A few quick reactions to Barack Obama's appearance on 60 Minutes:
We wondered if Obama has ever had any second thoughts about his boilerplate left-wing beliefs when he drives through a decaying, crime-ridden government housing project as he did with Steve Kroft in his appearance on 60 Minutes last night.
Thee was no evidence last night that he had. There has been no evidence in his calls for "universal health care" (socialized medicine), more federal funding for failing government schools, etc. For those on the left, too often it's only their good intentions that matter, not the (often devastating) results.
At one point, Mrs. Obama said (in response to a question from Kroft about fears of potential violence as her husband runs for president), "...the realities are that, you know, as a black man, you know, Barack can get shot going to the gas station..."
Why the reference to race there? Is a well off Harvard graduate U.S. Senator, who no doubt lives in a nice neighborhood, yet who happens to be black, at much greater risk of being shot at a gas station than the average American? It seemed an odd place to make that reference.
We hope the country has enough maturity to deal with Obama's frank revelations of his experimentation with drugs when he was a young man. We found his frankness about it and his refusal to run away from it with any "I didn't inhale" type spin very refreshing:
In his book, he wrote that when he was in high school and in college he smoked marijuana and inhaled. He also wrote that he did a little "blow"—as he put it—when he could afford it.
Asked to explain why he did that, Obama says, "Well, you know, I think it was typical of a teenager who was confused about who he was and what his place in the world was, and thought that experimenting with drugs was a way to rebel. It's not something that I'm proud of."
But the senator says he does not regret being so candid. "You know, I don't. I mean, I think one of the things about national politics is this attempt to airbrush your life. And it's exhausting, right, you know. 'This is who I am. This is where I've come from.' And you know, if we have problems in this campaign, I suspect it's not gonna be because of mistakes I've made in the past. I think it's gonna be mistakes that I make in the future," he tells Kroft.
Kroft opened with a general description of Obama's positions:
He is a left-of-center Democrat who favors abortion rights, universal healthcare and wants to roll back tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
...i.e. a lockstep left-wing Democrat.
He is the only major presidential candidate who opposed the Iraq war before it began and wants to withdraw most U.S. troops by March 2008. He would redeploy some of them to Afghanistan, keep others in the region to protect strategic U.S. interests.
Why we should get in the middle of the "civil war" in Afghanistan and fight al Qaeda there, but not in Iraq, he doesn't say. This seems to be the typical posturing from Democrats who want to avoid the appearance of across the board opposition to military action.
you need to shut up, you're so stupid and you don't know anything about obama, you're just some
stupid republican that doesn't know [scatological expletive deleted], and for your information a black male is more likely
to get shot at a gas station than a white one, you stupid stupid white republican, go to hell
Comment by sarah — February 12, 2007 @ 2:20 pm February 12, 2007
Thank you Sarah, you've demonstrated all the civility, maturity, and intellectual heft we expect from the left today. But we didn't say anything about whether "a black male" would be at greater risk. Senator Obama is not simply "a black male", he is a U.S. Senator, and a Harvard Law School graduate, who undoubtedly earns a higher than average income and lives in a nice upscale neighborhood. Despite what you probably heard from your Marxist professors at college, all black people are not interchangeable.
"you stupid stupid white republican"
And some people call Republicans racists.
Comment by The Editors — February 12, 2007 @ 2:58 pm February 12, 2007
Yes, a black man is more likely to be shot at a gas station. In fact, a black man is more likely to be shot at, outside of his home, than any other other race of man in the United States. When you're an African American and you're walking down the street-- people can see your skin color. They can't see your education- be it from Harvard or otherwise. Virtually every black middle class or wealthy person has experienced problems because of this fact. So I'm sorry to have to inform you of this-- but having a Harvard education and living in a wealthy neighborhood doesn't completely save you from having to worry about being shot for no good reason at all.
And you suggest that Mrs. Obama was the one to bring race into the discussion? Actually, it's Kroft who brought it into the discussion, when he asked if she was worried her husband would be MORE LIKELY to suffer violence for taking on such a high profile. Think about it....why would Kroft as that question in the first place, if he didn't already think their was a reason to ask it? Kroft's question was asked in light of the fact that Colin Powell's wife didn't want Powell to run for president due to her own fears about racist violence. And the spectors of the shootings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X are also never far from mind whenever a black person comes to prominence in the United States. I find it hard to believe you think being black and a candidate for president wouldn't make you more likely to become a victim of violence, than being black and keeping your mouth shut. Frankly, even a white person's chances of being shot go up if they run for president. How much more so when racists and right wing idealogical nuts think their world will come to an end if anyone who isn't like themselves comes into power?
