What Rev. Martin Luther King Stood For and What Obama Hasn’t Got
By Anita Finlay ("Ani") on October 3, 2008 at 10:05 PM in Barack Obama, Democratic Nomination, Economy, FISA, Flip Flopping, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi
(Bumped up by SusanUnPC because this very important and moving essay by Ani got lost in a flurry of posts the day it was originally posted in late September, and it deserves our attention and our comments. Thank you, Ani, for writing such a compelling and important story, and I’m very pleased to post your essay again.)
……………………………………………..
Martin Luther King said he dreamed of a day when a person would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. That day has obviously not arrived for Obama, his campaign and those in the DNC, who think making an issue of race and using it to try and intimidate weak minded people is the way to win the election.
— Marc Rubin, co-founder, The Denver Group
When I interviewed Marc Rubin recently, his comment opened a door to a truth many media blowhards would rather remain closed: that the media playing the race card now is just as baseless as their rapt musings about Obama were then, when ‘Obamania’ began at the start of this most bizarre and outrageously corrupt election year.
It is heartbreaking that ‘pols’ like Kansas Governor Sebelius would imply that people are not voting for Obama because they are racist. Senator Obama’s own running mate, Joe Biden, can’t quite seem to get on the bandwagon, grasping at straws to promote Obama, telling southern voters they need to vote for him because he is black.
What about voting for someone based on whether they are qualified to do the job? Isn’t that what the great Reverend King was asking for? Isn’t that what he lived and died for?
Senator Clinton just said she wanted to be judged on the merits: character, record, actions, behavior.
Well, how is Senator Obama stacking up on the ‘character’ front that Rev. King found so important? Frankly, character seems sorely lacking in Obama’s instruction to his supporters to ‘get in people’s faces’ and the mounting evidence that his campaign is behind the viral hatred directed at Governor Palin.
Biden let slip that even he thought Obama’s ‘email ad’ re McCain was hitting below the belt — then he got taken to the woodshed and Biden’s talking points have once again been ‘adjusted.’ Biden, surely not the most silver-tongued devil, has to run around making the most of a candidate it is evident even he does not know what to do with.
And now, in the midst of a horrible financial crisis, Obama’s response was, “Congress will call me if they need me.” I forgot – he is the ‘delegater’. So as the standard bearer for the Democratic Party, he wants no part of assisting in a bi-partisan solution to an incredibly serious problem. When exactly is he going to start showing off his consensus building skills on the Senate floor?
He criticized McCain for wanting to postpone the debate a few days – meanwhile McCain has been after Obama for MONTHS to have joint town hall meetings to debate the issues and Obama couldn’t be bothered. Now suddenly when he’d have to roll up his sleeves and do some work, he’d rather debate. What happened? Had he already memorized all his answers to foreign policy questions he thought he was going to be asked? Meanwhile the debate went forward as planned. What was all the fuss? A lot of posturing from Senator Obama, and little problem solving.
McCain, by actually showing he cared enough about the American people to suspend his campaign and get back to Congress and work across the aisle, as he has done many times in the past, made it clear that Obama, in contrast, is just about “me, me, me.”
Rev. King said:
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
There’s that pesky character question again.
The DNC was so sure that Senator Obama’s deep pockets and romantic rhetoric would sweep into the White House and usher in all the down ticket Dems with him. The media, along with the cowardly and corrupt DNC party leadership, got to exorcise their Clinton Derangement Syndrome as a perk, so they were more than happy to play along.
Despite the polling sample manipulations and gyrations, it is very clear that this race is too close for comfort. Historically, we know that Senator Obama over polls and he has a bad habit of not being able to close the deal.
So the media, and Obama’s campaign have fabricated a great cover story: race bias is keeping his numbers from breaking 50%, despite all his money and a fawning press. Senator McCain, who used to be a press favorite, is now, along with Gov. Palin, enjoying some of the disgusting one-sided treatment that Senator Clinton was ‘privileged’ to receive. Wait. I take that back. NOTHING could be as bad as the daily flogging Hillary had to put up with. But it’s close.
While I don’t doubt that there are people influenced by race bias in this country, clearly, we have discovered there are far more misogynists out there. The difference is, racism is not acceptable in polite society. Sexism is — the sky’s the limit! Obama used that to his advantage.
And how would Rev. King judge Senator Obama’s statement that he’s not the kind of candidate you are used to seeing on the face of a dollar bill? Obama has been playing the race card to his advantage, too. What is the content of Obama’s character that he would turn his ethnic background into a political parlor trick?
Just as is trying to avoid dealing with the current economic crisis, back in February Senator Obama was all talk, too, promising that he would filibuster on FISA if necessary. But on July 9th, it was Hillary who voted to protect the fourth amendment. She voted to stop telecom companies from having retroactive immunity on their warrantless wiretapping. Obama rolled over. So much for his filibuster on FISA.
Didn’t his thoughtless capitulation anger his supporters? To the contrary, they are furious with us for not falling in line and supporting him, no matter how skewed we think this contest was or how cowardly his behavior. I have been waiting for a real leader, with character, to emerge. Thus far, I have not seen one in Obama.
