RSS Feed
Readers' Comments on Senator Obama
Sen. Barack Obama’s popularity among the professorial set, as some of my readers observed, might be a source of grave concern to his handlers (see the commentator MARY CUNNINGHAM). Scholars, undoubtedly, have many sterling virtues. But representing the will of the American people is not one of them. George McGovern and Michael Dukakis, it must be noted, were also highly esteemed on campus. The Obama people, I bet, probably understand this. Since he is not running for president of UC Berkeley, they will probably not saturate news cycles with too many images of him working rope lines on the quads of America.
I also suggested that secularists may be somewhat surprised, if not dismayed, by the degree to which Obama is willing (in his rhetoric anyhow) to distance himself from classic Democratic positions on church/state separation. A few secular commentators noted that they are not overly concerned about this possibility. The senator’s expertise in constitutional law, they argued, virtually guarantees that he will never do anything to compromise the impregnability of The Wall (see the remarks of TJFRMLA and NORRIE HOYT). Their argument strikes me as plausible.
Many also raised the question of social race, wondering if America was ready to elect a qualified African-American as president (See ENDER versus ARMINIUS and the comments of RICH EVANS, CHRISTOPHER, DARREN and ESPO). I have intentionally avoided this issue, waiting to treat it at greater length in a forthcoming Heidelberg dissertation. For now, it might be helpful to break down the query into various parts. Would an African-American be able to win the Democratic Party’s nomination? The answer, I believe, is yes.
Would the Republican base composed of White Evangelicals vote for him in a national election? I don’t know. And I also don’t know if it is useful to refract the question strictly through the prism of social race. Let me phrase it this way: would White Evangelicals favor the liberal Protestant Obama over the conservative Mormon Romney, or the Catholic Giuliani? Put differently, would Evangelicals sooner vote for their issues than for a co-religionist, albeit one from the Mainline denominations? True, their co-religionist is black, but he is blue as well (On the "issues" aspect of his lack of appeal to Evangelicals see MULOPWEPAUL). So we ought not stampede to the conclusion that all ballots not cast for Barack Obama are indicative of racial bias among White Evangelicals.
By Jacques Berlinerblau |
August 31, 2007; 1:31 PM ET
Share: Email a Friend | 
Technorati
| Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook
Previous: For Obama, Nothing is the Matter with Kansas |
Next: Spiritual Mentors a Must for 2008
Posted by: B. Hank | January 26, 2008 9:35 PM
Report Offensive Comment
CFR / NAU & 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
"The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is the American Branch of a society which originated in England and believes national boundaries should be obliterated and one-world rule established." -Carroll Quigley, member of CFR, mentor to Bill Clinton
"The main purpose of the Council on Foreign Relation is promoting the disarmament of U.S. sovereignty and national independence and submergence into an all powerful, one world government." "...the very substantial research facilities of the CFR are put to work to develop arguments, intellectual and emotional, to support the new policy..." "...and to confound and discredit, intellectually and politically, any opposition." -Admiral Chester Ward, former CFR member and Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy
Who is a CFR / NAU member?
Which Presidential Candidates are for One-World Government?
Republican Fred Thompson
Republican Rudy Giuliani
Republican Mitt Romney
Republican John McCain
Republican Jim Gilmore
Republican Newt Gingrich
Democrat Hilary Clinton
Democrat Barack Obama
Democrat John Edwards
Democrat Joe Biden
Democrat Chris Dodd
Democrat Bill Richardson
Is there any difference between Republican and Democrat when they have the same goal?
Go to www.cfr.org (Council of Foreign Relations Website). Do a search for: Sovereignty and Globalisation. Take a look at CFR President Richard N. Haass' article "Sovereignty and Globalisation. Check the membership and involvement of all the candidates. See For Yourself!
So called free trade deals and world governmental organizations are a threat to our independence as a nation.
We MUST withdraw from any organization and trade deal that infringes upon the Freedom and Independence of the United States of America!
It's not politics as usual. Research and Vote Wisely. Too Much Is At Stake....
Posted by: calumonit | September 22, 2007 3:39 PM
Report Offensive Comment
CFR / NAU & 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
"The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is the American Branch of a society which originated in England and believes national boundaries should be obliterated and one-world rule established." -Carroll Quigley, member of CFR, mentor to Bill Clinton
"The main purpose of the Council on Foreign Relation is promoting the disarmament of U.S. sovereignty and national independence and submergence into an all powerful, one world government." "...the very substantial research facilities of the CFR are put to work to develop arguments, intellectual and emotional, to support the new policy..." "...and to confound and discredit, intellectually and politically, any opposition." -Admiral Chester Ward, former CFR member and Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy
Who is a CFR / NAU member?
Which Presidential Candidates are for One-World Government?
Republican Fred Thompson
Republican Rudy Giuliani
Republican Mitt Romney
Republican John McCain
Republican Jim Gilmore
Republican Newt Gingrich
Democrat Hilary Clinton
Democrat Barack Obama
Democrat John Edwards
Democrat Joe Biden
Democrat Chris Dodd
Democrat Bill Richardson
Is there any difference between Republican and Democrat when they have the same goal?
