These are the comments I wrote for CNN earlier today. They are still awaiting "moderation" and will probably not be published:
If you want substance, vote for Obama.
Barack Obama has authored 152 bills and co-sponsored over 400 more while serving in the U.S. Senate. These include bills on government ethics, immigration reform, the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act and the Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act.
And during his eight years in the Illinois state legislature he sponsored over 800 bills.
He also taught constitutional law for ten years at the University of Chicago.
Oh, and he wrote a best-selling book about modern American politics.
That's substantial.
Apparently my comments are too substantial for CNN. Published comments include ridiculous attacks against Obama's character. The latest, plagiarism, is the worst and the most ridiculous. Most news networks aren't even taking it seriously. How many different ways can politicians express their thoughts before they're accused of copying? There are only so many words.
Barack Obama is running a fair campaign but he is being met with one smear after another. I continue to pray that truth wins out over falsehood.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
Choosing Wisely
Tomorrow millions of Americans will go to the polls or caucuses and vote for a Democratic presidential candidate. Unfortunately I won't be among them--our primary isn't held until May--but I will be watching closely to see what happens, especially in my home state of Missouri.
I'm doing what I can to make sure voters know about Barack Obama. He's more than a few nice slogans and campaign rallies. Much more.
I just finished reading Obama's first book, Dreams From My Father. He wrote that book when he was in his 30s and already by then he had vast experiences that prepared him for leadership.
Most people know that Obama attended school in Indonesia when he was young. I've always laughed at the concerns about the 'madrassah'--the main reason being that Indonesia is very secular and even their Islamic schools would be considered liberal compared to Islamic schools elsewhere. I've been to Indonesia and visited Islamic schools.
What Obama did learn was that people can live vastly different lives and still have the same basic concerns. That lesson was reinforced by the time he's spent in Kenya with his relatives. Unlike other politicians, Barack Obama didn't travel to Indonesia and Kenya as a foreign dignitary, being greeted by the leaders in ritual ceremony. He lived among the people. He knows how people live in different parts of the world.
After eight years of "with us or against us," don't you think it's time for a leader who seeks negotiation over confrontation, someone who understands that people are people whether they live in brick mansions or grass huts?
And don't you think it's time for a leader who reaches across boundary lines of race, ethnicity, and party politics? We've had enough division in this country these last few years. How much more partisanship can we sustain?
I've read Senator Obama's policy statements and listened closely as he's outlined his positions in speeches. He provides a balanced approach--health care that is provided but not mandated, international relations that start with negotiation while leaving force as an option, economic solutions that start from the bottom down instead of the top up. (We've done that for 28 years and it still hasn't worked.)
Yes, he provides excitement and that's great. As a former social studies teacher I think it's wonderful that young people are buying back into the democratic process. He also provides hope. Most importantly, he will come to the White House with well-developed plans to raise this nation from the depths and help us reach our potential.
For all these reasons and more, I hope and pray that Barack Obama is the next president of the United States.
I'm doing what I can to make sure voters know about Barack Obama. He's more than a few nice slogans and campaign rallies. Much more.
I just finished reading Obama's first book, Dreams From My Father. He wrote that book when he was in his 30s and already by then he had vast experiences that prepared him for leadership.
Most people know that Obama attended school in Indonesia when he was young. I've always laughed at the concerns about the 'madrassah'--the main reason being that Indonesia is very secular and even their Islamic schools would be considered liberal compared to Islamic schools elsewhere. I've been to Indonesia and visited Islamic schools.
What Obama did learn was that people can live vastly different lives and still have the same basic concerns. That lesson was reinforced by the time he's spent in Kenya with his relatives. Unlike other politicians, Barack Obama didn't travel to Indonesia and Kenya as a foreign dignitary, being greeted by the leaders in ritual ceremony. He lived among the people. He knows how people live in different parts of the world.
After eight years of "with us or against us," don't you think it's time for a leader who seeks negotiation over confrontation, someone who understands that people are people whether they live in brick mansions or grass huts?
And don't you think it's time for a leader who reaches across boundary lines of race, ethnicity, and party politics? We've had enough division in this country these last few years. How much more partisanship can we sustain?
I've read Senator Obama's policy statements and listened closely as he's outlined his positions in speeches. He provides a balanced approach--health care that is provided but not mandated, international relations that start with negotiation while leaving force as an option, economic solutions that start from the bottom down instead of the top up. (We've done that for 28 years and it still hasn't worked.)
Yes, he provides excitement and that's great. As a former social studies teacher I think it's wonderful that young people are buying back into the democratic process. He also provides hope. Most importantly, he will come to the White House with well-developed plans to raise this nation from the depths and help us reach our potential.
For all these reasons and more, I hope and pray that Barack Obama is the next president of the United States.
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