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If you really listen to Obama's speeches you'll recognize something very familiar. And I'm not referring to specific phrasing that he may or may not have borrowed from other speakers. Rather you need to listen to the cadences of his delivery and, in particular, his themes. When you do you'll begin to discern the real influences on his oratory and his thought.
In the first instance his speaking style, the sing song cadences, reveal a man steeped in the oratory of the Black pulpit and the black political leaders of the civil rights era and, later, the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Julian Bond, Harry Belafonte and even Louis Farrakhan. That's to be expected. These are the mythic figures of the African-American community and one would expect that a young man aspiring to political leadership in his community and beyond would look to such figures to pattern his speaking style upon.
But Obama has picked up more than the speaking style of these sometime polarizing figures. He has also adopted their way of seeing American society. For a Jackson or a Sharpton or a Farrakhan there really are Two Americas (the theme that John Edwards tried but could not successfully sell).
There is the America of the victims and the America of the victimizers. And the victims are powerless unless government comes to their rescue. As evidence of that look at the response of the people of New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina. It wasn't enough that they were victims of a natural disaster. They had to cast about for victimizers to explain their plight and, of course, the ideal victimizers was the Bush administration which was actually accused of blowing up the levies to flood the neighborhoods of New Orleans' poor and, largely, Black citizens. Unfortunately victimization ends up a self-fulfilling prophecy and, in fact, the "victims" of Katrina have been unable to help themselves in any meaningful way. They are still waiting for government to ride to their rescue.
Victimization is Obama's over-riding theme. And although he talks about "The Audacity of Hope" the victim theme is actually pretty grim. Listen carefully as he runs through his catalogue of woes. At the end of it one would be forgiven if he felt beaten down by life. But wait! Obama offers hope. The government will reverse all this misery and make your life meaningful, prosperous and fulfilled. And it will do that by crushing the victimizers and wrest from them their ill-gotten gain and distribute it to the lowly. Life will be beautiful.
Black people have been listening to this message for at least two generations. And they're no better off than before. If anything they are worse off. Now Obama is trying to peddle this wretched message to a broader constituency and many are buying into it. And that's scary.
Obama has been compared to Reagan in his ability to inspire. There is no comparison. Reagan inspired people to believe in themselves. Obama inspires people to believe in government.
If you really listen to Obama's speeches you'll recognize something very familiar. And I'm not referring to specific phrasing that he may or may not have borrowed from other speakers. Rather you need to listen to the cadences of his delivery and, in particular, his themes. When you do you'll begin to discern the real influences on his oratory and his thought.
In the first instance his speaking style, the sing song cadences, reveal a man steeped in the oratory of the Black pulpit and the black political leaders of the civil rights era and, later, the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Julian Bond, Harry Belafonte and even Louis Farrakhan. That's to be expected. These are the mythic figures of the African-American community and one would expect that a young man aspiring to political leadership in his community and beyond would look to such figures to pattern his speaking style upon.
But Obama has picked up more than the speaking style of these sometime polarizing figures. He has also adopted their way of seeing American society. For a Jackson or a Sharpton or a Farrakhan there really are Two Americas (the theme that John Edwards tried but could not successfully sell).
There is the America of the victims and the America of the victimizers. And the victims are powerless unless government comes to their rescue. As evidence of that look at the response of the people of New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina. It wasn't enough that they were victims of a natural disaster. They had to cast about for victimizers to explain their plight and, of course, the ideal victimizers was the Bush administration which was actually accused of blowing up the levies to flood the neighborhoods of New Orleans' poor and, largely, Black citizens. Unfortunately victimization ends up a self-fulfilling prophecy and, in fact, the "victims" of Katrina have been unable to help themselves in any meaningful way. They are still waiting for government to ride to their rescue.
Victimization is Obama's over-riding theme. And although he talks about "The Audacity of Hope" the victim theme is actually pretty grim. Listen carefully as he runs through his catalogue of woes. At the end of it one would be forgiven if he felt beaten down by life. But wait! Obama offers hope. The government will reverse all this misery and make your life meaningful, prosperous and fulfilled. And it will do that by crushing the victimizers and wrest from them their ill-gotten gain and distribute it to the lowly. Life will be beautiful.
Black people have been listening to this message for at least two generations. And they're no better off than before. If anything they are worse off. Now Obama is trying to peddle this wretched message to a broader constituency and many are buying into it. And that's scary.
Obama has been compared to Reagan in his ability to inspire. There is no comparison. Reagan inspired people to believe in themselves. Obama inspires people to believe in government.
He just doesn't have any experience to run the country.
