Last week, Barack Obama challenged a crowd of supporters to approach Republicans and Independents and to "argue with them and get in their face." And then do what? Lie? He immediately asked his supporters to talk about what a gun-toting, anti-tax nut he is. Let's take a moment to note the irony of having the biggest liberal in the Senate tell a liberal crowd to argue non-liberal positions on his behalf.
Obama asked that when his supporters get in their friends faces and argue to tell them that he just loves the 2nd Amendment. The NRA, which I hear knows a thing or two about gun rights, gave Obama a grade of F in 1998, 2002, and 2004. Gun Owners of America followed this up with F's in 2005 and 2007. And though Obama's mate Joe Biden recently said he would fist-fight Barack if he tried to touch his guns, Biden too is mysteriously wrapped up in F's from the NRA and GOA, but gets A's from anti-gun groups the Brady Campaign and Handgun Control, Inc. So yes, get in their faces... and lie.
While running for the State Senate in 1998 (a part-time job at least as important as small town mayor's) Obama filled out the Political Courage Test. Not surprisingly, he supported an increased restriction on the sale and possession of guns and opposed easing restrictions on the possession of firearms and opposed concealed weapons permits. On the survey, he favored every gun restriction position and opposed every gun rights position. So, obviously, he is a big supporter of the 2nd Amendment."Supporters, go forth and argue my point!"
The tax question produces much of the same. On that Political Courage Test, Obama supported maintaining or increasing taxes in 7 of 9 categories, and supported maintaining or increasing the budget of tax-funded institutions 8 of 8 times. Americans for Tax Reform gave Obama scores of 0% in 2005, 15% in 2006, and 5% in 2007. The National Taxpayers Union gave him an F in all three years he has been in the Senate. Meanwhile the pro-taxation, quasi-socialist Citizens for Tax Justice offered up a perfect 100% in 2005-2006. So yes, get in their faces once more... and lie.
Faking support of issues common people support (currently known as a Fauxbama) is nothing new for Democrats running for President. John Kerry tried the whole "no really, I love guns too" routine and failed. Take a look at nutty Al Gore now versus the semi-sane Al Gore of 2000. The Carter, Mondale, and Dukakis whippings officially ended the era of liberal Democrats acting like liberal Democrats while running for President. Bill Clinton ushered in the era of liberal Democrats acting like conservative Democrats while running for President.
Acting as though the Internet has yet to be invented, Obama thinks he can claim anything at anytime and people will believe him, and that we are unable to research his past votes and statements. Another Fauxbama occurs when he attempts to not be a crazed pro-abort fanatic. At the Saddleback Forum, he famously (and stupidly) answered the "when does life begin" question with a "beyond my pay grade" response. Yet it was not "beyond his pay grade" each time he voted for the next pro-abort funding or rights expansion bill or law. Nor was it beyond his pay grade when he implied that his daughters should be able to have an abortion if they make a mistake in a few years. Again, it was not above his pay grade to oppose the born alive bill in the Illinois State Senate (and I can assure you, the pay grade decision-level of an Illinois State Senator isn't quite that of the President's).
It goes on. In a recent interview, Fauxbama pretended to have strongly considered joining the military. If, of course, we had been in a war. But since we were not in a war in 1980, he decided not to go that route. (Were that nobody joined the military in peace time, then we would have no military). So, are we to believe that Obama would have joined the military if we were in an actual conflict? If that is the case, how strongly did he consider joining during the 1990-1991 Gulf War? He would have only been 29 at the time, a perfectly fine age for joining the military. Oh wait, he was probably just starting his second personal biography at 29.
Obama claims he is the one who can bring about change and fight special interests. Yet at a time when his Vice-Presidential rival Sarah Palin was taking on special interests and taking down corrupt members of her own party, Obama was becoming entrenched in and becoming a product of the corrupt political machine in Chicago. Yet "Change" is Obama's slogan. Rather than fight the corrupt Chicago machine, he became an integral part of it. As Newt Gingrich said: Palin took on her party, Obama has never shown the courage to do that. Barack Obama is John Kerry. John Kerry was Al Gore, who was Dukakis and Mondale after learning that running for President as a liberal does not work.
The Fauxbama Doctrine is simple: Tell the "average people" what they want to hear and hope they are stupid enough to fall for it. Barack is for gun rights! And tax cuts! And is "personally" pro-life! And wanted to join the military! And is post-racial! And had trouble paying student loans too! And wants to increase energy supplies! And wants to win the war! In 2004, liberals were counting on normal Americans to fall for the bait-and-switch. They were hoping that they could trick the "dumb people" into voting for their liberal-no-wait-conservative candidate. And this year, they are hoping they can pull it off for once.
Dustin Hawkins is a freelance writer and former Townhall political writer. He can be reached for comment at dustinmhawkins@yahoo.com.
