June 27, 2008
Revisiting Sen. Obama (Armstrong Williams)
While an Illinois state senator for eight years, Sen. Obama voted “present” 130 times instead of taking a definitive stand on the issue at hand. Sen. Clinton said this earlier in the campaign about his propensity to duck certain issues: “You cannot achieve the kind of changes we want by voting 'present' on controversial issues.” Worse than his “present” votes, however, was his vote in 2001 against a measure that would have expanded the penalties for some gang activity to include the death penalty.
Although he comes off as a clean lawmaker with little lobbyist influence, we still have yet to see the lingering fallout from his ties to Tony Rezko, including a shady housing purchase by Obama and Rezko on adjacent properties. But let’s get back to the votes, where we can clearly see where the senator stands on the issues.
In 2007 he voted against banning partial birth abortions, for expanding research on stem cell lines, against declaring English as the official language of the U.S. government, for the minimum wage hike, against raising the estate tax exemption to $5 million, and for the redeployment of troops out of Iraq by March of 2008. If these aren’t liberal votes, I don’t know what are.
Sen. Barack Obama is a decent and honorable man and has the potential of being a tremendous leader someday. But before you get caught up in his charisma and optimism, make sure you clearly understand where he plans to take the world’s lone superpower.
Experience especially in the area of foreign policy is increasingly important with the instability around the globe. Many rogue nations and world leaders would test the senator early on in his administration, making a determination about his leadership, wisdom and judgment. A comprehensive examination of his quotes, votes, and experience, tells me that this man needs to be more vetted by the media and seriously challenged by Sen. McCain on the issues that matter most to us as countrymen home and abroad.
Visit www.armstrongwilliams.com
Permalink TrackBack
Email This Post
Share this post
What's This 12 Comments
»
The Hill welcomes comment from anyone and will almost always post it whether it is favorable or critical, as long as it is substantive and advances debate.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
When you hang around with terrorists and belong to a black cult masquerading as a church, you're a liberal, and probably anti-American too. Let's listen to the Reverend Wright's sermon of hate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4WMqlfiQKo
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — June 27, 2008 @ 10:32 am
John McCain missed 61.4% of the total Senate votes this year, most by any Senator:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/senate/vote-missers/
The present vote is a common tactic used by both sides in Illinois legislature.
Here is Obama addressing the issue in a debate this year:
Obama: Well, Jon, because in Illinois, "present" usually means "I can support the bill, but it has technical problems that we need to work on before I can approve it"Obama: Well, Jon, because in Illinois, "present" usually means "I can support the bill, but it has technical problems that we need to work on before I can approve it"
McCain 2000 is no McCain 2008, he has zig zagged, flip flopped so many times that even his own base isnt sure about him. The experience he touts amounts to a third Bush term that no one wants. He's voted with Bush 85-90% of the time, a maverick no more.
He has been very good at keeping that famous temper of his under control, but erupt he will.
Comment by Theard — June 27, 2008 @ 11:09 am
Armstrong
I saw you on Cable TV last week literally squirming in your seat when asked if you would vote for Obama… You refused to declare you would not… That is okay, it is none of anyones business anyway. My questions is why didn't you relate the facts and details that you included in todays blog?… You had the opportunity to reach millions of people. The Hill is outstanding informative Blog - I am happy that I discovered it only a month or so ago. But it only reaches few people who browse The Pundit's Blog on The Hill.
Next time you have the opportunity to be on TV, would you please help educate people that have commited their votes to Sen Obama ?
You have the platform to really help this country understand what's at stake.
Sen McCain is the experienced and trusted candidate for the job as President.
Thank you.
.
Comment by JFK-HRC — June 27, 2008 @ 11:38 am
Armstrong;
I listened to you the other day on teh Tom Joyner Morning Show and you sounded conflicted about voting for Obama. Some of the points that you made in your point are, for you, valid but what you didn't say in your post but what you did say on Tom's show was that even though you disagreed with Obama's policies, not voting for him in the general would be hard to do. You said that to not vote for the first black candidate to have a chance at the presidency and have to look back after 20 or so year and ask yourself why you didn't do it would be hard to excuse, especially if his presidency is successful. I know that you are torn but to not vote for Obama, especially after Bush's presidency is something that you and only you will have to consider.
Comment by Mike Coleman — June 27, 2008 @ 11:43 am
Armstrong is like the people who can't believe that a black man can be president. The only difference here is that Armstrong himself is black. he doesn't have to vote for Obama, but to agree with the way the country has been run and to seek a third term of it says far more than he could ever say on any show.
Comment by yvonne — June 27, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
"Sen. Barack Obama is a decent and honorable man", and the supporting evidence for this statement is what?
To me he seems like a ruthless politician, focused on power, with no principles other than dedication to radicalism, and with even that principle negotiable if it interferes with his ambitions. Lying about NAFTA, Wright, Trinity, Selma, and zillions of other things, this is a decent and honorable man?
Comment by Igor R. — June 27, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
Igor;
Show us how he lied and use actual links not your imagination.
Comment by Mike Coleman — June 27, 2008 @ 3:26 pm
You are right, Armstrong, that Obama should communicate to the people where he intends to bring the nation. Just because you don't seem to know, doesn't mean that the information isn't available.
Try http://www.barackobama.com for starters or go to youtube and liten to his speeches.
Also just to respond to Rosencrans attempts to get readers tp listen yet again to Wright's rant, here is a link to Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech given in Philadelphia during the height of the Wright bruhaha.
