Guest Author - Linda Sue Grimes
Obama’s 2004 DNC Speech
In Obama’s well-received speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, he intoned: “. . . there is not a liberal America and a conservative America—there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America—there’s the United States of America.”
It seems obvious now that this speech was Obama’s introduction to the 2008 presidential campaign, even if he was the only one at the time who knew it. After all, he had not even been elected to the U. S. Senate at the time. However, he gave a thumbnail sketch of his own autobiography in the speech.
And he ended his rhetorical flourishes this way: “America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion that I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do -- if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as President, and John Edwards will be sworn in as Vice President, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.”
Obviously, the electorate at that time did not “feel the same energy, urgency, and hopefulness” that the potential senator felt for a Kerry/Edwards administration. Most Americans in 2004 said no to the senator’s plea for Kerry/Edwards, even though Illinois said yes to sending the naďve young man to Washington.
Ten Reasons to Say No
William Bennett and Seth Leibsohn have explained why the American electorate must again say no to Barack Obama:
1. Barack Obama’s foreign policy is dangerous, naďve, and betrays a profound misreading of history.
2. Barack Obama’s Iraq policy will hand al-Qaeda a victory and undercut our entire position in the Middle East, while at the same time put a huge source of oil in the hands of terrorists.
3. Barack Obama has sent mixed, confusing, and inconsistent messages on his policy toward Israel.
4. In the primary campaign, Barack Obama consistently campaigned against NAFTA, but has now changed his tune, as he has with other issues.
5. Barack Obama’s judgment about personal and professional affiliations is more than troubling.
6. Obama is simply out of step with how terrorists should be handled; he would turn back the clock on how we fight terrorism, using the failed strategy of the 1990s as opposed to the post-9/11 strategy that has kept us safe.
7. Barack Obama’s economic policies would hurt the economy.
8. Barack Obama opposes drilling on and offshore to reduce gas and oil prices.
9. Barack Obama is to the left of Hillary Clinton and NARAL on the issue of life.
10. Barack Obama is actually to the left of every member of the U.S. Senate.
These reasons have been and will continue to be explored and explicated over the next five months. And, possibly, others will come to light. The three presidential debates will highlight further the inadequacies of this inexperienced candidate.
To read the detailed explanations for each of the ten points, please see the Bennett and Leibsohn article:
10 Concerns About Barack Obama
