-"The Republicans were the party of ideas for a pretty long chunk of time there, over the last 10 to 15 years."
-"I think Ronald Reagan changed the directory of America, in a way that Richard Nixon did not, and in a way Bill Clinton did not."
-"(Reagan) put us on a fundamentally different path, because the country was ready for it."
-"With all the excesses of the 60s and 70s...he (Reagan) tapped into what people were feeling---we want clarity, we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism."
Wow, where do I begin? I mean, seriously, those are direct quotes from Obama's mouth. Not only the above words, but also the tone of his voice was very, may I say overly, complementary to Reagan. And the Republicans were the party of ideas over the last 10-15 years? So I suppose that means George Bush (past 7 years), had some good ideas? I suppose he thinks Bob Dole's ideas were better than Clinton's in '96? Does he think Gingrich had the right ideas in the '90s?
And not only does Obama's kind tone to Republicans alarm me, but also his pessimism to fellow Democrats. Let's face it, comparing Bill Clinton to Richard Nixon is a pretty low blow. To say that Reagan gave the country change and Clinton did not is, quite frankly, insane. As my fellow commentator here at POLITIDOSE, John Lucia, often points out, Clinton revitalized the American economy and balanced the budget deficit and lowered the debt that Reagan-Bush had built up. Bill Clinton was a break from the past, an agent of change to use Obama's own talking points, more than Reagan ever was. So Obama needs to be asked, who will you govern more like: Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan, because from this interview, it appears Obama would choose the latter.
And what exactly does Obama mean by the excesses of the '60s and '70s. Sure, there were excesses, as there are in all generations, but Obama seems derogatory towards them as a whole. What about the civil rights movement, which had a huge effect on the '60s. Was that an excess? Were people who protested the Vietnam War, because they felt it was fundamentally wrong, much the same as many of us feel concerning Iraq, an excess? What about the strong feminism movement? Was that an excess? Or how about the new found concern of the environment? Was that an excess too?
Obama needs to be held accountable for his words. I find it very discouraging to see the media just skip over Obama's latest comments. Comments and statements like these are what the media needs to focus on. These type of statements let us in to the candidate's thoughts and feelings. And I feel that if we take a look into Mr. Obama's thoughts and feelings, we may not like what we find.
