I'm ready to lose my virginity.
Not my real virginity; I'm a married father, that ship sailed a while ago. Nah, I'm popping my cherry when it comes to criticizing Barack Obama on the blog.
I do not like this flip-flop on off-shore drilling.
That wasn't as painful as a I thought it would be.
Now, I don't want y'all to get the wrong idea and label me a shameless Obama shill, who has been wasted on the Kool-Aid. I've criticized the brother plenty in conversations with my family and friends. Particularly during the primary campaign when I felt he was letting certain stuff slide from the media and Hillary that I thought needed to be addressed.
But, I haven't had too many real criticisms for his viewpoints. And, when I did disagree with his choices, I typically accepted them as political realities. I didn't like his vote on FISA, I didn't like everything about his speech on Father's Day, and I didn't like parts of his response to the those black hecklers he faced recently. Yet, none of those issues really made me want to criticize him on my blog.
This drilling thing does it for me.
It's not because I'm some sort of green freak. I'm not at all. I'm much more concerned with saving money than the planet. Whenever I've had a choice between being eco-friendly and saving some money, well as old as Mother Earth is she should be able to handle herself.
The reason why this drilling flip-flop bothers me, even with all of Obama's caveats, is because Obama did the exact opposite during the primary when he was confronted with a similar choice. When Clinton and McCain jumped on the gas tax holiday like it was a cheap whore, Obama demurely refused to take the bait. He gambled on the intelligence of the voters in Indiana. He assumed that once the facts were laid out, people would see that the gas tax holiday would not help them at the pump.
This time, it's Obama whose asking for a half and half.
What I've liked about Obama from the beginning, even when it pissed me off, was that he seemed to be following his own drummer in many ways. I don't mean he didn't understand polls and focus groups, but I felt like he ultimately made strategic decisions based on an overarching plan, not some piecemeal strategy built on public opinion. I'm wondering if he's lost that sense of direction now as he sees his lead in the polls shrink and he watches McCain using lies and racism to gain ground.
I'm not political strategist, but I do spend a lot of time studying human nature. And while I'm sure that Obama expected things to be bad during this campaign, I'm wondering if he wasn't a little surprised with how quickly McCain went to the filth well. Or maybe he's starting to lose confidence in the American people because he's watched them cling to lies and stupidity instead of truly giving his campaign a chance.
I'm not sure what's going on in the Obama camp, but I don't like it. I don't like it at all.
Pay Attention
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
17 comments:
Ehh...im not as bothered by the off shore drilling bit only because it was offered as part of a compromise.
What Obama is doing is Governing before the fact.
basically he is saying....if you give me many of the substantive changes to domestic oil issues that I am seeking, I will throw you the bone of limited off shore expansion in return.
thats how the game is played. If anything, Obama overestimates the public for being willing to listen objectively.
I think its time people especially Black folks start to look critically at Obama. I have not wanted to criticize him either but since winning the nomination he seems like he is on a new path and frankly I am not feeling it.
Maybe you are right that he is thrown off his game by how things are shaping up with McCain and the fact that his lead over McCain is really slim at this point.
Anyway I think its time to be vocal, so I applaud you for speaking out even if you don't care about Mother Nature. LOL =)
Big Man, Congrats on leaving the sheep herd. Barack knew he'd have to promise us nothing to get our support, and he was right.
We were and are thrilled to see a brilliant black man - one of our own! - get this close to the White House, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Your anger over the needless offshore drilling is appropriate since it harms the planet.
His vote and support for FISA harms our freedom and voids out the 4th Amendment of the Constitution, and this was inexcusable.
I'm not sure how I feel yet about his rejection of reparations, but his 'better schools' speech in lieu of this didn't cut it for me. As one blogger said, the hell with the apology; he wants his 40 acres and a mule.
This stuff is just the tip of the iceberg, and if you really want to what to be mad at him about, read the current and past issues of blackagendareport.com.
I was very angry with that intellectual, political site when they began criticizing him early in the game, before nearly any of us had a clue. They lost a lot of their readers. But then I began to see what they saw, and damn but it hurts.
The problem is that Obama has been pushed into a corner by the racist media, Hillary's racist campaign strategy of divide and conquer, the mainstream public that doesn't have a clue what racism is, corporate interests that support him, oil interest that own everything, and the AIPAC lobby, and I'm sure there's many more. He's compromised so much that I hardly recognize his theme for change anymore.
AT THE SAME TIME, McCain will be far worse, which I described in detail in my latest post, Thanks For The Warning, McCain: Urban Blacks Will Be Treated Like Insurgents.
Thus, it's not quite like choosing between Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. We do, however, need to start demanding that he looks out for us before he gets in office.
I don’t view the “flip-flopping” the same. I thought that he is a wise man and all he said is he will entertain ideas. I don’t know about you but I value a leader who doesn’t thin that he is always right.
I think you would be crazy to continue down the wrong path rather than pull up stakes and say you know I have heard some good arguments and well I think it makes sense to change my position rather than continue pridefully down the wrong road. I wonder what it would be like if W would have done that instead of continue to deny he made a mistake.
We somehow have been conditioned that leader should not change their minds when in actuality I want someone who is able to look at his statement objectively and change his mind if he sees that changing his mind is the better thing for the global good. I mean I want someone who churns ideas and listen to others who are experts on the situation instead of thinking they KNOW IT ALL.
To me the flip flopping is part of experience and really we all do it and so do all candidates, just once again they have gotten us to fall for the bait. Why are we discussing the change of mind instead of why he changed his mind? I saw the Meet the Press when Kerry talked about it and I saw the initial statement that said basically he thought it would not be wise to dismiss the idea of off shore drilling. Moving from fossil to green is not going to be easy for this country tantamount to turning a Hummer on a dime going 75mph, so we have to be mindful on how we transition.
