Monday, July 14, 2008
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The Obama of Opportunism and Ambition
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Posted by:
Matt Lewis at
9:49 AM
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Never mind the cover. This New Yorker column on Barack Obama should cause concern among the Obama campaign, as it further undermines the bogus notion that he is, in fact, a "new brand of politician." As you will see, what it exposes is an man fueled by ambition and opportunism. Here's an excerpt:
"Although many of Obama’s recent supporters have been surprised by signs of political opportunism, (Obama's former Alderman Toni) Preckwinkle wasn’t. “I think he was very strategic in his choice of friends and mentors,” she told me. “I spent ten years of my adult life working to be alderman. I finally got elected. This is a job I love. And I’m perfectly happy with it. I’m not sure that’s the way that he approached his public life—that he was going to try for a job and stay there for one period of time. In retrospect, I think he saw the positions he held as stepping stones to other things and therefore approached his public life differently than other people might have.”
On issue after issue, Preckwinkle presented Obama as someone who thrived in the world of Chicago politics. She suggested that Obama joined Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ for political reasons. “It’s a church that would provide you with lots of social connections and prominent parishioners,” she said. “It’s a good place for a politician to be a member.” Preckwinkle was unsparing on the subject of the Chicago real-estate developer Antoin (Tony) Rezko, a friend of Obama’s and one of his top fund-raisers, who was recently convicted of fraud, bribery, and money laundering: “Who you take money from is a reflection of your knowledge at the time and your principles.” As we talked, it became increasingly clear that loyalty was the issue that drove Preckwinkle’s current view of her onetime prot?g?. “I don’t think you should forget who your friends are,” she said."
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They should have shown the Quran in the toilet, as we are such a nasty bunch of people here. Oh and Michele should have had a Burka sticking out of the diggie cargo pocket, hey? Yeah, funny stuff. |
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I think Obama and his supporters need a sense of humor. The cover was a joke!!!! making fun of people's perceptions of him. I think if Obama keeps attacking every little thing, it will begin to look thin skinned.
Very few rednecks read the New Yorker anyway, so I doubt many will find "proof" of Obama's muslim heritage.
And Kimberly, blog on the daily Kos. They have a special sense of humor there. Check out the W cartoons. Thank god at least he has a sense of humor or else he would be acarrying on all day. |
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just gets a little old. All politicians are opportunists, but some politicians manage to create a new political atmosphere to allow for substantive debate. I think that is where Obama really shines, in that he takes the other side seriously. And he is not as doctrinaire as either the liberals or conservatives believe him to be. He is a liberal in the best sense of the tradition: not so self-consciously ideological, emphasizing results and pragmatism. Kind of like FDR. |
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"First of all, nobody - NOBODY - in their right mind believes a politician gets to be in the place that a mcsame or Obama are in WITHOUT utilizing their connections, mapping strategies and manuevers to put them out in the forefront."
Well then, I guess Obama supporters are not in their right minds because when I speak to them they all give me the same clichéd response that he is a different kind of politician who wouldn't stoop so low as to do whatever it takes to win. When criticizing Hillary though, they pointed out how she used her connections, strategies and maneuvering to put herself in the forefront. But back then, they called that "feeling entitled" and a "do anything to win" strategy. Wow, the rationalizing just knows no bounds does it? |
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