Maybe Obama Shouldn’t Have Promised So Much

Perhaps “President-Elect -For-Life” Obama shouldn’t have sold himself as the “Omnipotent Obamessiah of Hope and Change”.  All that talk about “lights shining down” and “oceans beginning to rise” and whatnot has people who voted for him actually expecting him to deliver.  Big time.  Go figure.  According to a CNN/Opinion Research survey, most people in America, and some from around the globe, are clearly delusional:

Nearly two-thirds of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday say President-elect Barack Obama will change the country for the better, with 25 percent saying Obama won’t change the country and 9 percent indicating that he will change the country for the worse.

But wait, there’s more:

The public thinks it’s likely that Obama will improve race relations, improve economic conditions, bring stability to the financial markets, make the U.S. safer from terrorism, reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil, reduce global warming, win the war in Afghanistan and remove U.S. troops from Iraq without causing a major upheaval in that country.

And, that’s not all:

“My fervent prayer is that there will be peace on Earth in all nations, and let all countries unite together to make this dream come true,” said iReporter Shari Atukorala of Kandy, Sri Lanka. “To the President-elect Barack Obama: Sir, you can do this for all of us.”

While the “hopey-changey true believers” are busy gratifying themselves truly believing in visions of hope and change, MSNBC via the New York Times is reporting that world leaders are not quite so “hopeful.”

The Russians want him to hold off installation of a missile defense shield in Poland. The Europeans want him to renounce the idea of  “regime change” when it comes to Iran, while the Israelis want to be sure he doesn’t give Iran a pass when it comes to nuclear weapons.

Oh, and let’s not forget the Taliban, which issued a statement this week urging him to “put an end to all the policies being followed by his Opposition Party, the Republicans, and pull out U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Heh, heh, heh.  Looks like between “sitting down and talking to our enemies,” and “fulfilling the simple hopes and common dreams” of the adoring masses who voted for his “happy hopey-changey schtick,” the new “President-Elect-of-the-Entire-Freakin’-Known-World” is going to have his hands full.  But then, he’s the one who promised:

America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth. This was the moment—this was the time—when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

Well, King-Elect ObiWanNaBePresident, “this is your moment, now is your time.”  Take it away, Obie!

Heh, heh, heh…

Obama’s Latest Hillary Balloon

Camp Barack Obama is famous for floating “trial balloons” to test the waters (mixed metaphor, yeah, yeah, I know) of it’s more controversial considerations.  Pathologically fearful of doing anything the public could credibly hold the “Teflon President-Elect” directly accountable for, the Obama staff prefers to leak information to the media through “unnamed sources,” and see if it flies.  The latest such “balloon” has Hillary Clinton’s name on it, and concerns speculation that she is being considered by the Beneficent One to be his Secretary of State.   The earliest hint I’ve found is a Bloomberg News blurb buried in an article about Obama’s transition team and it’s ties to the Bill Clinton presidential era, dated November 10:

Obama’s most dramatic step would be to name New York Senator Hillary Clinton, his defeated rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, as secretary of state. Two Obama advisers confirm the idea has been discussed, though they say they don’t know how seriously the president-elect is considering it or whether Clinton would accept it.

Obviously, no real opposition has emerged in the past 3 days, since today, MSNBC,  CNBC, the New York Daily News, US News and World Report, Washington Post, Politico, and CNN are all running with the story.  The New York Post says they got it from Andrea Mitchell, the source of the “Colin Powell to endorse Obama” trial balloon:

Two Obama advisers confirmed Clinton is under serious consideration, according to NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell.

Adding to the intrigue, Clinton was seen aboard a flight to Obama’s hometown of Chicago today, but aides insisted she was on personal business.

Officially, the Obama campaign has declined to discuss any of the administration positions that have not yet been filled and made public.

The NY Post also speculates that Team Obie might have another motive:

Others wondered last night if the Obama camp – which is very disciplined about unwanted leaks – is even serious about floating her name or simply trying to compliment her by suggesting she’s in the running.

Whatever.  Whether any of this pans out or not, it is definitely in keeping with Obama’s modus operandi.  Which probably means that, barring any hue and cry, it’s a done deal.  Or maybe it’s just a make-up play for the botched veep thing.

