Can Obama win over any Republicans?

Racism, sexism, ageism, class warfare, immigration. These are all big and very divisive issues in this country, and a recent New York Times opinion poll shows that the majority of Americans (67%) believe that Barack Obama is the best candidate to unite the country on these issues. But is he?

Barack Obama is currently larger than life and is a candidate that is larger than the race issue. He transcends race and has blacks, whites, asians, and latinos hugging and crying for joy at his campaign stops. Oh, and did I mention fainting too? Seriously though, once you get beyond the hype and the feel good music and chanting “Yes we can” and all that other pep-rally type stuff, is there any evidence that shows he can unite Democrats, Republicans, Liberals and Conservatives on issues? I believe that because Obama has risen above the race issue, which is probably the most divisive issue that divides America, and has successfully united various racial groups within behind him that the majority of Americans are willing to make the leap of faith and say that “yes we can” unite the country! The problem is that he CANNOT and WILL NOT do this. Ideologically and historically through his record, Obama is at least as divisive as Hillary Clinton and possibly more so.

Obama has a distinct senatorial record of voting strictly along party lines on all major issues. The only issues where he voted in a bipartisan fashion were in the issues of nuclear proliferation and ethics reform. This clearly partisan record earned him the prestigious title of “Most Liberal Senator in 2007” by the National Journal. Obama ranked as the 16th most liberal in 2005 and the 10th most liberal in 2006. Even in the tremendously bipartisan immigration bill in the summer of 2007 that ultimately failed, Obama even then didn’t join with Republicans.

But of course, Obama isn’t running on his record. He is largely avoiding it because he and his campaign managers know that the more people know about him, the less likely they are to vote for him. It’s much easier to give people cheap phrases like “Yes we can” and promise things that are totally free, like hope and love. His wife has promised that he is the candidate that can lead us in “fixing our souls”. This type of political speech strikes dangerously close to religious language when referring to a Messiah. Other phrases like “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for” and “we are the change that we seek” are not only dishonest, but horribly disingenuous. The entire campaign is about Obama and how great the Obama campaign is, but it is not about the followers.

Obama can win Republican voters if he can successfully convince them that he isn’t what he really is—that he desires to raise everyone’s taxes significantly, that he desires to annually increase federal money to the U.N. (S.2433) by $65 billion a year, and that he wants drivers licenses for illegal aliens. These are just a few of the issues that will damage him that if everyone knew about.

It is going to be a very rude awakening for Barack Obama if he wins the White House. He’s going to quickly find out that “Hope” doesn’t do squat for foreign policy, “Yes we can” doesn’t mean a thing in the Oval Office and “Change” isn’t something everybody wants. Unity is not coming to this country at the hands of Barack Obama.

Does Obama’s Record Back His Rhetoric?

Just don’t call Barack Obama liberal, okey doke?