Who is Barack Obama?
In the summer and Fall of 2009 – when, thanks to the generosity of the proprietors, I was posting on Powerline – I produced a series of brief essays (linked here) exploring the tyrannical ambition of Barack Obama, the character of his agenda, and the manner in which he conveyed by gesture the contempt and loathing that he felt for our European and Israeli allies. Somewhere, along the way, I suggested that his outlook reflected that of the New Left enamored of what used to be called the Third World.
In the current issue of Forbes, Dinesh D’Souza has put flesh on the bones of what, in my case, was a matter of intuition. After reading Obama’s memoir – Dreams from my Father – Dinesh explored the words and deeds of Obama’s father with greater care than anyone to date, and he argues with considerable persuasiveness that, if you want to make sense of some of the more puzzling aspects of the younger Obama’s conduct in office, you should consider how they might look to an African opponent of colonialism who had bought into Kwame Nkhrumah’s attack on what he called neo-colonialism.
Put simply, Dinesh is persuaded that Obama is in thrall to a line of thinking that died out some time ago in the former colonies. Dinesh's remarks are well worth reading. He himself grew up in Bombay in the aftermath of the British withdrawal. He knows whereof he speaks, and his analysis explains why our President seems to hate this country and everything that it stands for and why he is so dangerous.
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May '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
Well, D’Souza doesn't pull any punches...
"Incredibly, the U.S. is being ruled according to the dreams of a Luo tribesman of the 1950s. This philandering, inebriated African socialist, who raged against the world for denying him the realization of his anticolonial ambitions, is now setting the nation's agenda through the reincarnation of his dreams in his son."
As you said the article does make some things more clear. Obama has never seemed well connected to the "black experience" and culture of most African-Americans. As D’Souza points out, his ideas are largely African, mixed, perhaps, with the psuedo-liberation theology of Jeremiah Wright.
This insight has me thinking again about his reaction to the Honduras situation last year or his approach to Venezuela. Actually, quite a lot of things come more clearly into focus...
Jun '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
D'Souza makes an interesting case, but I'm not convinced that he has any more than a portion of the true story. There is much about Mr. Obama that is publicly contrived and privately hidden. Who really wrote Dreams from My Father? For a man who never published so much as an article for the Harvard Law Review, I find it difficult to believe that he suddenly found the discipline to write not one, but two autobiographies. Dreams may be nothing more than a romance written by a ghost writer for promotional purposes. How much of it is true? Who knows?
My best guess is that the president is a spoiled brat of privilege with a chip on his shoulder. He has the audacity to whine about social justice in the abstract while enjoying all the benefits of affirmative action. Do we not see the same type of attitude amongst the welfare class? Victim status breeds only resentment toward the providers, but nary a word of thanks. That's Obama. He resents the very folks who paid his way. He resents the system that gave him everything, but demanded nothing in return. Pathetic really.
Sep '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
Whenever I see Barack Obama, I am reminded of a line from The Manchurian Candidate (1962). The line is delivered by John McGiver (as Senator Thomas Jordan). Allow me to paraphrase that line – to put it in my own words:
I despise Barack Obama and everything that he has come to stand for. I think if Obama were a paid enemy agent he could not do more to harm this country than he's doing now.
I'm not going to promulgate any conspiracy theories or suggest that Obama is literally a "Manchurian candidate."
But one thing is certain: Obama's hatred for America knows no bounds. The man can barely conceal his contempt for his fellow citizens. Mark Steyn recently suggested that Obama has no intention of running for a second term – that his goal is to do as much damage as possible in four years and then waltz away from the ruins – possibly to become UN Secretary General and lord it over an America he has reduced to a Third World country.
If you think this post is harsh & extreme, I say you have vastly underestimated the sheer malevolence of the creature who occupies the White House.
Edited on Sep 9, 2010 at 3:39pmMay '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
This is a good point, but the implication of D'Souza's argument seems to be validated by Obama's actions: Obama does not wish to see America (as it is) prosper, but instead seeks to tear it down until it is on equal footing with poorer and weaker nations. Obama perceives himself more as a "citizen of the world" than an American. His primary concern is not what is good for our nation. He desires that the wealthy and powerful be brought to "justice" while the poor and weak be raised up by force.