Barry’s record as far as being a President concerned with energy let’s me know that there must be a reason for the change in policy. I’m sorry I just am not bothered by a leader changing his/her mind I wish that they would. What bothers me is when the leader tries to act like they never did. Like I would have respected Hillary a lot more if she would have been like LOOK I change my mind on NAFTA I was wrong instead acting like she was one way and misquoted.
Again I don’ think that Obama is the savior, but I think he is a man who honestly has the country’s best interest at heart and who is trying not to let his pride get in the way, I doubt the stance on off shore drilling gains him many votes and probably will lose him some because the GOP is going to again focus on him changing his mind. The flip-flopper was what took Kerry down, but again I think smart people are not afraid to change or admit when they have made a mistake. You accept the mistake and move to rectify it, I mean really think how much better shape we would be in this country if more leaders really churned and mulled over decisions and admitted be wrong every once and while.
-OG
I don't agree with you on this one;
WNG is correct about McCain and the media are allowed to define Obama. He has no choice if he wants to become presidents than to adjust his positions; I will not use the word flip-flop. I did not believe that 7 out of 10 Americans would fall for the drill drill speech, but they have. Case in point: How out of touch is Barack Obama? He's so out of touch that he suggested that if all Americans inflated their tires properly and took their cars for regular tune-ups, they could save as much oil as new offshore drilling would produce. To me that is common sense; however, the GOP is using this a negative, and it is gaining some tractions. His entire campaign has been this way. He always has to be twice or three time as good to get half the results. Think about it.
Thanks for the comments.
I agree with those of y'all who say Obama has it tougher than McCain and that he has to walk a much tougher tightrope.
Yet, like WNG, I'm disappointed that he continues to let McCain and everyone else define him and project their issues on to him without standing up and saying "That's enough."
The longer he allows this to go on, the worse things will get, and eventually we're going to have a senile old white man in the white house yet again.
But, I appreciate all the comments, particularly those that disagreed with me.
Big Man, I see your position but I don't agree. First lets do away with the term flip flop. This is a republican term used to attack any opponents that's able to see both sides of an issue.
I'm a big supporter of Barack, have been before the bandwagon left the station. I believe the brotha to be a man of integrity and is well meaning, but the brotha is a politician and like all/most politicians will do things that are politically expident.
The brotha has come farther that most people expected, he has done it his way with his team. He vanquished the iorn lady and her formittable machinery. He's now neck and neck with a white male war "hero" for the highest office in the land. There will be ebbs and flows between now and november, but lets show some confidence in the brother based upon his performance and decisions to this point.
I've critized Barack on your blog, especially his father's day speech. I know he needs to stop apologizing for everything some Black person says. This brotha is trying to break the white strangle hold on the white house, so lets give him some slack.
Big Man, surely your recognize that these shifts by Barack is an attempt to get votes. He's doing what he needs to do to win. No different than you asking (some body said begging)for votes yesterday, samething. You do what you need to do to win! And Yea, you got my vote.
Damn, you didn't have to call me out like that Imhotep.
That was cold brother, just cold.
i suggest they both look at the Black sea, estimated 10 billion barrels there and they already got the infrastructure, besides a crook by another name is John McCain
Big Man, I ain't mad at you Bro. I learned a long time ago that if you want something you go after it, and if you need to enlist the aid of others, then so be it.
Let's just call a spade a spade here-- Obama LIED during the primary, he went way left to win.
Now, he's trying to get back to the center. So he's saying ok, thanks for the votes lefties, now screw you, I know you're going to vote for me no matter what. I have to appeal to independents and moderates of both parties!
I don't like it. Change? This is change? And don't talk to me about compromise and all that, you folks on these boards excoriated Clinton for her compromises but when Obama does it it's all noble and cunning, when Clinton does it it's because she's a caniving soulless bitch? Can't have it both ways.
And yes, I'm one of the fucked people on the left, I have no choice. This is NOT the product that was advertised to me when I voted for him in the primary, though.
Kit: how do you determine who is entitled to reparations? What about black Americans whose parents emigrated from sub-Saharan Africa one generation ago? And what about the children or grandchildren of mixed race couples? Does one black parent and one white parent entitle you to 20 acres and a sheep?
Anon, You need to follow your own advise, call a spade a spade. If your are against reparations, just come out and say it. Don't come with a bunch of nonsense suppositions, just speak your mind.
Fuck the what if's, You either for it or against it.
I'm fucking angry, but it's because I'm a GREEN FREAK.
And what do you think about this new movie, Tropic Thunder? Is it NOT 'new Blackface'? I mean, what the hell? I just want your input on it.
-Jennifer
I think the movie is clearly blackface. I was upset when I first learned about it months ago, but now I've moved on.
Like I said in the blog post about swagger, Hollywood has never proven itself to give a damn about black people. This is just more proof.
Meh...
Nice to see that you're able to be critical, yet supportive of Obama.
Welcome to my world bruh, lol.
I felt like he ultimately made strategic decisions based on an overarching plan, not some piecemeal strategy built on public opinion.
My thoughts exactly! And I share the concern that the American people really aren't up to the intellectual challenges before them. In a way, the intelligence of the electorate is what Obama based his primary campaign on. Hate to see him retreat from that now. For reasons that go deeper than just his candidacy. My own optimism gets diminished a little every time he caves into foolishness. But back then, he was running in a Democratic primary, which may have had a more intelligent electorate, on average, than the one before him now.
Post a Comment