No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined.
- US Supreme Court

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

the blame game, Father's Day version

E.J. Dionne writes:
Will everyone dismiss Barack Obama's Father's Day call to responsible parenting as a simple political ploy?

After all, the man who would be our first African-American president is struggling for support from white working-class voters, many of whom have traditional views of family life and some of whom harbor deep suspicions about black men.

What could be more reassuring to them than his flat statement that "too many fathers ... have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men"?

No - Obama just likes blaming other people.

As long as he is talking about what is wrong with everyone but himself, people are looking at the flawed thing he's throwing blame at - and not at him. And really - what else could a guy in his position do, but hope that nobody looks at him?

Remember: the key thing is, if you lack a characteristic - like, say, responsibility - accuse other people of lacking it, and it looks like you yourself are the champion of that particular virtue.

We want politicians who will fix things, not give sermons. And we want to know how he intends to fix things. And, in the case of Obama, we want to know what he intends to fix. (I mean besides the election.) If he cares so much about men abdicating their responsibility, let him outline a plan detailing what he plans on doing about specific problems. Let us see what he intends to do, and how he intends to do it. Instead, he just says "trust me" - then says we are the ones not talking about issues when we point out that he gives every indication of being untrustworthy.

We especially don't need this idiot complaining about how immoral we are. Listening to Barack Obama lecture on morality is just plain disgusting - sort of like listening to Howard Stern lecture on how we all ought to have good manners, or listening to Don Imus complain that we're not nice to each other. We want politics who will talk about how they'll run government, not blame us for how we run our homes.

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