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meeting young Obama
Posted: Apr 6, 2012
My first meeting with young Barack Obama raised strong feelings and left me with a positive first impression. At the time, I felt I'd persuaded a young man anticipating a Marxist-Leninist revolution to appreciate the more practical alternative of conventional politics as a channel for his socialist views.
I met Obama in December of 1980, a couple of days after Christmas, in Portola Valley -- a small town near Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. I was a 23 year old second-year graduate student in Cornell's Government Department, and had flown to California to visit a 21 year old girlfriend, Caroline Boss. Boss was a senior at Occidental College, where she had taken a class in the fall of 1980 with political theorist Roger Boesche. She met and befriended Obama in that class.
I had been an angry Marxist revolutionary during my undergraduate career at Occidental College. During my hyperactive sophomore year, in the fall of 1976, I founded the Marxist-Socialist group on campus and named it the Political Awareness Fellowship. As I recall, I developed this innocuous sounding name because there were so few students on campus as radical as I, and I was fearful of turning off moderate students who might be willing to learn more about Marxist theory.
On my watch, our group grew to a dozen student activists and managed to attract crowds of 80 or more to our events. The most successful of these was a campaign to raise awareness of the plight of homosexuals who were beaten by Los Angeles City police officers along the Hollywood strip. I promoted this event with a large banner in the Occidental College quad reading: Anita Byrant: Hitler in Drag? During my junior year, I left Occidental College with the mission to study Marxist economics at England's University of Sussex in the fall of 1977.
By the time I returned to Occidental in the fall of 1978 for my senior year, the Political Awareness Fellowship had morphed into something much bigger, an organization with strong leadership, its own office space and a new name. The group's president was Gary Chapman, an older student who had served as a Green Beret in Viet Nam. Chapman was a colorful figure who shared stories from his military career including how he was required to take apart and reassemble his rifle in the dark. Under Chapman's leadership, the group had changed its name to the Democratic Socialist Alliance (DSA). As I recall, he told me "the old name wasn't letting people know what we stood for." I agreed. The DSA met weekly and brought in speakers about once a month. Events were advertised by big signs in the campus quad. During my time at Occidental, the group searched for ways to embarrass the administration, help students to see the evil of the U.S. capitalist system, and mobilize people in preparation for the coming revolution.
In the spring of 1979, Chapman and I joined forces with other students on campus to found an anti-apartheid coalition, called The Student Committee Against Apartheid, which included the leadership of the DSA as well as several other groups. Although the coalition included liberals as well as radicals, I think it is fair to say the most significant intellectual and organizational leadership came from students in the DSA. One of the ironies of our effort is that the white students took the lead in organizing these protests while African-American students seemed strangely passive and uninvolved in fighting the South African regime.
My romance with Boss began in the spring of 1979. Boss had joined the DSA and participated in the anti-apartheid events I helped organize that year. Like me, she was a committed Marxist, preparing for the approaching revolution. That year, I completed my senior honors thesis on Marxist economics. Boss and I danced together after I accepted my Occidental degree in June of 1979 wearing the red armband that signified my solidarity with my Marxist brethren around the world and my commitment to the anti-apartheid movement.
My relationship with Boss continued through the summer of 1979 and the academic year 1979-1980. She spent the summer of 1980 with me at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. When Boss returned to Occidental in the fall of 1980 for her senior year, she enrolled in Professor Roger Boesche's European Political Thought class. It was there that she met Barack Obama who was starting his sophomore year.
When I first saw Obama, I remember I was standing on the porch of Boss's parents' impressive home as a sleek, expensive luxury car pulled up the driveway. Two young men emerged from the vehicle. They were well-dressed and looked like they were born to wealth and privilege. I was a little surprised to learn they were Boss's friends from Occidental College until she articulated the underlying0 political connection. "They're on our side," she said.
The taller of the two was Obama, then only 19, who towered over his five-foot-five companion, Mohammed Hasan Chandoo - a wealthy, 21 year old Pakistani student. Chandoo had a full dark black, neatly trimmed moustache, and was dressed in expensive clothes. Nevertheless, Obama was the more handsome of the two. At six foot two, Obama carried himself with the dignity and poise of a model. The diminutive Chandoo, in contrast, came across as more of a practical, businessman type. Obama displayed a visible deference to Chandoo when they were standing together at the vehicle.
Chandoo was vaguely familiar to me as a participant in the earlier anti-apartheid rallies on the Occidental College campus. In David Remnick's book, The Bridge, Chandoo's bona fides as a committed Marxist were well-known to those close to him. Chandoo's girlfriend at the time, Margot Mifflin, told Remnick that "[I]n college, Hasan was a socialist, a Marxist, which is funny since he is from a wealthy family." (See, Remnick, David, The Bridge, Alfred A, Knopf, 2010, page 104.) Young Obama, on the other hand, was completely new to me.
