You are correct except Obama's father is from Kenya, not Nigeria. Two separate sides of the African continent.
Posted on 11/10/2004 4:18:46 AM PST by alloysteel
Here are a few mainstream media rules of thumb: Minority Democrats in public office are inspirational role models. Minority Republicans in public office are embarrassing sellouts.
Minority Democrat politicians are principled. Minority Republican politicians are misguided.
Minority Democrat politicians represent the hopes and dreams of all Americans. Minority Republican politicians are traitors to their "communities." These rules are unwritten, of course, but the minority politician double standard is glaringly obvious in the national media fawning over newly elected U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
After Obama's Democratic National Convention address this summer, the New York Times exulted: "As Quickly as Overnight, a New Democratic Star Is Born." A headline in the Christian Science Monitor echoed: "A Star is Born." USA Today panted: "Rising star brings Democrats to their feet." NBC's Andrea Mitchell enthused: "I think the real breakout tonight is Obama. I mean Teresa is a fascinating story, but Obama is a rock star!" And Newsweek's Howard Fineman proclaimed: "He is the best argument for the American dream that's around in politics."
Obama's personal story is certainly impressive. The biracial Obama is son of a Kenyan immigrant and a rarely mentioned white mother (who raised him after his father ditched the family and returned to Africa when Obama was 2). A civil rights lawyer, Obama skyrocketed in the Democratic ranks from Illinois state senator to U.S. senator in just a few short years. He has been blessed with good looks, good luck, polished speaking skills and prodigious fund-raising abilities. After his historic election victory, he appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," ABC's "This Week," and a slew of cable and local news shows. His autobiography, "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance," was a recent best-seller, and he has now signed with D.C. "superagent" Robert Barnett for future lucrative book deals.
Obama isn't the only example of "the American dream that's around in politics," however. At least two other noteworthy minority politicians won unprecedented election victories last week. But you won't hear Andrea Mitchell or Howard Fineman swooning over their success stories – because these invisible American Dream candidates belong to the wrong party and believe all the wrong things.
Republican Van Tran, a Vietnamese-American, is a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, immigration enforcement, traditional marriage, tax cuts, the war in Iraq and the sanctity of life. He is also a self-described "Reagan kid" and an outspoken anti-communist who escaped his native land when he was 10. He has been targeted for his views and carries a concealed weapon to protect himself. Tran was elected to the California State Assembly and is the first Vietnamese-American to serve in the statehouse.
Republican Bobby Jindal, 33-year-old son of Indian immigrants, was elected to Congress with a whopping 78 percent of the vote in his Louisiana district. A pro-life Catholic, Rhodes Scholar, free-market health policy guru, reform-minded college administrator and Bush adviser, Jindal bounced back from a close gubernatorial loss to become the first Indian-American in Congress since 1956. He raised so much money for his campaign that he showered $25,000 of it on the Republican National Committee, $12,500 on the Louisiana Republican Party, and an estimated $125,000 on 45 Republican candidates around the country.
Tran and Jindal are remarkable rising stars, but as New York Times editorial writer Adam Cohen seemed to suggest in a derisive profile of Jindal, minority conservatives are regarded by the mainstream media elite as "freakish" – no matter how impressive their resumes or resounding their electoral victories or moving their personal stories are.
Doubt that such media bias exists? The next time "objective" journalists gush about Democratic Sen.-elect Obama, drop them a note and ask them to name a single minority Republican public official (besides pro-choice, pro-affirmative action, dovish Colin Powell) that they truly admire.
Don't expect a reply.
Another black American that does not get any press is Kay James who heads the personnel office for all of the U.S. Government. A great LADY!
You are correct except Obama's father is from Kenya, not Nigeria. Two separate sides of the African continent.
Another thing about Barack Obama is that his African heritage may not be merely of black tribal origin, but he may be perhaps part Arabic as well. I am well aware that nobody can choose their ancestry, but it would explain the predisposition to a potential connection with Islam, which was greatly reinforced spending a childhood in Indonesia and in a Muslim household.
We hear little of Barack Obama's mother, who was originally from Kansas, I believe.
The dems already have the black vote sewed up all this guy will do if they ever run him for president is drive away the bigots in their party ( and there are a lot more than in the GOP ranks )
Bingo! Spot on article....
Another case of Democrats fawning over a newly-elected minority pol. Obama is just an empty vessel into which the Democrats can pour their hopes & dreams. Of course, they'll destroy him the first time he takes a stance they don't agree with (like they 'dinged' Harold Ford's career). But hey, why spoil the love-in?!
Does anyone know a good source for Obama's political views? My understanding is that he is very far left, but I've never seen a summation of his political beliefs. I've searched FR but typically find debate transcripts, which I do not consider the best way to get to know the candidate (any candidate).
Ms Malkin is a rising star in the conservative movement.
I have a white Conservative Republican child named Kenya.
More on Barack including interesting Clinton Connections
It seems like I read somewhere before the elections that Obama spent several early years in Muslim schools. I've gone through much material in Google and I can't find any specific reference to his elementary school age education. If this is true, I'm sure the American electorate, at least some part of it, would be strongly influenced by this fact, should he run for President or Vice-President some day.
id Obama actually spend any of his childhood in Indonesia? I believe I read that his mother, after being deserted by Obama's father, married a Muslim Indonesian. But IIRC Obama stayed with his white, Kansan grandparents throughout his childhood (although they moved to Hawaii).
And Obama IS a Muslim name.
I don't think he is at all good looking!!!!
I would love to see him on the 2008 Republican ticket as POTUS or VPOTUS. But anything in the cabinet, or governor is fine with me, too. I see him as our rising star. Or one of them. We have so much talent on OUR side, positive role models, etc.
I mean Michael Steele and NOT Barak!!!
Strange name for an autobiography, since the article said his father had abandoned his mother when he was 2.
He just seems WAY too slick for me.
Well, that's only because you can see!
J.C Watts was largely ignored by the MSM too. Donna Brazille badmouthed him in some heinous way during the 2000 election too.
Rats are the REAL hypocrites and bigots of politics these days.
They treated Condi Rice bad...they ran Justice Thomas through the ringer and now IMHO we're about to see the party of "diversity" treat Al Gonzales like a common criminal in his confirmation hearings. Mark my words.
Yet the way the MSM will report it will be that Chucky Schumer "heroically stood up to the White House's attempt to steamroll Gonzales' appointment through comittee"
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