Power Line News

KFAT - 27 February 2008 02:03 PM

Let’s not overestimate Obama either.

To date, he has won in democratic primaries, which are dominated by true believers of the left, particularly “anti-war” absolutists.  Hillary’s failure (besides skipping charm school) was that she thought she had the nomination wrapped up; and so she started playing to the middle too early, alienated the dominant left of her party.

One thing is clear with Obama:  He is consciously imitating the Reagan formula of an affable, optimistic coating on a deeply held philosophy.  This brings out true believers in droves, yet creates a palatable alternative for the less committed.  The essential distinction between the two, however, is that Reagan didn’t have to hide his conservatism, while Obama has to hide is liberalism.  That will be a big distinction in the general election. 

The majority of Americans are not committed to an ignomious withdrawal from Iraq and declaration of mea culpa and “apology” for the invasion - which as absurd as that sounds is what the left wants and what Obama offers.

Frankly, I think KFAT is closer to being right.  Conservatives haven’t underestimated Obama; they’ve overestimated him.

Obama hasn’t won a tough election in his life.  ALL of his opponents, from the incumbent Democrat he took his state senate seat away from, through the hapless Democrats and Republicans who handed him his US senate seat, to the Silky Pony and the Wicked Witch of the West, have self-destructed, allowing Obama to win by default.  God knows that John McCain is capable of pulling something similar, but if he runs a half-way intelligent campaign, he’s going to have the advantage over Obama come November.

Obama will be the least experienced major party presidential nominee in most people’s lifetimes, his domestic policies will be warmed-over socialism, his foreign policies will make Carter look brilliant, many of his close associates are America-hating extremists, he’s AT LEAST average Chicago Democrat corrupt, and his messianic campaign is already being ridiculed—from the Left.

I’m not saying that a majority of the American people are not capable of deluding themselves long enough to elect this Future Worst POTUS In History,…

but they WILL have to do the deluding to themselves.  Not even the combined efforts of the entire spittle-spewing lunatic left will be enough to disguise this.

If we choose catastrophe, it will have been an ACTIVE choice, reserving ALL blame for the idiot in the mirror.

FredTownWard, I sure hope you’re right!

I keep hearing reports from people who say they haven’t seen this kind of fervor sparked by a politician since the 1930s and the rise of fascism.  It’s worrisome.

/Mr Lynn

Mr Lynn - 27 February 2008 09:43 PM

FredTownWard, I sure hope you’re right!

I keep hearing reports from people who say they haven’t seen this kind of fervor sparked by a politician since the 1930s and the rise of fascism.  It’s worrisome.


/Mr Lynn

The thing is that since we don’t have anywhere near the excuses the people of the Thirties had for being gulled, we’d have to be a LOT more stupid:

“I helped bring neo-fascism to power because gas went up a few bucks, my house temporarily lost value because of a lot of bad mortgages, the GOP nominee was a cranky old annoying jerk I disagreed with too much to support, and we weren’t winning the GWOT fast enough so I decided to lose it instead!”

Are we truly THAT stupid?

Conservatives aren’t underestimating Obama. At least this conservative is not. He’s a charlatan, a liar, and a Muslim militant. What’s appalling is the amount of stupid, uneducated, Lazy freeloaders we have in America that think this FRAUD is gonna give them something for free.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about liberalism leading to fascism, especially in relation to Goldberg’s book. I would suggest that the totalitarian impulse can emerge with almost any ideology, and is best avoided through effective rule of law. When the mechanics for fascism become more readily available (eg., suspension of habeas corpus, military tribunals, legalized torture, concept of unitary executive not subject to oversight, government spying on its own citizens, etc.), it becomes that much easier for any overly ambitious leader to slip into dictatorial habits. Hopefully we can elect responsible leaders, but it behooves us to maintain our legal and constitutional safeguards in any event.

