Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Prisoners of the compromises

The Stanford Daily


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Obama: Machiavelli’s Prince

By: Allysia Finley October 6, 2008 15 Comments

The right wing is desperately trying to paint Obama as a lefty radical, and I’m getting a little tired of it. “He’s the most liberal member of the Senate,” “he’s got socialist ties,” “he has no pride in America.” My favorite anti-Obamaism is from a friend who says he’s evil. But I don’t believe Obama is socialist, unpatriotic or evil. He’s just sleazy, two-faced and mistaken.Obama’s relationships with his “Goddamn America” pastor Jeremiah Wright, communist community organizer Saul Alinsky, former Fannie Mae CEO and chief campaign adviser James Johnson, Weatherman terrorist William Ayres and early communist mentor Frank Marshall Davis don’t bother me. He may have used them as inspiration for his books and as a means to advance his career, but I doubt Obama ever considered them friend----

Obama is the consummate politician since he can convince people that he’s not a politician. He’s got most of Stanford and the media falling head over heels for him. He could probably even convince the media that the sky is orange with some drawn-out philosophical explanation.

In this campaign, he’s Machiavelli’s Prince. He’s got the intelligence and charisma - what Machiavelli called virtu - to manipulate people in order to advance his own ambitions. That’s something to admire - if you believe in real politik. The end justifies the means, but Obama’s end is still unclear. “Change” is too nebulous to be considered an end.

It’s Obama’s whorishness rather than his hollowness that really gives me pause. He’s ready to hop into bed with anyone. He even took in Hillary and Bill after their bitter primary fight. He’ll blame the economy on Wall Street and then go begging to wealthy donors and stockholders for money. After all, he had employed the former Fannie Mae CEO, who made over $7 million on subprime loans, as one of his chief campaign advisers and as one of the three members of his vice-presidential search team.

Obama champions the middle class in all of his speeches while complaining to his elitist audiences that the middle class bitterly clings to guns and religion. Though there may not be two Americas, there are at least two Obamas.

If Barack Obama loses this election, it won’t be because of his liberal policy positions, his shady connections or his elitist attitude. It will be because American independents have woken and wised up to the fact that he’s trying to pull the wool over their eyes. And they don’t like it.

Email Allysia at amfinley “at” stanford.edu if you’ve read Machiavelli and would like to discuss how Obama fits his description
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Reports have been made that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will not “rule out” using private military companies like Blackwater Worldwide in Iraq. Obama also has no plans to sign on to legislation that seeks to ban the use of these forces in U.S. war zones by Jan. 2009.
Despite their anti-war rhetoric, senators Barack Obama have adopted the congressional Democratic position that would leave open the option of keeping tens of thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq for many years. Those who would reach such a lofty office in the eyes of the world have entangled themselves deeply in the affairs of this world. Those who are elected to this office that is so highly esteemed among men have few choices left to them. When in their hearts they know exactly where they stand, and which way they’ll go when the showdown comes as many Democratic and Republican leaders have. They are prisoners of the compromises they have made to attain the office, prisoners of their advisers and counselors, prisoners of the policies of their party and the values of their nation.
Ted Rudow III,MA


October 06
Greatest

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Front » News • Top Headlines

Mass protests outside Palin event

PHOTO BY: NADIA MUFTI/The Stanford Daily

While Palin intended to raise money for the Republicans, demonstrators saw the event as an opportunity to chastise the leaders of each other’s parties.

By: Kamil Dada
Published: October 6, 2008


Governor Sarah Palin arrives in Bay Area for brunch

This article was also reported and written by Devin Banerjee.

BURLINGAME, Calif. — Hundreds of Democrats and Republicans clashed yesterday morning outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in Burlingame, where GOP vice presidential pick Sarah Palin attended a fundraising brunch with Bay Area Republicans.

To prevent demonstrators from flooding the street, local police set up metal barriers along the sidewalk opposite the hotel, but this did not prevent the hundreds of political activists from becoming mobile and vocal. Shelley Kessler, executive secretary treasury of the San Mateo County central labor council, arrived early at a parking lot across from the hotel to prevent Palin supporters from parking their cars there.

“Our purpose here is to inform the public that there are many people who do not feel that Sarah Palin is either experienced or knowledgeable enough to be in leadership of this nation,” Kessler said. “We don’t want the Palin people coming in our [parking] lot.”



We face greatest economic danger of modern times and the U.S. is heading for economic collapse,depression, social and political cataclysm in all of world history! The latest warning of world disaster are now beginning to come in confirmation from some of the world’s leading honest economists. But, nevertheless, corroboration of God’s truth is beginning to get through to the people in substantiation of the fair warnings we have long been giving them of impending catastrophe for years.
As the Devil once said: “Skin for skin, and what will not a man do for his life!” The unscrupulous Americans would do anything as both the Senate and House are “new” bill to restart this dying economy. This whole government has become nothing more than a big machine that transfers the wealth upwards with our tax policies, our energy policies, with this fiscal policies, with the war. All the wealth of the country goes from the pockets of the people into the hands of a few. This is a very dangerous moment. You know, it’s the biggest amount of injection of capital by the government in a single time since the New Deal. And frankly, there is no trickle down here. There’s just rewarding bad behavior.
Ted Rudow III,MA

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