Fall from Grace?
Most of you all know I’m a big Barack Obama fan. I, as well as many others, wrote articles, wore tee-shirts, composed songs and donated to his campaign to get the Democratic nomination for President. Folks like you and I pushed him toward the nomination and now that the prize is within reach, our candidate has disappointed many of his ardent supporters with some of his decisions last week.
Will Barack Obama’s recent political moves alienate him from his base or help him get elected?
Or both?
1) On June 19, Barack Obama announces he’s going back on his earlier pledge and will be forgoing the system of public financing for his presidential campaign, and the spending limits that go along with it. Obama is the first presidential candidate to not accept this financing.
2) On June 20, Obama announced support for the domestic spy bill that’s making its way through Congress. This bill, extending George W. Bush’s privileges to listen in on average Americans without a warrant. This bill has split the Democratic party’s support, as many congressmen (especially Obama) are looking to appear strong on national security. It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay, he said in a statement.
3) On June 23, The New York Times published an article that compares Obama’s ties to the midwestern Ethanol producers to George W. Bush’s ties to the Oil/Gas industry. Whether it’s campaign contributions, campaign workers, or just his background as a state senator in Illinois, the second largest corn producer in the nation. This considering poor countries worldwide are undergoing a food shortage and that producing corn-based ethanol isn’t necessarily a proven way to save energy
4) In a campaign rally last week, Obama’s campaign aides removed two Muslim women in traditional hijab headdress from the prime seats behind Obama’s podium, for fear they’d be seen in nationally publicized pictures. The Muslim-American community has been a strong supporter of Obama’s campaign, but fears of Obama being mis-characterized as Muslim has pushed the campaign into panic mode on this and many Muslims fear believe he has not returned their support.
As his former pastor said “I said to Barack Obama last year, If you get elected, November the 5th I’m coming after you, because you’ll be representing a government whose policies grind under people. “”
So our perfect candidate has now started his fall from grace. He has now become part of the government that “grind(s) under people” instead of changing it. I knew he had to compromise in order to get elected, but now it seems as if he’s on the verge of becoming just another politician, saying whatever it takes to get ahead.
Personally I would’ve preferred a Obama to stuck to his guns. Committed to his earlier promises and not put McCain into the financial underdog status (a place McCain feels most comfortable). I’d want a president who didn’t want to spy on Americans and one who didn’t have biases in pushing forward our national energy policy. It’d be great to get a president who embraced minorities, especially the estranged Muslim community.
But no, Obama has chosen the typical path of a presidential candidate, and for a guy who’s anti-establishment message got him here, these decisions may cause him the election. How much compromise will his young, college educated, minority (read liberal) base accept? Will we hold him to the coals on his promises of change to to push this country forward in the ways we’d hope? We should push Obama’s agenda the way the evangelicals and neo-cons did with George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.
For some reason, a oil-loving, conservative leaning, evangelical-loving guy can “stick to his guns” and get elected but for some reason a liberal, forward-thinking man can’t get elected without compromise.
But if you’re like me, probably not. Disappointed in his compromises, we will sit back and let our candidate wish/wash, flip/flop and maneuver his way toward the White House…simply hoping that others get on board and the better man will win. Barack Obama may compromise to appease to the general public, but he’s still not John McCain – and that should be good enough right?
I mean, what else are we gonna do….vote for Ralph Nader??
This entry was posted on June 26, 2008 at 10:46 pm and is filed under Articles with tags Barack Obama, disappointment, Ethanol, fall from grace, muslim americans, public financing, Spy Program. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 27, 2008 at 1:30 am
No doubt that your article is well written, but you guys are starting to sound like those disgusting black Republicans on TV, they just nit picking at Obama, and John McCain, makes one faux pax
after the other, with no repercussions. I too am disappointed that Obama voted to continue that spy bill, and he must have a valid reason for doing so. Obama does not make a move, that is not thought out! If we only listen to his every speech, we wouldn’t be so scrutinizing of this man. As for the Muslim picture thing, he was set up,(it’s obvious, can’t we see that?) someone, it
very well may be Bill Clinton, is spreading the word, that he is a Muslim, and all they want to see, is a doctored up picture of him with the women he was asked to pose with.! we as Blacks, had better see things for ourselves, and not follow the media, because there is an effort afoot, to continue to diss Obama, and it’s not coming from most whites.
