The Real Obama (Sowell on Obama)

Jewish World Review ^ | October 7, 2008 | Thomas Sowell

[jazusamo]

Critics of Senator Barack Obama make a strategic mistake when they talk about his "past associations." That just gives his many defenders in the media an opportunity to counter-attack against "guilt by association."

We all have associations, whether at the office, in our neighborhood or in various recreational activities. Most of us neither know nor care what our associates believe or say about politics.

Associations are very different from alliances. Allies are not just people who happen to be where you are or who happen to be doing the same things you do. You choose allies deliberately for a reason. The kind of allies you choose says something about you.

Jeremiah Wright, Father Michael Pfleger, William Ayers and Antoin Rezko are not just people who happened to be at the same place at the same time as Barack Obama. They are people with whom he chose to ally himself for years, and with some of whom some serious money changed hands.

Some gave political support, and some gave financial support, to Obama's election campaigns, and Obama in turn contributed either his own money or the taxpayers' money to some of them. That is a familiar political alliance— but an alliance is not just an "association" from being at the same place at the same time.

Obama could have allied himself with all sorts of other people. But, time and again, he allied himself with people who openly expressed their hatred of America. No amount of flags on his campaign platforms this election year can change that.

Unfortunately, all that most people know about Barack Obama is his own rhetoric and that of his critics. Moreover, some of his more irresponsible critics have made wild accusations— that he is not an American citizen or that he is a Muslim, for example.

[Wuli]

The moderator of the Palin-Biden debates, an “African-American woman is, we are told writing a book about the “new” African-American politician’s including Obama.

And her effort is not without much media attention about it either. Though, those of us who are not in “the media” must wonder if people like Michael Steele, former Lt. Governor of Maryland or Kenneth Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State and former (2006) Ohio GOP Candidate for Governor will be in her book.

But, while we all so ever anxiously await that book - not - we could wonder (if we were ignorant) where all her media friends are when we have an African-American Presidential candidate and one of America’s most prolific, most intelligent economic commentators has had so much to say about Obama, but the media pretends that he, Thomas Sowell, does not exist.

We must assume that they, and Obama, are deathly scared of Sowell, because he not only demolishes Obama, intellectually, he demolishes the myth that to be a great African-American with a great intellect one must be a liberal.

[jazusamo]

Very well said. It is so obvious that liberal African-Americans ignore Dr. Thomas Sowell it’s pathetic. They know better than to attack or even address him because he’ll tear them apart in debate quite easily on any subject.

[TAdams8591]

"Moreover, some of his more irresponsible critics have made wild accusations— that he is not an American citizen or that he is a Muslim, for example.

All that such false charges do is discredit Obama's critics in general"

The false charges further serve to neutralize legitimate criticism of Obama, from any critic, as Dr. Sowell suggests. I agree with Dr. Sowell's comments and have since the beginning of the campaign. Some people on the right, very much need to heed this lesson.

[TAdams8591]

I was well aware of Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams (as well as other black conservatives) while in college. I used BOTH of their writings as a basis for a class presentation in a Black Relations Sociology course I took while a major in Sociology. Of course none of the students had ever heard of either of them.

While they have achieved some notoriety among conservatives and SOME well educated blacks (who consider them traitors) for the quality of their work and outstanding accomplishments, it is pitifully meager among the black population who largely ignores them as you rightly pointed out, Wuli. They were still pretty young, when I first discovered them. Now, they have lived a life time.

I was wondering just a few days ago, how they must feel that a lifetime's worth of excellent work has been so ignored by the African American population, and how they found the courage, stamina and fortitude to keep going. It is impossible to put into words the tremendous admiration I feel for them. They are heroes in every sense of the word.

No, Wuli, I don't expect Gwen will include Michael Steele, and other black politicians like him in her book. But perhaps there is a black conservative of current or future notoriety who will.

[jazusamo]

It is an absolute shame more African-American people have not come to look up to them and listen to them, they have so much more to offer than the Jackson’s, Sharpton’s and Wright’s.

Like you say, both are to be admired for not only their intelligence but their perseverance.