Go to www.cfr.org (Council of Foreign Relations Website). Do a search for: Sovereignty and Globalisation. Take a look at CFR President Richard N. Haass' article "Sovereignty and Globalisation. Check the membership and involvement of all the candidates. See For Yourself!
So called free trade deals and world governmental organizations are a threat to our independence as a nation.
We MUST withdraw from any organization and trade deal that infringes upon the Freedom and Independence of the United States of America!
It's not politics as usual. Research and Vote Wisely. Too Much Is At Stake....
Posted by: calumonit | September 22, 2007 3:36 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Frankly, I kind of despise Romney, as a former resident of Massachusetts.... But if he gets the Republican nomination he'll at least be doing a little bit of a service in making the Christaians maybe *think* about what they want before following someone waving a Bible.
Where Romney got his cookie-cutter family and plastic face from, that's another matter.
To me, he's just another out-of-stater the Republicans brought in to pander to the corporations and pay off Channel 5 with big money and talking 'family values.'
Darling of the Herald. And if that don't send up flags, nothing will.
Posted by: Paganplace | September 2, 2007 4:37 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Obama would be competitive with Giuliani in the minds of white evangelicals, but not with Romney. Giuliani and Obama both have made frank but respectful disagreements with evangelicals on crucial moral/legal issues a part of their campaign, while Romney is running as a convert to their worldview.
In the end, voting for someone who says he agrees with you, even if you have reason to doubt his sincerity, is easier than voting for someone who thinks you're wrong, but is nice about it.
Posted by: mulopwepaul | September 1, 2007 12:27 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The God vote is due for a small setback. The Bible, "the God vote's" source of truth is a proved hoax.
http://www.hoax-buster.org dwarfs "Swift boat Veterans" and unlike them, it really has truth. Truth - a rag tag orphan anywhere near Washington, DC.
Posted by: BGone | September 1, 2007 11:06 AM
Report Offensive Comment
I am amazed and pleased that Herr Berlinerblau has not only read our posts here, but taken the trouble to comment on them. His cred just went up, in my book anyway.
Posted by: Arminius | September 1, 2007 9:36 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Any Democratic contender is better then the top tier of the Repubs.Romney can not decide what he believes...He was more pro Choice then Ted Kennedy, Now he is more Pro (no) Choice then Bush. Romney has all the worse traits of Bush without the awww chucks folks- good ole boy connection that he was able to con the common folk with.
Republicans are liers...who would vote for any of them? Bush buys a "Ranch" a few months before he runs for president..nothing but a prop. It gives that nice touch when he "cuts brush" Any one with a husband that has really cut brush, hell I have cut brush...and Bush wouldn't know without someone to direct him on what end of a chain saw to use...and that one smear of dirt on a white t shirt does not do it..and that straw hat without one sweat stain???
Liers the bunch of them
.
And Jacob...please dear I am tired of trying to make heads or tales of your posts. I know you can post normal posts..so please say what you want to say in some form of English, ok?
A hermit, They use what they can...it can't be policies, they do not have any. They hate government, they say it does not work, then people put them into office so that they can prove it. And then the people that voted the idiots in are amazed that the country is falling into the tubes. There has been more Republican administrations then Dems..and yet everyone blames the Democrats. We get into office when they need a clean up crew...then the people forget and hire those screw ups again.
Who ever gets the nod in the Democratic primary should put all the other canidates in their cabinet, because each of them are wonderful.Any of them would make at least a competent president...which is more then what we have now.
Keep religion out of politics. Thats what got us in this nightmare.
terra
Posted by: Terra Gazelle | September 1, 2007 12:16 AM
Report Offensive Comment
If their past behaviour in supporting Bush, and Gingrich before, is any guide conservative Evangelicals will vote for whoever can best evoke their fear of The Other (be it racial, sexual or religious in nature) and then offer them relief and security in the form of paternalistic "daddy" state policies.
The Republican candidates understand this, hence their dedication to opposing any kind of rational immigration policy and constant cries of "terror terror terror 9-11 changed everything."
I'll be so glad when America regains her sanity...
Posted by: A Hermit | August 31, 2007 8:01 PM
Report Offensive Comment
I don’t think religion has anything to do with it. Religion and Politics should have never been married. Very Bad Idea. Religion plays a small factor in a Politician or Presidents ability to lead. Unfortunately the current president has set the wrong path for us to follow in misusing Religion for his political gain.
Lets us not forget that Politics and Religion is what Killed Christ.
Posted by: walter poe | August 31, 2007 2:51 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The comments to this entry are closed.
Let us remember that Obama is also half white. So stop playing up the African American stuff.
I also wonder about this. Are Obama and Hillary and the other senators running for President STILL getting payed by we the taxpayers? If so, WHY? Should they not be at work doing what they were elected to do?