Yeah, But Will They Save The Records

Barack Obama will give up his Senate seat Sunday since (duh) he’s been elected president.  The only question I have is, will they save the meager records he’s accumulated in the brief time he’s been in the Senate, or will they get “disappeared” like the ones from Illinois?   Obama, who only worked in the U.S. Senate long enough to establish his presidential run, probably doesn’t have much of a paper trail, since he never even held committee meetings unless they were personal ones that pertained to his presidential campaign, and they don’t count.  In fact, Obama isn’t even sure what Senate committees he’s on.  However, I bet requests for what documents do exist will be met with the same kind of “Uh…ummm, records?  I don’t have no stinkin’ records,” answers earlier requests elicited.  From AP, here’s the signature kind of “hopey-dopey-happy-crappy” statement from Obama that we’ve all come to know and loathe:

In a statement, the junior Illinois senator called his four-year term “one of the highest honors and privileges” of his life and said the people of Illinois will stay with him as he leaves the Senate to begin “the hard task of fulfilling the simple hopes and common dreams of all Americans as our nation’s next president.”

“Fulfilling simple hopes and and common dreams.”   Awwwww.  Heats up the old heart cockles, doesn’t it?  Sounds like something Robin Leach would say on a Hallmark card.  Anyway, Sunday is the last day of what seems like the first day Obama’s Senate life, and the first day our “champagne wishes and caviar dreams” go right out the window and down the toilet.

Another Obama Tinfoil Hat Episode?

On September 7, 2008 Barack Obama told George Stephanopoulis that he registered with the Selective Service when he graduated high school, in compliance with the law.

“I had to sign up for selective service when I graduated from High School,” Obama said. “I actually always thought of the military as an ennobling and you know, honorable option.”

Obama suggested his decision not to enlist was an issue of timing, not service. “I graduated in 1979.  The Vietnam War had come to an end.  We weren’t engaged in an active military conflict at that point.  And so, it’s not an option that I ever decided to pursue,” he said.

Pajamas Media, on August 12, 2008, had already established per the Selective Service System, that Obama was not required to register for the draft until 1980.

* Men born from March 29, 1957 to December 31, 1959 were never required to register because the registration program was not in operation at the time they turned 18. The requirement to register was reinstated in 1980 and applies to all men born on or after January 1, 1960.

The above is a direct quote from the Selective service website as of today.  Pajamas Media, claiming to debunk No Quarter’s allegations regarding Obama’s draft status, printed this email:

Mr. Owens,

Barack Hussein Obama registered at a post office in Hawaii. The effective registration date was September 4, 1980.

His registration number is 61-1125539-1.

Daniel Amon
Public Affairs Specialist

Fine, but that’s a year after Obama graduated high school, when he presumably was attending Occidental College in Los Angeles.  So, what did he do, fly home and register as soon as he heard the law had been changed?  Now, Debbie Schlussel is asking questions about Obama’s draft status and the validity of his claims.  In short, she seems to think the draft card reproduced here from her website, is a fake.

The official campaign for President may be over. But Barack Obama’s Selective Service registration card and accompanying documents show that questions about him are not only NOT over, but if the signature on the document is in fact his, our next Commander-in-Chief may have committed a federal crime in 2008, well within the statute of limitations on the matter. If it is not his, then it’s proof positive that our next Commander-in-Chief never registered with the Selective Service as required by law. By law, he was required to register and was legally able to do so until the age of 26.

But the Selective Service System registration (“SSS Form 1″) and accompanying computer print-out (“SSS Print-out), below, released by the Selective Service show the following oddities and irregularities, all of which indicate the document was created in 2008 and backdated:

In an exercise reminiscent of the whole “fake birth certificate” brouhaha, Schlussel points out a number of “inconsistencies.”

Regarding Schussel’s questions about Obama’s signature, here is a copy of it from Wikipedia:

I dunno.  Is this just another “tinfoil hat conspiracy theory?”  Possibly.  At any rate, it probably won’t matter much in the long run.  Even if it’s true that Obama and/or his minions faked the whole thing, it’s doubtful that revelations of such would have any more impact than the plethora of legal challenges to his eligibility based on questions regarding his Certificate of Live Birth as opposed to his long-form vault copy of his birth certificate have had thus far.  Or, even of the undisputed fact that one of his supporters, Helen Jones-Kelley, misued her authority to breach Joe the Plumber’s records.  Since nothing seems to stick to Obama, anyway, the whole thing is probably just another “pissing in the wind” tinfoil hat moment, no matter what.

