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D’Souza’s Rage Against Obama
From The Daily Capitalist
William of Ockham (Occam) developed an elegant method of determining the validity of an idea. His test is that if there are two equivalent explanations, all other things being equal, the simpler one is to be preferred. This is referred to as Occam's Razor. It's not a foolproof test but more of a rule of thumb (heuristic). But it's pretty good.
What has this got to do with Barack Obama?
The eminent conservative scholar and writer Dinesh D'Souza has come out with a new book on President Obama provocatively entitled, The Roots of Obama's Rage. I haven't read the book but I did read his article summarizing the book in Forbes. In it he examines various policy actions by Obama, and concludes, that Obama has inherited his father's African rage against colonial powers. In effect, D'Souza says, Obama sees America as the superpower that has taken up the mantle of colonialism and that "America is now the rogue elephant that subjugates and tramples the people of the world."
D'Souza points to the following actions of President Obama as evidence of his "bizarre" anti-business attitude:
- Obama through the Ex-Im Bank is financing Brazilian oil exploration off of Brazil to the tune of $2 billion.
- Obama in a speech about the BP Gulf spill focused on our oil addiction rather than the cleanup.
- He refuses to allow banks to pay back the TARP money until they have passed a stress test.
- Obama is pushing for more stimulus even though it hasn't worked.
- He wants to increase taxes on the rich (those making $250,000 or more).
- Obama supports the building of the mosque near ground zero.
- He is blamed for allowing the Lockerbie bomber to be freed and return to Libya.
- Obama wishes to repurpose NASA to improve relations with the Muslim world.
- His father and some of his teachers were socialists and anti-American.
- Obama wishes to control the health care system and investment banks.
- Obama sees his father as a very important figure in his life.
He also says that the President's father was a womanizer, polygamist, wife-beater, and a drunk. Nice touch.
There is one problem with D'Souza's theory: it's bunkum.
If D'Souza is correct then all "Progressives" like Obama also must also have inherited anti-colonial rage from their parents because everything Obama has done and is doing is right out of the Progressive Democratic playbook. This is the simple, elegant answer. If one looks at Obama's education, work experience, the people he has surrounded himself with, he's no different than any other "MoveOn" Progressive in America.
There is nothing unusual or surprising about Obama's policies as a Progressive. Generally speaking, most Progressives in my experience (almost everyone else but me here in Santa Barbara) are anti-capitalists, anti-business, anti-American imperialist foreign policy, and believe that most folks are racists, anti-feminists, anti-Earth, and are fundamentalist Christians.
In fact, I think D'Souza is doing a disservice to his fellow Conservatives by failing to see the obvious simple explanation of Obama's behavior. Instead of properly criticizing the President head-on for his Progressivism which is widely shared in the Democratic Party, he takes a detour into some anti-colonialism fantasy he has concocted. He tries to portray Obama as something different, something that has never occurred before in American politics. Yet quasi-socialist populism has a long history here and Obama is just the most recent iteration.
Further, D'Souza twists the facts to the point of sensationalism to cast Obama in a demonic light. For example he says that Obama backs the $2 billion oil drilling scheme in Brazil? The US Ex-Im Bank is guaranteeing loans that Chase is making to Brazilian oil company Petrobras which funds will be used to buy US equipment and services to drill offshore. This is nothing new. This is what Ex-Im does. George W. Bush did the same thing. Now there are a lot of reasons why the Ex-Im Bank should be shut down, but you can't criticize Obama for doing what all of his predecessors did.
On the payback of TARP funds? That was a G. W. Bush policy.
Obamacare, regulation of the financial industry, more Keynesian stimulus, and higher taxes are some kind of anti-American anti-colonial rage? This isn't even controversial with the Democrats much less the Progressives. This is what Democrats do.
The Ground Zero mosque? Get a life. It's private property and the government shouldn't be telling people what to do with their property; this is a well established conservative principle. This is nothing but a populist Republican wedge issue trying to exploit anti-Muslim sentiment for their political goals. This is actually counterproductive to US interests; it just reinforces the Muslim world's view that we Americans are waging war on Islam, not terrorists.
If I wanted I could read a few books by D'Souza and conclude he was some kind of right wing fanatical fundamentalist Christian who is seeking to politically establish his radical moral vision through populist tracts to deprive me of my personal liberties. But that would be grossly unfair to him.
