There’s an old saying that says you can tell a lot about a person by the company that they keep. I don’t know about you, but I think it rings pretty true. I certainly tend to gravitate toward people who share my general beliefs and values. Not 100% of the time mind you, but most of the time. I’m not against hearing and seeing opposing viewpoints. It’s always good to get differing slants on things. However, in the long term and on the really important things in life, you move in the direction of your core values and those who share them. I think it’s a perfectly logical and natural phenomenon.
Having made this observation, it seems perfectly logical to apply this criterion to get a sense for the values and beliefs of the presidential candidates. For the most part, whom has Barack Obama sought out for guidance and associated himself with?
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1. William Ayers – a self-proclaimed domestic terrorist who has absolutely no remorse for the death and injury that he caused. He’s spent numerous times with him on boards and committees and launched his Illinois Senate campaign from his home. This is not something you do with someone you only know casually.
2. Rev. Jeremiah Wright – I think everyone has seen and heard enough of the vile and hateful speeches from this man to see his Black Liberation Theology views. Barack Obama has specifically said that he attended almost 500 sermons in this pastor’s church. I can’t think of anyone who could not possibly know the true feelings and beliefs of someone after listening to them and their speeches over a twenty-year period. The guy married him, he baptized his kids and he said that he was his spiritual mentor. He’s been featured alongside him in church literature and speaks highly of him in his book. To say he didn’t really know this side of him is disingenuous at best.
3. Tony Rezko – A convicted felon and slum landlord. He worked at the law firm that provided him legal counsel and wrote letters on his behalf to secure loans for his slum projects. Also, on the very same day that Obama purchased his Chicago-area home, Rezko bought the lot next door for the full purchase price while Obama got a $300,000 price break. This is not something you do with a “casual” acquaintance.
4. Rashid Khalidi – A PLO sympathizer and Anti-Semite. Obama admits that the two had many interactions and conversations over dinner at the Khalidis’ home. He was in attendance and spoke well of him at a farewell dinner in his honor.
5. Acorn – Again, everyone has seen and heard all the factual reports and felony convictions in dozens of states of various personnel in the organization. Obama was a trainer for these people and provided legal counsel for this organization. His campaign gave one of their subsidiaries hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Don’t people see this pattern at all? Are they so blinded by ideology and a general hatred for Bush that it makes no difference at all? These aren’t isolated associations or one or two youthful lapses in judgment. These are the political associations of an educated man brought up in the seedy arena of Chicago politics. These are calculated moves and clearly demonstrate his extreme political views. Only after he secured his left-wing party’s nomination did he start to try to portray himself as more of a centrist.
Don’t get me wrong. Obama is an intelligent, charismatic and well-spoken individual. However, actions speak louder than words and oratory excellence should not be mistaken as a sign of leadership ability. His demonstrated socialistic agenda, his dishonest responses to many questions concerning his personal associations and his attempt to downplay their significance should give pause to any American voter. Does a person who willingly associates himself with the likes of the above individuals deserve to get your vote? Would you trust that individual to have the moral clarity and judgment to make some of the life-and-death decisions that the President of the United States must deal with? Your vote next Tuesday should be an informed decision based on the facts. Don’t be driven purely by ideology or simply a perceived need for “change”. Change is good, but it must be the right change. I hope and pray the American people will choose wisely.
