Obama's Gaffes Reveal More Than Mistakes ...

Townhall ^ | May 30, 2008 | Matt Lewis

[2ndDivisionVet]

A new narrative seems to be developing about Barack Obama; that he is smart but also a "gaffe machine." The WSJ's John Fund writes:

"As smart and credentialed as he is, Sen. Obama is often an indifferent speaker without a teleprompter. He has large gaps in his knowledge base, and is just as likely to dig in and embrace a policy misstatement as abandon it. ABC reporter Jake Tapper calls him "a one-man gaffe machine."

Let's be honest, when you talk as much as presidential candidates must, some gaffes are unavoidable. Others occur when a candidate is tired. But Obama's gaffes seem to be the result of a candidate who is in over his head -- who has gotten by on style points -- not the substance.

To me, this is the real story -- that Obama's gaffes actually reveal something more dangerous than a candidate who merely "misspeaks." That his gaffes are the product of someone who is not quite ready for prime time...

Of course, going from the Illinois state senate to being a presidential frontrunner is a lot of ground to cover in just a few years ...

Another interesting thing to consider is whether or not this lack of historical understanding is uniquely due to Obama's inexperience -- or if his lack of knowledge is actually a cultural phenomenon.

While Obama is a child of the 80s, he seems to have a lot in common with today's generation. In his new book, The Dumbest Generation, author Mark Bauerlein says this phenomenon is true of most "Millenials." In short, Bauerlein argues today's young people are great at using the internet to retrieve information, but that they lack knowledge of history. Might Obama's emphasis of style over substance be a result of the era in which he was raised? Is it unique to him? Or is it merely a product of a young man who is still finding himself? These are all interesting to ponder.

Consider the Reagan vs. Obama contrast. When Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980, he had lived through The Great Depression, WWII, Vietnam, The Civil Rights Movement, etc. He had also achieved success in other areas of life. For this reason, he did not need the presidency to give his life purpose. Of course, being compared to Reagan is never a good thing for the person being compared.

Still, it's fair to say that Obama has been playing "over his head" for quite some time. He's like a young football team who starts off winning a lot of games. Deep down, you always suspect it won't last.

It's also interesting to note that Obama has really won few contests in the last several months. To over-extend the football metaphor, he's like a football team who "backs into the playoffs". One wonders if McCain will be facing the Obama of February -- or the Obama who got his clock cleaned in West Virginia.

There is no doubt he has run a surprisingly smart primary campaign. But because he and Hillary agreed on most major policy issues -- he was not forced to defend his political philosophy. That is about to change. McCain will challenge him, and most likely, this will create "forced errors."

At least, Obama appears to be demonstrating that he is, in fact, human.

[lonestar]

Did you know there are 57 states? plus Hawaii and/or Alaska.

[AFA-Michigan]

2ndDivVet,

Trust me, you are as qualified and experienced to be a Lt. Gov., and certainly a vice-mayor, as most of the folks who hold such positions. There’s only one qualification: get one more vote than the other guy.

I’ve worked with state legislators, Congressmen, Senators, governors, lt. govs, mayors and county commissioners for 30 years. Believe me, they include great people as well as slugs. Nothing any more special about their qualifications than any other group of people.

[PhilDragoo]

2nd Division Vet, you are too modest in assessing your qualification to vie for the presidency: you evince patriotism and a love for truth, two qualifications totally alien to the Twelfth Imam from Chicago.

Obama is a stealth black Muslim racebaiting anti-Semitic Marxist. The sum of his platform is nothing less than the destruction of the nation to the benefit of Islamofascism, a Soviet Union Rising, an inexorable Maoist China.

Can I sing the Muslim call to prayer noteperfect verbatim--why, uh, no, but then, I'm not a Muslim like the Twelfth Imam from Chicago.

Obama has, in the infamous 52-second youtube video, announced his intention of unilateral disarmament.

He will enact government controls more sweeping than any seen in 230 years of the Republic--he'll tell us what to eat, what to drive, where to live--

He stands at the lowest pit of hell in his insistence that victims of botched abortions die while nurses stand by--and yet his she-devil wife calls this great nation, this beacon of liberty "downright mean"--she who got the bribe equivalent to the Tyson cattle futures bonanza.

Where besides Farrakhan do we get racism blatant as Obama's mentor of two decades Jeremiah--and do we even consider a candidate whose self-proclaimed mentor damns with the Lord's name the nation of which he claims to be worthy of leading.

Obama is condemned with every breath he utters--

That he commits gaffes merely indicates he is so arrogantly assured of victory and so contemptuous of the people that he doesn't think he has to study.

After all how hard can it be to run a country created by typical white people.

[stan_sipple]

Harvard Law School started an affirmative action program in the mid-1980’s for the Law Review. The School also does not publish student class ranks. I'm skeptical that Obama’s summa or magna cum laude, whatever it was truly reflected a high class rank. In a magazine article from the early 1990’s Obama suggested that he was in the top 25% of his class.

[Scotswife]

well then I guess it’s a good thing McCain isn’t being marketed to the public as the next messiah who is so smart he will fix all of our problems and heal our souls while he’s at it.

[LucyT]

After all how hard can it be to run a country created by typical white people.

How's Zimbabwe these days?

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[Appleby]

That would not surprise me in the least, knowing Uncle Gerry. (His career was Mighty Hunter; along with an Indian [insert PC term of your choice here] partner who could get bear tags more easily than he could, he ran a hunting camp in Red Lake Manitoba once he had retired from the Merchant Marine. Daddy said that the one time he and younger brother Cliff went to that camp, there was a lot more drinking and card playing than there was hunting.

[potlatch]