April, 2008
The Characteristics of a Divider
John Daly
A look at Obama's voting record and associations, and how they only serve to discredit his campaign of "unity"
Over the last few decades, the political partisanship in Washington has exploded into a fierce two party battle for power. With many Americans falling into the moderate category, the idea of a candidate who would “unite” the Country is very appealing. In the 2008 election, Barack Obama has taken the bold stance to be that candidate who will stand for change and “unite” the Country. However, does Obama really hold the background and credentials to unite? No.
In the last month, the Country has come to know Obama’s beloved pastor Jeremiah Wright. In recent sound clips of Wright’s speeches, he referred to America as the “U.S. KKK of A” and commented about how America was deserving of the 9/11 attacks. Despite his attendance for 20 years in Wright’s church and Wright’s participation in Obama’s wedding and his children’s baptisms, Obama claims he was never aware of these hateful remarks. However, Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope,” shares the same name as one of Wright’s hateful speeches. To make the outrageous claims of never hearing any of Wright’s remarks is insulting to the intelligence of the average American and will only further divide this nation.
Apart from his controversial relationship with Wright, Obama’s voting record is based on extreme partisanship. According to National Journal's 27th annual vote ratings, Barack Obama was listed as the most liberal senator in 2007. In some of his more liberal votes, Senator Obama opposed any restrictions on late term abortion, opposed the USAPATRIOT Act, and voting against drilling in ANWR. Therefore, we can conclude that the “Uniter” supports murder, doesn’t believe in taking the necessary precautions to protect our country, and halts our country’s growth by opposing efforts to acquire oil. These are stances more often taken by liberals, not a possible moderate who can actually unite our country.
The idea of a “Uniter” in our country is a very enticing idea. To many Americans, Obama sounds like a great idea. People believe that everything would be alright if Obama goes and chats with our enemies. People believe that Obama will hold hands with Mahmud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, and help him denounce his comments about wiping Israel off the face of the earth. Along with that, maybe Obama will send another Michael Jordan signed basketball to Kim Jong Il in North Korea like the Clinton administration did. By electing Barack Obama, world peace will be obtainable. Despite the sarcasm, those sentences were hard for me to write.
The problem with the American people and media is that they are viewing Barack Obama as a piece of clay. Basically, they are able to mold him into whatever they want him to be. Despite his young age, Barack Obama has a very scary voting record and his relationship with Jeremiah Wright is alarming. When he is faced up against McCain, his true policy will have to surface and the Country will realize his agenda. Barack Obama will undoubtedly be the biggest divider in this Nation’s history. With the help of many moderates, the Republicans can overcome this scary threat and defeat the divider, Barack Obama.