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Kumbaya Falls Flat In Berlin
Scripps Howard News Service ^ | July 25, 2008 | Star Parker

Posted on 07/25/2008 6:28:32 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY

The headline on the website of German magazine Der Spiegel about Barack Obama's speech in Berlin: "Huge Crowds Left with Mixed Feelings."

Two hundred thousand turned out for the speech, but CNN's Candy Crowley reported an "absence of euphoria" at the event.

As Senator Obama went global with "Yes, we can" and "Change we can believe in" he left at least some of the horde in Berlin scratching their heads. Perhaps these Germans, out to hear what all the excitement was about, were looking for leadership and substance rather than kumbaya.

What they got was the global version of "There is not a White America and a Black America and Latino America and Asian American America -- there is the United States of America."

Obama spoke not just as a "proud citizen of the United States but a fellow citizen of the world."

His message: "The walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down."

At least some of the Germans listening to Obama surely sensed there was something problematic with what he was saying. His analogy of the tearing down of the Berlin wall to tearing down all lines of distinction between nations and religions was obviously fractured. The Berlin wall was a political wall that divided one people. It separated Germans from other Germans, a far cry from distinctions between nations and religions that Obama apparently wants to obliterate.

The German, French and British each have a strong sense of national history and identity.

Efforts for a European Union constitution that would establish links in Europe going beyond economics and extending to politics have thus far failed.

(Excerpt) Read more at shns.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Germany; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: backfire; foreignpolicy; obama; obamasbigadventure; obamavisit; starparker; victorycolumn
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1 posted on 07/25/2008 6:28:32 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Maybe some of those in the audience actually can tell a real person from a straw man. I hope so.


2 posted on 07/25/2008 6:30:59 PM PDT by Shady (The Fairness Doctrine is ANYTHING but fair!!!!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Two hundred thousand turned out for the speech,to watch a free concert...

There, fixed it.
3 posted on 07/25/2008 6:31:36 PM PDT by DocRock (All they that TAKE the sword shall perish with the sword. Matthew 26:52 Gun grabbers beware.)
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To: DocRock

Yep, they had rock bands, beer and bratwurst to attract the crowd … most stayed for the Obama freak show, as an afterthought. ;-)


4 posted on 07/25/2008 6:35:50 PM PDT by doc1019 (I was taught to respect my elders, but it's getting harder to find one.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The German, French and British each have a strong sense of national history and identity.

I think Barrie overplayed his hand. As much as we bitch about the Euros, they're not stupid. They recognize shallow minutia as much as we do.

5 posted on 07/25/2008 6:35:50 PM PDT by LiberConservative ("Typical" white guy)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

“Two hundred thousand turned out for the speech...”

The Germans are in steep decline from their admirable industrious, innovative and creative past, but they haven’t yet reach the point of abject stupidity under socialism.

200,000? Maybe

Whatever the number, only a handful of zealots would have come principally for the junior high school composition class speech.

Free concert, food and St. Pauli Girl....


6 posted on 07/25/2008 6:37:02 PM PDT by EyeGuy
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Only the university students/Socialists were enraptured with Barry Hussein.
Older Germans well remember mass rallies by a splendid orator...


7 posted on 07/25/2008 6:39:31 PM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: LiberConservative

I think they also recognize similarities to Germany circa 1933 in Obama’s speeches, mannerisms, supporter’s actions and words, and eager to propagandize, gushing media allies.

They’ve seen the Obama’s movies before, be it 1933 Germany or Soviet ruled East Germany. I do not think many there with a brain and true sense of history want to see the third in the series.


8 posted on 07/25/2008 6:41:06 PM PDT by M1Tanker (Proven Daily: Modern "progressive" liberalism is just National Socialism without the "twisted cross")
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To: Free ThinkerNY

These now are the walls we must tear down.”
++++++++++++++++++
Playing games with Reagan’s “tear down this wall” speech. I think he truly believes he can walk on water. He’s going to fall and fall hard I think. Obama, be a proud American first, work on American problems first. You’re not running for President of the U.N. There will be time later to trash the U.N. and then try to fix the world’s problems. You are going to trash the U.N. aren’t you? How else will you be able to tackle the problems of the world?


9 posted on 07/25/2008 6:42:16 PM PDT by Joan Kerrey
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Obama really frightens me——an empty suit running for president.

