11 thoughts on “Barack Obama: Cultural Anthropologist”

  3. McCain and Hillary are part of the same tired old political machine it seems so many people are tired of – it would be nice to believe there is someone out there who really wants to change the way things are done – or at least plant the seeds for that change. 🙂

  4. Warren,

    That is not entirely true regarding Obama –

    From a Media Matters article on the subject:

    “Summary: Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed that Sen. Barack Obama has “never reached across the aisle as a senator in legislation.” In fact, Obama was a key co-sponsor of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. In a press release upon Senate passage of the bill, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn himself referred to the legislation as the “Coburn-Obama Bill.” Obama has also worked with Republicans on other bills.

    …Obama also worked with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar (IN) to produce the “Lugar-Obama proliferation and threat reduction initiative,” which President Bush signed into law on January 11, 2007, and which received funding on June 28 of that year. The initiative, according to Obama’s Senate website, “expands U.S. cooperation to destroy conventional weapons. It also expands the State Department’s ability to detect and interdict weapons and materials of mass destruction.”

    In addition, four of the 12 co-sponsors of Obama’s bill (S.2125) to “promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo” were Republicans: Sam Brownback (KS), Susan Collins (ME), Mike DeWine (OH), and James Inhofe (OK). President Bush signed the bill into law on December 22, 2006.

    From the March 27 edition of Premiere Radio Networks’ The Rush Limbaugh Show:

    OBAMA [audio clip]: President Clinton was the one who I think decried the politics of personal destruction, so obviously he recognizes that there’s a line that can be crossed — a line that can be crossed, where you stop focusing on the American people’s business and it becomes just sport. And it all becomes about winning as opposed to getting stuff done.

    LIMBAUGH: What have you gotten done? You haven’t gotten anything done. These people are sitting ducks for a Republican Party that has no idea to pick up the weapon and start firing at the ducks — politically speaking, of course. They got this little carnival show and our side’s gone to the carnival — and we got the carney, got the little ducks rolling by there. You know, grab the little fake pistol, and of course the carney has all the things where you can’t possibly win the big teddy bear. And the Republicans don’t — it just — he hadn’t gotten anything done. He can’t unify his preacher. He’s never reached across the aisle as a senator in legislation. He’s a blank slate by his own admission. And Barry, this “politics of personal destruction” business? President Clinton was not saying he realizes there’s a line that you can’t cross — the line — there is a line you can’t cross. He’s saying there are no lines when it comes to you. ”

    Here is a link to the entire article:

    Obama Reaches Across the Aisle

  5. Nick R – I have lived my entire life in towns with a population of less than 25k. Faith and tradition may ebb and flow, but remain important through times of confidence and frustration with the government.

    Unemployment in PA small towns are about the same as in urban areas. In Blair County, where Obama bowled a 37, the unemployment rate was 4.1% in the third qtr of 2007. Incomes do show a disparity in favor of urban areas, but so does cost of living in favor of small towns.

    Obama did not say people vote on faith and tradition over economic issues; he said people cling to faith and tradition because of bitterness over broken big government promises.

  6. jayhuck asks: Has he ever reached across the aisle or not?

    The easy answer is, no.

    Obama was not a part of the gang of 14 moderates – 7 GOP, 7 Dems who got together to resolve the ideological impasses over judicial appointments. Guess who was? McCain.

    McCain worked with Feingold, Kennedy and other democrats to get things done. He has made a career of uniting and working with the opposition. Obama has not.

  7. Drowssap –

    McCain is part of the party that has been in power for the last 8 years – and where is this country now? Severely in debt with an economy that is less than good.

    I actually like McCain, but using rhetoric like Obama’s voting record is liberal really doesn’t say very much. I’d rather have answers to questions like: What are all the things Obama has voted for? Has he ever reached across the aisle or not?

    Like it or not McCain is very much a part of the political machine that so many people have become disenfranchised with – Obama promises something different. Can he deliver? – I’m not sure, but of all the candidates, he’s probably the one most perfectly poised to do that.

  8. But Warren,

    What’s the unemployment rate in the small towns? Have people had to leave to find jobs? I know in the rural areas I lived there was no hope to find a job at home – one had to leave.

    And let’s face it, guns, God and hatred of gays does rule the roost in your small towns. Obama was right, people vote based on the 3 G’s rather than voting on their economic interests. Or haven’t you noticed how you Christians bring up gays every election cycle? Bush certainly used hatred of us for political benefit, and then ignored the gay-haters once he was in office. Don’t you get it Warren, the Republicans use you, they use your hatred of gays, they use your love of guns, and they use your God to get votes. And then once in office, they ignore you. But like the suckers you are, when they start throwing out the 3 Gs you come running again in the next election.

  9. Eddy

    Barack and Co.’s slip-ups all suggest that they are hard core left wingers. That’s right in line with Barack’s voting record. So I’m not sure if they are actually mistakes as much as… oops I said what I really think.

  10. LOL. I’ve got the Philadelphia debate playing in the background. I’m marvelling in the fact that everyone, including my good friend Warren, are lifting that one sentence out of context and trying to make it say something it isn’t. Did Obama ever say he was anti-guns, anti-religion? Why, no. In fact, he’s a religious man himself. He did not say they ‘turned to guns’ or they ‘turned to religion’…implying that guns or religions were the last resort of the desparate. He said they ‘cling’. Some people have guns; some people’s lives revolve around their guns. Some people have faith; but some people ‘cling’ to religion, without even fully understanding what they’re clinging to. LOL! I’ve spent a lifetime trying to differentiate between those with faith and those who are religious. I think Obama sees that difference and the only clumsiness in his statement was in forgetting that the spin-meisters were perched every where he went and every where he spoke trying to find something Hillary could use to gain advantage. Instead of choosing to hear what he meant (the sentences that lead into that one), they opted to read into his statement. (Hmmmm. Didn’t that same thing happen to Warren in an interview we discussed here? He knew what he meant. I knew what he meant…but people had a heyday insinuating motives because of a sound bite where he could (perhaps should) have chosen a different word.)

    But, face it, the words are there. They were spoken. It’s both a present truth and recent history. Rather than debate those particular words, I’d rather listen to the man. He’s still talking. If he clarifies, I’ll weigh the clarifications for truthfulness. He could have meant them, complete with all the disparagement that people have attached. So? Is he teachable? Is he reachable? Is he responsive? Seems to be.

    As someone who finally landed a full-time job with benefits (yippee! I’m employed with benefits!), I realize that the unemployment rate is not a true barometer. I’m no longer a part of the unemployment statistics but I’m working for $2 less an hour than I was making 8 years ago! Every thing has gone up: gas, bread, milk, eggs, public transportation, hard goods, bulk goods…everything! but my wage has decreased. I simply can’t fathom the stress I’d be under if I was trying to support a family. My roots are in Pennsylvania; the bulk of my family is still there. Many folks identify with the reality I just expressed. Yes, they’re working. But the pay difference between working in an industry and greeting customers at Wal-Mart is significant.

  11. Right on!

    You mentioned something I wasn’t aware of.

    Hovering around 4.5 percent, unemployment rates are relatively low in Pennsylvania.

    That’s less than half of what many European welfare states endure on a regular basis. Being a liberal doesn’t Obama want to emulate their model?

    When you vote 97 percent of the time with your party and have the most liberal voting record in the Senate, your claims to be able to unite the country should raise concerns.

    McCain has made a career out of reaching across the aisle. I don’t believe Obama has reached across the aisle in any significant way…. ever.

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