Obama's questionnaire - and the questions it raises

The publication by politico.com of the questionnaire Barack Obama filled out in 1995 before running for his first elective office should be big news in the mainstream media, for it tells us much about the candidate and his beliefs. But it's clear that the MSM is now back in the bag for Obama, after a few weeks respite where it had no choice but to cover the Reverend Wright episode. The questionnaire story is nowhere to be found. Certainly Hillary, who had an opening, is partly to blame for this herself, with her idiotic sniper stories. It gave the press the opportunity to drop the Wright story in favor of Snipergate, after which they were free to return to schmoozing their one true love, Senator Obama. When it comes to the mainstream media, Hillary is now the woman scorned.

But the questionnaire is important. Read through it and try to find a single instance where Obama does not toe the liberal line. Remember while doing this that this is a man who promises to bring us all together in harmony, a man who promises a new politics, one in which we go beyond old divisions and come to new understandings. Remember too that Obama is a political neophyte about whom little is known - and the press obviously means to keep it that way. Rather than do there due diligence and report to the American people news that may help explode the myths Obama is selling, the media ignores anything that may intrude on the storyline they want to deliver.

So I, and probably a few others, would like to know if Obama still believes the following:

My top priority is ensuring that our young people are nurtured and supported through fully-funded public schools, and that a coherent job creation strategy is instituted at the state level to create more jobs at livable wages.

There are so many things troubling about this citation that I am bound to miss some of them. Let me acknowledge that I realize Obama was then running for the Illinois state senate while he is now running for president, so his 'top priority' is obviously going to have changed. But I want to know if Obama still believes this is the job of a state senator - to 'nurture' young people? I would also like him to explain what he means by 'fully-funded' public schools. Is the $10,000 a year or more per pupil that inner city schools regularly spend on public schools not considered 'fully-funded'? How much more should we spend? Who is it that will decide when we are finally 'fully-funded'? And what does he expect this extra funding to achieve that the vast amounts already expended have not?

Furthermore, is it the job of government to 'create more jobs at livable wages'? What is a livable wage? Again, who decides? How much money must be spent by the government in order to achieve these livable wage jobs and where will the money come from? How will the program work? After all, job programs have been a hardy perennial of local, state, and national budgets since the Great Depression, and few of them can claim success. How will Obama's be any different?

Also, there's this:

I am a strong supporter of affirmative action programs.

Well, yes, of course he was. But I want to know, is he still? To what extent? Will he seek to expand affirmative actions programs as president? If so, how will he bring along those, like myself, who are implacably opposed to such government-sponsored favoritism?

In the 'Finance' section of the questionnaire, Obama says he favors a graduated income tax; increasing the $1000 personal exemption as part of a shift to higher income tax; increasing income taxes to relieve or replace local property taxes; increasing state funding to at least 50% of public education costs; and public financing of election campaigns. He opposes school vouchers. Later, in the 'Labor' section, he says he favors 'comparable worth' for state employees and an increase in the minimum wage; his solution to improving the present mental health program is '[i]ncreased funding'; he supports medicare funding for abortion; insurance coverage for abortion for state employees; he may support parental notification of abortion but only for extremely young teens, i.e. 12 or 13 years old (I suppose a fourteen year old is, in Obama's opinion, capable of making this decision on her own); he supports no other restrictions on abortion. He supports state legislation that would ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns. What I want to know, and what the mainstream media seems disinterested in, is whether his positions on these issues have changed at all in the past thirteen years? And, whether they have or not, how will he bring us together on them?

I have only touched on it; read the whole document. In every area, Obama supports increased taxes and more government control. Could he have changed his opinion on these issues? Certainly, though his voting record since reaching the U.S. Senate would indicate not. We may never know - at least until it's too late- due to the media's irresponsibility.

Let's get something straight about Obama and his so-called ability to bridge the gap between right and left - it's nonsense. No politician can, no matter how much high-falutin rhetoric he throws around or how many gauzy, gassy platitudes he invokes. Political parties exist because there are fundamental differences in people's philosophies regarding government's roles and responsibilities. Some want more government involvement, some less. Obama wants more than most, I want less than most. To be frank, I have no interest in coming to some sort of rapprochement with the person who filled out this questionnaire. On the contrary, I am happy to be on the other side, doing my best to ensure that people with beliefs such as Barack Obama's are kept away from public office. I'll be here until the election.