02/28/2008 (8:41 pm)
Cynical Obama Demagogues NAFTA
This is ugly.
Barack Obama is assuring Ohio voters who blame high unemployment on NAFTA that he’ll back out of NAFTA if we can’t renegotiate “core labor and environmental standards.” Meanwhile, according to Canada TV, high-level staffers from his campaign assured Canada’s Ambassador to the US that it was campaign rhetoric, and he should not take it seriously.
Within the last month, a top staff member for Obama’s campaign telephoned Michael Wilson, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, and warned him that Obama would speak out against NAFTA, according to Canadian sources.
The staff member reassured Wilson that the criticisms would only be campaign rhetoric, and should not be taken at face value.
Politics as usual? Certainly, but isn’t Barack Obama running a campaign based on being a “different kind of politician?”
Obama’s campaign issued a non-denial denial:
Late Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Obama campaign said the staff member’s warning to Wilson sounded implausible, but did not deny that contact had been made.
“Senator Obama does not make promises he doesn’t intend to keep,” the spokesperson said.
Obama, we learned yesterday, spent his early career learning how to leverage peoples’ fears to spur community action, a tactic employed by leftist “community organizers.” It now appears he may be using this tactic to garner support. A large number of voters, disturbed by fears that partisan animosity may balkanize America, look to Obama in the hope that he is, as promised, a different kind of politician. If it’s true that he’s practicing politics as usual behind the scenes, it is a very big deal, indeed; if news of this gets to enough of his supporters, his support could deflate. If this story gains legs, it will hurt Obama badly.
Captain’s Quarters notes the cynicism of the Obama campaign as well, and Sister Toldjah has the denials from the Canadian embassy and the Obama camp.
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3 Comments »
Comment by RM
Saw your trackback and I think you’re correct that he is tapping into people’s fear of balkanization, or in some conservative cases, weariness of the constant whining and screeching of leftists over the past seven years. “Bush stole the election.” “He lied us into war” “He’s a moron.” “He’s made us hated around the world.” “The war is lost.” Ad nauseum.
There have honestly been a few days that I’ve felt like saying, “You can have your GD presidency and power if you will just SHUT UP!. We’ll see how you like it when you have to be responsible for your decisions rather than snipe and Monday morning QB incessantly.”
Anyway, Obama is clever enough to tap into that general sort of sentiment or some variation thereof from both liberals and conservatives.
Comment by Phil
Clever enough seems to be the correct assessment. I think perhaps this is a very calculating man, and I think he’s very dangerous.
Pingback by Plumb Bob Blog » Obama Demagogues NAFTA — Update
[...] that while Obama was blasting NAFTA in front of Ohio audiences, a senior member of his campaign called the Candian Ambassador and assured him that it was just campaign rhetoric, and not to pay attention to it. Today, CTV is sticking with its story, and names the senior member [...]
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