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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tony Blankley :: Townhall.com Columnist
Is Obama Secretly Sensible? Don't Count On It
by Tony Blankley
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As Obama's election has seemed to become more likely in the past six weeks, a quiet but public debate has arisen among both Republicans and Democrats that wonders which Obama we might get. Will it be the prudent, moderate, pragmatic, sensible president who will apply non-ideological, centrist policies? Or will it be the Obama who sought out the company of radicals, black racists, faculty-lounge Marxists and studied the methods of Saul Alinsky?

Many hope that it is the sensible centrist who will emerge -- even though it has been his style and cautiously evasive comments, rather than his substance, that have sounded so reasonable and calm. It is that moderate tone that has led some recent Republican Obama supporters to hope that he is just lying about his views and is secretly "sensible." Although they do hope he told the truth when he said during the primary that his call for the unilateral rewriting of the North American Free Trade Agreement was merely rhetorical flourish on his part.

But of course, throughout history when dangerous, radical men have offered themselves up for leadership, their moderate supporters have rationalized their early support by hoping that the dangerous man is really a sensible man like them and doesn't believe some of those wild things he has said to his more fervent followers.

But as the campaign clock ticks down to its last days and hours, prudent people have to consider the possibility that beneath that easy manner and calming voice is the pulsating heart of a genuine man of the radical left.

For example, according to Ryan Lizza of the liberal New Republic, Obama's early mentor in the Alinsky method of social agitation was Mike Kruglik, whom Lizza paraphrased as saying: "(Obama) was a natural, the undisputed master of agitation, who could engage a room full of recruiting targets in a rapid-fire Socratic dialogue, nudging them to admit that they were not living up to their own standards. As with the panhandler, he could be aggressive and confrontational. With probing, sometimes personal questions, he would pinpoint the source of pain in their lives, tearing down their egos just enough before dangling a carrot of hope that they could make things better."

As Kyle-Anne Shiver in the American Thinker explained after quoting those words: "The agitator's job, according to Alinsky, is first to bring folks to the 'realization' that they are indeed miserable, that their misery is the fault of unresponsive governments or greedy corporations, then help them to bond together to demand what they deserve, and to make such an almighty stink that the dastardly governments and corporations will see imminent 'self-interest' in granting whatever it is that will cause the harassment to cease.

"In these methods, euphemistically labeled 'community organizing,' Obama had a four-year education, which he often says was the best education he ever got anywhere." Continued...

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About The Author
Tony Blankley served as press secretary to then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. Tony Blankley is the author of The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations? .
 
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Re: Nobama Secretly Sensible?
Once again O, you make no sense:

"he's a puppet; his meager record proves it"

Every politician starts with a meager record. McCain had one once. So I guess all politicians are puppets by your logic.

Even though McCain has a much longer record, he lost my vote when he chose Palin who clearly is not ready to be President. He blew his first major presidental decision and I believe it should and will cost him the election.

Obama's words and actions
All messianic dictators of the past were identifiable by their words and actions before they came to power. Barack Obama is no different. If he wins, and I still hope that he doesn't, our country will go through a period of bad times such as we endured doing the Roosevelt and Johnson administrations. The great depression and World War II were Roosevelt's legacy. The Viet Nam War and the recession of the late 60s and early 70s were Johnson's legacy. Their respective policies were the same as those of Barack Obama. Guess what's going to happen? Our national ignorance of history and especially the ignorance and complicity of the media will most assuredly produce the same result. Past performance is the best indicator of future performance. Obama's past performance is one of indecision as a state senator and one of "most liberal" as a U.S. Senator. We know what that does. It invites boldness by our enemies and great depressions.

Hang on folks. You asked for it.
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