Monday, February 25, 2008

Barack Obama: Inexperienced America-Hater

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA)-- an uber-partisan Republican who complained after 2006 of their new 5-day work week that "Democrats could care less about families"-- gave a bit of a preview of the general election attacks against Barack Obama this past Friday.

As a guest on Bill Maher's show, he and the other panelists (David Frum, Amy Walter) were discussing Sen. Obama as a presidential candidate. At first, they were discussing his experience level-- to which I'd refer them to the last paragraph of this George Will column-- and Frum was envisioning future problems like the Cuban Missile Crisis coming for him (a situation resolved diplomatically, I'll add).

That's all fair and good, but then came the crazy. The panelists were discussing the silly Michelle Obama controversy-- which Maher compares aptly to his post-9/11 firing from ABC and the jingoistic reaction from the right-- and then Kingston, being the concern troll that he is, explains why the Obamas make Uncle Sam cry (watch this video). Kingston rattled off a checklist of phony Obama controversies... that he refuses to do the Pledge of Allegiance, that he doesn't wear an American flag pin, etc.

He said those are things "voters are watching" and shows his class by referring to the Democrat primary.

Then in the next segment, Maher reminds conservatives that they voted for George Bush in 2000, who came into the election knowing little to nothing about the world outside of Texas. "So what would be better," he asked, "a guy that doesn't have so much experience, but if you actually had a conversation with him, he could speak intelligently on any subject for any length of of time, or a guy who didn't know who Musharraf was?". Kingston responded that Obama knows who Musharraf is, but wants to bomb Pakistan. Yes, that again.

He even quickly slipped in the 'Hussein' middle name toward the end of the panel discussion. That's really all they've got. And, of course, that's all the stuff that they'll say out loud, while the base forwards emails about Obama being a Muslim Manchurian Candidate to each other in private.

Later on, Kingston laments that Democrats are beholden to "unions" and "wacko environmentalists" and the "Hollywood left", whereas Straight Talk McCain is the candidate of change. Why? Because the far right hates him. That's how low the bar is for the GOP, that not crawling inside Rush Limbaugh's ass makes one a figure of progress and innovation.

So basically, while the Democrats are talking about the economy and the war and energy-- you know pesky shit like that affects peoples' lives-- the Republicans will be dusting off their Mad Libs attack lines (unions! flag pin! terror!) for the umpteenth time. Look, I know that conservatives are afraid of change, but even of new campaign rhetoric? That, guys, surely you can move forward on.

The fact of the matter is that the Republicans were expecting, and hoping, to be running against Hillary Clinton in the general and had files and files of attack avenues ready. But now Obama's looking more and more likely to be their opponent and they're just scrambling, which is why they've gone back to the well.

But don't worry, our friends in the liberal media will never let them get away with this.

[UPDATE: Newest anti-Obama attack comes not from conservatives... but from Hillary.

UPDATE #2: Good news? Obama's no John Kerry... he knows how to fight back.]

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