Barack Obama Quote Of The Day
“Is it foolish to think that a nation stained by centuries of slavery and racism is prepared to elect a black president? Rarely phrased so bluntly, that’s the central question posed by Barack Obama’s candidacy — especially for many African-American voters, whose doubts are informed by having seen many an oasis turn out to be a mirage.” – Eugene Robinson, writing in the Washington Post, Dec 11, 2007
This quote, from the Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson, I think accurately portrays the skepticism that many black’s had to the possibility of a black president being elected. This is why so many black’s at this point were Hillary Clinton as opposed to Barack Obama supporters. They seriously underestimated how badly white America wanted to vote for a black president.
On a side note I’m debating whether to use the term ‘African American’ more instead of ‘Black’. To me it is a somewhat silly term. Is there anything wrong with being called ‘Black’ or ‘Brown’ or ‘White”. Further, how would you describe someone like Nelson Mandela? A little heavy on the ‘African’, light on the ‘American’, if you ask me.
Barack Obama Quote Of The Day
“I want Barack Obama to be president,in 2016. It’s not a matter of being inexperienced. It’s a matter of being young … there’s a certain level of maturity … you’ve got to learn to take a certain amount of (expletive) … There are more black people that Bill and Hillary lean on, you cannot be president alone. … To put a brother in there by himself is to set him up for crucifixion. His time will come and the world will be ready for a visionary leadership.” – Civil rights icon Andrew Young, explaining why he doesn’t believe Obama’s time is now, largely due to his lack of a support network, Dec 10, 2007
I think this quote showed some prescience on Andrew Young’s part. Due to his inexperience, Obama didn’t have a support network of any kind coming in. Reagan had Reagan people, Clinton had Clinton people. Who did Obama have? This is the reason there were so many leftovers, particularly from the Clinton years, in his administration. The line about learning to take a certain amount of (expletive) is noteworthy as well. If you’re going to pass legislation in a truly bipartisan way you have to learn to take some hits. I was never a John McCain fan as a politician, but this is what he did constantly. When he worked with Kennedy on immigration reform it nearly cost him the nomination. Obama initially supported this effort, but bailed when the temperature got too hot. Obama never learned what it takes to get things done, as he never got anything done.
Obama Quote Of The Day
“If, as president, I travel to a poor country to talk to leaders there, they will know I have a grandmother in a small village in Africa without running water, devastated by malaria and AIDS. What that allows me to do is talk honestly not only about our need to help them, but about poor countries’ obligation to help themselves. There are cousins of mine in Kenya who can’t get a job without paying an exorbitant bribe to some midlevel functionary. I can talk about that.”
“I have lived in the most populous Muslim country in the world, had relatives who practiced Islam. I am a Christian, but I can say I understand your worldview, although I may not agree with how Islam has evolved. I can speak forcefully about the need for Muslim countries to reconcile themselves to modernity in ways they have failed to do.” – Obama, speaking on why his biography will allow him to deal differently with the world, Dec 10, 2007
I think this quote really demonstrates Obama’s overestimation of the value of his story in relation to the rest of the world. Saying “I can relate to you” may help in an AA meeting, but nations often have competing interests. Saying “I can relate to you” isn’t going to convince Iran give up its nuclear program, for example. In fact, it is likely to have just the opposite effect as the Iranian leadership would likely find it amazing that the leader of the world’s most powerful country could believe in such touchy-feely notions. If I were the leader of a rogue nation, and Obama said this to me, I would take it as a signal to step on the gas before reality wises him up.
Related articles
- Quote of the day, “Obama’s campaign and metaphors” edition (crushliberalism.com)
- Quote in context (alhittin.com)
Obama Quote Of The Day
“Hillary Clinton is running from the center, John Edwards is running from the left. And Obama is running from above. He wants to be above politics.” – Dennis Goldford, a Drake University political scientist, Dec 8, 2007
Obviously, this is not quote from Brarack Obama, but it is about him. I think this quote goes a long way to explaining the initial appeal of the Obama candidacy. At this point Obama was still considered a long shot over Hillary Clinton, but he was beginning to make some headway. One of the reasons for this was that he spoke to Americans who wanted to be part of something more, something beyond politics. This is why so many of Obama’s early campaign appearances took on the the feeling of a religious revival. He was promising something more than politics as usual, vote for me because Republicans are bad etc. He saw fault everywhere and offered the promise that he could transcend it, much as he transcended race. Hillary was running a conventional campaign from the centre, whereas Obama was above it all right from the beginning.
The Obama Quote Of The Day
“”JFK said, ‘Let’s go to the moon,’” without knowing specifically how to get there”
This was actually in response to a pointed question from a student asking for “concrete examples of action’s you’re going to take.” What is interesting here is that this reasonable question came from a kid, not the press corps. Obama’s glib answer, though, is revealing. It shows that he hasn’t even thought about it. To Obama, there is no connection between words and reality. After all, he’s never had to do anything concrete in the real world, words had been enough to this point. Saying you’re going to the moon at least demonstrates that you have a destination in mind. Obama is even incapable of doing that. He could never articulate just what the ultimate destination was (what does he want to “transform America” into?), never mind outlining a plan on how to get there.
Related articles
- Quote of the Day: Obama Goes Gaga (michellemalkin.com)
Obama Quote Of The Day
“Maybe one day he’ll do something to merit all this attention.”
- Michelle Obama, commenting on the fawning treatment her husband was getting upon being sworn into the Senate.