Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Meet The Obamas


As the Obama juggernaut continues to press on, I thought it would be useful to continue our look at the Democrat frontrunner and the would-be first lady, Michelle Obama, as both are making headlines. First, the candidate and his record.


National Journal, a respected non-partisan political magazine, recently published its 2007 Vote Ratings. The ratings employ computer-assisted analysis to examine and rank congressional votes. And you may be surprised to know who came in as the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate. Hillary Clinton? Nope. Ted Kennedy? No. John Kerry? Wrong.


According to National Journal's rankings, which analyzed 99 key Senate votes, the most liberal senator in 2007 was Barack Obama, who took the liberal position on 65 of the 66 key votes on which he voted.


On Campaign for Working Families' Congressional Scorecard, Obama has cast only one conservative vote out of 48 key votes we have tracked since he joined the Senate in 2005. That would give him a 2% pro-family score with CWF! Hillary is only marginally better, at 5%, with four extra years of service.


The release of National Journal's scorecard was well-timed coming as Obama was comparing himself favorably to President Ronald Reagan, and as some conservatives are even praising Obama for his charm and vision. I suppose these qualities are refreshing when Obama is compared with his primary rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton!


Folks who listen to Obama speak may feel uplifted and inspired, but there is rarely anything substantive in his speeches. Obama often does not go into detail about his political views or public policy record, preferring instead to present abstract visions of unity and hope for the future. If he did go into detail, he would surely put off most Republicans, not to mention many Independents and moderate Democrats. In fact, we may see blue collar Democrats coming back to the GOP this year, as they did in 1980 and 1984.


Polls indicate Barack Obama's chances of winning the Democrat presidential nomination are on the rise, and he may well be that party's nominee this fall. It is therefore high time that voters look beyond the rhetoric and take a good look at the record of the U.S. Senate's most liberal member.


Michelle Obama And America


Michelle Obama, wife of Democrat frontrunner Barack Obama, shocked a lot of people over the weekend when she said this: "For the first time in my adult lifetime I am proud of my country." Wow! That takes my breath away. Mrs. Obama is 44 years old, so for over roughly 24 years of "adulthood," taking her at her word, she has never been proud of our nation. Is there a theme here? You may remember that last year Senator Obama said he refused to wear a flag lapel pin because it represented a "substitute for true patriotism." And what precisely is true patriotism? According to Senator Barack Hussein Obama, it is opposing the war in Iraq.


Apparently nothing America did from 1982 to 2008 caused her heart to swell with pride. Not our successful effort to defeat Soviet communism and liberate millions of people in Eastern Europe? Not our relief efforts around the world, through which we spent billions to help the downtrodden? Not anything?


When she learned with all the rest of us how her fellow citizens on United Flight 93 bravely fought back against jihadist hijackers and prevented another disaster on September 11th, did she not fill up with pride? As Americans of all races and classes rallied together in defense of our nation in the aftermath of September 11th, did her spirit not jump with love for her homeland? Apparently not.


The Obamas are living examples of the American Dream. Both Michelle Obama and her husband have Ivy League degrees. They make a joint income of over one million dollars a year. They live lives that most ordinary Americans can only dream of. Yet, Mrs. Obama, who wants to be first lady, has been unable to find the pride in America that millions of ordinary Americans feel every day.


Sadly, her attitude is not rare among leftwing American elites. We are "educating" millions of Americans to be globalists first and foremost, and we are doing precious little about educating our children to be proud and unashamed Americans.


The Obamas are flying high politically right now, but I don't believe many Americans will want to cast their votes this November for a couple so out of touch with traditional American values.

Paid for by Campaign for Working Families and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Campaign for Working Families
2800 Shirlington Road Suite 930
Arlington, VA 22206
Phone:703-671-8800
Fax: 703-671-8899

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