Obama: 'The arguments of liberals are more often grounded in reason and fact'...

examiner.com ^ | Jan. 31, 2007 | Bill Sammon

[Risha]

WASHINGTON - Although he frequently makes a point of finding something charitable to say about his opponents’ arguments, Sen. Barack Obama almost always ends up voting liberal.

“The arguments of liberals are more often grounded in reason and fact,” the Illinois Democrat wrote in “The Audacity of Hope,” a memoir published last year. “Much of what I absorbed from the sixties was filtered through my mother, who to the end of her life would proudly proclaim herself an unreconstructed liberal.”

Obama has a 95 percent liberal rating from Americans for Democratic Reform, a liberal advocacy group that ranks all members of Congress. Yet he is often portrayed as a centrist.

“His record is liberal, and his rhetoric is moderate,” explained Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

For example, Obama goes out of his way to voice approval of at least some aspects of Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

“At times, in arguments with some of my friends on the left, I would find myself in the curious position of defending aspects of Reagan’s worldview,” he wrote in “Audacity.” “When the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, I had to give the old man his due, even if I never gave him my vote.”

But in summing up Reagan, Obama concluded that the former president’s “clarity about communism seemed matched by his blindness regarding other sources of misery in the world.”

By pointing out the merits of both sides of an argument, Obama often sounds statesmanlike, even if he almost never ends up siding with conservatives. This dichotomy can be seen in Obama’s analysis of President Bush’s foreign policy.

“I agree with George W. Bush when in his second inaugural address he proclaimed a universal desire to be free,” Obama wrote. “But there are few examples in history in which the freedom men and women crave is delivered through outside intervention.”

If Obama survives the Democratic primaries and becomes his party’s presidential nominee, his liberal positions will not necessarily hurt him among the centrist voters who cast ballots in the general election, according to Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report.

How you come across is more important than how you vote,” Cook said. “If voters perceive you as moderate, then your voting record isn’t terribly relevant. Perception is more important than reality.”

[ReleaseTheHounds]

“But there are few examples in history in which the freedom men and women crave is delivered through outside intervention.”

How about Nazi extermination camps in Poland? How about the liberation of Paris in WWII? How about South Korea during Korean conflict? How about Panama? Granada? How about blacks in Mississippi in the 1960's? How about the CIVIL WAR?????

How about Reagan's victory in the Cold War and the freeing of tens of millions of citizens in the former satellite countries. From the recent Milton Friedman biography on PBS: Estonia adopted free market capitalism from the Friedman model and has soared to the 11th spot on the list of Economic Freedom only 15 years after breaking from the Soviet noose.

Senator Obama: show me an example of a major liberal policy that has stood the test of time. Social Security is a Ponzi scheme that is facing its inevitable demise and Medicare is on an even faster downward spiral. The War on Poverty was a bankrupt idea from day one and only contributed to the eroding problems of the black family and blight on the inner cities (until GOP-forced welfare reform starting making a difference). Govenment schools were great for a long time but since the rise of the teachers unions, they've been headed for the dumpster -- meanwhile, businesses have shown incredible abilities to improve their products, increase productivity, cut costs, control inflation and satisfy their customers again and again. The liberal solution to government schools is MORE MONEY -- never enable the customers (parents and students) to choose and create competition.

I would love to see Senator Obama watch the Milton Friedman biography (even on PBS, no less!) and allow him to comment on what is wrong with Friedman's philosophy on a point by point basis. That would be an interesting and illuminating 90 minutes.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

other sources of misery in the world.”

Yeah, other sources of misery in the world. I remember the miserable crying as the Berlin Wall was being knocked down. I remember people yearning for the days of 11% unemployment and 20% mortgage rates. I sure millions in Russia yearn for the days of waiting in lines in their food stores hoping the shelves wouldn't be bare -- or placing an order for a car 3 years in advance of delivery.

True, the free market and capitalism doesn't work everywhere but I'm pretty sure it works wherever it has been coupled with true democracy and truly representative government (with protection of property rights, etc.). Maybe Obama doesn't recognize that these things go hand-in-hand. Maybe he needs to go back to school for a few years. He obviously doesn't have a very good education and no sense of history or reality -- an affliction almost all liberals/progressives seem to have.

