Read A Book

I've probably made this point before, but I think it bears reiterating. For Liberals who claim that they were hoodwinked by Obama into believing that he was more liberal than his actions so far bare out, and Conservatives who claim that the man is a black Karl Marx I would like to refer you to Obama's book The Audacity of Hope. When Obama began his run for president, I, unlike most of the M$N, actually did research, which is why I never fell for that meme that he was "untested" or "inexperienced". His book lays out some of the general issues going on in American society and he, in more explicit details that you'd expect, lays out his thoughts and ideas on what he felt should have been done and needed to be done. His text revealed that while, generally, his thinking can be considered to have a liberal tilt, he was moderate in his tendancies to the point of even being considered libertarian. (That's why when he talks of personal resonsiblity, I don't think he's pandering in the least). His book details the thinking of a pragmatic man who will shift ideology when it will make what he believes is a better decision. I don't think he hid this from the general public. Yes, I did believe he would be a bit stronger in ending our secret detention and interrogation cubby-holes around the world, but that's about all.

All of this rehetoric surrounding Obama and his admistration seem to miss the substance of the man, rather than confront his policies and decisions the want to talk about ideology, but the reason I voted for him, a reason motivated by my readings of his books and speeches, exposed a man who was not an ideologue, and trying to label him as such, to me, exposes ignorance. If Liberals really wanted a liberal you should have voted for Dennis Kuchinch or Ralph Nader, and conservatives...well you just got beat. You really want to get at Obama, then do us all a favor and read a book.