Wouldn't it be nice if Americans understood why the policies Progressives and Democrats support are harmful to our economic well being and threaten our constitutional liberties? Wouldn't it be more effective if we could get those ideas across without resorting to demagoguery? Mr. D'Souza seems to miss that point in his tirade.
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I have read this book, and the new book by Charles Gasparino "bought and paid for; wall streets's unholy aliance with obama", the new david limbaugh book, both books that obama wrote, among others. the one guy that seems to have been ahead of most people is webster tarpley, who touched on many of these topics back in 2008 in his 2 books on obama.
The point of all of these is to get some information, new points of view, to think for ourselves. Tarpley has an interesting video that you can find on you tube called the men behind barack obama.
I dont agree with everything he says, but he identified many of the problems years before most, so the videos are worth watching and show he was ahead of most people. he might be worth checking it to from time to time on obama's motives / thinking.
This guy is a sample of the fucked party that was once the party of Lincoln and Jefferson. Amazingly, this party is now preferred party of ignorant idiots fom the ex-Confederacy still fighting the Civil war.
"...but you can't criticize Obama for doing what all of his predecessors did."
Oh what total nonsense! As if two presidents can't make the same wrong decision. Good grief.
Author lost me when he delved into the phony left-right paradigm. I followed that logic for more than 40 years and observation never fit the model. His explantion, based on the phony left-right model, doesn't add up.
Not one of the better op-eds on ZH. I gave it a "1"
I give your review: +1
Democratic Soviet= an amalgam of blacks, jews, queers, communists, muslims, illegals, abortionists, transgenders bound together by nothing more than a directed malevolent envy and hatred of Natural Law.
Meanwhile....." Israel's Cabinet approved on Sunday a bill that would require new citizens to pledge a loyalty oath to a "Jewish and democratic" state, language that triggered charges of racism from Arab lawmakers who see it as undermining the rights of the country's Arab minority."
Yep, and 1000 gays decision to march caused much havoc in Serbia hundreds injured in the protests against them. Their new "Western" style government protected the demcrats...ahh, I mean deviants.
I manufacture and import (mainly with Taiwan). In November I usually purchase most of next year's goods- not this year. I am waiting- if the taxes increase I will buy half as much.
The government is going to tax my employees healtcare benefits next year. They are insisting that if the employees refuse to take part in our healthcare plan- they must bring "written proof" they have coverage elsewhere. There will be no enforcement of this and the net effect is that more will drop from our plan when it hits them in the pocketbook.
If the government tries to penalize me for their failure to insure themselves, I will quit manufacturing all together. No matter what I do, Goobermint is gonna fuck it up- for everyone. Oh, and the idea of adding jobs in this hostile situation is laughable!!!
Sir,
I did not read this book either, but i usually read your publications. Unfortunately, after reading this one, i feel you somewhat dropped your standards.
It is not correct to critisize something you have not read.
Minutia! Going point by point on the pros and cons of the leaders completely misses the big point.
Drip,drip,drip. Just organize a New Constitutional Convention this last Dem session and lets load it down with the rights that the founders left out. They barely use the old one anyway. Then we can repeal it and Blah, blah, blah. Net gain Left.
Yes, George wanted to form a North American Alliance, trashing our borders and this guy wants a world alliance and our submission to the UN. If you can stomach that. Difference is, the world alliance would benefit us zero. Both negatives for sovereignty, although we could use the NAU commodities vs food. We are dealing with people who have self interests here. That Utopian UN shit will never work. Joke!
This is getting friggin old and being run over, roughshod seems to be escalating.
the whole thing about obama as evil socialist is completely bullshit.
he is pro corporation, pro wall street, pro cia, pro pentagon...enough all already. if he was really a socialist he would be doing alot more good!
Here you go
"Republicans approve of the American farmer, but they are willing to help him go broke. They stand four-square for the American home--but not for housing. They are strong for labor--but they are stronger for restricting labor's rights. They favor minimum wage--the smaller the minimum wage the better. They endorse educational opportunity for all--but they won't spend money for teachers or for schools. They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine--for people who can afford them. They consider electrical power a great blessing--but only when the private power companies get their rake-off. They think American standard of living is a fine thing--so long as it doesn't spread to all the people. And they admire of Government of the United States so much that they would like to buy it."
— Harry S Truman
Appears D'Souza is using his indian analogy and experience in the world affairs.
Diversion is the play of the day.
Trying to make Obama look like a crazy radical is going to backfire with anyone but the most hard core partisans.
