Barack Obama

Obama forces founders to roll in their graves.

By Joe ⋅ June 11, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

If there is one thing that I could give credit to Mr. Obama for, it is his ability to latch onto ideas and rhetoric that moves the American people. When I watched an Obama television ad a few months ago, even I, a life long Conservative, was surprised at the message that was present. You may or may not have seen this ad, but here is a paraphrased script of what Obama said.

“I am not running for President of red states, or blue states. I am running for the President of the United States of America.”

This is a good line, it’s unfortunate that Obama’s claims of working together with Republicans to reach solutions are not evident in his time in the Senate. In fact, McCain has many more legislative accomplishments with the other side of the aisle compared to Obama, who I don’t believe sponsored or passed legislation in cooperation with any Republicans in Congress. If Obama is running for President of the United States, he isn’t giving the red states any reason to believe that this is so.

Awhile back, Obama again tapped into seemingly patriotic rhetoric as he gave a speech in Philadelphia.

“It was over 200 years ago that a group of patriots gathered in this city to do something that no one in the world believed they could do,” Obama said. “After years of a government that didn’t listen to them, or speak for them, or represent their hopes and their dreams, a few humble colonists came to Philadelphia to declare their independence from the tyranny of the British throne.”

I don’t find it appropriate for Obama to draw similarities between the governmental problems of 18th century America and 21st century America. Making the accusation that we are living under a government that doesn’t listen to us, speak for us, or represent our “hopes and dreams” is hyperbole at best, insulting at worst.

The Declaration of Independence outlines the tyranny of British rule over American colonists. Among these are lack of representation, consent, trial by jury, taxation, quartering of troops, and many others. The struggles our nation faces at present day cannot be compared in any light to the problems of American colonists under authoritarian British rule, an exception might be our rates of taxation but that’s a discussion for another day.

I know what Obama is trying to do, but his attempt at inciting patriotism into his campaign perhaps spreads the notion that those patriotic Americans in Philadelphia 200 years ago gathered to enact their own government as massive and far reaching as that of King Georges, an idea which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Back then, Americans achieved their hopes and dreams not through government, but through an individual desire to prosper by casting off the chains of government.

Knowing that governments by their nature do not speak for or represent the wishes of its population, those patriotic Americans put in place the framework for a limited government whose main purpose was to guarantee the rights of its citizens.

Obama at the forefront of this election only goes to show you how far we’ve come. And not in a good way.