Quote:
Originally Posted by shinerbock
God forbid we have a POTUS who looks to people holding on to their religion and says "well if we can fix these problems for these people, they can abandon that once and for all."
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This is exactly what is most wrong with Obama's comment. It is the extreme far left position that thinks government should be the ultimate authority in people's lives because big government is the best solution.
On the face of it, I found his remark insulting and condescending- but the greater matter here is that this, along with his recent interview on CNBC where he finally discussed his economic plan, is one more indication that Obama is very far left of where the nation is as a whole, and that his ideas are not all that new.
BigRedBeta- I certainly agree that industrial communities in the Northeast and elsewhere are in a very bad way, and I would imagine there are a lot of bitter people out there. It is not just about job loss either. With consolidation and many companies going out of business, pensions have been lost for many too.
But it is a big stretch to suggest that such bitterness drives people to religion, guns etc.
I think this is very bad news for the general election. Centrism is the order of the day. Bill Clinton was a true centrist and that is one reason he accomplished a lot of important things- including some things that the far left of his own party were not too thrilled about (welfare reform.)
Bush won on the promise he would also be a centrist- and we know how that came out. Early on in his Presidency, Bush actually spoke about the possibility of permitting same-sex unions- but that disappeared quick. He eventually caved in to the party line and a lot of the progressive social agenda he spoke about early on evaporated entirely.
And now, despite the rantings and ravings of the far right of the Republican Party- we have another true centrist as the nominee, John McCain.
I think Hillary is very smart and very flexible. I could see her working both sides to get things done.
I just don't see that with Obama- and I think that is why he has no chance of winning the White House. This comment we are talking about is just one more piece of evidence about the true practical philosophy of someone who has been talking up to now on very high level intangible matters.