Barack Obama said Friday that Republicans will use his race in the president campaign to make people afraid to vote for him. He said:
"We know what kind of campaign they're going to run. They're going to try to make you afraid. "They're going to try to make you afraid of me. He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. And did I mention he's black?"Obama is right that race has now been interjected into this campaign; he only got the culprit wrong. It is Barack Obama who has introduced race into the campaign. It is Barack Obama who is playing the "race card."
Neither the McCain campaign nor the Republican party has raised criticisms, or even innuendos, about Obama's race. If they had, the mainstream media, otherwise known as the Obama cheering section, would have published it far and wide.
This is obviously a cynical, and racist, attempt on the part of Obama and his campaign to insulate himself from the rightful criticism of his lack of experience to be the Chief Executive of the United States. Obama has no record to run upon so he must somehow invalidate that criticism of himself. He, and his campaign, knows that some media persons fear being called a racist more than anything and that will prevent them from taking him on. It takes no courage to run such a campagn because it plays to the baser instincts of some people. In reality, it is the Obama campaign that is trying to stoke fear. He is doing it in the traditional Democrat way...scare minorities, scare old people, etc.
This kind of campaign is totally at odds with Obama's supposedly "post-racial" image. This irony is not lost on some African-Americans. Lt. Col. Allen West, candidate for Congress in Florida's 22nd district had this to say about Obama's remarks:
My advice to Senator Obama is to run as a Man and Leader, and the American people will evaluate you as such, not as a victim. This is a Presidential race, based solely on a capacity to lead the United States of America. It is not about skin tone...however, perhaps we should come to expect these immature statements.It also seems rather humorous that the Presidential candidate who was supposed to be such a "uniter" and transcend race is the one talking about it the most. If Senator Obama was confident in his abilities and character, he would not need to create a crutch for failure. Senator Obama has just tipped his hand, any criticism of him and his policies will be directly attributed to racism. I congratulate Senator Obama for taking race relations in America back some 30 years.Well said, Colonel.
Submitted by B. Bryant
At one time, John McCain was the Democrats’ favorite Republican. He often differed with the Bush Administration which made him the darling of the Democrat Party and the liberal press. McCain’s nomination changed that. McCain has now become public enemy number one to them, a toady of George W. Bush and heir apparent to his third term.
Never fear though, someone will always arise to fill that inglorious spot and, this time, it is Scott McClellan. The former White House spokesman appeared Friday before the House Judiciary Committee to testify against his former employers. McClellan’s testimony basically added nothing that was not mentioned in his recent book…which, incidentally, added little of substance to the discussion except McClellan’s opinions and suspicions. However, for a Democrat Party desperate for any information to hang upon the Bush Administration, that passes for prima facie evidence. Hence, the McClellan subpoena.
I have no idea if McClellan’s assertions about the President and Vice President’s respective characters are accurate or not. Time is the great revealer of all truths and history will ultimately make that assessment. McClellan’s character, however, is much easier to discern. That he would suddenly turn upon his former employer and write a tell-all book, guaranteed to generate massive sales, during a heated election year tells me all I need to know. That he would repeat his allegations in a hostile forum chaired by those attempting to consolidate their own power at the expense of the party that McClellan had once sworn loyalty to, tells me even more.
One hallmark of character is loyalty. If McClellan truly felt that he had a story to tell about the Bush Administration and conscience dictated that he should tell it, he should have waited the few months until President Bush vacated the office before having his book published. That would have demonstrated true character. It would not, however, have promoted large book sales, which seems to have been the primary objective.
Scott McClellan had better enjoy his day in the Democrat sun because one day, when his usefulness to them is finished, they will consign him to the scrap heap.
Submitted by B. Bryant
Yesterday I looked at this problematic election from the standpoint of the Democrats. Today, I turn to the Republicans.
Problem #2: For the Republicans, a Weak Party and a Strong Candidate
Calling John McCain a “strong” candidate is, as are all things in 2008, relative. He is strong because he is the anti-Republican candidate in an anti-Republican year.
The year 2008 is a very bad year for Republicans. Some of that is the peril of being the party in power. Republicans held Congress for 12 years from 1994 to 2006. They have held the presidency for the past 8 years and 20 out of the past 28. There is a certain fatigue that comes with that, especially when times get difficult and the public is looking for someone to blame.
Add to that the fact that many Republicans got comfortable with power and forgot the fiscal responsibility that put them into power in the first place. President Bush’s low approval ratings and the unpopular war have also contributed to Republicans' problems with the electorate.
The Republican base is divided and disillusioned. The frustration that Republicans feel shows up in the paucity of donations to candidates for the fall. Normally, a Republican candidate can count on a large advantage in contributions. This year, John McCain will probably accept public financing while Barack Obama, flush with cash, will not (despite his promise to do so).
The Republican base has been frustrated by the big spending ways of Republicans in Congress. That frustration extends to President Bush because he failed to restrain it. President Bush has faithfully defended the country from attack in the post-911 world. For that, Republicans, as well as all Americans, owe him a debt of gratitude. However, President Bush did his part to divide the base. His nomination of Harriet Myers to the Supreme Court and his support for the amnesty bill caused great frustration and raised mistrust. The conservative base desperately needs someone with a clear conservative voice to unite them. Unfortunately, John McCain is not that man.
Most conservative Republicans are apathetic toward McCain, at best. His support for amnesty for illegal aliens (McCain-Kennedy) and campaign finance reform(?) (McCain-Feingold) are just part of his problem. He has jumped on the global warming bandwagon and supports cap-and-trade which has great potential to hurt the economy. His support for stem cell research makes many pro-lifers uneasy. McCain is far from the ideal candidate for Republicans. Still, by and large, conservative Republicans will vote for McCain because they simply have no choice. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention said it well:
“What I hear from people is, 'John McCain was not my first choice, John McCain was not my second choice, John McCain was not my third choice. However, I would rather have a third-rate fireman than a first-class arsonist.' And they view Obama as a first-class arsonist."
That will be in many conservatives’ minds this fall and will compel them to vote McCain, despite their misgivings.
As weak as McCain appears to be from a Republican standpoint, those very things make him a strong candidate in an anti-Republican year, especially against Barack Obama. His “maverick” reputation helps him with an electorate that, for whatever reason, does not want to vote Republican. Also, when compared to the radical views of Obama, McCain looks like a right-winger.
To McCain’s credit, he is a true patriot and will never sell out America. He will have a credible foreign policy especially when compared to Barack Obama’s Carter-ism (“Trust but don’t verify because they might not like you if you do”).
To paraphrase Dick Morris; “In the Democrats you have a candidate that can’t win and a party that can’t lose. In the Republicans, you have a candidate that can’t lose and a party that can’t win.” Morris sees it as a toss-up but thinks that the election will not be close either way.
I agree and disagree with Morris on this problematic election. I do not believe the election will be especially close but I think the winner will be John McCain. I have a difficult time believing that the general public will turn the reins of the US government over to such an inexperienced empty-suit as Barack Obama. Despite his lofty rhetoric and having the mainstream media as his cheerleaders, Obama will have to deal with reality before the election and that is where he will fail. He will have to hang meat on the sketchy skeleton that he is constantly talking about and
the American public will not like it.
At least that is the way I see it. I certainly hope I am right.
--Submitted by B. Bryant
Barack Obama said Friday that Republicans will use his race in the president campaign to make people afraid to vote for him. He said:
My advice to Senator Obama is to run as a Man and Leader, and the American people will evaluate you as such, not as a victim. This is a Presidential race, based solely on a capacity to lead the United States of America. It is not about skin tone...however, perhaps we should come to expect these immature statements.
