Posted on 03/23/2004 7:58:49 AM PST by Mike Bates
Democrat Barack Obama is the odds-on favorite to win Illinois open Senate seat this November. Mr. Obama has said hell pattern himself after the late Senator Paul Simon.
Mr. Simon was regarded very highly by members of both major parties. I have no reason to doubt that the stories of his honesty and personal decency are true. He seemed, unlike the many pols who flip flop all the time, enormously principled and voted his conscience. The problem, from this conservatives perspective, is that the Senator was hopelessly, numbingly, irredeemably liberal.
So is Mr. Obama, who in the primary campaign ran television ads featuring images of the late Senator. He also gained the endorsement of Mr. Simons daughter, who says that Mr. Obama is "cut from the same cloth" as her father.
My guess is the Senator, who died unexpectedly last December, would have endorsed Mr. Obama had he lived a little longer. He remained politically active until the very end. Too bad he wasnt buried in Chicago; he could still be a registered voter.
Youll recall that Mr. Simon endorsed Howard Dean for the presidency only days before he passed away. That endorsement struck me as remarkable insofar as he had been elected to the Senate the same year as John Kerry. They spent a dozen years serving together. Then again, perhaps watching Mr. "I voted for it before I voted against it" at close range for that length of time was the reason Mr. Simon favored an obscure former governor of a tiny state over Kerry, whos beginning to make Mr. Dean look rational.
But I digress. Barack Obama suggests hell be another Paul Simon. Thats profoundly disturbing. He says of Mr. Simon: "For 50 years he was at the forefront of every progressive fight, often giving voice to people who otherwise would not have been heard."
Lets consider the people for whom Paul Simon didnt speak. Taxpayers are one example. In his last six years in the Senate, the highest grade assigned to the Illinoisan by the National Taxpayers Union was a "D."
He rarely spoke for Americans who believe a strong national defense is an essential element to maintain peace. In his last year in office, Senator Simon was given a zero rating by the Center for Security Policy, a nonpartisan organization committed to peace through strength.
Paul Simon didnt talk for the entry-level worker with marginal job skills. His consistent support for increases in the minimum wage inevitably led to greater unemployment among those he misguidedly thought he was helping.
He didnt speak for parents whod like to see God back in public schools through constitutionally protected, student-led prayer. When Mr. Simon had the opportunity, he voted against it.
The Senator didnt speak for the millions of citizens who wanted to see welfare policy overhauled. Clinton had vetoed welfare reform twice, but finally agreed to it. When he signed the legislation, Paul Simon said that Clinton "is marring his legacy by signing this bill. He may gain a few more votes on Nov. 5, but he is hurting historys judgment of his performance."
This wasnt the only time Mr. Simon concerned himself with Clintons legacy. He was one of only three Senators to vote against holding an investigation of the Whitewater affair. Though the Clintons, as usual, protected themselves via amnesia, the investigation led to nine guilty pleas and three jury convictions. Yet the conscience of the Senate, as Mr. Simon was described by no less a moral authority than Teddy Kennedy, didnt even want to look into it. Paul Simon didnt speak for the Americans who did.
Senator Simon didnt speak for the victims of violent crimes and their survivors. He staunchly advocated the abolition of capital punishment.
At the same time, he was a strong supporter of the death penalty for unborn children. Mr. Simon supported using tax dollars for abortions. He opposed judicial nominees he suspected of pro-life leanings. Even the extraordinarily grisly partial birth abortion procedure was acceptable to him. No, Mr. Simon never spoke for unborn babies.
Nor will Barack Obama. Hes much too liberal, just as his hero Paul Simon was. We dont need another politician at the forefront of every "progressive" fight.
As the late Senators daughter declared, Mr. Obama may well be cut from the same cloth as her father. Its simply not a fashion we can afford any more.
Absolutely! Turnout is always important but it is what this election is about at both the state and national levels.
Hatred is driving the left. We need to motivate our side to equal intensity, if not in kind.
I lived in downtown Oakland for nine years. I now live in Santa Cruz County, California, home of the UN Agenda21. You can't tell me anything I don't already know about tough neighborhoods or communists.
Do it anyway, one vote at a time. That's what "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor," really means. Those are the stakes and always have been.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.