Andrew Sullivan called Obama’s acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention a “transformative event.”  Other Obama acolytes are similar gaga every time the Illinois Senator speaks before a large crowd.
And with good reason, the man is a gifted public speaker. Â Yet, does that make him a good public servant?
This man enjoys in public success in large measure not because of things he had accomplished but because of words he has spoken. Â His stirring speech four years ago to his party’s quadrennial confab moved millions, yet read that speech yourself and you’ll find an empty address, full of uplifting platitudes, devoid of substance.
In the past week, largely by exercising his rhetorical gifts and playing it cool on the financial crisis, Obama capitalized on John McCain’s campaign errors and reversed his Republican rival’s standing in the polls. Â And yet, while the Arizona Senator flailed around a bit before offering a concrete statement of policy proposals, the Illinois Democrat offered no original proposal of his own.
He yielded to congressional Democrats, relying on them to come up with a solution to the mess on Wall Street.
With Obama’s inaction in mind, Carol Platt Liebau takes the Democrat to task for preferring words to action:
It’s shocking that someone who believes himself ready to lead the free world would so brazenly try to dodge any participation in what could be a defining moment in our history. That’s not leadership — it’s cowardice. It’s attempting to stay out of the way of any of the tough choices so that one is free to criticize them after others have stepped up. You can fault John McCain for a lot of things, but lack of leadership and shrinking from the hard choices isn’t one of them.
(Via the Jewish Athena.)
Instead of making hard choices himself, Barack Obama just follows the lead of congressional Democrats. No wonder he has a near-perfect record of party loyalty.
This indicates that should he win this fall, he’ll let congressional Democrats set the agenda. With increased Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress expected , it looks like Nancy Reid and Harry Pelosi will be running the show in an Obama Administration.
Given the mess they’ve made of Congress, the prospect of them in charge is not pretty.
In my book, Reid and Pelosi in charge is the single biggest reason to vote for McCain. Obama will be a weak President at best, and having the two stupidest people in Congress running the show is truly frightening.
Don’t these people notice what Obama is like when he’s away from a Teleprompter? What about the payoff he and his wife took from Rezko? Or the payoffs the Obamas took, and continue to take, from Michelle’s hospital in exchange for earmarks? Hello?!
ILC, had I been snarky in this post, I wold have commented how his supporters swoon whenever Obama reads a prepared text.
Hunter, I’d add national security to that. But with Pelosi and Reid in charge, there is no national security.
Obama is waiting for marching orders, not giving them – very scary indeed.
“In my book, Reid and Pelosi in charge is the single biggest reason to vote for McCain. Obama will be a weak President at best, and having the two stupidest people in Congress running the show is truly frightening.
Comment by Hunter — September 25, 2008 @ 5:38 pm – September 25, 2008 ”
They scare the crap out of me. I dont trust them at all
Oh please. I have more “transformative events” after a Taco Bell lunch.
Powerline has a great summary: McCain leads, Obama follows.
P.S. I just hope voters are smart enough to see it. At some point. If not this year, then hopefully at least as the Obama Adminstration continues to ruin an economy that Democratic policies, from the vaunted era of Bill Clinton, had already begun to ruin. (view the video at the link)