of the newcomers who is a perfect example of this facility to project admirable character qualities without the life experience credentials typically required to enact such poise is none other than the 45 year old junior senator from Illinois, Barack Hussein Obama, who has been called “a political phenomenon”.
My first suspicions about Barack Obama’s skin deep veneer arose when I heard my 14 year old daughter comment on his much publicized interview with Oprah Winfrey: “He is just too perfect”. Perhaps our idolatrous enthrallment with the “new” and the “fresh” is what induces the rabid ecstasy in those who meet him for the first time. But also the fact that he is quick-witted, polished and articulate; sort of like an African American Bill Clinton.
In fact the more one listens to him the more one becomes aware of the exquisite irony that Barack Obama - who may very well be the greatest threat to Hillary Clinton’s presidential ambitions - seems to have parlayed his suave persona and his alleged penchant for building coalitions between parties from none other than the New York Senator’s husband, who is sometimes himself nostalgically referred to as America’s First Black President.
In reviewing Obama’s 2004 keynote address at the Democratic Convention, the speech which arguably catapulted him to the notoriety he presently enjoys, I read how he candidly spoke about his grandfather who served in Patton’s army while his grandmother worked in a bomber assembly line.
If Barack Obama possesses half the political acumen some fear he does, he would not make gratuitous references to his past unless there is a purpose in mind; hence I gather that this bit of personal trivia was no doubt designed to retain his appeal among those whom he probably regards behind closed doors as insufferable traditionalists and rabble rousing neo-cons. In the same breath he can be heard piously castigating the Bush administration for “shading the truth” about the war, and liberally invoking “Kerryisms” such as “Winning the Peace” and “(earning) the respect of the world”- a rhetorical jab reminiscent of John Kerry’s self-destructive “Global Test” quote during the 2004 presidential debates.
Without skipping a beat and with surprising dexterity Mr. Obama surreptitiously patronizes conservatives who “don't expect government to solve all their problems” and who “know they have to work hard to get ahead…” while adopting a parallel (and very progressive) conviction that with “just a slight change in priorities” the “doors of opportunity [can] remain open to all”; I found myself wondering how many times we have to learn the hard lesson that when a liberal uses sophisms like “a slight change in priorities” it’s probably time to hold on to our wallets.
And make no mistake about it: Barack Obama is a liberal, and no one should fall prey to the illusion that he is the centrist he advertises himself as.
Savvy politician that he is, Obama will hide his liberal spots by annoying his progressive contingency on occasion, like the time when he voted to close off any filibuster of Judge Alito and rejected Senator Russell Feingold's motion to censure the President. At the same time he is careful not to flaunt his affiliation with people like George Soros, the strident anti-Bush New York-based billionaire who recently met with young senator.
While he dazzles us with this balancing act, a rapturous media (not forsaking its liberal moorings) is busy casting the green senator from Illinois in the best possible light, lauding him as a “fresh face, untainted by scandal, and unpolluted by the winds of arrogance and corrupting power that blow through the Capitol”. On another front they contrive the perception - drenched in flattery – of a Nation thirsty for one that will help them “turn the page” and introduce Obama’s followers as a generation that is “ready for a new set of challenges” and “prepared to lead."
Given Obama’s messianic charisma one may just forget that underneath the surface is a politician who holds stances on issues like stem cell research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers, and tax cuts which are diametrically opposed to what most conservatives and moderates believe. In fact, according to Hill Monitor, a nonpartisan vote tracking group, Obama's voting rank follows Democratic Party Senators Mikulski (D-MD), Sarbanes (D-MD), and Durbin (D-IL). The fact that he has cast his lot with the Democratic Party line 97 percent of the time is a clear indication of his true loyalties.
Unfortunately, integrity is something that can be faked very well, if one is to judge by external appearances - which is what a lot of Obama’s converts seem to be going by. But one can’t blame them, since Obama has little else to offer in the form of a record as he has yet to complete his first term. But even by some accounts this makes him an ideal candidate-no past, scant paper trail and no appearance of being an insider; perfect.
He is indeed a consummate political strategist and the perfect stealth candidate, preemptively laying all the hurdles aside before he readies himself for the sprint to make sure he’s not tripped on the way to the finish line. And the adoring media will continue to portray him as a man with no past (which is not true of anyone), a man of integrity (which is also questionable given a recently publicized shady land deal), and a moderate (which is even farther from the truth given his voting record).
Thus far Obama has not made his intentions clear as to whether or not he intends to pursue the highest office in the country, and has hinted at making his final decision sometime in January 2007. It would not be a great surprise if Obama, who is very fond of quoting the renowned civil rights movement leader were to use January 15, the 79th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s birth, as a very symbolic occasion to finally unveil his presidential ambitions; never mind that Dr. King - a stalwart pro-life advocate - may very well be spinning in his grave every time his name grazes the lips of this young, staunch pro-abortion senator.
What appears to be at play here is that Barack Obama is probably nourished by the same ambitions for notoriety that consumed his inadvertent mentor, Bill Clinton; and like him, Obama understands that to fulfill his ambitions the party must decrease as he increases.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/2004_Democratic_National_Convention_keynote_address
http://www2.oprah.com/omagazine/200411/omag_200411_ocut.jhtml
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6495810&ft=1&f=3
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/124171,CST-NWS-obama05.article
http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=28326
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