If you really listen to Obama's speeches you'll recognize something very familiar. And I'm not referring to specific phrasing that he may or may not have borrowed from other speakers. Rather you need to listen to the cadences of his delivery and, in particular, his themes. When you do you'll begin to discern the real influences on his oratory and his thought.
In the first instance his speaking style, the sing song cadences, reveal a man steeped in the oratory of the Black pulpit and the black political leaders of the civil rights era and, later, the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Julian Bond, Harry Belafonte and even Louis Farrakhan. That's to be expected. These are the mythic figures of the African-American community and one would expect that a young man aspiring to political leadership in his community and beyond would look to such figures to pattern his speaking style upon.
But Obama has picked up more than the speaking style of these sometime polarizing figures. He has also adopted their way of seeing American society. For a Jackson or a Sharpton or a Farrakhan there really are Two Americas (the theme that John Edwards tried but could not successfully sell).
There is the America of the victims and the America of the victimizers. And the victims are powerless unless government comes to their rescue. As evidence of that look at the response of the people of New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina. It wasn't enough that they were victims of a natural disaster. They had to cast about for victimizers to explain their plight and, of course, the ideal victimizers was the Bush administration which was actually accused of blowing up the levies to flood the neighborhoods of New Orleans' poor and, largely, Black citizens. Unfortunately victimization ends up a self-fulfilling prophecy and, in fact, the "victims" of Katrina have been unable to help themselves in any meaningful way. They are still waiting for government to ride to their rescue.
Victimization is Obama's over-riding theme. And although he talks about "The Audacity of Hope" the victim theme is actually pretty grim. Listen carefully as he runs through his catalogue of woes. At the end of it one would be forgiven if he felt beaten down by life. But wait! Obama offers hope. The government will reverse all this misery and make your life meaningful, prosperous and fulfilled. And it will do that by crushing the victimizers and wrest from them their ill-gotten gain and distribute it to the lowly. Life will be beautiful.
Black people have been listening to this message for at least two generations. And they're no better off than before. If anything they are worse off. Now Obama is trying to peddle this wretched message to a broader constituency and many are buying into it. And that's scary.
Obama has been compared to Reagan in his ability to inspire. There is no comparison. Reagan inspired people to believe in themselves. Obama inspires people to believe in government.
I can't help looking at his big ears either. That's it, he's done.
OMG!!! A black man who sounds like a black man? What nonsense! How dare he! Round up the posse boys, we're gonna have ourselves an old-fashioned lynchin!
Obama's speeches don't portray his supporters as victims. They portray Bush and Republicans as thieves and they are right. The special interests and lobbyists of this country have co-opted the process of creating legislation to benefit their pocketbook (Halliburton, Credit card companies, Oil industry, and the worst one - pharmaceutical companies). His speeches are about bringing the voice of people back to the process of making and enforcing legislation.
It's not a conversation around "victimization", it is a conversation around "representation" and most American's feel they are not being represented in Washington anymore. A pretty easy message to tap into and join up with.
Hillary on the other hand is a tool of corporate lobbyists. She has taken more money from lobbyists than any other candidate running for President. She has co-opted her values for political aspiration and her losing the Democratic nomination is a win for all of us.
Obama's speeches don't portray his supporters as victims. They portray Bush and Republicans as thieves and they are right. The special interests and lobbyists of this country have co-opted the process of creating legislation to benefit their pocketbook (Halliburton, Credit card companies, Oil industry, and the worst one - pharmaceutical companies). His speeches are about bringing the voice of people back to the process of making and enforcing legislation.
It's not a conversation around "victimization", it is a conversation around "representation" and most American's feel they are not being represented in Washington anymore. A pretty easy message to tap into and join up with.
Hillary on the other hand is a tool of corporate lobbyists. She has taken more money from lobbyists than any other candidate running for President. She has co-opted her values for political aspiration and her losing the Democratic nomination is a win for all of us.
I think you just made my point. Victimizers = Bush, Republicans, special interests, lobbyists, Halliburton, credit card companies, oil industry, pharmaceutical companies. Victims = most Americans. I think I am like "most Americans." But I don't feel like a victim or a victimizer. I work to support my family. We have a roof over our heads, food in the cupboard, clothes on our backs, medical insurance. Could things be better? Sure. But do you know what? I remember the stories of my parents' generation who went through the Great Depression and WWII. You want to talk about struggling? Every generation does. And unless you were born to wealth, every person does some time in his or her life. That does not make us victims. It makes us human. Read the Bible, cover to cover, and you'll discover that struggling is part of the human condition. Only utopians, like Marx and company, and perhaps your Mr. Obama, think they have the answer to that aspect of the human condition. Beware the utopians. The 20th century is littered with the corpses of hundreds of millions of people offered on the altar of their delusions.
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