I am retired, so I watch every move each politician makes, so I can stay on top of it all. I don’t think Obama dissed the Muslim community, it was made to look like that, as to piss them off! It was a set-up game, can’t you all see that, I’ll bet the girls with the head scarves weren’t even Muslims! This race is getting very nasy, and somebody, will not stop at anything!
June 27, 2008 at 10:41 am
Obamas “Fall from Idealism”
Let me preempt the following thoughts with a few personal facts. I did not vote for Bush in 00′ or 04′ and I do not particularly affiliate with any one political party…excuse the necessary digression.
Response to 1)
Obama’s refusal to accept public funds for the presidential general election is an act that characterizes the essence of his campaign which I sum up with the phrase “Idealism falls to realism “. Ideally Obama would like to support a system that facilitates fair and untainted campaigns (or is supposed to at least) however he realizes that in order to win against McCain he has to spend way more than public funds will allow him to spend due to the restrictions on receiving money from private donors. The fact is that Obama needs to forego public financing and that is evident by looking at the race against Hillary for the democratic nomination.
As Barack and Hillary were battlin’ it out McCain was heavily courting Latino voting constituencies (an area Obama is very weak in) and garnering support from other leaning constituent groups. The six states with the largest number of electoral votes (Cali, Tex, NY, FL, Penn, IL) were all won by Clinton with the exception of IL. Of those six states Cali (55 electoral votes) Texas (34) and FL (27) are 3 of the top 4 states with the highest percentages of Latino voters. Let us not forget New Mexico where 44% of the population is Latino (highest % in nation) and they hold 5 electoral votes…Hillary won that state too. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Two main things are evident here: Although PA (leaning), IL, NY, CA are considered to be safe in terms of voting Democratic, the race issue affects Obama heavily (with the exception of IL perhaps) in those states and CA has the 2nd highest % of Latino voters. Obama needs to outspend McCain in so many ways in order to win this race and it cant be done if he accepts public funding in the general election.
Overall Response
The U.S. has been at the forefront of major change for over five years now. People may not realize that the war in Iraq is not about freeing people from Sadam or spreading democracy it is about the power of the good old ‘oil backed’ American dollar. It is about maintaining the hegemony of the United States of America that allows people like you and I to continue living in our utopic bubbles, driving fancy cars, going to fancy Grad Schools, eating over priced Organic foods, and all the other luxuries we indulge ourselves in. I am scared that an Idealist like Obama is not ready to realize the major troubles that lay ahead for the U.S. and even more so, that he is ill equipped to tackle them. I am all about a black man for president but I wont trade the US position as world leader just to have one.
June 27, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I don’t post often, but I’m glad my friend turned me on to your blog. We’ve heard/read snippets of the “fall from grace”, but this is the first time all of them in the same place.
First and foremost, I don’t really think this is a “fall from grace”, but that people are seeing a shift in the campaign season. A primary season energizes the base; the general election season is where you have to convince the country. Obama’s not just talking to white liberals, college students or Black folk any more…he’s got to get through to a whole country which is still quite split.
While Obama did speak of a “transformational win” like Reagan’s, the data say otherwise. It’s going to be as close election as any other.
What we’re seeing, as a previous respondant pointed out, is no more or less than what happens at this time in campaigns. But to be honest, Obama’s tone and message were not that revolutionary. Many of his positions (especially with regards to Israel, national security, and trade) have been pretty much the status quo. The “change” motif is one of the oldest in the book and as sure as Obama played it in this election, we will be hearing about “stay the course” in 2012 if he’s lucky enough to win.
It will be a powerful symbol to have a Black man as president, but a politician is a politician. I’m afraid that as Obama gets closer to the White House (and eventually occupies it), the “Yes We Can” mentality will yield to a more pragmatic compromise.
But should that upset us? No, if you supported Obama for what you thought he was, then hold him accountable. That’s where true engagement in the system begins. But we should also remember that Lyndon Johnson’s radical “War on Poverty” didn’t begin until AFTER he was securely in office.
June 27, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Re: “Fall from Grace”
When did Obama fall? I thought he was still on his way up. Yeah, his recent political moves may have some raising their eyebrows, but remember people, this is a political campaign, and although many don’t want to, or fail to believe it, Barack Obama is still a POLITCIAN.