"This is Barack Obama," Boss said.
Since I was not much taller than Chandoo, I remember I looked up at Obama as we shook hands. I was completely mystified by the pronunciation of his name. He did not put up a fight over it, however.
"You can call me Barry," Obama said.
During the introduction, Boss and Chandoo were eager to let me know that Obama was a graduate of the prestigious Punahou Academy, an elite prep school in Honolulu. I vividly remember that Chandoo was intensely proud of Obama's ties to Punahou. This prestige, however, was wasted on me. I had never heard of the school and did not have a clue about what it meant to be one of its graduates. Obama seemed embarrassed by the fuss. Boss, I remember, wanted to make sure I understood that young Obama was not merely an attractive socialite dabbling in Marxist theory. "You've worked with us," she observed. "You've been at our DSA meetings. You've been active in the anti-apartheid movement."
After a while, all six of us -- the four students and Boss' adoptive parents -- drove in two cars to a local restaurant. The owner knew Boss's father. The food was delicious, the setting spectacularly "California casual," with tall redwood trees all around. At the restaurant, we six continued our talk. Chandoo was quiet, less forceful, and deferential to Obama. Obama was polite to Boss's parents, calm, and distinguished in his manner. Mr. Boss disapproved of his daughter's radical perspective and could barely disguise his contempt for me.
Despite the recent election of Ronald Reagan, the focus of our discussion was on El Salvador and Latin America. I remember I was especially angry about what was happening in El Salvador, particularly the recent rape and murder of four American nuns and a laywoman. We also discussed the recent assassination of John Lennon in New York City. After lunch, the entourage returned to the Boss's home in Portola Valley. Mr. Boss, a gruff Swiss-born businessman, was an aficionado of luxury cars who took pride in his successes in the greeting card and display case businesses.
"That's an impressive car. Which one of you is the owner?" he asked.
"It's mine," said Chandoo, graciously adding: "Would you like to see it?"
While Chandoo and Mr. Boss gave Chandoo's luxury car a once over, the rest of us engaged in small talk until Chandoo returned. Chandoo beamed smugly, having impressed Boss's father with his expensive car. Inside the house, Mrs. Boss prepared snacks for everyone. All four of the students lit up after-dinner cigarettes in the dining room of the Boss's home. Caroline Boss sat at the head of the table to my left. Obama sat directly across from me. Chandoo sat on the other side of the table on Obama's left. Naturally, our conversation gravitated towards the coming revolution. I expected that my undergraduate friends would be interested in hearing my latest take on contemporary Marxist thought. I was in for quite a bit of a shock.
My graduate studies that fall had tempered my earlier Marxism with a more realistic perspective. I thought a revolution was not in the cards anymore. There was no inevitability, in my mind, to the old idea that the proletariat would rise up and overthrow the ruling classes. Now, the idea that we could entirely eliminate the profit motive from an advanced industrialized economy seemed like a childhood fantasy. The future, I now thought, would belong to nations with mixed economic systems -- like those in Europe -- where there was government planning of the economy combined with a greater effort to produce a more equitable distribution of wealth. It made more sense to me to focus on elections rather than on preparing for a coming revolution.
Boss and Obama, however, had a starkly different view. They believed that the economic stresses of the Carter years meant revolution was still imminent. The election of Reagan was simply a minor set-back in terms of the coming revolution. As I recall, Obama repeatedly used the phrase "When the revolution comes...." In my mind, I remember thinking that Obama was blindly sticking to the simple Marxist theory that had characterized my own views while I was an undergraduate at Occidental College. "There's going to be a revolution," Obama said, "we need to be organized and grow the movement." In Obama's view, our role must be to educate others so that we might usher in more quickly this inevitable revolution.
I know this may be implausible to some readers, but I distinctly remember Obama surprising me by bringing up Frantz Fanon and colonialism. He impressed me with his knowledge of these two topics, topics which were not among my strong points -- or of overwhelming concern to me. Boss and Obama seemed to think their ideological purity was a persuasive argument in predicting that a coming revolution would end capitalism. While I felt I was doing them a favor by providing them with the latest research, I saw I was in danger of being cast as a reactionary who did not grasp the nuances of international Marxist theory.
Chandoo let Boss and Obama take the crux of the argument to me. Chandoo, in fact, seemed chagrined by the level of disagreement in the group. I cannot remember him making any significant comments during this discussion.
Drawing on the history of Western Europe, I responded it was unrealistic to think the working class would ever overthrow the capitalist system. As I recall, Obama reacted negatively to my critique, saying: "That's crazy!"
