Part 1 can be found here.
Fredric: Interesting points.
First, I’ll go ahead and relent that your particular political knowledge of ‘what did he vote for, what did he not vote for’, especially in Illinois, is a lot more tight than mine. While I understand the questions around ‘why would he take a neutral ground on an important issue’, I guess my default response is to say ‘what were the circumstances?’
To simply label a vote on an issue as a barometer for one’s moral compass or mindset, I think, is completely unfair. I know, from personal experience, that things tend to be more than they appear. Let’s take the issue you brought up about ‘not voting for the war, but voting to fund the war’. Politics has always been a ‘if you scratch my back, I will scratch yours’. All politicians play the game that if they think a bill or issue that is really popular will go through the voting parties, they’ll try and tack on little bits and pieces here and there to make sure their personal interests are met. What was vexing about the war funding bill is the question of ‘well, I didnt vote for the war, but since we are in it, does that mean that I shouldnt vote for the kids that are over there to have the equipment they need to protect themselves?’ One critic may say, ‘well Barack, you didnt hold true to your principles. If you were so against it, why would you vote to fund it?’ To me, I think him being able to weigh each issues separately and not with the blindfolds of ‘well, Im sticking to my guns and I will vote down anything related to the war’ tells me that he has a better sense of what is going on and has an astute vision on this controversial issue.
These qualities are something that uniquely define leaders. It is very easy for one to be part of the ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ crowd, but to moderate the discussion, to blaze a path to the solution so that parties at least come to the table with something that works AND something that satisfies sometimes takes a neutral mindset every now and then.
Like I said, the specifics of his voting record in Illinois, I mean….I dont have an answer for. I do know that Illinois politics is a rough game, and that was obvious from the stupid-ass crap they were pulling with funding for the CTA this past year! I mean, it would seem a no-brainer to give more funds, but cats were stagnating on the issue because they kept trying to add their little piece into the bill.
As for the whole ‘well, when he gets elected, then all the white hoodies will come out and trap that negro’, I mean….what do you want me to say to that? I’ve always been of the mindset that true virtues trump conniving ways. He is a smart guy and I don’t underestimate that he will take each challenge one step at a time while putting the people around him to make sure he’s ok. Even more so, he has Michelle. A good friend once told me that 95% of success is marrying the right person. It may seem ‘fluffy’ to discount his approach and her thoughts on how they view themselves and the importance of their family, but it speaks volumes about their character. Since no one can predict tomorrow, my gut tells me to support someone who I believe can make the best decision when tomorrow comes.
Let’s put it this way….the CEO of a company is never the smartest person, the most frugal, the most endearing, or the most business savvy. The CEO, especially the successful ones, are the ones who are the most visionary. While it can be said that he may not know the political games as well as <insert 20+ year senator here> or know THE answer to end all debts, poverty, healthcare, war, and faults in education, he does have the capacity to envision a solution with the pieces he will be given.
As for his specific platform, if you need a specific link:
http://www.barackobama.com
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTIO
Tahani: In regards to the Iraq war, the voting against funding would be a blatant show of distrust in the policies and adamantly sticking to your guns. Regardless of which way Barack voted, Bush would get his funding by flexing some executive muscle that most presidents haven’t in many generations of leadership. A lot of citizens didn’t know that regardless of how the senate, etc. votes, the President can veto whatever he wants which Bush has recently. Had Barack REALLY been in disagreement with the war and its policies, he would have used his vote to take a firm stand. He chose not to, and continues to lie to us time and time again.
I love Michelle Obama in that she’s a real black woman like myself. She’s dark and intelligent, and her nationality and smarts aren’t a question in peoples’ minds. I respect and admire their union, but the reality of the situation is that they both need to start planning. There are specifics related to this election that Barack can’t answer in debates or interviews. He falls back on that “I didn’t vote for the war, and Bill’s blemished presidency” excuse too often for me. I can’t stand it because I feel bad just voting on a “hope that he’ll get it together and not mess up”. As more affluent young African-American’s, we are all kinda voting based on feelings and and what we hope will happen. We know better than to take things for its surface value. We are used to research and thinking! We must do more than just feel that being ambitious and speaking like Dr. King is good enough to become President! Why don’t we ask the tough question’s? Why aren’t we more concerned about our credit rating or our futures? Maybe isn’t good enough for me, and I hope (there’s his favorite word again) that once he gets into the oval office, he’ll think and plan like he should be doing now. Hillary is thinking now. Barack might get it together, later… that scares me a lil’ bit.
I’ll check out those sites, but if you had some links of him answereing specific question’s, that would be dope. Anyone can type some ish up on his site, and more often than not, its not Barack, since he’s so busy. I can’t find any interviews, etc. where he answers with more than a cliché slogan, and thats what i’m searching for.
Now, I wouldn’t judge Barack on his voting being directly tied to his moral composition if he didn’t constantly put that out there. “You know my intentions are genuine by my voting record. I urge all the doubters that question my experience to look at my track record.” Well, when I did just that, I saw that a lot of the things he says are lies. I can attach this to his inexperience, but Hillary knows the game. She votes firmly and sticks to what she believes in. You can’t question certain things because her intentions are air tight, which attracts me, but similarly makes me a bit cautious of what’s going on underneath the tight front.
Now, about blazing a neutral path…Vote against mean laws and rewrite it in a way that makes the law more appropriate. Vote for laws that will protect us. Regarding his votes on these laws, he said “I didn’t agree with a legal provision.” Hillary asked him ‘well why didn’t you vote it down and join a committee to rewrite it?’ He replied, “there are many things that go into voting in Il. I can’t waste time explaining every single vote, there is another candidate here. We should include him in this debate also.” COPPED OUT. Then, Edwards asserted the same question and to it Barack replied, “you keep picking out certain things to attack me on and I won’t argue over these small votes in the IL senate.” You can see these complete debates on youtube.com. Just search for Jan 22, 2008 debates. If you’re this pillar of moral blah blah, don’t befriend and protect slum lords, don’t ignore laws that will protect victims, credit reports, etc. Everything I read about Barack is kinda see-through. It’s nothing that I couldn’t say. I want him to have some deep thoughts that I didn’t think of. I also want him to know what he believes enough to say it in a debate and not go back to the whole catchphrase shuck and jive monkey shows he’s too comfortable performing in.
Thoughts readers?
Updated: Part 3.
