Posted by
Andrews on Friday, February 15, 2008 10:07:07 AM
In
an earlier essay I asked what qualified Hillary Clinton for the presidency, and I have yet to have anyone explain to me what she did that makes her even vaguely qualified for the office of president.
I am now going to ask an even more pertinent question about her Democrat rival. I won't ask what his qualifications are, as even his ardent supporters admit he is a first term US senator, with only state experience before that. When even his supporters admit he is inexperienced (though they promote it as being "an agent for change") there is no point asking about experience.
Instead, I will ask "For what does he stand?"
Here in Maryland prior to the primaries, he DID actually take something of a position. In what is obviously his stock "Get out the unions" TV spot, he is shown giving a speech saying we should "support" companies that staying in the US rather than "supporting" companies that go to India and China. (My wording may be off a bit, but that was the essence of the commercial.)
Even there you can see my problem. Obama speaks in a constant stream of nebulous platitudes. What should we do to "support" these companies? (For that matter how are we "supporting" the "bad" companies now?)
And that is symptomatic of my problem with Obama. He never gets pinned down on actual policies. He is for "change" and "hope", he is a "uniter", he is a "fresh face", he is "handsome" and "eloquent", but he is not for anything in particular. Even when I ask his most ardent supporters (including my "left of Lenin" mother) they only tell me they "like" him. No one seems to know what the man will do in office, maybe not even Obama himself.
Actually, I can see why he shies away from taking a stand. His voting record in Illinois and the senate is FAR left, which destroys his image as a "uniter"*. And the few times he has actually made a concrete proposal it has been something frighteningly stupid, such as proposing an invasion of Pakistan. I suppose if I had a far left record and said something stupid whenever I tried to get into specifics, I would speak in generalities as well.
But, I really can't evaluate a candidate unless he takes a concrete position. So, please, any Obama supporters who stumble upon this site, please tell me what your candidate supports. Or, if you can't do that, explain to me how you can support an empty suit who has taken no concrete stand on anything.
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* In one argument with my mother I said that Obama is as likely a "uniter" as Pat Buchanan. Obama is certainly as far left as Pat is right.
** Actually, all the talk of "uniting" and "change" and "hope" makes Obama sound like he is reading from the 2000 George W Bush campaign playbook. Funny how the left can turn Bush into Satan himself, yet the same rhetoric can turn Obama into a near saint with a cult-like following. (By the way, am I the only one frightened by the adoration some heap on Obama?
Best of the Web did a good article on that topic.)