Barack Obama: Elitist, but Not Elite

By Selwyn Duke

Barack Obama has made his opinion of small town America known, and he doesn't hold it in very high regard.  Speaking at a San Francisco fundraiser on Sunday, Senator Sweetness and Light said:

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years . . .  .  And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.’"

Politicians are so often scripted, but during unguarded moments the truth comes out.  And there are so many things you can say about this.  Guns?  People have owned firearms in America since its inception, so what does clinging to guns mean?  Has there been a precipitous increase in gun ownership in Pa.?   

Even more offensive is the rambling about trade and immigrants.  Obama's comments are typical of the intellectually lazy left, of those who dismiss legitimate points and complaints by implying that the problem lies in a defect in those making them.  While people do often blame their stars and not themselves and usually don't have the best grasp of economic factors, there are valid reasons to question trade policies that diminish the value of American workers by making them compete with foreigners who toil for 75 cents an hour.  As for immigration, yes, I suppose there's definitely something wrong with Americans who want their safety secured, culture protected, and who don't appreciate inundation with tens of millions of unassimilable foreigners with no allegiance to America.  There's no doubt about it, compulsory psychiatric treatment for countrymen thus afflicted is in order.

But the most striking thing Obama said was the bit about clinging to religion.  I wonder, to what should we cling?  Money?  Sex?  Drugs?  Or, maybe . . . political power?  Ah, I think I might know of someone who, during an honest moment, might answer the last.

This is more than just fodder for a little sarcasm, as Obama has betrayed the nature of his faith.  Or, I should say, his lack thereof. 

If you believe your religion reflects Truth, if you believe it involves knowledge of the creator of the Universe, author of all,  why wouldn't you make it the center of your life and cling to it?  What better to which to cling?  If you believe in Truth, you know that it will set you free, will guide your walk, will answer life's questions, and will bring peace and fulfillment.  Moreover, if you're a Christian, which Obama claims to be, you also will believe that your faith can bring you eternal salvation. 

So Mr. Hussein Obama has to answer several questions.  If you believed the above, why wouldn't you cling to your religion?  And, if you didn't, why would you claim to be a "Christian"?  Why did you attend a "Christian" church for 20 years?  Was it the anti-American, bigoted rhetoric that drew you?  What say you, Obama?

In point of philosophical fact, if you do not believe you should cling to your faith, it means you have no faith.  Again, religion is about Truth -- or at least it should be.  It isn't akin to a sport, hobby or even career; it cannot be on the periphery of your life unless you believe it's window dressing.  And, if you do think it's just so much fluff, why embrace it?  It's not, like ice cream, a matter of taste.  It's either the Truth -- or at least involves some of it -- or it isn't.  If it isn't the whole Truth, then you should place the search for the latter at the center of your life; if it is, then you should be reverent and devoted.  But if a faith is a lie, you should have no involvement with it whatsoever. 

Of course, Obama's comments are no revelation to me.  You see, the world view of the left is atheism.  Sure, many leftists will deny it; after all, posturing about one's religiosity can have great utility.  But many of them don't believe in God, and, even when they appear to, their conception of Him often involves nothing more than some ill-defined, Star Wars kind of force. 

Because of Obama's comments, many have called him an elitist.  Yet he certainly isn't elite.  If the man possessed any depth, he would understand the fallacy behind having religion but not clinging to it.  And this explains why his rhetoric is peppered with bromides about hope, unity and change.  Yes, it's partially because it seduces shallow followers and is less politically dangerous than actually providing answers, but it's also because he is intellectually vacuous.  He brings to mind the old saying, "Empty kettles make the most noise."

That is the Truth, and if enough people knew it, it just might set us free from a demagogue. 

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Comments

[democrat]

Selwyn, for once I can identify with some of what you have to say. I am not a big fan of Mr. Obama's, and although his wording was incorrect, he does have some point to his claim. Personally, I don't believe that there's anything wrong with clinging to your religion or your guns for that matter, as long as you don't use those things to persecute others who have nothing to do with your current situation, and I believe that this is the angle that he was attempting to speak from. Globalization was all good in the U.S. until it started hitting home for those who work in certain industries or make a certain income, and in particularly when hundreds lose their jobs at once. Although I sympathize with those who are at a loss, I do believe that they never once thought that they would lose their positions and financial wellbeing to anyone from the Third World, but it seemed to be o.k. with most of these same people for American companies to own and operate sweat shops in those areas. Global trade has to be a two-way street of giving a little and taking a little, and although it seems that we are at the brink of economic breakdown, most of it is due to the war that we are wasting money on that could assist our citizens through this hardship instead of throwing it away. People should be more upset about that instead of what Obama said. And further more, many liberals, including myself, have relationships with God and cling to our faith. After all, what else is there?