[Tribune7]

“The arguments of liberals are more often grounded in reason and fact,” the Illinois Democrat.

Let's look at the reason and facts of liberals:

Women are in greatest danger of a beating on Super Bowl Sunday.

Western Civilization is sexist and the only reason we judge dad for having all those wives in Kenya and beating them is because Western Civilization is racist too. Anyway, the beatings weren't as mean because they don't have Super Bowl Sunday in Kenya.

Crime is caused by poverty hence we need counseling and jobs not jails

Global warming is caused by CO2 emissions and is going to destroy the human race

But nuclear power is bad

But hydro-electric power is bad

But windmills are bad if you have to look a them

Sexual harassment in the work place must not be tolerated

Unless you are a Democrat

Then it's only opposed by sexually repressed prudes

Banning guns stops crime and the only reason crime increases after gun bans is because of a lack of social counselors and jobs.

Rich people must be taxed and regulated because it's only fair.

Unless they are in entertainment or gambling or abortion industries. Those rich people need special protection

Raising taxes helps the economy

Unless you are trying to get a politically connected business to come to your town. Those businesses need special tax breaks.

Etc. etc. etc.

[.cnI redruM]

Yeah, other than WW I, WW II, the Cold War, The defeat of Napoleaon, The American Civil War, etc..., I can't think of any examples when people who were oppressed were freed by outside intervention.

[Uncle Miltie]

Laffer Curve Denial Alert!

[popdonnelly]

The Democratic nomination will go to the person least likely to make an idiot of themselves. That seems to rule out Barack as the candidate.

[mlbford2]

This guy is toast.

To win the presidency a Dem candidate has to carry some "fly over" states.

Arrogant comments like this will not help his cause. Also I am not sure the US is ready for a muslim named Osama Obama.

jmo

[rollo tomasi]

Sad to think this guy is guaranteed at least 230-240 Electoral Votes.

[Miss Didi]

How funny...I thought they never uttered the "L" word.

[goldstategop]

I'm afraid they're right. Barack Obama IS a nice guy. I don't have anything against him as a human being. For most people, the fact he is a liberal isn't terribly relevant. But it is relevant to me. I couldn't vote for him because his positions on the issues of concern to me run counter to my worldview.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[LIConFem]

Is he kidding? "Reason" and "fact" are malleable concepts to liberals. In other words, they're whatever libs want them to be.

[Unicorn]

Barack Husseim Obama is a full blown liberal period.

[Unicorn]

Barack Husseim Obama is a full blown liberal period.

[highlander_UW]

“The arguments of liberals are more often grounded in reason and fact,” the Illinois Democrat wrote..

This has got to be a typo. The truth is the arguments of liberals are grounded in irrational emotionalism buttressed by a drug induced haze.

[goldstategop]

Agreed. People just don't pay attention to the substance of his views because he's good-looking and so gracious. Our society values appearance over substance. In Obama, what you see isn't necessarily what you get. That is the point.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[mutley]

"Barack Husseim Obama is a full blown liberal period."

And judging by his comments, he's obviously not able to think and reason. Looney tunes to the max.

[goldstategop]

He's no moderate. Even Joe Lieberman agrees with conservatives every once in awhile. Obama never does.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[MichiganConservative]

How you come across is more important than how you vote,” Cook said. “If voters perceive you as moderate, then your voting record isn’t terribly relevant. Perception is more important than reality.”

Voters really are stupid. Maybe this voting thing is a bad idea. Perhaps we should stop allowing people to vote in general. Maybe it's time for a benevolent philosopher king to set this country right.

As for Obama claiming that liberal arguments are more fact based, I guess that if you consider your emotions such as feelings of guilt, embarrassment, and shame for being successful as "facts", then I guess liberal arguments are based on "facts".

[VeniVidiVici]

Perception is more important than reality.”

Wow! The Democrat motto!

[woofie]

Its true that liberals make more sense if one is totally insane