Why Obama Won

How did Barak Obama win the election to become the next President of the United States?    On the surface, he faced insurmountable obstacles, but he still managed to overcome them and win the election.   His achievement is absolutely remarkable, and he deserves tremendous credit for it.  

Obama faced many major obstacles, any one of which could have killed his chances of becoming President.   He is just a few years removed from being a state senator in Illinois, and he had the most liberal voting record in the United States Senate in 2007.   He has virtually no experience in foreign affairs at a time when the country is engaged in two wars and faces numerous threats from terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and from other countries, including Iraq, Russia, and Venezuela to name a few.   He was a black candidate for President in a country that has never elected a black as President.   He had a history of relationships with some fairly dubious characters, including William Ayers, Rashid Khalidi, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Tony Rezko.    

How did Obama overcome these obstacles and win the election?   My observations are not unique, but here they are for whatever they are worth. 

(1)    Obama ran a nearly flawless campaign.    He ran to the left of Hilary Clinton when he was seeking the Democratic nomination, and he moved to the center after winning the nomination.    His campaign was well organized at the grass roots level.    He understood how to use the internet to raise money and attract supporters, especially young people.   He was extremely disciplined throughout the campaign.    He never allowed himself to be distracted, to lose control, or to make a major fatal mistake.  

(2)   Obama took perhaps his most important step toward winning the Presidency by breaking a promise.    He pledged to accept public financing if his opponent did.    His opponent, John McCain, agreed, and Obama then broke his promise.   The net effect was that Obama had a huge financial advantage over McCain, which enabled him both to fund his well-run organization and to buy considerably more media exposure than McCain.  The Democrats have been the chief proponents of taking money out of politics, but they excelled in doing just the opposite.   In a twist of irony, McCain also has worked hard to reduce the influence of money in politics, but he was defeated at least in part because his opponent had much more money to spend. 

(3)    The media fell in love with Obama, and their bias toward him was shameless.    I am going to deal with the subject of media bias in a subsequent post, but it is undeniable that the media virtually acted as an arm of the Obama campaign.   In recent days, some of the most liberal members of the media have acknowledged that the media coverage was strongly biased in Obama’s favor.    Now that the election is over, some members of the media are even beginning to show some remorse for their behavior. 

(4)    There is a certain amount of luck in everyone’s success.    Obama’s luck came when the economy went into the tank in September.   McCain was leading in the polls before the economic collapse, and he never recovered from it.   Obama’s message of “change” took on new meaning and importance when the economic crisis facing the country became the number one issue in the minds of voters.    The economic crisis shifted the attention of the voters from the dangers in the world to the economic insecurities that all of us are currently facing.   When luck comes your way, you have to be smart enough to know how to take advantage of it, and Obama was. 

(5)    Obama was successful in making the election a referendum on George Bush, who has been a very unpopular and ineffective President.   He repeatedly talked about the “failed” Bush policies of the last eight years.   He was able to tie McCain to Bush and, with the help of the media, to deflect attention from the role that policies supported by the Democrats played in causing the economic collapse. 

(6)    Obama has tremendous personal appeal.    He is young, charismatic, and articulate, and he has outstanding oratory skills.   His demeanor is comforting and reassuring.    Everything he says sounds good, even when there is little substance behind his comments.    To many voters, Obama’s style was more important than the substance of what he had to say.    Obama was able to attract and create excitement among many new young voters because of his style and personal appeal. 

 (7)    The country is extremely tired of the bitter partisanship that has poisoned the political discourse in this country.   Obama promised to end it and to unite the country.  He successfully convinced voters he would govern in a bipartisan manner.  

(8)    Obama was able to use his race as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.   He ran as a candidate for President who happened to be black rather than as a black candidate who was seeking redress for past grievances.    There is no comparison between Obama’s candidacy for President in 2008 and Jesse Jackson’s candidacy for President in 1984 and 1988.   Obama was able to use his race in a subtle but effective way.    Early in his candidacy, he warned that he would be attacked because of his race, and his surrogates were quick to cry racism when Obama’s opponents objected to some of his liberal policies.   There is no doubt that some people voted against Obama because of his race, but I think there were also many people who voted for him because of his race. 

(9)    Obama stole from the Republicans one of their strongest issues—tax cuts.  He promised that 95% of “working families” would get a tax cut under his tax plan.  His claim, of course, was highly misleading for the reasons previously discussed in this blog.   But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that a politician will get a lot of votes if he can convince 95% of the voters that they will receive a tax cut or a government check if he is elected and that someone else will pay for it.  

