Monday, October 27, 2008

How Radical Is Obama?

In this recording from a 2001 interview on Chicago Public Radio, Barack Obama appears to call for a break from the constraints placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution on the infringement of Liberty. 

His goal in breaking these contraints? 

That seems to be placing equalitie' before Liberty. 

You know, like France.

America has always defined itself by the Freedom of the Individual. Barack Obama seems to want to change that. Just listen.






Here's what he said, if you can't view the video:


Barack Obama warned us back in 2001:

If you look at the victories and failures of the civil rights movement and its litigation strategy in the court, I think where it succeeded was to vest formal rights in previously dispossessed peoples. So that I would now have the right to vote, I would now be able to sit at the lunch counter and order and as long as I could pay for it I’d be okay.

But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. 

And to that extent as radical as people tried to characterize the Warren court, it wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as it’s been interpreted, and the Warren court interpreted it in the same way that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. It says what the states can’t do to you, it says what the federal government can’t do to you, but it doesn’t say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf. And that hasn’t shifted. One of the I think tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court focused, I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring aboutredistributed change and in some ways we still suffer from that.

5 comments:

Damien said...

Pastorius,

This guy is scary. If he gets elected, it won't be my fault. I'm not voting for. At the very least if he does become our president, I hope we have a republican congress, so it will be harder for him to get everything he wants.

heroyalwhyness said...

Jesse Jackson implores you to :

Take the Pledge: No More Stolen Elections!
He instructs people to have backpacks prepared on Nov. 4th and if the media calls the election against Obama or if it looks like it might be going against Obama to head for D.C. immediately. They were to be prepared to stay in and protest until OBAMA was declared the winner.Prepare. Act.


Pledge of Action



And if that doesn't convince you how radical this candidate is . . .listen to this tape from 2001:

Obama Bombshell Redistribution of Wealth

Quote from audio:

"As radical as people try to characterize the Warren Court, ah, it wasn't that radical.

It didn't break free from the essential contraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution.

At least in the way it has been interpreted and more important interpreted in the same way that generally the Constitution is a Charter of NEGATIVE liberties, says what the states can't do to you . . .says what the Federal government can't do to you. . .

but it doesn't say what the Federal Government or the State Government MUST DO on your behalf. And that hasn't shifted and one of the I think THE TRAGEDIES of the Civil Rights Movement was because the Civil Rights Movement became so Court focused, I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power

through which you bring about REDISTRIBUTIVE CHANGE.

And uh, in some ways we still suffer from that.


Any Questions?

Epaminondas said...

I'm sure there is little surprise in here. Who else could Obama be? He has made himself quite plain to those who are paying attention and are not willfully blind

In a few months, we are all going to be in the position of Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky.

I've been saying this for a while.

With regard to Jihad, and politics in general, we are all crows, cawing over the body of a dead puppy on the interstate while thousands of cars speed by hurrying to nowhere

Epaminondas said...


IS THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN SAVVY ENOUGH TO MAKE THIS STICK WHERE IT COUNTS?

Pastorius said...

Epa,
No, I don't think so.

The Republican Party dug its own grave here. They picked someone who was more middle-of-the-road.

Middle of the road means willing to split the difference on any bullshit. The morality/ideology of Middle of the road people is basically the middle of the difference between any trends left or right. In other words, there is no set value system to "middle of the road".

Therefore, we can't expect McCain to stand up for anything. And, the Republican Party should have known that going in.