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PrintMay 27, 2008
Obama Words That Matter
Barack Obama's core campaign document is not just electioneering eyewash. It's conveys his intended presidential agenda, and, as billionaire investor Carl Icahn said recently, it could lead to "Runaway Legislation."
Senator Obama has emphasized the importance of words. They matter, he announced. So it's worthwhile to examine the pattern of key language within his 64-pages campaign document entitled "Blueprint For Change."
Most noteworthy are the words that detail what he proposes to do as POTUS. They not only inform us of his intentions; they also suggest the depth of adulation heaped upon him by his closest followers.
So, just what would a President Obama do?
On 60 occasions, promised action is prefaced with the words "He will..." For example: "He will...
...make sure homebuyers have honest and complete information about their mortgage options...give a tax credit to all middle-class homeowners...improve rural schools and attract more doctors to rural areas...ban the permanent replacement of striking workers...improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college...provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices...stop the development of new nuclear weapons."
The how of what he will do is absent. Sixty "to do" items, though, is hardly an overly aggressive list for a presidential candidate. But then there's an additional list of promises that begin with "Obama will."
Those number 267. For example: "Obama will...
...prevent companies from abusing their monopoly power through unjustified price increases...reform our bankruptcy laws...restore fairness to the tax code...provide assistance to the domestic auto industry to ensure that new fuel-efficient vehicles are built by American workers...create a program to inform businesses about the benefits of flexible work schedules...make retirement savings automatic (Isn't Social Security automatic?)...eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year...reduce oil consumption overall by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels of oil, by 2025...create a number of incentives for local communities to invest in their biofuel refineries (Wow! My town's own biofuel plant!)...require 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be included in the fuel supply by 2022" (With Rep. Maxine Waters as National Controller of Fuels?)
That's just 10 "Obama will" examples out of a pool of 267, albeit including a few duplications. There isn't space here to display the entire list. It is, taken in total, breathtaking. It's a mistake to assume that it's a list only made for electioneering consumption and not to be taken seriously.
To get the full scope for yourself, run a word search of the Blueprint pdf. document for "He will" and "Obama will." Items conspicuously absent include: ‘Obama will...
...establish a program that awards private citizens who inform on their neighbors who persist in living a high carbon footprint (HCF) lifestyle...give all persons incarcerated for non-violent crimes the option to reduce their sentences by half by volunteering for community service work...allow anyone feeling as though he or she has suffered an injustice, of any sort, to claim a $1,500 Injustice Tax Rebate (ITB)...preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Read the speech Obama gave to the graduating class, on Senator Kennedy's behalf, at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut to get a whiff of the audaciousness (it can mean "imprudent" as well as "bold") of his intentions. To include,
"I will pay our educators what they deserve and give them more support, but I will also ask more of them to be mentors to other teachers, and serve in high-need schools and high-need subject areas like math and science."
Just who is "I?" Shall we say goodbye to the Independent School District concept?
A more inquisitive MSM would probe his intentions and ask how he plans to engage the federal government in practically every venue of civic and personal affairs, short of bathroom behaviors contributing to good dental hygiene.
If the Blueprint is energetically pursued by the eager minions of an Obama administration, Icahn's "Runaway Legislation" prediction would materialize. That is unless Obama aims to accomplish many of his plans by presidential edict.
After all, his Blueprint mentions "Congress" only 13 (that's one-three) times.