There is plenty to criticize, but enough with the hyperbole and hypocrisy.
did you read "O's" book?
perhaps start there.
- Ned
The poster offend progressives everywhere by calling Obama a "Progressive" and his insinuation that Obama is playing from their playbook is raw propaganda. WHat he is is a corporatist and is playing from their playbook. Why Zero-Hedge would print something they know or should have known to be blatantly false propaganda is another matter.
"Why Zero-Hedge would print something they know or should have known to be blatantly false propaganda is another matter."
I think Sunday is an especially slow day -- or maybe it's just the weekend.
All the drivel and feces slop gets in on the weekend.
Exactly. In everything that matters his administration is just a sock puppet for same old same old money and power behind the scenes. How many bankers went to jail? How many banks liquidated or nationalized? How has his administration reduced the power of the Federal Reserve? (Hint: a negative number). Wish we could get a peek at the Chamber of Secrets that is surely part of the orientation of every new president. "You WILL continue the war in IthinkIcanistan". Plus the related epiphany that he can easily be liquidated and replaced if he doesn't get with the program.
maybe you should read the book before you right on a article on the book. I just saying
You just saying wright.
Your write up is as nutty as the piece you write up about, but the target piece may have had some validity.
D'Souza...examine his roots. D'Souza is what is called "Anglo-Indian" in India. That's the category all people of mixed heritage are lumped into. His last name D'Souza indicates affiliation with the Portuguese, his family is from Goa. They are Christian in a land of polytheism. They do not belong to any caste. Indians do not intermarry with them, they are isolated from the mainstream. Many indians believe that those who converted to christianity did so because they were poor, low caste Indians. They are the "other". They adopted all the affections of the white rulers, but they were not "white" enough. It's a terrible place, this no man's land where you don't really belong anywhere. Maybe he should dig deeper into his own roots and the cause of his anger.
You put that together quite nicely. I didn't know where to even start.
Quote from the article. Nice that a person can inherit traits yet D'Souza does not believe in evolution. I guess there is no hope of my departing from my old Southern bigoted roots. I'm stuck so I might as well go out and buy myself an old pickup with a gun rack and an old yeller dawg to ride shotgun.
Come on.
Obama was selected then elected. The once great Barama has gone against the selection team. This will be his downfall as the shields of criticism will be lowered.
Obama has not gone against the selection team. They will support him in his re-election bid in 2012. Banksters have profited more from BO admin than any other POTUS in history. The battle will be elites/unions/... vs main street middle class america. Winner takes all.
The inner life of BO? Why not all of the above?
Progressive does not rule out Black Rage. Look at Michelle. Now that's a piece of work.
The moment I realize someone is trying to sell a book, I stop reading their story.
Why doesn't the author write a book about the last president whose moronic deeds ruined a country? It should be clear now that any well-connected moron can get into an Ivy league school and it's often to only pad a resume.
I'd say you didn't even start reading, let alone stop. You think that Econophile is trying to sell D'Souza's book? What?
If anyone wants to see the depth of D'Souza's thinking all you have to do is watch some of the debates between D'Souza and Hitchens. Hitchens rips his guts out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boH_tJ0mCrU
Thanks for the link, concur with your assesment.
Bumper sticker says: KEEP HOPE'N
Beck had him on a week or two ago. Here are some videos:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4353935/the-roots-of-obamas-rage/
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4355410/beck-understanding-obamas-world-view/
I always wondered what brainless twits watch Beck.
Thanks for explaining....
Normally I wouldn't bother replying to someone who obviously has absolutely no basis in fact for their opinion. But, today I feel like sparring, even if it is with the mentally deficient. I ask, what do you base your objections to Beck on?
Beck is a tool.
Obama a progressive? Do you actually watch what he does or believe this kind of hack slander from the likes of D'Sousa? Not what Obama says, what he does. Have you heard Gibbs and Emanuel mock "the professional left?" Does giving away the public option sound progressive? Does escalating the war in Afghanastan sound progressive? Does sanctioning assassinations of American citizens abroad sound progressive? How about tapping your phones and readng your emails? You know, Bush III. If you can't help yourself from bashing Obama, don't be fooled by the propaganda. There's plenty to legitimatly criticize before taking to the Fox News make-it-up tack. They are softening up the soil for the fascist dictator on the way in to appear "normal" to Obama's so-called "progressivism." You could always have had Sarah Palin. There's even an outside chance you may have a second bite at that apple.
+100,000 my good citizen, covered!
