The Obama Delusion

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  • Posted By: fino @ 02/20/2008 2:32:53 PM

    Elections are a forum to offer hope and change. The inherent rhetoric does not allow anyone to rationally offer or evaluate substaintial proposals.

  • Posted By: albertgorejr @ 02/20/2008 2:32:48 PM


    Beware Welfare!

    Vote for Clinton.

  • Posted By: zjemi @ 02/20/2008 2:32:42 PM

    I guess Samuelson really is dazzled, because he hasn't paid much attention to what Obama has said. Fortunately many of the rest of us have, which is why we are voting for him and supporting him with small donations. See p. 183 of The Audacity of Hope. His health care plan stresses cutting costs first, which is why Clinton claims wrongly that he is not committed to universal health care.

  • Posted By: cdavis5061 @ 02/20/2008 2:05:04 PM

    During Senator Obama's first 8 eight months of elected service he sponsored over 820 bills.

    He introduced 233 bills regarding healthcare reform,
    125 bills on poverty and public assistance,
    112 bills on crime fighting,
    97 economic bills,
    60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
    21 ethics reform bills,
    15 gun control,
    6 veterans affairs and many others.
    In his first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included:
    (1)the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 that became LAW,
    (2)The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act that became LAW, (3)The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act that passed the Senate,
    (4)The 2007 Government Ethics Bill that became LAW,
    (5)The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill that is in committee just to name a few.

    In all since he entered the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096. An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no legislative record.  Read the facts and not emotion.


    • Posted By: norpoul @ 02/20/2008 2:32:36 PM

      I don't know where you dreamed up those figures but the truth his Obama didn't
      even vote on nearly half the bills that were processed in the Senate. You can call
      in from anywhere and have your name listed as a co-sponsor, it doesn't mean
      that you did anything at all to get successful passage. Obama has been in the
      Senate for three years but has only been in the Senate chamber during business
      hours approximately 10% of the time. This is especially true for the last year while
      he has been campaigning for his next job. By contrast, Hillary has only missed
      28% of the votes taken during the campaign period.Even when he's there, he
      often votes "present" so that he doesn't have to take a stand on critical isssues.
      Can you spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E ?

    • Posted By: dewcooper @ 02/20/2008 2:13:57 PM

      So for about 2000 of his 'ideas', he could only get partisan support for 3? Makes me want to elect him presidnet...

  • Posted By: albertgorejr @ 02/20/2008 2:32:32 PM


    Beware Welfare!

    Vote for Clinton.

  • Posted By: johnlouis @ 02/20/2008 2:32:30 PM

    Well he has a major stand in this election - Not falling into the hands of the washington lobbyists. This is a very brave stand. Could you expect any other person not to take any money from the insiders and run such a huge campaign? People are tired of tried and tested philosophies. Just because you have liived long enough in washington does not mean you have the best judgement and would solve all problems. The thing we need to do is ' TRY'. Not because we want to but beacuse we HAVE to. This is our only option to go back to the days of a glorious America.

  • Posted By: xdkrx @ 02/20/2008 2:32:18 PM

    First you say he has no substance and the you go on to point out a 12 point ecomic (tax) plan. Aren't you just cotradicting yourself? At this point isn't it better to get the majority of the populis behind you before you try to tackle these intractible problems? Could you come up with a perfect answer to EVERY issue facing this country and then dispense your plans in detail in a campaign speech - which would take a speech about 23 hours long? Isn't that what position papers are for? Get a grip.

  • Posted By: microtek @ 02/20/2008 1:55:03 PM

    USA is going down with OBAMA as PRESIDENT

    GOD SAVE AMERICA

    • Posted By: cdavis5061 @ 02/20/2008 2:32:16 PM

      I think God is always trying to help us. he guides the horse to the water, but its up to you to drink and be happy.

  • Posted By: DEM from FLA @ 02/20/2008 2:24:55 PM

    change, change, change, change, change, change, change, change, change,
    Oh my God I am sick of this word. I agree 100% with the article

    • Posted By: whithay @ 02/20/2008 2:32:13 PM

      I am with you. on the other side we have: my friends, my friends, my friends, my friends, my friends, my friends. PS. Change.

  • Posted By: albertgorejr @ 02/20/2008 2:32:09 PM


    Beware Welfare!

    Vote for Clinton.

  • Posted By: equinoxranch @ 02/20/2008 2:26:07 PM

    If Geppetto were barack hussein obama's "father", by now, this Potemkin village of a latter-day Elmer Gantry candidate's nose would be hundreds of miles long given the endless lies he trowels out - paraded as beau mots - unto a fawning myopic following.

    And so v. few ever raise criticism vis-a-vis his lies. And this nation calls itself intelligent.

