The Galbraith Effect? (Sowell on Obama)

Jewish World Review ^ | August 12, 2008 | Thomas Sowell

[jazusamo]

Many years ago, when I was a college student, I took a course from John Kenneth Galbraith. On the first day of class, Professor Galbraith gave a brilliant opening lecture, after which the students gave him a standing ovation.

Galbraith kept on giving brilliant opening lectures the whole semester. But, instead of standing ovations, there were now dwindling numbers of students and some of them got up and walked out in the middle of his lectures.

Galbraith never got beyond the glittering generalities that marked his first lecture. After a while, the students got tired of not getting any real substance.

Senator Barack Obama's campaign this year reminds me very much of that course from Professor Galbraith. Many people were ecstatic during the early primaries, as each state's voters heard his glittering generalities for the first time.

The media loved the novelty of a black candidate with a real chance to become president, and his left-wing vision of the world was largely their vision as well. There was a veritable media honeymoon for Obama.

There was outrage in the mainstream media when ABC anchor man Charles Gibson asked Obama a serious question about the economic effects of a capital gains tax. Who interrupts honeymooners to talk economics?

[jazusamo]

Thomas Sowell columns re Obama

…As Well As Several Other Issues
Are Facts Obsolete?
Conservatives for Obama?
Cocky Ignorance
Obama and McCain
Irrelevant Apologies
Success Built on Work Ethic
An Old Newness
A Living Lie
Obama’s Speech
Race and Politics
Non-Judgmental Nonsense

[jazusamo]

*PING*
Thomas Sowell

Recent columns
The Gratingest Years
Bad “News“
Random Thoughts

Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Thomas Sowell ping list…

[paudio]

Sowell should be the first American Black President.

[Free ThinkerNY]

Another great column from Thomas Sowell.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Love his columns. His books are tough to read.

[Panzerlied]

He’s the man I’d vote for!

[Old Sarge]

Isn’t he referred to as “Uncle” Thomas by the Left?

[bannie]

AN ASIDE: Galbraith = one of the kids in the book, Cheaper by the Dozen. His parents were brilliant. I love the book and the original movie. (And Bells on Her Toes)

Too bad he hasn't measured up.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

“The elitist sneers at people who believe in religion and who own guns, the Americans who don't speak foreign languages and the views of the “typical white person,” are all like rays of light that show through the cracks in Obama’s carefully crafted image.”

Beautifully and brilliantly put, Dr. Sowell.

[autumnraine]

Too clever by half, that is definitely Obama.

[autumnraine]

You and me both!

[PGalt]

...little glimpses of the truth keep coming out.

Another great article by Thomas Sowell. Thanks for posting AND linking his other articles on Obama.

[jazusamo]

I’ve heard of the term being used but don’t know how prevalent it is. I know the leftists ignore him, they know that he can think circles around them. :)

[bvw]

Chow mein and Qwerty from the same household! But that was the Gilbreth family, with an ‘i’.

[reasonisfaith]

The package is being opened, and its contents are not pleasing.

[Mike Darancette]

Isn't he referred to as “Uncle” Thomas by the Left?

Yep and that is all they got.

[nathanbedford]

Are you quite sure of this relationship? I think John was a Canadian and the cheaper by the dozens kids were raised in Montclair, NJ.

[jazusamo]

You bet...Dr. Sowell pegged the inadequacy of Obama from the start and wasn’t bashful writing about it.

[GodGunsGuts]

Amen to that!!!

[speekinout]

You must not have read his Basic Economics one. That was really easy, and it sure did show why free markets are the only viable options.

[xJones]

Sowell should be the first American Black President.

I'd volunteer to help a Sowell campaign, and drive voters to polls to vote for him. But instead, I'm stuck having to vote for McCain, who is so inferior.

[Auntie Mame]

I thought Black Rednecks and White Liberals was a superb history book:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rednecks-Liberals-Thomas-Sowell/dp/1594030863/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218509389&sr=8-5

[BipolarBob]

"Sowell should be the first American Black President."

I've said that many times over the years.

[woofie]

excellent

[Onelifetogive]

Sowell should be the first American Black President.

But Sowell is NOT a American Black....he, like me, is an American.

[Ouderkirk]

I thought that “Vision of the Annointed” was an absolute couldn’t put it down, page turner.

[GOP_Raider]

“Basic Economics” is amazing—and a much needed—book. Make sure you don’t get the first edition however, there’s numerous grammatical errors in the 1st ed.

[ikka]

No, you are confusing Gilbreth with Galbraith, the names are similar but the Gilbreths were American and Galbraith grew up in Canada.

[jgilbert63]

“I thought that “Vision of the Annointed” was an absolute couldn’t put it down, page turner.”

Ditto. An excellent read.

[AZLiberty]

Along with Bo Snerdley, he’s certified black enough to criticize Barack Obama.

[kenth]

LOL. Obama reminds me of a fruit basket we received last Christmas. It was the perfect looking basket of fruit, until we opened it. The bananas were bland and tasteless, the oranges were mushy and the grapes moldy underneath. I think that pretty much sums him up.

[Republican Wildcat]

At first I thought this was going to be about someone else.

[Verginius Rufus]

Two of the Gilbreth kids wrote Cheaper by the Dozen and the sequel (covering the period after Frank died) Belles on Their Toes. Much later one of the kids (one of the co-authors, I believe) wrote another book dealing with a later period when he had a family of his own (also funny). Lillian Gilbreth was honored with a US stamp.

[happygrl]

No, that was the Gilbreth family, not Galbraith.

[Tax-chick]

The media loved the novelty of a black candidate with a real chance to become president, and his left-wing vision of the world was largely their vision as well.

That's the key for the media - they love him because he's a radical leftist. His being part African is just gravy.

[alwaysconservative]

I adored “The Quest for Cosmic Justice” (recommended by another FReeper), and thought it was one of the best explanations of the difference between conservatives and liberals I have EVER read.

[IncPen]

ping

[Sunnyflorida]

“Sowell should be the first American Black President.”

I am casting the first vote.

[bannie]

HAHAHA! I blew that!

Thank you for clearing up my thinking! (Well, a LITTLE bit of it, anyway!)

[jazusamo]

I believe you nailed it on the enemedias love for Obama.

[Tax-chick]

Thank you! I’ve been a student of Thomas Sowell for many years, so if I have a good thought, it’s probably something he thought first :-).

[E Rocc]

Aren’t these the people who allegedly believe in a pregnant teenager’s right to privacy?

Aren’t they the ones who called Al Gore Iii’s DUI irrelevant to his dad’s Presidential effort? Oh yeah, we said that too.

[E Rocc]

oops....wrong thread