GayPatriot

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How I can respect certain Obama supporters

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In a recent defense of Sarah Palin, I quoted an Obama supporter who, like many with whom I’ve spoken, couldn’t identify any of his candidate’s accomplishments (nor define any of his policy positions).  He supported the Democrat because of his abilities to inspire and unite.  In the comments section, a reader wrote “So, you’re using one ignorant supporter’s lack of knowledge about his candidate to support the view that there is no reason to actually support the candidate.”

While I am amazed at the number of Obama supporters who have no clue what their man stands for beyond “hope” and “change,” I do know that many have solid reasons for backing the Illinois Senator.  Indeed, I’ve been having a regular e-mail exchange with one such woman, a smart and well-read Democrat from my synagogue.

While she and I both have great respect for our rabbi and our faith, we have little in common politically.  She believes the market meltdown was caused by an absence of oversight.  I, by too much government involvement the mortgage industry.  She favors a larger role for the federal government.  I, a smaller one.

In the end, we’ve agreed to disagree because, as she put it, “I think that Obama’s policies and coalition are better for the broad range of Americans than are McCain’s.  You believe the opposite.  The rest is just cant.”  The cant being each of our particular criticisms of the opposing team.

I can respect her vote for Obama because she is aware of his man’s stands on a number of issues.  As I’m sure are a great number of Obama supporters.

There are two primary reasons I frequently mention the myriad of other Obamaphiles I meet who, when pressed to identify something their man accomplished, fall silent.

First, to note the hypocrisy of Palin critics (and those who say they can’t vote for John McCain because he tapped her as his running mate.)  Some of those very oblivious Obama supporters fault Sarah Palin for her lack of experience.  If experience matters for the vice president, shouldn’t it also matter for the president?

Second, to show how Obama’s success has less to do with “ideology” than persona.  Most of his supporters don’t realize they’re backing a man who favors a bigger government, much bigger.

If you believe in a stronger federal government at home and a less bold American stance abroad, you have good reason to support Barack Obama for president.  And I respect your choice (while disagreeing with you decision.)  That said, it’s troubling that so many Americans have became so enthusiastic for a candidate about whom they know so little.

Comments

  2. She believes the market meltdown was caused by an absence of oversight.

    She has her facts wrong. The meltdown was caused by government’s presence in the market, actively pushing easy credit for decades – most seriously with the disastrous sub-prime mortgages pushed by Barney Frank and all other Democrats. They basically went to the mortgage lenders and told them two things:

    1) If you don’t relax your standards and make subprime loans, we’ll accuse you of racism. (Redlining, etc.)
    2) Oh and here, by means of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, is the money. Now do it.

    Here’s video of Democrats in 2003-2005, ridiculing Republican warnings on the matter:
    http://beltwayblips.com/video/what_just_happened_1/

    Barack Obama is the candidate of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, taking their contributions and having their top executives as his advisors. A vote for Obama is a vote for more of the poison that got us into trouble.

  4. By the way, GPW: Is your more intelligent and informed Obama-supporting friend able to name a significant accomplishment of Obama’s? (Other than his promoting himself, getting elected, writing books on his favorite subject – himself, etc.)

    You don’t say. I suspect the answer is no: the problem is not with how ignored vs. informed Obama’s supporters are, but with the inescapable fact that Obama has no accomplishments.

  6. I also have to wonder about how GPW’s friend feels about Democrats looting and taking over people’s 401k’s:

    Powerful House Democrats are eyeing proposals to overhaul the nation’s $3 trillion 401(k) system, including the elimination of most of the $80 billion in annual tax breaks that 401(k) investors receive.

    House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-California, and Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Washington, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, are looking at redirecting those tax breaks to a new system of guaranteed retirement accounts to which all workers would be obliged to contribute.

  7. I love that you blog on things that I have been thinking about and experiencing. (many times you guys can articulate it better than I can)… 🙂

    I too have been trying to understand why people support Obama. I usually pride myself on being able to understand (while not agreeing with) the other perspective. I sort of did a reverse on someone just this morning. I told them it is sad to see people following someone that does not truly represent them, if they are big government, big spending, and more then it makes sense… but if they do not why are they supporting him? If you hated the last 8 years, then Obama should be the furthest from your support as there will be more of everything you hated.

  8. Half the voting population are not idiots. I may not agree with them, but they see things differently.
    Also, they always expect ‘the other’ to pay the price, like the rich or the greedy.
    I can understand this strong desire to prove that America is not racist by electing a Black man – the wrong Black man in my mind.

    Also, most American aren’t political junkies. Their lives will go on. If they lose their job – it will be the boss’s fault – not the actions of the government on the economy.

    And lets not forget – abortion trumps all.

  9. Leah is on the right track. You have to remember that most people in this country pay little or no taxes to the Feds, so a huge increase in taxes doesn’t impact them directly. There is a minority of citizens who actually pay the freight and another minority that, although they don’t pay big taxes, find redistribution fundamentally wrong.

  10. I’m astounded that you actually found an Obama supporter who even knows what his supposed policies are. I’ve been watching him since the primaries, as I’m a Clinton democrat who will be voting for McCain. I’ve met very few Obots who have the slightest idea what he stands for or anything about his past. They just like his meaningless speeches.

    But the real problem is that even if you like what he says his policies are today, that doesn’t mean he’ll be saying the same thing tomorrow. He changes them depending on who he is speaking to. He has already flipped on just about everything he said he was for in the primaries. I think what we are seeing is his real views slowly seeping out. Everything he has said before was basically camoflauge for his real radical views. He is a liar and a fraud and I can’t think of anyone more dangerous to put in control of our country.

  11. I’m thinking that Bush said smaller government and no nation building when he ran, and we got the opposite.

    And, do you really think that repeating this–“If you believe in a stronger federal government at home and a less bold American stance abroad, you have good reason to support Barack Obama for president. And I respect your choice (while disagreeing with you decision.) That said, it’s troubling that so many Americans have became so enthusiastic for a candidate about whom they know so little.”–over and over and over again makes it true?

  15. Do you get the impression that jimmers often finds himself alone in the fag bar at closing time, after everyone else has gone home, contemplating another lonely night of internet pron and muttering, “This is Bush’s fault?”