(10)   Finally, Obama benefitted from a weak and ineffective Republican Party and a weak Republican opponent.   I will have more to say about McCain’s campaign in a few days.  

In conclusion, Obama ran a brilliant and virtually flawless campaign.   His two major campaign themes were “hope” and “change.”   Let’s hope he can run the country as well as he ran his campaign, and let’s hope any doesn’t change the things that have made this country great.  

Give Obama A Chance

To my disappointment—but not to my surprise—Barak Obama will be the next President of the United States.     Although I still have many of the same concerns about Obama that I have previously expressed on this blog, the election is over, and it’s time to turn the page and move on.    Like it or not, Obama is going to be the next President.    Let’s support him and give him a chance to be successful. 

I know and respect many people who supported Obama, including some close relatives.     They are intelligent people, and they—like I—want what is best for this country.    They obviously saw something in Obama and his policies that I did not see.   I hope and pray they were right and I was wrong.   It will not benefit my family or the country at large if subsequent events demonstrate that my concerns were justified.   I have no desire to be able to say, “I told you so.”   Instead, I hope and pray those who supported Obama will be able to say to me, “I told you so.”   At this point, there is nothing I would like better than to come to the conclusion that Obama was the right person at the right time to lead this country. 

I have been accused of being stupid and loony for my opposition to Obama.   Today, I hope I am stupid and loony.   I acknowledge I have been wrong before.   I have voted for victorious candidates who later disappointed me and failed to meet my expectations.   I have also voted against victorious candidates who turned out to be outstanding leaders.   Even though I did not support Obama, I am ready to give him a chance to prove I was wrong again, and I hope he does.   Unless history proves that my concerns about Obama were not justified, then our country will have taken a giant step toward socialism, and future generations will not have the same freedoms and opportunities that I have enjoyed.  

Politicians who are members of the minority party, or the party that does not control the White House, frequently seem to want bad things to happen to the country so they can blame the majority party, or the President, or both, as part of their strategy to regain power.   We have all observed politicians who seem to rejoice at bad news because it will help them politically.    Well, I am not a politician, and I will never hope for bad news.  I want only the best for the country.  

During the campaign, Obama pledged to change the environment in Washington, to end the bitter partisanship that has poisoned the political discourse in this country, and to unite the country.    Let’s give him a chance to do so.  The citizens of this country want and expect our elected officials to work together and to solve the problems facing the country in a bipartisan manner.   This can only happen if both sides are willing to meet each other half way.   This cannot happen if those who opposed Obama treat him with contempt, disrespect, and hatred.   In other words, this cannot happen if Republicans treat Obama the way Democrats have treated George Bush during the last eight years.   I hope the Republicans will not stoop to the same level and instead will make an effort to work with Obama rather than against him.    If Obama is unwilling to govern in a bipartisan manner as he pledged to do, let the blame rest on his shoulders.    Don’t give him the opportunity to say his opponents were unwilling to work with him.    

By expressing hope that conservatives will give Obama a chance and will attempt to work with him, I am not suggesting that they roll over and play dead and agree to whatever Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress want to do.   Debate and dissent are essential in a free country.    The debate and dissent, however, need to be respectful, and opposing positions need to be supported by facts and logic rather than by accusations and insults.   

When you don’t have any power, you have to get along with those who do have the power, you have to justify your positions through persuasive arguments, and you have to be willing to compromise.   It should be noted, however, that compromise is a two-way street.   You cannot compromise with someone who is not willing to compromise with you.   Let’s hope that Obama is willing to listen to thoughtful arguments and proposals from the minority party and to compromise with it, even though he may not need to do so as a result of the strong control the Democrats will have over both Houses of Congress.     

The campaign is over, but the hard work is just beginning.   The country faces serious problems that need to be addressed in a bipartisan manner and with all of our leaders working together to find the best solutions.   Today, I hope Obama is the right person to undertake this enormously difficult task.    We will get an early test of Obama’s commitment to bipartisanship and unity when he begins to name his Cabinet members and key advisers. 

In a way, I feel sorry for Obama.   He has been exalted to such a level that he will face unreasonable expectations from his own supporters.  Consider this question that NBC’s Matt Lauer asked to Obama on the Today show on October 20:   "People have called you 'The Savior,' 'The Messiah,' 'The Messenger of Change.'  ….  If you are … lucky enough to be elected the next President, are you going to have to consciously manage expectations during the first several months of your administration?"    The preface to the question, of course, was absurd, but it demonstrates the problem that Obama now faces because of how he was virtually worshipped by his some of his supporters and most of the news media.  

