Character Challenge: Important? yes or no?
|
|
The question of character continues to be broached but no one seems willing to say it matters. I am all for the issues but I do believe character is important as many have pointed out when attacking Hillary Clinton repeatedly for her Bosnia description or because some people question her honesty.
But let's look at both sides and the issue of honesty and good character. Since I posed the Hillaryisms up front, let's take a look at Obama:
Today, Obama's tainted truth was a sub topic of the talk shows. Seems people are beginning to realize that he has been flipflopping unmercifully regarding Resko, now Wright.
A video aired on the McLaughlin Group of Obama talking about how Wright "counseled" him, critiques him and has been a driving force for the last 20 years, is certainly contradictory to what he said last week about him not being a spiritual advisor and that he has never counseled him.
I'd be mad if I was the media who received the cheap shot from Obama last week when he blamed the media for establishing a non-existant, close relationship between himself and Wright..
It also is contradictory or a mistruth that he said he had no idea what the pastor was speaking about for the last 20 years. Huh?
Maybe, since Obama has used Wright's sermon's to write his book and give a speech himself, and has told us that Wright actually is a great American who served in the military and brought him to Jesus Christ, we should believe Wright when he said last week that Obama is simply a politician saying whatever to get elected...
I do believe that if people knew the real Obama back in January, the Democrats would not have this situation on their hands now.
Those of you who are now fuming because you are Obama supporters will tell me, in reverse, about Clinton's character, her lies, her infractions of rules, etc, even though I tried to air those up front.
That's fair game.
But if you are speaking about character, does it not go both ways? Or three ways, if you bring McCain into the mix?
Please tell me:
1. Is Character important or not?
2. Does having good "character" mean being honest?
3. Since all the candidates have "pandered," is it possible to see beyond that and actually ascertain what is pandering and what is dishonesty?
4. Do you believe that you can honestly vet your own candidate and come to a realistic conclusion with warts and all?
But let's look at both sides and the issue of honesty and good character. Since I posed the Hillaryisms up front, let's take a look at Obama:
Today, Obama's tainted truth was a sub topic of the talk shows. Seems people are beginning to realize that he has been flipflopping unmercifully regarding Resko, now Wright.
A video aired on the McLaughlin Group of Obama talking about how Wright "counseled" him, critiques him and has been a driving force for the last 20 years, is certainly contradictory to what he said last week about him not being a spiritual advisor and that he has never counseled him.
I'd be mad if I was the media who received the cheap shot from Obama last week when he blamed the media for establishing a non-existant, close relationship between himself and Wright..
It also is contradictory or a mistruth that he said he had no idea what the pastor was speaking about for the last 20 years. Huh?
Maybe, since Obama has used Wright's sermon's to write his book and give a speech himself, and has told us that Wright actually is a great American who served in the military and brought him to Jesus Christ, we should believe Wright when he said last week that Obama is simply a politician saying whatever to get elected...
I do believe that if people knew the real Obama back in January, the Democrats would not have this situation on their hands now.
Those of you who are now fuming because you are Obama supporters will tell me, in reverse, about Clinton's character, her lies, her infractions of rules, etc, even though I tried to air those up front.
That's fair game.
But if you are speaking about character, does it not go both ways? Or three ways, if you bring McCain into the mix?
Please tell me:
1. Is Character important or not?
2. Does having good "character" mean being honest?
3. Since all the candidates have "pandered," is it possible to see beyond that and actually ascertain what is pandering and what is dishonesty?
4. Do you believe that you can honestly vet your own candidate and come to a realistic conclusion with warts and all?
(I'll be perfectly honest, I am not interested in your sex life, and I hope you aren't interested in mine - this is just to illustrate my point).
I have been very politically active for a long time but have never run for political office. Some people ask me why. They say, "You'd make a great...whatever". I reckon I could never get elected. For one thing, I can't smile that much. When I'm in a bad mood, it shows. Next, I don't like the idea of sucking up to groups I disagree with, and politicians have to do that. But most importantly, there would be some things in my past which would come up which I couldn't explain away. Like the first time I drank tequila, hell - that was 40 years ago, I don't remember what I did! I met Timothy Leary once at a convention in Dallas in the 70s. We went to lunch together with a group of people. Somebody ssomewhere is bound to have a memory of that. I have no idea what I said to him, I was a little starstruck even though I have never actually taken LSD myself. Did I flirt with him? Don't remember, I was quite flirty in those days. Do I have friends who are communists? I'm not sure. I know I had some friends in the 80s who said they were communists. Have I ever acted on an insider tip? Yes, at least once, when a friend in Germany called me and told me to dump my Deutche Telecom shares two days before the stock plummeted. Would I be accused of malfeasance? Definitely. What about my priest? He was defrocked! I was only 14 at the time, but I remember it. Did I ever do anything in college which would embarrass me now? Probably, but I don't remember. Have I ever embellished my resume'? Yes. Have I ever called in a favor? Yes. If I was a politician, would I want the whole world to know? No. I can't remember what I said on Friday, much less what I heard 10 years ago.
I actually feel sorry for politicians, because everything they say, do, hear, write - and everything everybody they have even the vaguest association with says, does, hears or writes is subject to public scrutiny. I find that position to be untenable myself, so if a politician changes their mind about what was said or heard or done about a certain situation, I cut them some slack. They probably don't remember the exact words or circumstances, but are afraid to tell what they do vaguely remember because if they get a single word or date or anything wrong, the media will jump all over it.
Can anyone answer my four questions????
I can only make assumptions. I assume that Obama was introduced to the church community by Wright. He was a guy who had never lived in Illinois who worked for an NGO in NYC, who went to Chicago, probably hearing about the disaffection and poverty of the South Side (anybody who knows anything about Chicago knows that the South Side was a no-go area for much of modern history). He was a young idealist who wanted to make a positive difference. Wright accepted him as a do-gooder and invited him to join his church and offered spiritual counsel.
But Obama was naive. He thought that Reverend Wright's rantings were no big deal. They were confined to the privacy of his church, and really have no place in a national political dialogue. Obama was naive. He believed Americans were mature enough to judge him on his own words and actions and not the words of his friends and acquaintances.
Obama underestimated the capacity of Americans - and the media which feeds them the slime (per the late, great Frank Zappa) to try to bring Obama down, not for anything he said or did, but for what someone else said and did.
Obama was naive. He thought that if some wacko group that you have nothing to do with endorses you, the American people are not stupid enough to try to link you to them. He underestimated the lengths (or should I say "depths") that one's political enemies will go to to win. In some cases, they will sell their souls and ruthlessly destroy you without so much as the slightest twinge of conscience. The media, political enemies - those in power - they don't care if you die, in fact they are quite happy if you do die (see Iraq War: Dr David Kelley).
Tony Rezko, Marc Rich - so bloody what??
Who am I - who are you - to judge Obama or Clinton? These are fine people. They have close associations with some unsavory people. Hon, when you are in national politics, you CAN'T HELP but have close associations with unsavory people!
Give them a break.
The only lie I am pretty certain about is when Hillary Clinton said she thought these "games" were "fun". After all she went through with the smears and innuendo against her, I cannot believe that is the least bit "fun". More like a dreaded chore!
This country prospered like never before ....
But like was said Bill Clinton was pres not Hillary and if any of these Obamamaniacs would just pause long enough to listen, really listen to Hillary speak they would learn really learn how much she cares and is determined to get this country turned around....