President Obama has taken a lot of justifiable criticism for his tepid responses to the crisis in Iran. His failure to speak out forcefully on behalf of free and honest elections and support of the demonstrators have earned this criticism. But one has to wonder if his own political past is playing a role.Obama has made the statement that voices must be heard and every vote must count. But the last time we heard Obama make
that statement was during the Democratic primary battle with Hillary Clinton where it was clear he was saying one thing and doing another.
During that primary battle he did everything in his power to suppress the votes of almost 2 million voters in Florida and Michigan because both states voted overwhelmingly against him in the Democratic primary. Both states had moved their primary election ahead of where the DNC wanted them, something other states also did but did not face the sanctions threatened by the DNC. The difference was the size of both states and the number of votes and delegates that would have gone to Hillary Clinton.
As those who remember, it was probably the most shameless moment in Democratic Party poltics since the corrupt of Boss Tweed.
The memory of Florida and Michigan protestors attending the meeting of the DNC Rules Committee and staging protests outside with signs similar to what we have seen in Iran, has not been forgotten. Nor has the excuses made that 2 million voters deserved to lose their votes because of the actions of a handful of peolple in the respective state parties who moved the elections up. ( by the way, the other states who did the same including the state of Delaware were not sanctioned or even threatened with losing their delegates).
At the time Obama, who had been campaigning using the slogan that voices must be heard and every vote must count, did all he could to make sure those 2 million votes didn't count until it didn't matter anymore. Only then did he petition the rules committee to allow the Florida and Michigan delegates to be seated something he could have done months earlier.
As events unfold in Iran,one can only wonder if Obama's own political past and images of thousands of Florida and Michigan voters taking to the streets to demand that their votes be counted, votes he was instrumental in suppressing, has in any way shaped his own reluctance to speak out and be faced with accusations of hypocrisy.
During that primary battle he did everything in his power to suppress the votes of almost 2 million voters in Florida and Michigan because both states voted overwhelmingly against him in the Democratic primary. Both states had moved their primary election ahead of where the DNC wanted them, something other states also did but did not face the sanctions threatened by the DNC. The difference was the size of both states and the number of votes and delegates that would have gone to Hillary Clinton.
As those who remember, it was probably the most shameless moment in Democratic Party poltics since the corrupt of Boss Tweed.
The memory of Florida and Michigan protestors attending the meeting of the DNC Rules Committee and staging protests outside with signs similar to what we have seen in Iran, has not been forgotten. Nor has the excuses made that 2 million voters deserved to lose their votes because of the actions of a handful of peolple in the respective state parties who moved the elections up. ( by the way, the other states who did the same including the state of Delaware were not sanctioned or even threatened with losing their delegates).
At the time Obama, who had been campaigning using the slogan that voices must be heard and every vote must count, did all he could to make sure those 2 million votes didn't count until it didn't matter anymore. Only then did he petition the rules committee to allow the Florida and Michigan delegates to be seated something he could have done months earlier.
As events unfold in Iran,one can only wonder if Obama's own political past and images of thousands of Florida and Michigan voters taking to the streets to demand that their votes be counted, votes he was instrumental in suppressing, has in any way shaped his own reluctance to speak out and be faced with accusations of hypocrisy.
Marc, of course we remember all that went on in Jan-June 2008. It is something I/we will NEVER forget. Does Obama care that he stole the primary from Hillary, I think not. And who will call him out on this? Will the MSM and DNC who facilitated his corrupt deeds now expose the fradulent candidate sitting in the White House? I hardly think so. I believe Obama did not speak because he is afraid to "offend" dictators. He is still in his apology mode, apologizing to people who want to hate us and thus hate Obama as well. IMO, he wants to be liked at all costs, and he will even throw America under the bus with all of his other rejects so he will be liked by cruel oppressors. Interesting though, he tried to blame Hillary last week when Ahmadinejad taunted him for "meddling". Poor Obama, he has to hide behind Hillary's skirt like a kindergartener would do - it was mean old Hillary's fault that Obama spoke up. P.S. Mr. Does not want to Meddle does not seem to mind meddling into Israel's affairs where he definitely does not belong.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. It would have been sooo ironic! How could he demand that each vote be counted when he cheated his own way to the nomination? It wasn't only the devaluing of the Florida and Michigan votes, the downright theft of some Michigan votes, but it was also the caucus fraud as documented by Lynette Long. He didn't want to risk having the Iranians bring this out.
ReplyDeleteI agree. He didn't want every vote counted when they were for Hillary and not for him, and he looks like a giant hypocrite demanding something for Iranian voters that he wouldn't even do for American voters. I can't stand this man.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Obama has a conscience that is sufficiently developed. If he did, he would choke on any words relating to the general concepts of election integrity, freedom, responsibility, or ethics in public service.
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