Since Boss and Obama had injected theory into our debate, I reacted by going historical. As best I can recreate the argument, I responded by critiquing their perspective with the fresh insight I had gained from my recent reading of Barrington Moore's book, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (1966). Moore had argued that a Russian or Chinese style revolution -- leading to communism -- was only possible in an agrarian society with a weak or non-existent middle-class or bourgeoisie.
Since I was a Marxist myself at the time, and had studied variations in Marxist theory, I can state that everything I heard Obama argue that evening was consistent with Marxist philosophy, including the ideas that class struggle was leading to an inevitable revolution and that an elite group of revolutionaries was needed to lead the effort. If he had not been a true Marxist-Leninist, I would have noticed and remembered. I can still, with some degree of ideological precision, identify which students at Occidental College were radicals and which ones were not. I can do the same thing for the Occidental College professors at that time.
By the time the debate came to an end, Obama -- although not Boss -- was making peace, agreeing with the facts I had laid out, and demonstrating an apparent agreement with my more realistic perspective. I have a vivid memory of Obama surrendering to my argument including signaling to the somewhat bewildered Chandoo -- through his voice and body language -- that the argument had concluded and had been decided in my favor. Around 9 p.m., Chandoo and Obama left for another appointment, either in Palo Alto or San Francisco. In retrospect, Obama had proved to me that he was indeed, as Boss had promised, "on our side."
Long before I realized Obama had grown into a spectacular political career, I have treasured this particular memory as an early example of my own intellectual growth and an early sign of my modest promise as a teacher. At the time, I had the impression that I might have been one of the first to directly challenge Obama's Marxist-Leninist mind-set and to introduce him to a more practical view that saw politics, rather than revolution, as the preferred route to socialism. Had I really persuaded him, or was he just making nice to smooth things over with a new friend? I'd like to think it was the former.
Whatever progress I made with Obama that evening, the price of our debate was a greater ideological wedge between me and Boss and a further decline in our rocky relationship. Our relationship would officially end in February and then flicker out completely by June 1981 -- much to the satisfaction of Boss's father.
I remember that Obama was friendly to me on at least three other occasions over the next several months. For example, Boss and I visited the apartment he shared with Chandoo. I spoke with him again on campus in the student union. I saw him on campus in The Cooler -- the school's coffee and sandwich shop. I also spoke with him at large party in June 1981. I certainly considered him a friend, a confidant and a political ally in the larger struggle against poverty and oppressive social systems.
Whatever impact our encounter might have had on him, I know something about what Barack Obama believed in 1980. At that time, the future president was a doctrinaire Marxist revolutionary, although perhaps -- for the first time -- considering conventional politics as a more practical road to socialism. Knowing this, I think I have a responsibility to place on the public record my account of this incident from our president's past.
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Says it all - nm
[ In Reply To ..].
19 years old--where are the frat parties and AWOL status? - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Hmmm. At 19 years old I knew several friends who were seeking knowledge and understanding of a broad spectrum of philosophies and cultures. At 19, I was pretty much getting kicked out of school. Yes, if this were true, I am positive President Obama should be flogged for any and all past contacts that we now deem unsuitable.
my liberal college - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I attended one of THE most liberal colleges in America at the time (the 1980s), U of M in Ann Arbor. My friends and I explored "the revolution" and Marxist theories. Oh wait, no we didn't. Never saw any of it there.
No one is flogging the president. A little dramatic, don't you think? They're just asking questions. What's wrong with asking questions about a person's background, considering he's the leader of the Free World?
The original post reads like a novella - Tom Clancy
[ In Reply To ..]Great work--like a suspense novel. However, I just don't get the point--it sure seem that poster is trying to draw some conclusion.
Ah, remember Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand in - The Way We Were? nm
[ In Reply To ..].
If you looked at me you would not suspect - Politically Correct
[ In Reply To ..]I often have had lengthy conversations with others about politics, religion,etc, without them knowing my true personal feelings. They probably think I am in total agreement, when I am just trying to understand their viewpoint. This makes me think of an old friend, who you would swear admired Nazis. He had many books and paraphenalia from World War II, including things with the swaztika symbol (sorry about spelling--don't have inclination to look up). Actually, his Dad fought in WWII and he was extrememly interested in the Hitler regime as historical event, not because he admired him. All of these things have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with my actions, my friends actions, or President Obama's politics. It is just our learning experiences. The OP reminds me of the Kerry Swiftboaters.
May find this interesting regarding - Older Obama, 2008 campaign
[ In Reply To ..]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6k8RVn-Wik&feature=player_embedded#!
Not really - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]Anything released by WND is way out there.
You could say the same thing about Huff or CNN or MSNBC or Fox, etc etc - what if
[ In Reply To ..]There are a few posters on this board who do anything they can to cover up the truth. Even when there is wrong doing in the democrat party there are a few here that will sink with the burning ship knowing all along its wrong but never admitting so.
