Mar 1st, 2008 at 6:46 pm EST
My letter to Mr. Kincaid:
NOTE: In this letter and elsewhere I voice my criticism of left-ish politics. I am sincere with these opinions but simultaneously realize that some of you would likely disagree strongly with me on some of them. Please be aware that my opinions are *not* a condemnation of you or your intentions. It is my opinion that virtually everyone shares the same goals (peace, prosperity and the improvement of the Human Lot in Life), we only differ on the best path to achieve these ends. Happy to debate all those points offline... ;~)
-cheers!
-chris
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/
Hello Mr. Kincaid,
I read your recent article with the aforementioned title. For beginners, I appreciate every opinion (which is kinda the point of this entire letter), and commend you for speaking yours regardless of my – or anyone else’s – opinion of it. Hopefully you share this view on free speech and the consideration of opposing views, which from your stated stance should be the case.
For my part, I disagree fundamentally with your article. If I understand the positions you espouse, you are stating that 1/ the media is
As a preface to my opinions, first let me explain my background.
• I am a registered Independent who has voted right-of-center for most of my adult life.
• I have been a vocal opponent of “modern liberalism” and socialism for more than ten years.
• I am a supporter/volunteer for Sen. Obama.
Born in 1965, I grew up in Colorado, Chicago and Toronto being a firm supporter of Left-ish ideals. In my late twenties in Canada I spent a lot of time working around politicians (TV production crew) which, combined with other evolutions drove me far away from the nanny-state superior condescension I perceived among Liberal politicians. Since then I have been a frequent debater on the side of personal freedoms and responsibility and against the actual socialism in place in Canada and Europe and latent in American Democratic positions and leaders (like Sen. Clinton, in my opinion). Today I live in Florida, but have lived as an adult in many regions of the country (SC, UT, IL, WA) and have travelled the world extensively and always engaged in discussion on all of these topics wherever I go.
Sen. Obama first crossed my path in the early 2000’s when my mother (a staunch left-winger with whom I have spirited debates ;~) brought him to my attention. Since then I have followed his career with skeptical interest, looking for the signs of left-wing demagoguery that I find so common among members of his party. It is specifically the lack thereof that has drawn me to support his campaign for President. While I certainly do not know everything about the man, I have consumed a great deal of data about his actions and positions. Not only do I not come to the conclusion implied by your article, the position you take strikes me as a set of points that could be used against myself should anyone choose to question my views – and this is what spurs me to write this note.
I, too, have had a varied background.
I, too, have and continue to seek conversations with all sorts of people – particularly those I disagree with.
While I cannot speak for Sen. Obama, I have inhabited several posts along the political perching-line in my life. Some, perhaps, a reflection of my age at the time, others due to ongoing examination of issues and ideologies. Today I will describe myself as “Libertarian” if forced to pick from the limited selection of political party labels, but in reality my views are a more complicated matrix including an absolute belief in individual independence and a pragmatic insistence on moving forward by available means rather than ineffectual circling around ideological totem poles.
If I for one moment believed that my choice for President actually embodied the beliefs that you appear to claim, then I would not support that person. However, based on more diligence than I have ever pursued in determining my choice (and I’m a tad obsessive about these sorts of things at the best of times), I cannot begin to agree with your assessment. Neither the plans put forward by Sen. Obama nor the words and intent displayed by his statements support the types of Big Government socialism I have seen firsthand in several stints of living in Canada. Nothing about his actions in government indicate the kind of extreme-left leanings that I identify with his Democratic opponent.
In contrast to the picture your article paints of an extremist fifth-columnist communist sleeper, the Barack Obama I see is a pragmatic effective diplomat who combines the positive social values of the left with the results-oriented personal responsibility of the right. Given my own not-insignificant successful use of these traits to attain global capitalist aims (I built a ~$3B business unit for Cisco Systems, for example), I see the pragmatic application of the opportunity to leverage this man’s own complex capabilities to be in the best interest of those of us who wish for the advancement of this country and its founding ideals.
I hope your stated position as a questioning individual will lead you to an examination of the data that brings you to a similar conclusion. For my part, I look forward to a point in two or three years time when we will all have more current and empirical evidence to prove one of us correct. I am betting more than the value of a simple sporting wager that neither of us will be disappointed with the real actions of a President Obama by that time, and look forward to debating this issue with you then.
Best regards,
-chris
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