A politician, yes, I said it, our hero, our superman, our great Black hope, is indeed a politician. But, that doesn’t mean that he does not intend to carry out his ideals of “change” and restoration of this nation; what it does mean is that as a politician, he has to play by the rules that have been etched into this Nation’s political infrastructure, since Thomas Jefferson was getting on with his Black slave.
As Black people in this country, constantly seeking for equality, vying for a piece of the so called “American Dream”, we have to “play the game”, whether we like it or not. It’s the way it is. Yes, many of us are more educated than our non minority counterparts, but that doesn’t mean we secure jobs that should be rightfully ours. Many of our men are hardworking, law abiding citizens, but that doesn’t mean they are impervious to racial profiling.
In many of our daily lives we make decisions, accept positions and sometimes go back on our word for the purpose of putting ourselves in a better economic or emotional situation. I am not advocating that we should live a facade, but what we do, whether one may admit to it or not, is make decisions that may be contrary to our initial intentions for the purpose of achieving some greater good.
The reality is that Obama is a black man, in the United States of America, with a viable chance of being elected president, a first in our nation’s history. So, what does this mean? It certainly doesn’t not connote that he is above fallible decision making, but rather held to a level of scrutiny that some still don’t ascribe to George W. even after 8 years of economic catastrophe, brazen racial discrimination and asinine leadership and decision making. Obama has to “play the game” to get in the White House; let’s not lose sight of what his mission is, because of the means he chooses to get there.
Let’s not equate inexperience with ineptness. Although McCain may have an advantage over Obama regarding experience, does that mean he is the more capable? Remember everything that transpired during George W’s SECOND term.
As far as the US position as world leader, we have a long way to go before that title can be taken, if it hasnt already been pulverized by George W. and his antics. Hardly do I believe that Obama will do anything to jeopardize the Nations position or do more harm than done. Undoubtedly, I stand firm that McCain promises George W. term no. 3.
So although, Obama said it’s okay for us to play “Spy Kids”, continues to hedge rumors of a possible Muslim connection by removing those who may convey that message and has concluded that he will not accept public funding, to me, and those who seek the change that he can offer, he is the only one who can attempt to revive the death of hopeless Americans, seek alternatives to many of the Nations many infractions and toil for a unified nation.
June 28, 2008 at 9:00 am
I don’t know, the term “fall from grace” is a bit much. Aren’t we just getting started with this whole thing?
A lot of these alleged “falls” are merely cosmetic changes in the tune of his campaign.
The Muslim ladies were a total set-up and I’m sure he had nothing to do with the actual decision to make them go anywhere. That being said, I’m glad Fox news had no fodder the morning after that speech.
Obama has won our hearts by sticking to the script, whether or not we are ready to accept that. The idea that “things have to be radically different in this next administration and I’m the guy to do that” is a typical opening line. Soon enough, after he’s elected, all the “changes” will come into effect and he’ll be begging us to instead “chill” through the growing pains. The man is only revolutionary in somatic definitions and perhaps, in posterity.
I think history will absolve the nod towards phone tapping as a move to silence liberal-bashers. For that is the worst thing you can be called in this country, it seems. He has to steer through this course rather delicately now.
June 29, 2008 at 8:38 am
I agree with miko-tastic. “Fall from grace” is not an appropriate description of Obama’s recent political comments and actions. I don’t think Obama has ever advocated a radical change in a specific governmental policy. The main theme of his ‘change’ slogan is transparency in government and minimizing the influence of special interest groups on policy decision making.
I didn’t understand Obama’s decision to opt out of public financing of the general election until I heard Sen Joe Biden explain the rationale.
As a pragmatist and not an ideologue, Obama’s other actions should not be a surprise.
I think most voters, like I, would prefer a leader who can intelligently analyze a situation and make decisions based on what is best for the nation as a whole. Don’t hold that against Obama as he shows that kind of leadership during the general election campaign!
June 30, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Fall from grace.
Interesting title for an article discussing a political runner. Does it dawn on anyone that he is just that another guy who wants to lead except his choice is President of the supposed “free world”?
What makes this guy any better than the moment in time that we live? He was smoother, more personable in his capacity to communicate YOUR ideas – but – what are his?
He did not fall – actually we woke and realized that as time gets closer to Nov 2, 2008 – the choice will come down to two policital professionals who seek the title President of the United States and the game will remain the same.