Obama will not be able to please everyone, even his own supporters.    If he tries, his Presidency will be a failure.    But I hope everyone, especially those who supported him, will lower their expectations and give him a chance to succeed. 

My Top Ten Concerns

The election is almost here, and I am ready for it to be over.   At the same time, I am frightened by the prospect, which appears highly likely, that Barak Obama will be the next President of the United States. 

If you have been reading this blog, you know that I strongly disagree with Obama’s political philosophies and with many of the policies that he is proposing.  Obama has based his campaign on the promise of “hope” and “change”.   If Obama wins the election, you can be assured that he will fulfill his promise of change.   The question is what type of change do you want.   Do you think the changes that Obama is promising will be positive or negative for the future of the country?     

I am listing below the top ten things that concern and even frighten me about the prospect of an Obama presidency. 

(1)    After a long campaign, the real Barak Obama is still a mystery to me.    Is he a far left-wing ideologist who thinks like some of his “friends in the neighborhood,” such as   William Ayers and Rashid Khalidi, who shares the hate-America and racist views of his former pastor and spiritual advisor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and who initially refused to wear an American flag label pen or to hold his hand over his heart during the playing of the National Anthem?    Or is he the calm, deliberate, and reasonable centrist who is presenting himself to the voters as someone who shares traditional American values, who now holds rallies and tapes campaign commercials with an American flag in the background, and who promises to work across party lines in a bipartisan fashion to bring the country together?    Has Obama outgrown the fascination with Marxism that he demonstrated during his childhood and early adult life, or has he simply created a new and false image of himself in order to enable him to attract votes and get elected?   Obama has run a brilliant and carefully scripted campaign.   His oratory skills, demeanor, and personal appeal are so reassuring that it is easy to forget about his background and voting record and to ignore his political philosophies.   Who is the real Barak Obama? 

(2)    The country’s previous experiences with “one-party rule” have not been good.   When the Republicans controlled the Presidency and both Houses of Congress during the early part of this decade, they lost their way and disappointed even their most ardent supporters.    If Obama wins the White House, and if the Democrats gain even more control over Congress, which is predicted, we will have no checks and balances on the power of the Democratic Party.     There are predictions that the Democrats could even gain enough seats in the U.S. Senate to have a filibuster-proof majority, which means they could pass anything they wanted with little opposition or debate.   The Democratic Party has moved sharply to the left and is controlled by liberals.    If you want to change America, you will definitely get what you want when you have Barak Obama as President, Harry Reid as the Senate Majority Leader presiding over an even larger Democratic majority in the Senate, and Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House of Representatives with an even larger Democratic majority in the House than she currently enjoys.   How often do you think Obama will take out his veto pen under these circumstances?   The answer is never.    Who will be there to apply the brakes as the country continues its slide toward socialism?     The answer is no one.     

(3)    I believe Obama’s tax and economic policies, if implemented, will be severely detrimental to the country.   The result will be lower growth, fewer jobs, and less incentive for investors.     Daniel Henninger, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal wrote on October 30, 2008 as follows:   “The real ‘change’ being put to a vote for the American people in 2008 is not simply a break from the economic policies of ‘the past eight years’ but with the American economic philosophy of the past 200 years.  This election is about a long-term change in America’s idea of itself.”   Henninger says the country “is at a philosophical tipping point.”    In his opinion, which I share, the goal of Obama and the Democratic Party “is to move the U.S. in the direction of Western Europe, the so-called German model and its ‘social market economy.’   Under this notion, …… business is allowed to create ‘wealth’ so long as its utility is not primarily to create new jobs or economic growth but to support a deep welfare system.”     

(4)    The next President of the United States, in all likelihood, will have the opportunity to appoint at least two and perhaps more Justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.   The next President will also have the opportunity to fill numerous vacancies—probably 200 or more—in the various federal courts below the Supreme Court.   All of these appointments are for life, which means the next President will be able to influence the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts for decades to come.   Obama has made it clear that he does not believe judges should be restricted in their rulings by the language of the Constitution.    He also has pledged to appoint judges who will be sympathetic rather than objective and unbiased.    I believe Obama’s judicial appointments would result in a large number of new federal judges who would feel free to make the law rather than interpret it.   This would do great harm to our country and to our respect for the rule of law. 

(5)    If Obama becomes the next President, I am deeply concerned that the prediction made by Joe Biden, his running mate, will come true.   Remember it was Biden who said: 

"Mark my words.  It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy.  The world is looking.  We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator President of the United States of America.   Remember I said it standing here, if you don't remember anything else I said.  Watch, we're going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.   I promise you it will occur.  As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's going happen.   I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate."

