Nathaniel

Shockey

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October 3, 2008

Socialist Tendencies Reveal Obama’s Failure to Understand America as a Nation

When Barack Obama began his historic crusade toward the White House, the theme was restoring America’s standing in the world. Once he secured the Democratic nomination, the theme changed. The theme is still “change,” but now this arbitrary word has wended its way through a forest of different applications – our economy, our foreign policy and corruption in our government. He’s sure we need change, but he’s suddenly not exactly sure what kind of change.

Obama’s message has changed dramatically within the past four months, but America cannot forget where he started.

“We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times . . . and then just expect that other countries are going to say, ‘OK’.” These were Obama’s words to a group of Oregonians in May 2008.

His emphasis on raising taxes and his obvious pursuit of bigger government – these enormously consequential domestic policies – are enough to frighten anyone who claims conservative principles. Like most Americans, I don’t like the bailout, and like most Americans, I don’t want to see increased taxes that will stifle our economy. But I also believe that Americans who do not find these ideas so offensive can be intensely patriotic. There are perfectly intelligent people who think these steps are necessary to get our country on its feet. On these ideas, we can disagree and survive – perhaps not thrive – but we can survive.

But we cannot survive if we believe any part of the unbelievably ignorant philosophy of which the aforementioned statement so clearly reeks. We cannot forget what patriotism means.

The words patriot and father come from the same place. The Greek word “patris,” means “fatherland.” And this inherently familial idea is critical to the understanding of why countries exist. They exist in order to limit responsibility. Families are the only reason we’re not all wandering around, bumping into each other with no one ultimately responsible for loving us, caring for us, and knowing us. Without families, people are lost.

In the same way, without countries, we’d all still be running around, forming random groups, lusting for power, trying to impose our will on everyone else. The reason a country makes sense is that it separates a group of people and limits its responsibility in the world. Every time in recorded history one person attempted to impose his will on the rest of the world, he was met with intense resistance and ultimately failed. Nations form when a group of people agrees to govern itself, generally under the assumption that its members can do a better job than the current leaders, if there are any.

America’s founding fathers understood the principals behind why countries exist. They knew what it was like to be ruled unjustly, and decided to lay claim to their own little corner of the world. This does not diminish the deplorable way many of the first Americans treated Native Americans and slaves. But I believe the reason our country gained its standing in the world was because it was not built on the principles of imperialism, but of isolationism.

As America has repeatedly blurred the line between protecting its citizens and playing global police, Americans lost sight of the principles that got us here. We’ve begun to worry about the “global community” so intensely that we’ve forgotten the responsibility we pledge every time we call ourselves a citizen of our country, every time we call ourselves Americans. And as our country has begun to fiercely polarize, as our economy has stumbled, as we have stretched thinly our armed forces, we must take it as a reminder that the sheer responsibility of effectively and safely governing our own, 300 million selves, is incredibly burdensome.

Obama’s comments reflect a belief that, no matter how morally sound its roots, will not make the world a better place. They reflect a belief that will weaken our country, and will not benefit the world any more than we’d help anyone by handing him fish instead of teaching him to fish.

The greatest gift America can give the rest of the world is an example.

Obama is clearly not the only one with misled global sympathies. He’s the Democratic nominee. At least a third of the country seems to adore him. And we cannot forget that Democrats do not hold the lion’s share of responsibility for blurring the line between national defense and global police. But I cannot believe that the beliefs Obama gained throughout his first 46 years were suddenly changed by one year on the campaign trail. It’s funny how candidates always seem to see the light directly before an election.

You may think Obama is patriotic, and you may even be right. Maybe he does love his country like so many of us do. But does he understand why our country, or any country for that matter, even exists? I doubt it.

The best way to judge any candidate is not by his words leading up to an election but by his previous words and actions. And Obama’s record of practically socialist policies, and his belief in them even on a global scale, ought to cause serious concern among any American voter who believes in capitalism on any level, national or international.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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