Looking back, what if Senator Obama had staged a filibuster on the floor of the Senate the morning FISA was to come to a vote?
Can you picture it? The great orator would stand and speak on behalf of the American people and fight for a righteous cause. He would look every Senator in the eye and make his case. Some of them might look at the clock, seeing lunchtime tick by as he spoke without a break. Late into the afternoon, he would not yield the floor. He’d talk himself hoarse.
And then, a woman would stand up – Joan of Arc in a pantsuit. “Have some water, Senator, yield the floor to me. I’ll keep going.” And he’d nod, and take a drink and she would continue the fight while he took a break.
If any of you have any doubt that this lady, no matter their differences, would have stood side by side with Barack to do this – you don’t know Hillary. You don’t know who she is or what she has stood for her entire life. She’d speak effectively and passionately until her voice caved. Maybe Senator Feingold would pick up the baton. How about Senator Patty Murray, perhaps Senator Shumer or any one of the 28 Senators who actually voted to protect our rights…
It wouldn’t matter. What would matter is the spectacle of Barack Obama – not necessarily leading the parade, but being one of a hard working team, willing to go down fighting for a principle.
Character.
Can you imagine it? Can you imagine the publicity? What if it went on for a couple of days? The Senate session heard around the world. A romantic notion perhaps: a good old fashioned filibuster. A bunch of well paid, well-heeled Senators willing to put something on the line and talk till they had no more spit and stand there and sweat for the American people. And then when Barack got his wind back – he would continue.
Would it even matter if he or they convinced enough Senators to vote their way?
Rev. King also said:
All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
Obama would have shown the American people and the world something much more important than making a fancy speech at the Siegessaule in Berlin or standing in front of 75,000 and some faux Greek columns at Invesco Field. He wouldn’t be playing President. He would be exhibiting real leadership.
And character.
That’s a ‘uniter.’ Someone who does more than pay lip service to a cause on a teleprompter, but a person who is actually willing to risk something for an ideal. For us. Despite his inexperience and every other reason I have not to vote for him, if I had just once seen THAT guy, I might have taken a second look. But we see on the economic crisis, he once again tried to avoid making a commitment.
A teacher of mine once said “character is as character does.” Obama’s character told him, ‘If I can’t win, I won’t fight.’ Remember how he took a powder on the voters of West Virginia and Kentucky, for example? That tells me he does not have what it takes to be the leader of the free world. It is precisely his go-along-to-get-along-pandering-throw-anyone-under-the-bus attitude that makes it clear he hasn’t the backbone to take care of me or this country.
In our interview, Marc Rubin also said that Obama’s race baiting:
[Was] a sign of desperation and reinforces the truth that Senator Obama has nothing to say and nothing to offer. We have many, many African Americans who have been elected to public office — mayors, governors, members of Congress, members of state legislatures, and none of them had to use race as a tactic to get elected. All were elected on their merits and won re-election or were defeated based on their performances. In the end the more Obama uses race the more he is telling people he has no game.
I think, Reverend King might have found this statement from African American candidate for Congress LTC Allan West appropriate:
My advice to Senator Obama is to run as a Man and Leader, and the American people will evaluate you as such, not as a victim. This is a Presidential race, based solely on a capacity to lead the United States of America. It is not about skin tone…however, perhaps we should come to expect these immature statements.
It also seems rather humorous that the Presidential candidate who was supposed to be such a “uniter” and transcend race is the one talking about it the most. If Senator Obama was confident in his abilities and character, he would not need to create a crutch for failure. Senator Obama has just tipped his hand, any criticism of him and his policies will be directly attributed to racism. I congratulate Senator Obama for taking race relations in America back some 30 years.
We see very clearly Obama’s unwillingness to go to the mat for anything. Not even the economy he promises to change. The Democratic Party is neck deep in this – doesn’t he want to clean up the corruption there, too?
Perhaps Senator Obama was terrified of returning to Washington because he would have to commit to a plan and take a stand. He cannot vote “present” as he did in the state legislature. No more lofty rhetoric. But a plan of action – NOW. And if he is wrong, he will finally be cornered, as he has avoided being cornered thus far in his political career, by avoiding tough votes and decisions. President Bush called Obama back to Congress. Harry Reid’s protestations were not enough to protect Obama from having to do his job.
On FISA, if Senator Obama had thought enough about the American people to risk taking a few days off from campaigning in order to roll up his sleeves and work, and fight, how much do you want to bet he’d have taken a giant step towards pulling in some of the 42% of Hillary supporters who refuse to vote for him?
As to the current crisis, perhaps it is once again easier to hide out and deflect blame. But playing the race card won’t help him this time.
Character is as character does.
Doesn’t quite match up to Reverend King’s standards, does it?
, the basis for the Best Motion Picture Nominee (Golden Globes) starring Brad Pitt.
, the novel by John Le Carre, a new motion picture starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
by 
* (Included in the 
* 
.by David Fredosso who wrote 2008's 
- You'll have access to 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books, as well as ultra-fast Web browsing with Amazon Silk -- faster than iPad. Full e-mail and document access and a keyboard. Fire can transmit what is on your screen onto a connected TV or monitor without an accessory. It runs Flash (iPad doesn't). 
