Al Sharpton claims that the American people knew they were voting for a socialist when they voted for Barack Obama. According to Sharpton, when they voted for Obama, they "voted for socialism." (1)
But recall that in the 2008 election, anyone who used the term "socialist" in reference to Obama was immediately dubbed a racist. The expression had become a racial slur to Barack Obama's supporters, a synonym of the n-word, and was as taboo to utter as Barack Obama’s middle name during the campaign.
So it's unlikely that most Americans knew he was a socialist before he was elected. Americans only began to believe it when they saw the Obama administration seek to control the energy, banking, auto, and ultimately the insurance and healthcare industries.
But sadly, Al Sharpton is right about one thing. He said that socialized healthcare was "not some concept the president introduced after he won." Americans should have known he promised socialism, because all we needed to do was listen. There were clues every time he talked about "social justice" or redistribution of "the pie."
But rather than paying attention to the substance of what Obama was saying in the campaign, many Americans just listened to a well-oiled spin machine tell them that he was not a socialist. They just accepted the Obama campaign's word that he sought bipartisanship and transparency, and took solace in the fact that he was not George Bush. They buried their heads in the sand, only occasionally peeking out to clap their hands when Obama gave one of his wonderful “chicken-in-every-pot” speeches.
Sharpton said that with the healthcare bill, Obama “delivered what he promised” to the American people. But it’s evident now that he did not deliver what the American people thought they were being promised.
The American people have had the false promises of bipartisanship and transparency rubbed in their face for over a year, and never more shamefully than this past weekend. Obama’s healthcare bill did not receive one Republican vote, so it was hardly bipartisan. And as far as transparency, the bill itself was hidden from the public until days before the vote, and even if it would have been available for longer, it was such a convoluted monstrosity that teams of paralegals would need weeks to decipher it.
What Obama claimed to offer the American people was a reprieve from Washington nonsense. No more business as usual with lobbyists and special interests. No more backroom deals to get votes. But there were more earmarks and hidden pork in this bill than most Americans wanted to see in a decade. And to further the corruption, he bribed representatives of his party to sell out their own constituency to pass his overwhelmingly unpopular healthcare legislation, and created an expansion of debt that requires the need for an unprecedented burden on the middle class. This is not what most Americans signed on for when they bought his rhetoric about “hope and change.”
But according to Al Sharpton, that should not matter. Obama was elected, so no matter how bad it tastes or how badly they feel misled, the American people just need to deal with a government takeover of our healthcare system.
And even though it’s an ideology that is entirely contrary to our constitutional republic’s form, Americans should somehow just be alright with the fact that our president is a socialist.
We're not. And that's why we're outraged. And that's why Americans will continue seeking "change" in November.
William Sullivan
(1) http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/sharpton-america-overwhelmingly-voted-for-socialism-when-they-elected-obama/blog-283849/
But recall that in the 2008 election, anyone who used the term "socialist" in reference to Obama was immediately dubbed a racist. The expression had become a racial slur to Barack Obama's supporters, a synonym of the n-word, and was as taboo to utter as Barack Obama’s middle name during the campaign.
So it's unlikely that most Americans knew he was a socialist before he was elected. Americans only began to believe it when they saw the Obama administration seek to control the energy, banking, auto, and ultimately the insurance and healthcare industries.
But sadly, Al Sharpton is right about one thing. He said that socialized healthcare was "not some concept the president introduced after he won." Americans should have known he promised socialism, because all we needed to do was listen. There were clues every time he talked about "social justice" or redistribution of "the pie."
But rather than paying attention to the substance of what Obama was saying in the campaign, many Americans just listened to a well-oiled spin machine tell them that he was not a socialist. They just accepted the Obama campaign's word that he sought bipartisanship and transparency, and took solace in the fact that he was not George Bush. They buried their heads in the sand, only occasionally peeking out to clap their hands when Obama gave one of his wonderful “chicken-in-every-pot” speeches.
Sharpton said that with the healthcare bill, Obama “delivered what he promised” to the American people. But it’s evident now that he did not deliver what the American people thought they were being promised.
The American people have had the false promises of bipartisanship and transparency rubbed in their face for over a year, and never more shamefully than this past weekend. Obama’s healthcare bill did not receive one Republican vote, so it was hardly bipartisan. And as far as transparency, the bill itself was hidden from the public until days before the vote, and even if it would have been available for longer, it was such a convoluted monstrosity that teams of paralegals would need weeks to decipher it.
What Obama claimed to offer the American people was a reprieve from Washington nonsense. No more business as usual with lobbyists and special interests. No more backroom deals to get votes. But there were more earmarks and hidden pork in this bill than most Americans wanted to see in a decade. And to further the corruption, he bribed representatives of his party to sell out their own constituency to pass his overwhelmingly unpopular healthcare legislation, and created an expansion of debt that requires the need for an unprecedented burden on the middle class. This is not what most Americans signed on for when they bought his rhetoric about “hope and change.”
But according to Al Sharpton, that should not matter. Obama was elected, so no matter how bad it tastes or how badly they feel misled, the American people just need to deal with a government takeover of our healthcare system.
And even though it’s an ideology that is entirely contrary to our constitutional republic’s form, Americans should somehow just be alright with the fact that our president is a socialist.
We're not. And that's why we're outraged. And that's why Americans will continue seeking "change" in November.
William Sullivan
(1) http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/sharpton-america-overwhelmingly-voted-for-socialism-when-they-elected-obama/blog-283849/
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