Thursday, July 17, 2008

Tough Week for Obama

I have been somewhat entertained the last week or so by the ills that have befallen Senator Obama. One thinks of the classic line, "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" Not only did Jesse Jackson make a blunder on the Fox network, the New Yorker made a more blatant error.

Let's start with Jesse Jackson. Apparently Jesse doesn't like how Obama talks to black men. This bothers him so much that he wants to "cut his nuts off". Really Jesse? What could he possibly have said to earn that kind of ire? From what I understand, Obama was preaching the same message Bill Cosby has been preaching for years, that men need to be in the home with their kids. This doesn't sound so bad to me. Certainly not bad enough for what Jackson said. I also have come to understand that Jackson's comments were even more crude than the news stories suggested. He reportedly used the same word that he blasts others for using. The one word that we should be beyond by now, if not for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, as well as all the rappers and R&B stars out there. You know the word I am talking about, so I will leave it at that.

While Obama was still (theoretically) reeling from the impact of Jackson's attack, the New Yorker hit him even harder. The New Yorker, a liberal magazine if ever there was one, decided to put a satirical image on its cover. This image, completely in jest, depicted every one of the things conservatives fear Obama for. I am sure many of you have seen the image by now, so I will only mention it briefly. The scene shows Obama in the Oval Office, with a portrait of Osama bin Laden on the wall. There is an American Flag in the fire, and Obama's wife is carrying an assault rifle. Obama himself is dressed in Muslim garb. They really walked into it this time. The New Yorker spread the fear of Obama faster than any conservative could.

Has Obama earned this type of treatment? Probably not. For the most part Obama sounds pretty reasonable. He has shown poor judgement in his friends though. From his former pastor, to Jesse Jackson, to the liberals at the New Yorker, Obama is finding himself treading water.

I have still not decided what I feel about his capability to run this nation. I hope that his choice in friends is not an indication of what will happen if he does in fact become President.


2 comments:

momwithbrownies said...

I do wonder who he would pick as his advisers. His voting record is "present" and his friends...well you stated that glaring snafu pretty well.

I don't like our alternative much either however. I guess I'll wait to see who their running mates are and vote for a vice president this year. *sigh*

Shelly M.
The Mom With Brownies

Reflections Magazine editor said...

Maybe Jackson just feels a little threatened? Maybe Obama's statements create difficulties for him and his Rainbow Coalition? Maybe, just maybe Obama's claims regarding black men create contradictions? Whatever Jackson's reasons for the negative "display," which was supposed to be "private" and off the record, it is evident that that all is not well in "Camelot."

I have studied Obama and listened carefully to his speeches and positions, and I have clearly made up my mind. As the daughter of refugees who fled communism, I will never see the benefits of socialism. I want a leader with a proven record, clear convictions and a back bone to defend this country and provide a "free" and "safe" place for my boys to grow up and live.

A leader is not a "talker"; a leader is a "doer." I see only one leader in the bunch.

Thank you for sharing this piece. I really enjoyed the read.