I'm very specific in whom I refer to as a "good citizen" given all those Zombie ConsumerTards, the category of which both econophile and d'sousa fall in.
This is the silliest post and full of so much drivel it's really not worthy of any comment.
Obama, like Bush, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Carter, and Nixon, is just another agent and lackey of Wall Street (and Nixon, most bizarrely and sadly, rates as the most liberal of the bunch!!!!).
WTF?????????
The script goes like this: to attack the Dem side of the Bankster Party for what you really want passed (cap-and-trade for Wall Street [the next shadow banking scam structure], consolidation of the health insurance power and control and consolidation of Wall Street's power and control), and then when they pass it, the Dem side of the Bankster Party takes "credit" for doing "something."
WTF?????????
Yes, Aldous Huxley was right.....
I follow both sides. I am to the death partisan, but (or maybe because?), I take the games of our lordship so seriously, I acknowledge your point about obama being a strikeout disapointment to the fundementalist left.
'Progressive' is as 'progressive' does nigga. The proof is in the pudding. You jokers put this stud up and now he does what he does.
Own it BITCHEZ!
The administration's 'professional left' rhetoric is put out precisely to imply that the administration is not made up of professional lefties. Which it most definitely is, including at the very top. Obama wasn't hanging out with Ayers, Wright, Axelrod because they filled out his foursome. He is doing things as POTUS that he simply has to do if he hopes to stay in the game, which he must if he is to have any hope of transforming America in accord with his statist fantasies.
I'd take Palin over Obama any day. Palin is an ordinary American. Obama is out of touch since his head is up his from-the-campus, never-had-a-real-job, far-left, professorial ass.
Palin is sweet. She also is not very convincing. I love her and her 'story'. I agree that she would likely be a better Prez than B.O.
I believe we need something else though.
I've encountered the idea that what might be best would be a 'benevolent dictatorship' for all my adult life.
I'm ready to stand down if need be for a genuine grown up to perform a 'reset'.
I've noticed others warning of the danger inherent to such a turn, and I respect that.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
We are collectively responsible for this ugly mess and as such we are collectively responsible to repair it.
Eight years of Christie as our King, and America can roll again out of the ditch?
Yes, I sadly conclude that it has gotten to that point.
Nicely put. As far as civil liberties goes it's more of the same. The health care "reform" ended up being pointless. Foreign wars aplenty and to what real purpose? Not much I suspect.
As for taxing the rich - anyone bothered to look at the data on income disparities lately and still winning to make an argument that the continuing social cohesion is likely? I'll take the other side of that bet.
A well established conservative issue?
A populist Republican wedge issue?
How delusional.
Obama tried this angle too by giving his fifth/sixth grader A+ answer.
For such a well established conservative issue, it was answered to negatively by way too many people. People cannot pretend they did not understand, it was a fifth/sixth grader answer.
Maybe there will a moskey there. Maybe not. If there is one, it will be enforced by government and no way near representing a popularly held political ideology.
yah, because Obama is the problem.
Oh My! I feel like I just got spit on but the spit was not meant for me so it was an accident no harm no foul.
"Wouldn't it be nice if Americans understood why the policies Progressives and Democrats support are harmful to our economic well being and threaten our constitutional liberties? Wouldn't it be more effective if we could get those ideas across without resorting to demagoguery? Mr. D'Souza seems to miss that point in his tirade."
Great close.
An article about a book that starts off with the admission that "I didn't read the book" is pretty silly. In any event, how do you explain the rage involved in sending the Churchill bust, testimony to partnership in the darkest hours of WWII, to the UK as essentially Obama's first act. Or Obama's intolerably churlish treatment of the UK PM? What playbook did that come from?
Econophile didn't read the book and doesn't know the facts, but D'Souza wrote stupidly. - Ned
+100
Everybody supposedly likes BO, even if they don't like his policy actions. What a bunch of BS!!!!
Epically moronic bullshit. Not gonna waste any more time on it.
I didn't read econophile's article, but read the summary on the main page. His argument is nonsense.
Econophile not the author. It might be nonsense, but I think anyone who changes their name has some identity issues. No one knows where Obama stands in his inner sanctum, but "let me be clear", he is anti-business, pro-union and all about the redristribution of wealth. Equally damning things can be said about what the Republicans. For the record, I prefer dissolving the union. The whole thing is corrupt and too big. State level governing in a loose republic is what we should be. We lost that right when the North forced it's citizens to wage war against the South.