Barack Obama - What You See Isn't What You Get - Part 2

This is another post in a series looking at the enigma that is Barack Obama. The first post can be found here.

While Obama has a well crafted media image of an affable guy who made it through tough times with hard work, that may be all it is, an image. The reality may be quite different.

********************

4 -It can be said of anyone that we shall know them by the company they keep. If that's the case then Barack Obama has some explaining to do, because while he talks about being able to bridge the divide that separates us, he has separated himself, at least publicly, from people he calls friends. The closer he's gotten to the White House, the more he'd like people to forget his associations with people like William Ayers, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and Tony Rezko. I have no doubt there are others within the Chicago political machine he's like to forget as well, though they are unlikely to let him do so.

When it comes to Bill Ayers, I think it's a stretch to say Obama has been hanging around him to get tips on being an effective domestic terrorist. But when it comes to ideology, they showed an affinity for each other, both working in the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, giving out over $100 million provided to improve education in the Chicago area to groups with radical agendas, questionable political goals, and plans for political indoctrination rather than education of Chicago youth. Records released by the Annenberg Challenge show Obama hasn't exactly been forthcoming about his relationship with Ayers, nor about the results of the millions of dollars in grants handed out by Obama and Ayers during their tenure at CAC. Education saw very little improvement, but many of the groups receiving CAC funds were in much better financial shape and better able to spread their ideology, even if it wasn't in the schools. Over $100 million gone with little to show for it. So ended Obama's only executive experience

5 – Just about every other candidate that's run for President of the United States in the modern era has been willing to open their lives to the voting public, letting the voters know their history beyond what we see or know of their life, letting us see what they were like before getting involved in politics. While it's not reasonable to expect every minute detail to be made public, it isn't unreasonable to let the public see more than just a bare bones resume. But it appears to be unreasonable to Barack Obama.

Yes, we all know he was brought up by a single mother and by his maternal grandparents. We know his father abandoned them. We know his mom woke him up at 4:30 in the morning to go over his lessons. That shows he didn't have an easy life growing up. But is also anecdotal, not really giving the electorate a feel for who he is.

As Kyle-Anne Shiver wrote in her post linked above, “When a man of so little verifiable background and experience presents himself as a candidate for what is unarguably the most powerful political position in the entire world, every scrap of detail regarding his life, beliefs, associations, and accomplishments is of extreme importance.” Like her, there are a number of unknowns that make me feel uncomfortable about the Man Who Would Be President.

[The details] are all we have, especially in light of Barack Obama’s refusal to release and make public the following:

A certified, authenticated birth certificate

College transcripts from Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard

Senior thesis written at Columbia

Writings from Harvard

Full medical records

In light of these gaping holes in his resume — holes that could be easily filled in by Barack Obama, but have not been — it becomes the duty of every voter to examine the peripheral areas of Obama’s life with utmost care, giving special attention to patterns of association that point to matters of judgment, character, and true intent.

Obama remains an enigma, and an enigma is the last thing we need sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office.

6 – What is known of his history, particularly when it comes to his political activities within the Chicago political machine, shows a shrewd politician using every means at his disposal to ensure his own position, even when it meant destroying his opponents by leaking sealed divorce records or using the courts to remove political rivals from the ballots. Never mind using the court of public opinion by open debate and straightforward campaigning to win an election. Not that other politicians haven't done the same thing, but Obama is good at it and has had no problem using tactics like these against former mentors and supporters in order to get what he wants.

What does it mean? How about “Don't turn your back on him. All it does is give him a better target.” He's shown no apparent remorse over stepping on people who helped him get elected. If history repeats itself, he'll do the same thing should he attain the White House.

********************

Part 3 will be posted either Wednesday or Thursday.