(6)    During the early stages of the current Presidential campaign, the discussion was dominated by the war in Iraq.    Obama initially attracted widespread attention and support because of his opposition to the war and his pledge to end the war.   He opposed the troop surge, which has clearly been successful and has paved the way for a victory in Iraq.   At this point, it is irrelevant to debate whether the war in Iraq was a major mistake, as many claim.   The question now is whether we want to win the war or to lose it.   The recent success in Iraq has not changed Obama’s determination to withdraw our troops in accordance with an artificial time schedule.   I am concerned that Obama, if elected President, will turn a possible victory in Iraq into a defeat, with catastrophic results for the Middle East and the entire world, and with the result that all of the lives lost and dollars spent will have been in vain. 

(7)    Despite our many problems, I believe the United States of America is still the greatest force for good in the world.   I also believe we have many enemies who want to destroy our way of life and take away our freedom.    We all want to avoid war and to live in peace.   In my opinion, the best way to ensure that we will live in peace is for our country to maintain a strong military and a strong commitment to our national defense.   Weakness in these areas would be an invitation for our enemies to attack us.   It is not clear to me that Obama shares this philosophy.  Moreover, I do not believe Obama has the knowledge, experience or judgment that we need in a Commander-in-Chief.   I believe the country will be at greater risk of harm if Obama becomes President because our enemies will view him as a leader who is weak on national defense and who would not have the resolve to defend the country. 

(8)     We are rapidly approaching the point where the majority of the voters in this country will not pay income taxes.   Under Obama’s tax plans, many of these voters will actually receive a check from the government instead of sending a check to the government.   As George Bernard Shaw once said, “A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”   We will soon have more “Pauls” than “Peters.”    I do not think our country and our system of government can survive in an environment where the majority of voters can elect government officials on the basis of their pledge to take money away from the minority and redistribute it to the majority.   This is a dangerous path, but it is the path that Obama wants to follow.   You cannot make poor people rich by making rich people poor. 

(9)     Many Democrats have been promoting a nationalized health care system for years.   In my opinion, a nationalized health care system would be a disaster.    Obama’s health care proposals would be a major step in the direction of a nationalized system.   Obama’s proposals rely heavily on more government mandates, regulations, and subsidies and would have the effect of greatly expanding the government’s control over health care.   His proposals also would maintain the inequities in the current federal tax code under which some citizens receive subsidized health insurance coverage and others do not.   If you are willing to turn more responsibility for your health care over to the government, you will like Obama’s health care proposals.   For me, I prefer McCain’s health care plan because I want to retain maximum personal responsibility for my own health care and for my own health insurance coverage.   

 (10)    Many liberals, especially those on the far left, have a tendency to want to silence those who disagree with them and even target them for retribution.   Some far left radicals even view people like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez as heroes for their ability to suppress dissent.   I don’t know how Obama will treat his political opponents, but there are a few early warning signs that cause me concern.   For example, Obama supports the so-called Fairness Doctrine, which is designed to shut down talk radio and other voices of political opposition.   Note that he does not want to interfere with those elements of the media that support him and share his political views.  A few days ago, Obama kicked off his campaign plane three reporters that worked for newspapers that had endorsed McCain.    Although some defend Obama by saying McCain did the same thing, those who were dismissed by McCain were commentators—not reporters.   There is a big difference, although many of today’s reporters don’t seem to understand the difference.  A week or so ago, a television reporter in Florida asked Joe Biden, Obama’s running mate, some tough questions, which was rare but is what reporters are supposed to do.   The Obama campaign took great offense and blackballed the reporter and her television station from further interviews.   Some Obama supporters even started investigating the reporter and her husband.    Finally, take a look at Joe the Plumber.    Joe the Plumber asked Obama a simple question about his tax policies, and Obama responded that he wanted to “spread the wealth around.”    Democratic officials in Ohio immediately began to investigate Joe the Plumber in an effort to smear his name and reputation.  Obama did nothing to defend Joe the Plumber’s right to ask a question or to stop the smear tactics being used against him.  How does Obama feel about political dissent and how will he treat his political opponents?   I don’t know, but the early warning signs should concern all of us.  

This will be my last post before the election.  In closing, I would like to quote Ron Hart, one of my favorite columnists, who wrote, “My fear is that, if elected, McCain would not make good on his promises or that, if he wins, Barack Obama will.”