The Blog @ Spolitics

A Question for Americans Regarding Gas Prices

It’s hard to take the populist anger about high gas prices seriously.  After all, prices began rising sharply in 2000.  It’s been eight years and still, many Americans (and Democrats in particular) are opposed to oil exploration and drilling in our own territory, building more refineries and building nuclear power plants – even windfarms (yes, I’m talking to you Ted Kennedy) – to supplement our energy needs.  Is $4-a-gallon gas finally high enough to override NIMBY?  If not, why are people complaining?  We’re simply living with the choices we’ve made. 

Let’s Analyze Obama’s Outrage Like We Did Clinton’s Tears

When Hillary Clinton teared up before the New Hampshire primary, the Obama camp — via Jesse Jackson, Jr. — issued a call to analyze her tears in light of the things for which she never cried.  Jackson pointed out that Clinton was crying in self-pity; the woman who didn’t shed any tears for Katrina was only crying for herself. 

So let’s be fair and apply that same standard to Barack Obama’s outrage.  He wasn’t outraged when he first heard about Reverend Wright’s incendiary sermons.  In fact, the lack of vigor with which he denounced Wright’s comments was noted by Clinton in the MSNBC debate and turned into a banal parsing of words and equivocating.  In his Philadelphia speech he said Wright’s comments were par for the course in black churches and similar to comments made by his own grandmother.  So why is he outraged now?  By his own admission, what “particularly angered” him was Wright’s insinuation that his denunciation of those comments was “somehow political posturing.”  Obama wasn’t outraged at the racist, conspiratorial anti-Americanism.  He  only became angered when Wright attacked his integrity — not America’s.  If we needed to analyze Hillary’s tears, certainly we should take a look at what didn’t outrage Senator Obama and compare it to what did; his outrage was about him. 

A Question for Obama on National Unity

Senator, according to a Gallup poll last month, 28% of Clinton supporters are so bitter over this nomination race they would rather cross party lines in November and vote for McCain than vote for you.  As your supporters try to force Clinton out of the race, this cut only seems to be getting deeper.  How can voters take seriously your promise to unite the country when you cannot even unite your own party?