I am from NH and have been watching Presidential campaigns closely since 1960 – Yup I am an oldster. The support for Obama is completely baffling to me and I would appreciate honest reasons why so many of our young people support him (those under 35). I am not trying to be either snarky or to pick a fight. I would sincerely like answers to what I see are major character deficits. Here is my list.
1. Obama spends most of his time at large venues and on stages – speaking AT people, not WITH them. Yes, he has charisma, and is without doubt a great speaker. However, he avoids open town hall type venues, calls only on certain people he knows are pre-selected as safe or are wearing an “Obama” tee shirt.
Candidates will avoid directness with the general masses, to the degree that people “let” them get away with it – and that’s been true since the Roman Republic. If people insist that Candidates intermingle – then they would be forced to and that benefits “We the People” because we can see facial expressions and body language when candidates respond – both great indicators of character and willingness to SERVE “We the People”.
QUESTIONS – Doesn’t it bother our young people that he is not open to CONVERSATION and DIALOGUE with those that may not agree with him? Why does he always have to “hide” up on a stage as opposed to intermingling with people and taking ad hoc questions? Why do our young people accord him “rock star” adoration? Do young people now VOTE for president of the USA in the same manner they VOTE for the “Next American Idol”?
2.Obama does not do work assigned nor finish tasks. Obama has failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman. He made only one brief official visit to London, while on a travel layover on the way back from Russia. Since his sub committee involves NATO, our European allies are nervous, as described in this London Times Article
Obama was also charged with setting up an INDEPENDENT ethics Committee comprised of retired judges and former Senators Once again, incomplete and Obama just walks away.
QUESTIONS – America has had 7 long hellish years of a Photo-Op President who does absolutely nothing for the benefit of “We the People”. Are America’s young people satisfied with a person who talks a “great line” but never finishes what he sets out to do? What do these “incompletes” and failures tell us about his negotiating abilities, given that his entire premise is he will be “nice” to the opposition and they will agree to limits on their enterprises?
3. Loyalty to the Democratic Bases’ Values. Obama actively campaigned for Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut primaries. During the runup to the General election, Obama had one event in NYC , a days layover, and then another event in Boston. He could not go to Connecticut and spend a couple of hours saying some positive things about Ned Lamont the WINNER of the Democratic primary?
Obama consistently agrees with the Republicans on Social Security needing fixing. For millions of American Social Security is their ONLY income, especially among minorities and the elderly. Here are the statistics To follow any type of privatization plan of this insurance, would result in the slow genocide of millions of Americans. The answer is and always has been, raise the cap and put Social Security funds in a lock box, inaccessible for war funding, pork barreling and any of the other ways politicians like to spend OUR money.
And yes it is OUR money. The middle and lower classes pay 35-38% of their income in taxes. The wealthy receive their income as “capital gins” and pay only 10-15% of their earnings.
QUESTIONS: Do we want or need another president whose loyalties are to those the base disapproves of, or to someone who scorns Democratic values in place of Republican ideas? Is this the infamous and non workable “bipartisanship” or in reality, just capitulations to the mean old name calling Republicans? Are young people ready to dramatically alter their lives and go back to the 19th century paradigm of living with and caring for their elderly parents and less fortunate relatives?
4. Charlie Savage, Pulitzer Prize winner reporter for the Boston Globe, asked questions of all Democratic Candidates on Executive Powers The question on Executive Privilege was very telling.
Does executive privilege cover testimony or documents about decision-making within the executive branch not involving confidential advice communicated to the president himself?
Obama’s answer was also very telling (all emphasis are mine):
With respect to the “core” of executive privilege, the Supreme Court has not resolved this question, and reasonable people have debated it. My view is that executive privilege generally depends on the involvement of the President and the White House.
So Obama states that the Supreme Court has not yet made a decision, so HE will get to decide where the limits lie. What Reasonable people is he talking about?
QUESTION – Do we really want to continue down the road to Fascism, with this ridiculous “Unitary Executive” nonsense, which is nothing more than a new name for the Nazi concept of “Furherprinzep or Leadership Principle”?
5. Karl Rove type tactics. Obama is obviously a very adept wordsmith, which allows him to say nothing and everything in 5,000 different ways. This is not surprising for someone selected to be editor of the “Harvard Law Review”. But to even imply that Hillary caused Bhutto’s death is way over the top And then, there’s the type of attacks he uses on Edwards Also, his wife Michelle has been using “whisper” campaigns to talk about other candidates as CNN refers to here
QUESTIONS – Do we want to stay at the bottom of the sewer with more Karl Rove antics, or would we like to rise above the garbage that we’ve heard from the White House, DC pundits in the last 7 years? How many would prefer a serious discussion of the issues without the personality attacks?
These are not “whines” or nitpicks. Taken together, all of these things speak of characteristic qualities of someone not ready to be president. The reality is that America is a seriously wounded country, both image wise abroad and socially wise in our own country. We need a strong leader, who will not pander to illusions, that Republicans and our enemies will suddenly become enlightened. And if anyone really believes that Energy companies, Big Pharma, and the Health Insurance Industry are going to agree willingly to part with Billions in profits, they are truly delusional.
Ideology, or unmodified admiration of anyone, is a dangerous place when selecting a president. At a minimum, we should expect someone with integrity, a strong moral compass (I’m talking about a sense of right and wrong applicable to most 9 year olds), and a willingness to interact with people, to be up front most of the time and straight talking, without ambiguity. I also want and insist on someone with a strong respect for the law, so the criminals in the current administrations are held accountable for their numerous crimes against people and the Constitution. We have already had 7 miserable years of “neo Con” Ideology. We absolutely do not need any more ideology or “rock star” type worship from any quarter.
I offer this as an opportunity for Obama adherents to try to convince me otherwise using logic, not emotion.