Comment by faith — February 12, 2007 @ 3:58 pm February 12, 2007
Has everyone forgot about all of the races being shot at on a daily basis to defend all of us, inculuding unappreciative leftys.
Comment by Brionne Farris — February 12, 2007 @ 8:09 pm February 12, 2007
As a Black man in an anglocentric society, Obama runs a very high risk of being shot on the way to the gas station. By his own chaffuer, most likely. Only a thin sheet of glass protects Obama from whatever Republican is up front behind the wheel - which raises another troubling issue. It's a shame, isn't it, that even in this day and age a Black man like Obama is still forced to ride in the back of the limo? America, it appears, is still far away from realizing Dr. King's dream. That's all Mrs. Obama was trying to say. Harvard educated or not, Obama remains a helpless yet extremely wealthy victim of the legacy of slavery.
Comment by Liberal Larry — February 12, 2007 @ 10:06 pm February 12, 2007
um, er, anyone notice the folk doing the shooting of African Americans are fellow African Americans? You get
white nutjob once in a blue moon but by far and away we African Americans are killing each other?
Comment by Gary — February 13, 2007 @ 6:36 am February 13, 2007
A black man is more likely to be shot at by a black man than any other race.
Comment by Kurt — February 13, 2007 @ 7:20 am February 13, 2007
Why are the Republicans so afraid of the 'terrorists?'
Once they answer that question for themselves, then they
may begin to see why Obama doesn't want to lead by fear like many, not all,
on the far-Right (see: this website). The 'terrorists' are just a very very small
group of radical people who are twisting Islam for their own pathetic means. They have no chance
of success. Do you really believe that when push comes to shove, that rest of the world,
all 6 billion of us, will let a small, 30,000 at the most, group of suicide-bombing idiots take over? the world? They are not to be feared, except, apparently, by the Right. Why is the Right so afraid???
We're not!
Obama '08!!!!
Comment by Stu Parker — February 13, 2007 @ 8:06 am February 13, 2007
Race matters.
Obama has to convince some he's white enough for the job, and others he's black enough.
Comment by Kent Harper — February 13, 2007 @ 9:42 am February 13, 2007
"Why we should get in the middle of the "civil war" in Afghanistan and fight al Qaeda there, but not in Iraq, he doesn't say. This seems to be the typical posturing from Democrats who want to avoid the appearance of across the board opposition to military action."
I'm not aware of a civil war taking place in Afghanistan. Secondly, Afghanistan is the closest thing we have to a secure area of operation in the Middle East/SE Asia (Israel notwithstanding). Democrats have never opposed armed conflict in Afghanistan, because it was an actual legal and supported fight resulting from the U.S. being attacked on Sep. 11. Oh yeah, it was Osama Bin Laden (just days from being smoked out of his hole, I'm sure) and Al Qaida in Afghanistan-not Iraq. It's so easy to get confused these days. Anyone for Nigerian yellowcake? WMD? You be the decider.
Comment by Brian Seeger — February 13, 2007 @ 11:56 am February 13, 2007
Hey Stu-
You may or may not recall that this "small...group of suicide-bombing idiots" killed nearly 3,000
of your fellow countrymen at about 9am or so on September 11, 2001. As far as I know, nobody on
my conservative side of the fence is "fearmongering" but rather simply stating the reality of the
risk. There will come a time when one of the "suicide-bombing idiots" walks into a mall and blows
the ass end out of a Nordstrom. America is a country full of soft targets and that small group is
very patient. I don't "fear" them. Rather, I prefer to ferret them out and dispatch them with any
tool at hand before they take another stab at killing a few more thousand of US.
Comment by Larry Pope — February 13, 2007 @ 2:06 pm February 13, 2007
The mindless use of the "You Know"'s throughout the Senator's and his wife's quotes reminds me of valley girl speak. The lights are on, but nobody is home.
As a law enforcement officer, I can, from experience and fact, back up the people who say black-on-black, and black-on-white, violence is the most prevalent of crime.
Bill Cosby is one of the few Blacks out there with the courage to state the truth. Most Blacks, with Liberal ideology ruining their lives, are as dumb as racist Sarah, the first screecher to post a comment. Like Chris Rock, and David Chappelle.
Comment by Colin — February 14, 2007 @ 8:14 am February 14, 2007
Colin,
Obama is obviously a smart and accomplished man. Saying "you know" a few times during off-the-cuff comments is not evidence to the contrary. We disagree with most of his policy views, but feel no need to insult him personally.
A majority of black people in America are economically in the middle class or higher. Saying that most blacks are dumb and have had their lives ruined sounds like prejudiced nonsense.
Comment by The Editors — February 14, 2007 @ 8:58 am February 14, 2007