Once on the bandwagon, the music is too loud

Herb Denenberg invites you to look at the empty suit that is Barack Obama in this opinion piece in the Philadelphia Bulletin about major newspapers endorsing Obama. He is a former Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissioner, and professor at the Wharton School. He is a Philadelphia journalist, consumer advocate and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of the Sciences.

“The [Philadelphia] Inquirer criticizes Sen. John McCain for voting with President George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, but conveniently neglects to note Sen. Obama votes with his party 96 percent of the time. He is one of the most partisan and the most liberal members of the U.S. Senate. That is not the stuff of an escape from the "tar pit of partisan sniping." How can an extremist liberal, radical and party-liner bring both sides together?In fact, Sen. Obama not only lacks the ability to be bipartisan and to bring people together, but also lacks the willingness to even listen to the other side. He is not only highly partisan but seems to have a Storm Trooper mentality with a slight whiff of fascism.” . . .

“As Sen. Obama has a resume so thin and legislative achievements so non-existent, the Inquirer bases its endorsements on his positions. But even here, you see the pathetic nature of the Inquirer's efforts to fill this empty suit. . . For example, it praises Sen. McCain for his stand on public financing of elections. It omits this was central to Sen. Obama's claimed reform agenda. It omits Sen. Obama promised to take public financing. And it omits, despite his promise and pledge, as soon as it was politically expedient, Sen. Obama abandoned his pledge and promise. As usual, Sen. Obama's rhetoric is the opposite of his reality.

The Inquirer editorial also praises Sen. McCain for his stand on pork-barrel spending. . . In contrast, Sen. Obama was a leading pork-barrel spender, and even got an earmark for the medical center where his wife works. But such an outrageous conflict of interest never raised a slight stir from the mainstream media.”

[On the plus of a bi-racial president?] “. . . We don't have to tell the world that America, as a melting pot, is a reality. We are that melting pot, and we don't have to decide the election in Sen. Obama's favor to please the world or the U.N. People all over the world are fighting to get into America because they know it is the great melting pot and the golden city on the hill that is the land of opportunity and freedom. . . To put it bluntly, the Inquirer's endorsement has a definite tinge of racism, just as their favorite candidate does. In any event, the Inquirer's editorial board thinks we ought to apply affirmative action to presidential elections.”

All true, and more Mr. Denenberg, but the crowded masses are packed in the bandwagon so tightly and the music is so loud, the heart rates so high, with arms and hands raised and waving that I doubt they can hear you.