David is right. Obama hates America as it is today. He loves only what he hopes America will become. And he approaches his goals by any means necessary without regard for his enemies or for law.
Edited on Sep 9, 2010 at 2:37pmSep '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
In fact, it is widely suspected that William Ayers (the former domestic terrorist) wrote Dreams from My Father. And he probably wrote The Audacity of Hope, too. How much of it is true? Your guess is as good as mine.
Let me ask a more pertinent question. Obama has never held a real job, never produced anything tangible, never accomplished anything in any meaningful sense of the word. How does he rate two autobiographies? That is ridiculous. There are 14-year-old girls on Twitter & Facebook who offer fuller, more interesting life stories.
May '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
It's possible some writer(s) interviewed Obama (questioned him and listened to dictations) before translating that into something readable. But it's also possible that he wrote because he had to. Someone might have told him that it was a necessary part of any Presidential campaign, so he did (and he had a decent editor).
That someone without a lot of writing experience can write a fair book is not improbable. Liberal arts majors don't have a monopoly on legibility.
Jul '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
Glad to see Dinesh back in the saddle. Quite the wordsmith.
Rush made exactly this point a few weeks ago. That to know who Obama is, you have to know who his grandfather was...and his father...and his moonbat Lefty mother.
What puzzles me is that Obama has paid zero attention to Africa in the past two years. Bush was far more solicitous and engaged in the sub-Sahara (lavishing taxpayer's dollars that undoubtedly bypassed the intended AIDS recipients and went straight to Swiss accounts, but let that be...).
It is well-known that the Arab world hates black Africans, so I can only assume that Obama's neglect of black Africans means that he has chosen sides.
Jul '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
David Parsons
In fact, it is widely suspected that William Ayers (the former domestic terrorist) wrote Dreams from My Father. And he probably wrote The Audacity of Hope, too. How much of it is true? Your guess is as good as mine.
Let me ask a more pertinent question. Obama has never held a real job, never produced anything tangible, never accomplished anything in any meaningful sense of the word. How does he rate two autobiographies? That is ridiculous. There are 14-year-old girls on Twitter & Facebook who offer fuller, more interesting life stories. · Sep 9 at 3:36pm
Yeah. I follow all those girls on Twitter, too!
Sep '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
Kenneth
Yeah. I follow all those girls on Twitter, too!
Love ya, Kenneth. I was waiting for you to pick up on that line.
Edited on Sep 10, 2010 at 12:13amSep '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
Obama may have discovered an unhappy fact: Black Africans are not particularly fond of black Americans. They see them not as fellow blacks, but as silly American tourists looking for their (*snicker, snicker*) "roots."
And while the Arab World may hate black Africans, they are willing to make certain exceptions. There happens to be a very brisk market for young black boys, bought or kidnapped in Africa and sold as sex slaves to degenerate Emirs in various Arab countries – with the full knowledge of the UN, whose "peacekeepers" often participate in the racket.
Yes, I know that Islam officially condemns homosexuality, but in practice they are howling hypocrites. The situation is so bad that the Taliban recently ordered its men not to fornicate with a boy or a young man unless he has a few whiskers, at least.
We live in such a beautiful world...
Edited on Sep 10, 2010 at 12:47amSep '10
Re: Who is Barack Obama?
(Sorry for double-posting, but I wanted to make sure everyone had the opportunity to read what L.E. Ikenga wrote about President Obama in June of 2009.)
I enjoyed reading Mr. D'Souza's description of President Obama, however, I remembered reading a similar write-up at American Thinker called "Obama, the African Colonial" by L.E. Ikenga (June 25, 2009).
The first paragraph sums it up:
"Had Americans been able to stop obsessing over the color of Barack Obama's skin and instead paid more attention to his cultural identity, maybe he would not be in the White House today. The key to understanding him lies with his identification with his father, and his adoption of a cultural and political mindset rooted in postcolonial Africa."
Worth a read.