In the spirit of Valentine's Day, let's take a look at the love fest currently surrounding first term Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. No candidate since Robert Kennedy has elicited the kind of fervor among party activists, college students and the media that Sen. Obama is currently enjoying. Obama, thus far, has avoided much of the scrutiny most candidates of his stature would have already endured at this point. Amidst this, it's time to put aside the hype, and take a look at the real Barack Obama.
What is it exactly that seems to excite so many about Barack Obama—a first term senator from Illinois with limited legislative and no executive experience? Obama burst onto the national political landscape after delivering a nationally televised speech before the 2004 Democratic National Convention. While his speech was certainly impressive, it didn't seem to merit the lavish reception it received. It is entirely possible, however, that activists made a comparison of Obama and their presidential candidate John Kerry, and came to a similar conclusion Republican activists did at the 1976 convention. Back then, having defeated Ronald Reagan, President Gerald Ford invited Reagan to the floor to address the convention. Without preparation, the future president spoke eloquently and inspirationally to the issues of the day, sending many home thinking Reagan, and not Ford, should have been their nominee. The comparison between Reagan and Obama undoubtedly stops there.
Obama has done well in the increasingly important invisible primary—proving his fundraising prowess—but outside of that, one certainly has to be skeptical whether he has the necessary political skills and the thick skin he'll need to make it through a bruising primary. His principal opponent, Hillary Clinton, may very well be the ultimate unprincipled politician beholden to consultants and focus groups, but she still has the ability to raise huge amounts of money, capture media attention and command the spotlight.Her backers are also incredibly adept at destroying reputations, calling into question whether Obama can stand up to withering assaults from an attack machine that has honed its skills through repeated Clinton scandals, and on multiple women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault.
Furthermore, it is questionable whether Obama would even be a senator presently had he had a credible opponent in his 2004 victory.
Image is important. Obama presents a youthful, vigorous image of a new sort of politician, intent on uniting the country and addressing the tough issues of the day.Obama's charisma and public speaking talents seem to go an incredibly long way in helping him deliver that message, and garner the media attention needed to stand out in a crowded primary field.
The truth is, however, Barack Obama has virtually no legislative and no executive experience whatsoever. Being a charismatic, inspirational speaker hardly prepares this man to be president. Some of the most charismatic leaders throughout the history of the world have also been some of the most evil, depraved men to ever walk the earth.Adolph Hitler was an incredibly charismatic orator, but also murderously insane. By no means are Obama and Hitler remotely comparable, but the point is that oratorical ability and charisma alone do not qualify one to be president. How many Americans want a Hollywood celebrity to be president just because they make a living delivering lines written by others?
Obama's rhetoric, while impressive, is simply rhetoric, and exactly the same rhetoric employed by every candidate for every office for ages. In announcing the formation of a presidential exploratory committee this past January, Obama stated, "Today, our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common sense way.Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions."Now, does anything about this sound particularly … original, or profound? Nope. It is simply the same rhetoric recycled election after election by politician after politician. Obama is no exception. The broad platitudes in which he speaks give no indication he has any policy knowledge whatsoever.
As far as making tough decisions, the Illinois senator hasn't made too many of those either. He has virtually no accomplishments to point to in the Senate. The votes he has made demonstrate that he is simply a big government liberal in the finest tradition of embarrassments like Ted Kennedy. According to the National Journal's Project Vote Smart, Obama's voting record is more liberal than 83 percent of his colleagues on economic, defense and foreign policy voting records. Is that the voting record of someone who can unite? You bet if your definition comes from the dictionary of liberal rhetoric, which defines "unite" as: you're welcome to join me in advancing my agenda.If you don't like that, I'll demonize you as a partisan.
Obama has decided, in a politically motivated effort to appeal to the unconditional surrender Democrat base, to spearhead an effort to compel an American withdrawal from Iraq. Way to take a stand Barack.As Australian Prime Minister John Howard put it, "If I was running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008, and pray, as many times as possible, for a victory not only for Obama, but also for the Democrats."
As a member of the Illinois legislature, his record could hardly be described as that of a leader.As noted on Feb. 13 by Nathan Gonzalez of the Rothenburg Political Report, instead of casting a yes or no vote, Obama voted present twice on bills to restrict partial birth abortion, voted present on a bill dealing with concealed weapons, and voted present two more time on measures requiring parental consent before a minor could have an abortion.If Obama is the kind of leader prepared to make tough decisions despite their political volatility, shouldn't he have been casting votes on bills such as these?
Barack Obama will face a rude awakening as the Democrat primary heats up and should he make it past the Clinton attack machine, will face an equally tough challenge in the general election. His rhetoric is impressive, but nothing new or unique. When the media stops fawning over Obama, his glaring lack of experience and unwillingness to take tough stands on important issues will become clear. Like it or not, Barack Obama is an empty suite with a good speechwriter, and he is completely unprepared to be the next President of the United States.Sooner of later, let's hope reality will overcome the hype.