His middle name is Hussein. His experience in foreign policy is virtually nil, and it shows. Some of his policy statements border on the ridiculous. No man manages to say nothing with such aplomb. And yet, for all his evident weaknesses, Obama has become virtually untouchable. The frustration in Hillary Clinton's camp is palpable as she helplessly concedes front-runner status to the Black Adonis from Illinois.
What's going on here? There are a lot of theories about Obama's success, yet two of the main ones seem to have escaped notice. First, Obama is enjoying African American immunity. This idea that if you are a black person you are above criticism is especially strong among liberal Democrats. These are the people, after all, who invented political correctness. From this point of view, if a black man is reasonably articulate his statements have to be treated as Shakespearean genius. If he seems comparatively decent he must be celebrated as a paragon of humanity. The slightest criticism of such an individual is seen as harsh, carping, unfair. Thus when the Clintons quite reasonably disputed Obama's repeated invocations of Martin Luther King, pointing out that it took presidential action to give policy significance to some of King's ideas, the liberal genuflection camp expressed immediate outrage. How dare Hillary state obvious facts when those facts might tarnish Obama's moral and political halo?
By the way this African American immunity won't completely insulate Obama in the general election. If he gets the nomination the level of scrutiny will certainly increase. Even the lapdogs in the media are going to have to start asking some tough questions. And Republicans aren't terrified of criticizing a political figure just because he happens to be black.
A second factor behind Obama's success is this. A majority of Democratic voters, and even some leading figures in the party, seem to have quietly figured out that Republicans were right all along about the Clintons. For years no Democrat could bring himself to admit this. Democrats were in full partisan mode, defending the Clintons, covering up for their shameful deeds, putting on a straight face while mouthing the Clinton lies in public. But all of this seems to have left an unpalatable taste in the Democratic mouth. Secretly, Democrats know that this is a pair of self-serving opportunists who will do anything, even destroy the Democratic party, in order to have power. David Geffen in his early endorsement of Obama blurted out a widely-held sentiment when he said that while lying may come naturally to politicians, the Clintons have taken prevarication and dissembling to a whole new level.
Disgusted with the Clintons, and fearful of bringing this dysfunctional couple back into the Oval Office, Democrats now have an alternative. Backing Obama not only makes Democrats feel cool, it also makes them feel clean.
As a Republican, I confess I'm enjoying Hillary's political frustration. She can't blame this one on the "vast right wing conspiracy."
Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...
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How Obama Got His Halo
Posted Feb 26th 2008 8:38AM by Dinesh D'Souza
Filed under: Elections, Democrats, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
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Reader Comments ( Page 7 of 15)
91. floyd,
are you a hobo? i thought you parked cars in the downtown garage for your wages,please forgive me
brian at 7:49PM on Feb 26th 2008
92. in the tennessean
headline: clinton,obama benefitted donors, both democratic presidential candidates help pass legislation to give tax breaks to corporations who helped their campaigns!!!!!!
oh you have got to be kidding not the democrats who are against corporations. turns out obama has accepted 54,00 from a law firm that wanted to get a tax break for a japenese drug company!!!! . according to goverment records the provision will cost the treasury 800,000 dollars.]
oh my my not a democrat? i thought this was something only evil republicans did!!!! shame shame. go on line to the tennessean and read it yourself. my bubble is burst. i am so hurt by this that a democrat would help corporation s who gave to them . what are we going to do LINDA
brian at 7:59PM on Feb 26th 2008
93. brian, the point is that if you take the dollar amount of tax paid and divide it by GROSS income, not TAXABLE income, the wealthy actually pay a smaller percentage than the people whose income is around the national average. THAT is the problem.
I'm an accountant. I've seen tax returns where people whose gross income is 4 or 5 hundred thousand dollars end up paying maybe 10% of their gross income and on the same work day I've seen tax returns where someone making 60 grand pay 15% of their gross income.
That isn't right.
Personally, I'd like to see the income tax scrapped in favor of a national sales tax. There would be more money for the government since everybody buys stuff, even the unemployed, tax evaders and tourists. It would also be easier to collect if my state's sales tax collection system is any indictor.
FL Chick at 8:10PM on Feb 26th 2008
94. fl chick,
i agree with you i would like to see a national sales tax myself. but there will be those who rail against it because it too will hurt somebody and in the interest of hurting nobody we do nothing. i wish we could abolish the irs.
brian at 8:26PM on Feb 26th 2008
95. fl chick,
my firend the eye doctor makes around 550,000 and he pays around 100,000 in taxes so i do not see how this could be going on. there are not that many loop holes. where are they sheltering the money?
brian at 8:28PM on Feb 26th 2008
96. brian... no, I'm not 'sharing' details of my personal life with you.
