Socialism: “A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor.”
Barack Obama keeps saying his economic policies are not socialistic. However, in this 2001 radio interview broadcast on Chicago’s WBEZ public radio station, it sure sounds like a duck, walks like a duck…
As a business owner and employer, I’d have to agree with “Joe the Plumber.”
Watch the video at ABC News.
Joe The Plumber
"If (my daughters) make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."
If you want another clear, reasoned and well-written viewpoint on Barack Obama’s views on life and abortion, and why any thinking person needs to think twice about casting a vote for a potential Obama Presidency, then this article is worth reading.
by Robert George
Oct 14, 2008
Sen. Barack Obama’s views on life issues ranging from abortion to embryonic stem cell research mark him as not merely a pro-choice politician, but rather as the most extreme pro-abortion candidate to have ever run on a major party ticket.
—————————-
Robert P. George is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. He is a member of the President’s Council on Bioethics and previously served on the United States Commission on Civil Rights. He sits on the editorial board of Public Discourse.
Cover: The Faith of Barack Obama
I recently finished reading The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield [Thomas Nelson, publisher].
I agree with Mansfield’s introductory book premise that understanding a man’s religious vision and personal faith will illuminate how he will lead. To Mansfield, Barack’s faith uniquely positions him as a “healer” and prophetic conscience for our nation, on the level of Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, Desmond Tutu, William Wilberforce and others.
The pertinent question, then, is what IS Barack Obama’s faith and religious vision and how will it inform his leadership?
Although Barack professes to have a personal relationship with Jesus (the historical object of Christian faith), this book reveals little about how Barack’s faith is rooted in that relationship. To me the book reveals his faith to be more rooted in traditions, ethics, black liberation theology and an attractive community life that fits with his personal values, rather than in a personal submission to the God-man, Jesus Christ, as revealed to us in Scripture.
As Mansfield observes, Barack’s faith is in a belief that “Christianity is but one religious tree rooted in the common ethical soil of all human experience.” For Barack, “there are many paths to the same place.”
According to Mansfield, Obama “is the product of a new, post-modern generation that picks and chooses its own truth from traditional faith, much as a man customizes his meal at a buffet.”
I also find it enlightening that his religious vision and faith is guided, not by revealed truth, but by doubt. “Doubt is at the heart of Obama’s religion. Indeed, it is not going too far to say that for Obama, doubt is a form of worship.”
Mansfield moves from these quotes and statements to his conclusions in the last chapter. That religion, to Barack Obama, “is transforming, lifelong and real. It is who he is at the core . . . While Americans are used to religious insincerity from their political leaders, Obama seems to be sincere in what he proclaims. It was his faith that gave him the will to serve in public office and the worldview of that faith that shaped his understanding of what he would do once he came to office.”
“Obama’s faith infuses his public policy, so that his faith is not just limited to the personal realms of his life; it also informs his leadership.”
In what way will a faith rooted in doubt and customized at will inform leadership? Every person must wrestle with doubt, but do doubt and uncertainty qualify a person for leadership? What does it say about our times and culture that our most admired individuals are those who cannot affirm what they believe? That not knowing truth is valued above knowing truth? If doubt is a form of worship for Barack Obama then our country’s infatuation with Barack Obama belies an infatuation with doubters and those who readily admit that truth is unknowable.
We would all do well to remember the famous and timely words of C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity:
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a good moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great moral teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
In conclusion, there is much to admire about Barack Obama. He is gifted and able in many areas. I commend him for his many good qualities, and respect the hardships he has overcome, and hope that many will emulate the positive choices he has made in his life. But on the question as to whether or not his faith as presented in this book makes him more attractive to me as a leader and presidential candidate, it does not. Rather, the faith of Barack Obama is deeply concerning to me–for him as a person, and for our country.
Unlike Mr. Mansfield, I do not see Barack Obama as a prophet, ready to heal the wounds of our nation. Rather, he is a brilliant politician, a winsome, sincere and transparent communicator, who is seriously confused about the object of his professed faith.
Even though I disagree with the conclusion of this book, I would recommend it to anyone seriously following the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama and the critically important choice ahead for our nation on November 4th.
Talk about rewriting history… this video speaks for itself.
Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House!
What will she do as speaker in her first 100 hours?
- Boost the minimum wage? The only question is how high, how fast.
- Fiscal discipline? “Remove all doubt. Pay as you go.”
- Research on new embryonic stem cells? Scrap the ban on federal funding.
- Problematic prescription drug coverage for seniors? “We can do something about that.”
- 911 commission recommendations? Approved on Day One.
The list goes on and on of things she’ll get passed by the House and battle to make law.
Now that makes me feel really good and makes it all worthwhile! NOT! 
More Election Fallout
- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigns and is replaced by Robert Gates, former director of the CIA
- Hastert will not seek minority leadership position
John Kerry touched off a huge controversy on October 30th when he told students at Pasadena City College that if they make the most of their educations, “you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq,” he said.
Well, even Democrats like Richard J. Daley and Hillary Clinton started calling for him to apologize!
He posted this statement on JohnKerry.com on Wednesday:
| As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop.I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended.
It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but their failed security policy. I don’t want my verbal slip to be a diversion from the real issues. I will continue to fight for a change of course to provide real security for our country, and a winning strategy for our troops. |
In my book, this is NOT an apology. If I pulled this kind of “apology” with my wife, it would NOT be acceptable, and I’d be in serious trouble!
I also wouldn’t accept this if I were the offended party (and, I am offended!) John Kerry doesn’t really think he did anything wrong, nor does he really care about the people he insulted. He cares that he made a political mistake, got other members of his party mad at him, and is irritated this thing just doesn’t go away. John Kerry hates the Bush administration so much that he is willing to sacrifice our troops and future national security in order to bring down George W. Bush.
If John Kerry has any honor left, he would resign in his disgrace and let others who are less inclined toward hatred of America, represent the people of Massachusetts,
I think this response by a group of American soldiers pretty much puts it all in perspective!