I hope American voters can see through his nonsense.


10 posted on 07/25/2008 6:42:37 PM PDT by Mears
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The headline on the website of German magazine Der Spiegel about Barack Obama's speech in Berlin: "Huge Crowds Left with Mixed Feelings."

It doesn't matter any more now than it did "then."

Propaganda rightly has its critics, but that doesn't stop it. What matters is that compelling images were captured to fuel the momentum and emotions were tweaked to fuel the momentum.

The world feels a bit different after that crowd left. And I have my own "mixed feelings." But they don't matter, either, because the momentum is being built.

11 posted on 07/25/2008 6:44:21 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (reviewing my list of worse case scenarios.)
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To: DocRock

“Two hundred thousand turned out for the speech,to watch a free concert...”

200,000 on a work day??


12 posted on 07/25/2008 6:44:31 PM PDT by Thinkin
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To: Free ThinkerNY
He does not seem to grasp that the beauty of freedom is its respect for differences and creation of conditions, legal and political, which allow them to exist, flourish, and provide benefits to all. In fact, politicians with agendas to "unify," who think they know who and what everyone should be, are invariably those who threaten freedom.

Germans had a series of harangues by a world-class unifier from 1923-45. This is not how you Americans say their first time at the rodeo.

13 posted on 07/25/2008 6:44:45 PM PDT by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
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To: Thinkin

Lived in Germany for several years … free beer, music and bratwurst … you bet. ;-)


14 posted on 07/25/2008 6:47:41 PM PDT by doc1019 (I was taught to respect my elders, but it's getting harder to find one.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The German, French and British each have a strong sense of national history and identity.

But the leftist elements here revile Americans who believe in having a strong sense of national history and identity. Such sense of identity is called xenophobic, imperialistic, etc. etc. by Obama's friends.

15 posted on 07/25/2008 6:50:21 PM PDT by keepitreal ("I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message. . . until I don't.")
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To: the invisib1e hand

“The world feels a bit different after that crowd left. And I have my own “mixed feelings.” But they don’t matter, either, because the momentum is being built.”

Momentum…? Like lemmings over a cliff ???


16 posted on 07/25/2008 6:59:23 PM PDT by Thinkin
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To: LiberConservative

they are stupid... they allowed for the European Union.


17 posted on 07/25/2008 6:59:33 PM PDT by Porterville (I hasten karmic justice through revenge.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY; keepitreal

Obama spent his formative years in Indonesia, in a Third World non-Christian country. He may not view American culture as special or distinctive. He did not seem all that interested in tearing “walls” down when he took up with Rev. Wright for 20 years. If he really means it, it’s a late conversion.


18 posted on 07/25/2008 7:02:17 PM PDT by HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Kumbaya Falls Flat In Berlin

Falls flat???? They MOCKED him! Listen to the "my father is a kenyan goatherder" routine. They busted a gut. Then they made the camel woman in heat sound, and I thought they were gonna die!

19 posted on 07/25/2008 7:05:51 PM PDT by rawcatslyentist (I will stand with the Muslims ~B Hussein Obomber Verito Possumus~Verified Sleeper!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Hitchens: If Obama’s race speech was so memorable, try quoting one line from it
posted at 3:35 pm on July 25, 2008 by Allahpundit
Send to a Friend | printer-friendly
As immortalized by C-SPAN, here’s the incident I had in mind yesterday in writing about the Berlin speech. Click the image and scroll down to chapter 17 to watch. In fairness to the left, no one except the most embarrassing, slackjawed Obama disciples went as far as to compare the speech to the Gettysburg Address. And of course it’s not the case that Lincoln’s speech was universally recognized as a masterpiece immediately afterwards. But it’s surely true that Barry O aspires to Lincolnesque heights of oratory, in which case I humbly offer two bits of advice. One: When you’re hunting for a killer line, try to aim higher than something Stuart Smalley might plausibly say to himself while staring into a mirror. And two: Try to avoid sentiments you might be forced to retract six weeks later.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/07/25/hitchens-if-obamas-race-speech-was-so-memorable-try-quoting-one-line-from-it/


20 posted on 07/25/2008 7:05:52 PM PDT by enough_idiocy (http://politicallydrunk.blogspot.com/2008/05/in-their-own-words-carter-reagan-and.html)
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