If They're Popular, They're Probably Not Sound...

For the past few weeks I, like many, have been giving much thought to the ever-increasing possibility of Americans electing Barak Obama as our next President. Since Obama won the nomination of his party, delivering a knock out blow to the Clinton machine, I've felt a constant sense of uneasiness about Obama's popularity. As a lifelong conservative, moving closer and closer to the center each election, I long for an alternative to the status quo that the Republican party continues to deliver. I recognize that many conservatives feel the same.

However, it has seemed painfully obvious to me over the past several weeks that so many people have been duped by the sentiment and rhetoric of Senator Obama. Obama's rise to popularity has been fueled by his repetition, ad nauseam, of the mantras of "hope" and "change." Crowds of fans chant and cheer, faint in his presence and elevate his status to "Messiah." To his credit, it has been a brilliant campaign strategy. He has unashamedly played to the vulnerabilities of the masses as one of history's least popular presidents ends his time in office.

My uneasiness with Obama and his well-polished stump speeches has been centered around one major question. Will President Obama be able to deliver on the promises Senator Obama is waxing so eloquently?

I visited with a friend a couple of nights ago and explained to him that if Obama is elected I expect that many Americans will ultimately be very disappointed. Obama has seduced masses of Americans into believing that he has the answers to all that ails us socially, politically, globally. Americans have taken the bait and placed their hope for a better future into the hands of one man who they know very little about outside of the well-crafted answers he's given to journalists who refuse to ask him difficult questions.

As I've began to feel this uneasiness more and more in recent weeks I've often paused to contemplate the possibility that I am overreacting. Perhaps it won't be as I imagine it. Perhaps I will be the one who is surprised by what Obama is or isn't able to do as President. I've mostly kept this whole line of thought to myself, feeling like I am probably alone in my view, or that I'm not really informed enough to make such an assertion...that is, until Joe Biden confirmed for me everything that I had been thinking.

Have you heard Mr. Biden's comments from earlier this week? Astonishing! They actually make me feel like a genius. Many of you have probably heard the comments Biden made concerning the immanence of an international crisis if Obama is elected, an event intended to test the "mettle" of a newly elected President Obama. This is the comment that has received the most media attention. But, Biden went on:

"This guy has it. But he's gonna need your help. Because I promise you, you all are gonna be sitting here a year from now going, 'Oh, my God, why are they there in the polls? Why is the polling so down? Why is this thing so tough?' We're gonna have to make some incredibly tough decisions in the first two years. So I'm asking you now ... be prepared to stick with us. ... There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision.' Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made ... they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."

Are you kidding me? You don't have to read between the lines here to see exactly what Biden is doing. He's preparing America for the inevitable- the disappointment and disillusionment they are sure to feel if Obama wins. Senator Obama has tried to downplay Biden's comments throughout the week, wanting us to believe that Biden was referring generally to whoever next assumes the office of President. Read the quote in its entirety and notice the very specific mention of Barak Obama, the repeated use of "he," and "us" and "we" throughout the comments. Obama is obviously doing damage control. (My bet is, when the time comes and Obama's popularity is down, he will point back to this moment in his own defense and claim that he warned us)

So, my conclusion on this matter is simple: AMERICANS HAVE BEEN DUPED!!! Barak Obama, who has very little experience, a questionable record of voting (or failing to vote) as a Senator, who has a questionable history of associations with extremely liberal, anti-American wackos has sounded the sirens of hope and change as loudly as he knows how...and Americans have fallen for him and are setting themselves up for severe disappointment. I realize that every presidential election comes down to a popularity contest. I just wish that more people would see past the smoke and mirrors, look deeply at the reality of who Senator Obama is and the limitations he will certainly face as President. There's no doubt that Obama is a popular guy, and rightly so. But I think we would all be well-served to hear the words of Mr. Biden one more time:

"...if they're popular, they're probably not sound."


fyi, here's a link to an article containing the full text from Biden's speech:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/biden-to-suppor.html