Paradoxum

2007 has begun, and with it talk, rumor, and hype about the potential presidential candidates for the election next year. I would like to examine a few from either side of the political fence, starting with the Democratic Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.

I wince at the topic of this post, as the mere mention of Obama’s name contributes to his hype. Any press is good press, so they say. However, I feel it necessary to take a critical look at his qualifications for such an office, as most of America will not. They will be lost in his charisma, his alleged bipartisan, compromising high-horse on which he sits above the corrupted, mud-flinging politics of his competitors, his denunciation of the war in Iraq, and not least of all, his race.

So, let’s take a look Mr. Obama.

I found Wikipedia to be far more informative than the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Obama served as a Senator for the Illinois state legislature from 1996 until he was elected to the United States Senate in 2004. He is the fifth black man to have been elected to such a post, and is the only black Senator currently serving. While he was running for the Senate, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. He has since been climbing an easy ladder to fame. Why easy? Apparently it has been long enough since JFK for everyone to forget how mediocre he was as a president (or did they forget the second he flashed his smile, or the second he was killed?) and they are ready for another one. Not surprisingly, Time declared him to be one of the “world’s most influential people.” All the way across the big blue sea, the British journal New Statesman decided Obama was one of the 10 (only 10?) people who could change the world (so much for checks and balances). All this while the freshmen Senator was trying to avoid the limelight. Indeed, he has already been graced four honorary law doctorates. Poor Mr. Obama, we understand how hard it is to avoid fame and fortune when all you want to do is study some potential economic legislation. So yes, I say easy.

On Tuesday Obama declared his formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Watch the video here. If you haven’t yet seen him in action, the video is worth watching.

For a presidential candidate, Obama’s resume is thin. A bad thing for him, as experience counts. A bad thing for his critics, as there is less to misconstrue, take out of context, and put on a commercial. PowerLine has a good post about this. I quote:

It’s difficult to discern Obama’s qualifications for the presidency. Obama has never run anything of substance. His experience in national politics consists of two years as a Senate back-bencher. And he’s only 45 years old. In my lifetime, neither party has ever nominated a candidate for president with credentials this thin.

During this short stint as Senator at both the state and national level, Obama has voted consistently liberal. In Illinois, he helped to strike down a bill that would require medical care for the few children that live through very late abortions. Why? Surely these pro-choicers aren’t purposefully this gruesome. He claimed that such legislation would hurt the pro-choice cause by defining fetuses as children, thus making it murder. At least Obama recognizes the question defining the abortion debate – he just so happen to choose the wrong answer.

While some see Obama’s voting records as proving him willing to work with members from both parties and his constituents (this very well may be), others see inconsistencies. He voted for a bill allowing retired police officers to carry concealed weapons, while also supporting a bill allowing charges to be brought against those who use prohibited handguns as self-defense (which, interestingly enough, arose from a situation fitting the same description). The NRA warned that you’d better be on the right side (pun?) of the Second Amendment come election time.

Obama helped raise taxes on businesses to help curb a deficit in the Illinois state budget, while also granting tax cuts to the poor. See? I wasn’t kidding about him being a consistent liberal. At the national level, he supported raising the minimum wage this past summer. The bill was rejected, but another (thanks, Pelosi) just passed the House.

For all your Obama needs, including his complete voting record, check out his page on vote-smart.org.

Let’s hope Joseph Sobran was right when he said in his latest column, “The current rage for Barack Obama — I think it will be brief — is, like earlier frenzies for Ross Perot and Colin Powell, due to the same yearning for a wise ruler who is above politics.”