    Critically look into a candidate's background, the competence factor, the voting record that, whether you agree with it or not, at least exists as per a record. As in, the individual took a stand and made himself or herself known. Not so barack hussein obama.

    • Posted By: proctor410 @ 02/20/2008 2:32:01 PM

      this nation has proven itself unintelligent. see George W. Bush..!

  • Posted By: lberossi @ 02/20/2008 2:32:00 PM

    Obama's rise has been carefully "crafted." It was no secret to his early supports in the late 90's that Barack's goal has always been to run for President. I donated to his Congressional campaign against Bobby Rush based on Barack's potential to be President. I cheered when Barack won the Illinois Senate. But I do not cheer for him now running for President. I find it arrogant for him to assume that after only a few years in DC that he can just come in and "change" the place. I also question what happened in Illinois. What happened to the promises he made to the people there? Was it always all about amassing the credentials to mount a presidential campaign? Who has Barack really helped these past years, but himself?

  • Posted By: shatonka @ 02/20/2008 2:31:59 PM

    I couldn't have said it better than you did, tomorrowsamerica. Aren't all the campaign promises from all the candidates just empty rhetoric until they are in office and can get the support of others (i.e., the congress, the people, etc.) behind them to initiate and actualize those promises? So, if Obama can motivate and mobilize the masses like he has, isn't that a HUGE part of getting things done? Were so many so quick to "poo-poo" JFK in the same way?

  • Posted By: asheh @ 02/20/2008 2:31:44 PM

    Wait so instead of giving he guy a chance we want to stay with the old pony show? How can he screw up worse than GW Bush?? My guess that Samuelson wouldn???t give a college grad a try because a person???s resume says they can do a job but because they have no "real" experience that wouldn???t get it. Obama is fresh and brings a different perspective???frankly that is good enough for me to support him.

    Enough with the Bush???s and Clinton???s this is not an monarchy time for them to move on and for the US to recover its lost glory.

  • Posted By: asheh @ 02/20/2008 2:31:24 PM

    Wait so instead of giving he guy a chance we want to stay with the old pony show? How can he screw up worse than GW Bush?? My guess that Samuelson wouldn???t give a college grad a try because a person???s resume says they can do a job but because they have no "real" experience that wouldn???t get it. Obama is fresh and brings a different perspective???frankly that is good enough for me to support him.

    Enough with the Bush???s and Clinton???s this is not an monarchy time for them to move on and for the US to recover its lost glory.

  • Posted By: CitizenF @ 02/20/2008 2:31:09 PM

    It seems that many in the media are determined to remain confused on what Senetor Obama means by change. The reason so many of these so called ???boiler plate??? policies have been promised for so long, but never enacted is because of the divisive and partisan politics that have dominated Washington for so long. The change that Senator Obama speaks about -- and he is crystal clear to me and millions of other American ??? is not necessarily in our policies, but our politics. He wants to change the way we do business in Washington. He wants to limit the influence of lobbyist and special interest. He wants to empower regular Americans to get things done. Senator Obama has been clear on what he wants to change, but apparently the media is insistent on playing dumb. This article reveal nothing of consequence.

  • Posted By: infogiant @ 02/20/2008 2:30:58 PM

    The problem isn't that his ideas are too similar to anyone elses. The guy is Harvard educated, I'm pretty sure they'll be able to come up with plenty of ideas. The obvious problem is that everyone else is on the take from lobbyists. When your past is full of corruption, you're unable to do anything for anyone but the corporations. Yes, Obama is green, and how refreshing that is in that nobody will be able to bribe him to do what they want except the 900,000 individual Americans (and counting) that have donated to his campaign.

    http://infogiant.wordpress.com

  • Posted By: john1416 @ 02/20/2008 2:30:56 PM

    It's the "known quantities" position I'm no longer able to accept. The old guard has failed.

  • Posted By: stacyshaw @ 02/20/2008 2:30:44 PM

    So Obama is criticized for not providing details of his plans, then when he does he is criticized for those details. The point of Obama's campaign is not just his candidacy and election; it's about a national movement. Within that movement is the political power and political will to tackle these problems. No longer will we have just a wish-list of things we want to change. Instead, we will have in place all of the people and the political will to make those changes.

    To suggest that Obama cannot deliver on his promises is to miss the power of the numbers behind his win after win in this election season.

  • Posted By: infogiant @ 02/20/2008 2:30:40 PM

    The problem isn't that his ideas are too similar to anyone elses. The guy is Harvard educated, I'm pretty sure they'll be able to come up with plenty of ideas. The obvious problem is that everyone else is on the take from lobbyists. When your past is full of corruption, you're unable to do anything for anyone but the corporations. Yes, Obama is green, and how refreshing that is in that nobody will be able to bribe him to do what they want except the 900,000 individual Americans (and counting) that have donated to his campaign.

    http://infogiant.wordpress.com

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