I've worked with and been ripped off by people who are incorporated. They imagine that everyone is stupid... buying $10 drinks to impress 'sweet ladies', writing them off (the drinks)...
...'expense accounting' every drop of gas and slice of bread they eat... their home is now their 'office'.. etc. etc.
...yet being as stingy as Ebeneezer Scrooge with their employees.
It is sickening how 'hard' these people will 'work' to stick it to their customers and employees yet NOT pay their fair share of taxes.
not-pboyfloyd at 8:35PM on Feb 26th 2008
97. Dinesh,
Your comments about obama and the democratic party are right on, which is why obama has gotten as far as he has without any media outlet doing a thorough background on him. There is something about him that stinks to high heaven and all the media can do is push him to be the candidate for president. Don't misunderstand, I am no fan of either clinton or mccain. I think the best candidates have already dropped out and we're stuck with the garbage. I am no bleeding heart, but clinton is certainly a better choice than the other two and that's the real crime in this election season, a choice between three lousy candidates. No doubt, obama will be a disaster if he is in fact elected. I think he is more than an empty suit, he is a dangerous because he spouts nothing and people swallow it whole, can anyone say demagogue.
stan at 8:40PM on Feb 26th 2008
98. floyd,
where,as an atheist, do you get this sense of what is fair and not fair? who is right and who is wrong. and what is your idea of fair share? and if its such a slick deal why doesn't everyone do as these"corporate" hooligans do? the irs, makes you show who you taking to dinner, and justify your exspenses. if your ever audited you have to show proof of your outlay. in my line of work i could do that but i do not. i do however, take clients out to dinner and lunch and sometimes breakfast and i should be able to write that off if its a legitamat exspense i think
brian at 8:49PM on Feb 26th 2008
99. Yea, brian of course you imagine that, "i should be able to write that off if its a legitamat exspense i think."
It is hard work eating breakfast, lunch or dinner, isn't it!?
What's the deal with relating everything to belief or non-belief here?
You must have heard the story of the rhesus monkey's sense of fairness... surely that is not attributable to God's morality.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3116678.stm
Quit trying to push your imaginary Super-being on everyone, it is not real you know.
The Bible is full of examples where God is not all-knowing, all-seeing, where HE is supposed to be angry or wrathfull.. you know, ungodly.
not-pboyfloyd at 9:11PM on Feb 26th 2008
100. Whites have to be touchy feely about blacks most of the time. Thats just how it is Maggie.
Michelle at 6:45PM on Feb 26th 2008
Well now Michelle, that all depends on who she is. I don't go TOUCHY FEELY with just anyone white, black, yellow, or brown, they have to first appeal to me.
mac at 9:17PM on Feb 26th 2008
101. I'm certainly no fan of DD's. The point I'm taking from his blog is that Obama is sailing through the process without any real scrutiny. Why is that? You can fill in the blank, be honest when you do. I shout at the TV everytime I hear the word "change." I wish he would give me some details on this "change." I'm pretty sure his "change" is a lot different than middle class Americas idea of "change." I don't care if you are Demo or Repub his "change" will not be for your betterment. I see this "change" as some sort of religious dogma - belief without proof or details. Some rational thinking here please. I feel like I have been voting for the lesser of 2 evils since the 80's. Also lets stop comparing Clinton years with Bush's. Clinton had the benefit of the Tech boom and no fallout. Bush had the Tech bust and 9/11 to deal with. We can argue about his mis-management of the Iraq war all day long, but the bottom line is Clinton had a pretty easy time to manage. All presidents should be so lucky.
Secular American at 9:25PM on Feb 26th 2008
102. floyd,
lots of people use eating time for working time. sometimes it is hard work
brian at 9:28PM on Feb 26th 2008
103. Sure, you'd be happy with a piece of cucumber if I got a grape for the same task too, brian.
not-pboyfloyd at 9:30PM on Feb 26th 2008
104. I said
"Whites have to be touchy feely about blacks most of the time. "
You said to what I said
"Well now Michelle, that all depends on who she is. I don't go TOUCHY FEELY with just anyone "
Now that was not what I meant...
Michelle at 9:49PM on Feb 26th 2008
105. Fl Chick,
I'm not sure what you are saying about gross income and taxable income and percentages. Are you suggesting that a business owner should be taxed at gross revenue before taking into account any operating expense he may have? A W-2 employee has no expenses so his paycheck is pretty much taxed at the gross amount. A business owner has expenses in order to generate income for himself and hopefully his employees. That sounds like a fair deduction to me. Please clarify your calculation of income for the rich and middle class and the added deductions the rich have. If they are both W-2 employees there is not a lot deductions offered to either one all things being equal (same type of investments etc.) Lets not forget about that nasty AMT thing.
Secular American at 9:51PM on Feb 26th 2008