Mighty - 27 February 2008 09:57 PM

Conservatives aren’t underestimating Obama. At least this conservative is not. He’s a charlatan, a liar, and a Muslim militant. What’s appalling is the amount of stupid, uneducated, Lazy freeloaders we have in America that think this FRAUD is gonna give them something for free.

He is NOT a Muslim, you moron. 

enjoy his presidency.

Why don’t we stop worrying about Obama and start worrying about McCain. Obama is the dem’s problem McCain is ours.

We need to be more concerned about how McCain performs than how Obama performs He’s never going to do or say anything the way we want it so why worry about him.

Obama hasn’t won a tough election in his life.

It won’t be so tough this time either.

John florida - 28 February 2008 10:53 PM

Why don’t we stop worrying about Obama and start worrying about McCain. Obama is the dem’s problem McCain is ours.

We need to be more concerned about how McCain performs than how Obama performs He’s never going to do or say anything the way we want it so why worry about him.

John florida is correctomundo. I think that it is wildly improbable that McCain can make it to November without a major meltdown. He thinks he’s on a roll now, and that he can coast to the nomination. Here’s an admittedly far-fetched prediction: McCain will say something so colossally outrageous, or be outed on some conduct so politically or personally unforgivable, that Romney comes back into the race and wins the nomination.

As to the point of the thread, I think Obama is indeed a formidable candidate. It won’t do you any good to stamp your little feet and call him a muslim.

jvf - 29 February 2008 08:43 AM

Obama hasn’t won a tough election in his life.

It won’t be so tough this time either.

I realize that is what you are HOPING, jvf, but “hope is not a plan"…

unless you are Barack Obama, apparently.

John McCain is certainly CAPABLE of blowing this election, but it is going to be his election to lose against the American Idol candidate, especially if Obama keeps making mistakes like he has been lately.

He needs to get a muzzle on that Heinz-Kerry of a wife of his, stop WHINING every time he is criticized unfairly and start laughing it off, and get a clue on foreign policy. Privately telling the Canadians to ignore the stupid things he feels he has to say publicly about NAFTA doesn’t help when it promptly leaks.

The other thing that he must never forget is that once he finally succeeds in putting Hillary away (if he ever does), the Clintons are going to switch to Plan B: sabotage Obama and elect John McCain so Hillary can run again in 2012.

Obama’s inexperience is certainly on display for all to see in regards to his foreign policy, which is a total basket case if there ever was one. He advocates bombing/raiding Pakistan without permission from its government to get Osama bin Laden, claiming that it will only be to kill or apprehend the terror figurehead. Is that supposed to be a way to skirt the international law he is so fond of invoking? As if that were any less an act of war as outright invasion? Is the 98% muslim population of Pakistan supposed to accept this explanation and cheer us on? Provoking a large, populous muslim nation with nuclear weapons is better than the neocon policy, how?

Also for wondrous consideration is his plan for unconditional and total troop withdrawal from Iraq. Now that the surge is working and there is more stability and political reconciliation in Iraq, we are going to surrender to Al-Qaeda? We are going to abandon the middle east’s only Arab democracy? We are going to fold our hand in Iraq as we supposedly begin “tough” negotiations with Iran next door as Obama also plans to do?

When John Bolton said “we should have just left” Iraq after invading in 2003 and not finding any WMDs to speak of, without bothering to stay and reconstruct the nation, establish democratic government, and provide security, I marvelled at how irresponsible neocon foreign policy was. Now, Obama has outdone even John Bolton. How does any of this Obama foreign policy make sense, either in parts or as a whole? Obama and the neocons have come together by pursuing the extremes in that magic event called “moronic convergence”.

vegastracon - 01 March 2008 04:22 AM

vegastracon - 28 February 2008 10:32 PM

Barack Obama is a charlatan!

Barack Obama is a liar!

Barack Obama is a Muslim militant!

!!!

What! A one star rating?!?

And here I was thinking I was helping to advance the conservative agenda.

Don’t feel so alone somebody nailed a bunch of us. I don’t even know what i said that was so bad.