The Danger Of The Monolitic Vote

Certain issues facing our nation cause entire “square peg” groups of individuals to force themselves into the “round holes” of an illusionary united front, whether those individuals really want to accede to the pressure or not.  All black people must support Barack Obama, all Hispanics, must not support immigration reform, all gays must support gay marriage.  The fact that individuals comprising these and other voting blocs may have divergent opinions about these and other issues, for a myriad of reasons, is beyond beside the point; birds of a feather must stick together for the common good, or face being ostracized.

There are no gray areas in politics, today, no celebration of the rugged individual willing to take a stand based on his or her personal beliefs.  It’s either “for” or “against.”  You’re black, you don’t support a black president, just because he has a resume you could print on a gum wrapper, what’s wrong with you?  He’s black.  You’re a second, third, fourth, twentieth generation Mexican American who thinks illegal immigrants unfairly tax the system to the detriment of all, what’s wrong with you?  They’re your brothers and sisters, don’t they deserve a chance at a better way of life?  What’s wrong with you, you (fill in the blank) homosexual, that you don’t care one way or the other about marriage or civil unions?  What do you mean, not having to live up to society’s arbitrary marital standards is one of the perks of being gay?  What are you, nuts?

Thus, 95%+ of African Americans voted for a man just because he’s black, and it’s time.  Don’t believe me?  Here’s a quote from a commenter on Black Agenda Report’s website regarding an article he felt unfairly critical of the new president-elect:

So who cares if Obama doesn’t live up to all of our expectations, or if he totally screws Black folk like all the past Presidents have..So what? We deserve our time to SCREW UP Too! I’d rather break my own cup than for someone else to break it, and thus, we as Black folk have allowed America to break our hopes and dreams since we were brought here as slaves. So, if Obama doesn’t meet YOUR expectations, at least we’ve earned the right to screw up like all the rest have.

Of course, that comment does not reflect the opinion of all black people, yet it is indicative of the mindset of many.  I have read other comments all over the web from black Americans revealing that they did not vote for Mr. Obama, but could only reveal that fact with the anonymity of the internet, to do so to their friends and family would subject them to scorn and ridicule.

Now, the LGBT community is facing a similar situation due to California’s Proposition 8 banning gay marriage.  Activists calling for blacklists and boycotts of the proposition’s supporters are pressuring less political gays to join forces against the evil bigots.  Dissent, from those who voted for the measure as well as those in the gay community less committed to activism, is not an option.  Case in point, a website called AntiGayBlacklist, “outs” everybody they can find who donated money to groups supporting Prop8, and calls for them to be boycotted by the gay community.  One such individual, Scott Eckern, artistic director of the California Music Theatre, has been forced to resign after 25 years with the group, after it was revealed he donated 1,000 dollars to the “Yes on Proposition 8″ campaign, and a boycott was called for against the theater.  According to the Sacremento Business Journal, Eckert said this in a prepared statement:

“I am leaving California Musical Theatre after prayerful consideration to protect the organization and to help the healing in the local theatre-going and creative community,” he said. “I am disappointed that my personal convictions have cost me the opportunity to do what I love the most.”

Performer Susan Egan circulated a long, angry, emotional letter on social networking sites, according to the San Francisco Examiner, which reprinted it in it’s entirety.  I won’t, it’s too long, you can find it at the link.  However, I will also post a link to Scott Eckern’s entire response.  Eckern subsequently made a $1,000 donation to an unnamed equal rights group, and his supporters have launched a website supporting him.

My personal feelings about these issues are complex, much like abortion, which is debated by “pro-life” and “pro-choice” factions as if one can ever truly only be one or the other, it just seems to me that everyone has a right to their own opinion.  These are complicated issues, full of conflicting emotion no matter which side you ultimately come down on.  To force or pressure anyone to go along with a group, or to expect people to take simplistic, cartoonish stances on complex, life-and-death issues simply because it furthers your particular agenda, is just as wrong to me as any other example of intolerance.  Might does not make right, it just makes already pissed off people hate you for life.