[Wuli]

What is amazing to me, as a conservative, is how racist liberals actually are and how their only defense against a man like Sowell is that he’s, to them, some kind of “Oreo” (black on the outside, white on the inside).

It also amazes me that we are told by liberals that “blacks” need someone like Obama in order to “have someone to look up to”, yet they don’t want blacks to “look up to Sowell”, and further, you and I look up to Sowell, but we are racist?

Communication today is ruled by doublespeak.

[lentulusgracchus]

Quoting from your linked source (because I think it's worth emphasizing and thinking about):

In an interview with Nicholas Kristof, published in The New York Times, Obama recited the Muslim call to prayer, the Adhan, "with a first-class [Arabic] accent."

The opening lines of the Adhan (Azaan) is the Shahada:

"Allah is Supreme! Allah is Supreme!
Allah is Supreme! Allah is Supreme!
I witness that there is no god but Allah
I witness that there is no god but Allah
I witness that Muhammad is his prophet... "

According to Islamic scholars, reciting the Shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith, makes one a Muslim. This simple yet profound statement expresses a Muslim's complete acceptance of, and total commitment to, the message of Islam.

Obama knows this from his Quranic studies -- and he knows the New York Times will publish this fact and it will be seen throughout the Islamic world.

Regardless of Obama's religion, what message is he sending the world's 1.2 billion Muslims?

(Emphasis added.)

For Obama to recite that particular Moslem prayer to a New York Times reporter in an attributed quote, was a major, major indiscretion if it was inadvertent ..... and something a hell of a lot more serious if it was deliberate.

Your source also notes that the original Nicholas Kristof article has disappeared from the NYT website into Pinchy's "memory hole", but it is fortunately preserved elsewhere.

[patriot08]

Yeah, I read that.
Isn’t ‘The Obama File’ great?
The author could have written a book that would have outdone Corsi. LOL

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

. . . guilt by association . . .

When you talk about those with whom a politician associates, you are talking about the type of person who that politician can be expected to name to important positions of authority.

One thing to send someone to jail because of his associations - and quite another to commit the folly of electing him president of the United States despite his associations. And of course Sowell is right in saying that the "associations" in question go far beyond mere happenstance.

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[Tolik]

Thomas Sowell:

... Despite his words today about "change" and "cleaning up the mess in Washington," Obama was not on the side of reformers who were trying to change the status quo of corrupt, machine politics in Chicago and clean up the mess there. Obama came out in favor of the Daley machine and against reform candidates.

Senator Obama is running on an image that is directly the opposite of what he has been doing for two decades. His escapes from his past have been as remarkable as the great escapes of Houdini.

Why much of the public and the media have been so mesmerized by the words and the image of Obama, and so little interested in learning about the factual reality, was perhaps best explained by an official of the Democratic Party: "People don't come to Obama for what he's done, they come because of what they hope he can be." David Freddoso's book should be read by those people who want to know what the facts are. But neither this book nor anything else is likely to change the minds of Obama's true believers, who have made up their minds and don't want to be confused by the facts.

Nailed It!

This ping list is not author-specific for articles I'd like to share. Some for the perfect moral clarity, some for provocative thoughts; or simply interesting articles I'd hate to miss myself. (I don't have to agree with the author all 100% to feel the need to share an article.) I will try not to abuse the ping list and not to annoy you too much, but on some days there is more of the good stuff that is worthy of attention. You can see the list of articles I pinged to lately  on  my page.
You are welcome in or out, just freepmail me (and note which PING list you are talking about). Besides this one, I keep 2 separate PING lists for my favorite authors Victor Davis Hanson and Orson Scott Card.  

[GOPJ]

Obama was not on the side of reformers who were trying to change the status quo of corrupt, machine politics in Chicago and clean up the mess there. Obama came out in favor of the Daley machine and against reform candidates.

And I suspect he'll be standing with the corrupt money givers in the financial crisis. H-e-l-l-o Acorn.

[neverdem]

Sowell is a racist. /s

[metesky]

bttt