It's a great speech by a great speaker and so far nearly 4,600,000 people have watched it on Youtube. Let Obama speak for himself; he's really quite capable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU
Comment by smilinjack — June 27, 2008 @ 3:56 pm
Jack;
You are so right. Good post and spot on!
Comment by Mike Coleman — June 27, 2008 @ 4:37 pm
Mike see this:
http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2008/03/obamas-nafta-rhetoric.html
After the last Democratic debate, we showed reports from Canada's CTV alleged that contrary to Obama's assertions at the debate regarding NAFTA where he said "I will make sure we renegotiate. I think we should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced," that a "senior member" of Obama's campaign team has spoken with the Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. to reassure him that Obama's anti-NAFTA rhetoric was not to be taken seriously.
And this:
http://money.cnremove this]n.com/2008/06/18/magazines/fortune/easton_obama.fortune/
In an interview with Fortune to be featured in the magazine’s upcoming issue, the presumptive Democratic nominee backed off his harshest attacks on the free trade agreement and indicated he didn’t want to unilaterally reopen negotiations on NAFTA.
“Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified,” he conceded, after I reminded him that he had called NAFTA “devastating” and “a big mistake,” despite nonpartisan studies concluding that the trade zone has had a mild, positive effect on the U.S. economy.
Then this:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/03/19/2008-03-19_obama_speaks_out_against_hate_but_doesnt.html
But even with the reverend's remarks threatening his candidacy, Obama refused to disavow Wright himself, a friend of 20 years who brought Obama to religion, performed his wedding ceremony and baptized his kids.
"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community," Obama said as he stood before eight American flags, not far from where the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
and this:
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/29/transcript-obama-press-conference-on-jeremiah-wright/
"Yesterday we saw a very different vision of America. I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday. I have been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992. I’ve known Reverend Wright for almost 20 years. The person that I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church.
They certainly don’t portray accurately my values and beliefs. And if Reverend Wright thinks that that’s political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn’t know me very well. And based on his remarks yesterday, well, I may not know him as well as I thought either.
Now, I’ve already denounced the comments that had appeared in these previous sermons. As I said, I had not heard them before. And I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia, explaining that he has done enormous good in the church. He has built a wonderful congregation. The people of Trinity are wonderful people, and what attracted me has always been their ministries reach beyond the church walls.
But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS, when he suggests that Minister Farrakhan somehow represents one of the greatest voices of the 20th and 21st centuries, when he equates the United States wartime efforts with terrorism, then there are no excuses.
They offend me. The rightly offend all Americans. And they should be denounced. And that’s what I’m doing very clearly and unequivocally here today."
Note that "U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS" was a well-known comment when he first refused to denounce Wright.
And this on Selma:
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/03/30/wapo-reports-on-obama-selma-kennedy-birth-myth/
Comment by Igor R. — June 27, 2008 @ 4:51 pm
#9 To Smilinjack
In no way would anyone diagree that Sen. Obama sure can write a good speech…
But, you have to admit that it is painful to listen to Obama when delivering an impromptu explanation… Ouch…
McCain comes across much more fluidily because he his comfortable and believes every word. He doesn't care if he steps on someone's toes.. It's like, if you agree then vote for me. If not .. then vote for the other guy. I think when a person is true to himself it is easy to be a bit cavalier sometimes. But, I never see McCain as cocky. No. He is a man of the highest and earned confidence.
Obama's word-processed speeches are tailored for every audience.. We know that from the Primaries.. He backtracks from one state to the next… Ahhh He has a way with words… I could listen to the guy all day long, everyday… then the alarm clock wakes me up out of that dream. I wish I were back in olden times…
If only these were the days of the stone tablet where words were not edited out so conveniently from one speech to the next…. Maybe then we could depend on the words.
Sen . McCain probably did etch his words on a stone tablet in his youth… He is a man of few words, but his words do count. When he speaks - people listen. He luls nobody to sleep, ever!
What counts more than McCain's words are his actions. What he says does not create the scent of flowery words of Sen Obama's. What Sen McCain has to say is not always easy on the ears or pocketbook. He does try to refrain from scaring the American people, while he insists the war should end in the right way. Our soldiers believe the same thing. He has not made any false promises he can't keep, nor has he set up ready excuses for what may come in the future. What McCain doesn't tell us is his own actions, sacrifices, and good deeds when he was a soldier, he holds back all that. His steadfast devotion for this country as a true servant, he doesn't brag about. His mom is in her 90's and most people don't know much more about his family tree or religion… What we know is He had set a sterling example for his family and this country. I only wonder how he communicates with his two sons in Iraq.
My vote is with McCain.
Comment by JFK-HRC — June 27, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
#7 Coleman — Here is an example of an Obama whopper lie.
In his speech at Selma, AL, he said the following:
"This young man named Barack Obama got one of those tickets and came over to this country. He met this woman whose great great-great-great-grandfather had owned slaves; but she had a good idea there was some craziness going on because they looked at each other and they decided that we know that the world as it has been it might not be possible for us to get together and have a child. There was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, Alabama, because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born. So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama. Don't tell me I’m not coming home to Selma, Alabama."
Sounds great, huh? Funny thing is, the Selma march took place in 1964 and Barack Obama was born in 1961. So how could his parents be inspired by the Selma march to conceive him when the march took place 3 years after his birth?
Maybe he is the messiah and this was the Immaculate Conception.
Comment by John Simmons — June 28, 2008 @ 4:06 pm