For your information the lady speaking in the video, Bettina Viviano was the President of Production at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. She's been a successful producer and literary agent. She represented writers and directors. She was doing a documentary about voter fraud in the crat party when all this came about. People have had their lives threatened and vandalized and you think that's nothing? Not important? These are democrats this has happened to. You don't think that's wrong? She belongs to no party and had nothing to gain or lose. She just wanted to do a documentary. So you think Bill and Hillary are lying? Do you think every person in the democrat party is lying, except Obama? By the way, she never said that Obama himself did this. So I don't understand cutting down everyone who may have something to tell about what happened to them and what they know happened.
Oh yes, your claims of WND being "way out there". What horse-hooey and you know that. WND - World News Daily is an independent news network. They have articles authored by their own staff, which are not always conservative leaning, and they also provide links to other news articles. It also has articles written by liberals such as Bill Press and Nat Hentoff. They provide news articles and commentaries. So if you are going to say they are "out there". Then you have to include Huff, MSNBC, CNN and anyone else that provides news articles and commentaries.
So, no WND is not "out there" and I don't know why you are trying to hide the truth and protect Obama at all costs, especially since he is not the one who did this.
Have to ask - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]If it is true, why haven't Bill and Hillary said anything about it?
As for WND, I received their news bulletins for several weeks in my email and did not find anything credible about their so-called "news."
FYI. Some revealing info about Drew. - see link
[ In Reply To ..]http://john-drew.1kenthomas.com/
debunking the debunker - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Oh that's just great. Now I have to figure out who a guy named Ken Thomas is and read about his blog exchanges with John Drew? I'm getting exhausted. If someone debunked John Drew with FACTS, that's a different story. Ken Thomas' site says, "In future installments, I intend to examine and debunk this claim, as well as John C. Drew's position in the fringe Republican and Tea Party apparatus, including the hatred and destructiveness involved, and the threat agents such as John Drew provide to the United States and our civil society and democracy." This is dated May of LAST YEAR. Still waiting for those updates bebunking the claim. (insert crickets here).
Well there goes Ken Thomas' credibility - what if
[ In Reply To ..]The first clue in investigating this article was his opening statement "This page is a result of a recent conflict between myself and John Drew". So, you have to take that with a grain of salt. This guy had a "conflict" with him. Which basically means he's going to write an article trashing him because he either is mad or doesn't like him. Therefore can't expect to get much truth, if any, from someone who has a grudge or had an argument and writes a blog about it. So, going forward you now have to look into Ken Thomas' background/credibility. Is what he writes legit, or is he just a disgruntled person mad at someone or what. Not saying I believe John Drew or Ken Thomas. All I'm saying is when someone writes a grudge article or a blog or any type of article at all, it's good investigation skills to determine what the background and motives of the writer and then decide with all the information you've found whether or not you believe one or the other. They may both be wrong or they both may be right. Only each individual can decide for themselves. I don't think anyone should be coming here saying, this person is "not credible" or "out there", yet this article I like, my guy, is correct. So anything I disagree with is hence, not credible. Everyone should do extensive research and decide for themselves. IMHO.
Oh wow! I agree with you 100%. The best MTs...sm - oldtimer
[ In Reply To ..]are blessed with great curiosity and investigation skills. Many younger people take search engines as gospel and are not able to filter the truths from the nontruths. I am seriously so excited that we agree!
Thanks oldtimer - I'm glad we finally agree on something too - what if - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I think all in all we all have to do our research. Why do people write what they do. Guess I learned that from DH who is an investigator. You always have to search for the motives of what people write. I just don't get people coming on here saying this source or that source is not credible or is a "tabloid" (that made me laugh) just because they don't agree with it. All I say is everyone do their own research. Read everything and make up your own minds as to what you believe. I didn't read the whole article of Ken Thomas, cos it was that first opening line that made me realize, okay he's got a grudge against someone. Reminds me of my mom. She's mad at my dad for something and tells me she's going to write a book about all her problems (caused by my dad) and let the whole country know what he's like. Then when you find out really what is going on you think, better look into both sides of the story.
Thanks for your post. It is very uplifting to know someone who I disagree with on many issues agrees with me on this.
Did you see the part where WND was not the only one - reporting this?
[ In Reply To ..]I've been reading WND for some years now and YES, their sources are credible. Just like Huff, Fox, MSNBC, etc. Just because you don't like an article doesn't mean the sources are not credible. Oh yes, it's not "so called" news. It's just plain news.
Al-Qaida looks to oust Saudi royals
U.S. economic crisis
Obama signaled Iran U.S. OK with civilian nuke program
Teen sells kidney to buy iPhone
Those are headlines to news stories (not so called). Same healines I'm reading in other news sites. Again, just because you don't like a story does not mean it's not credible.
This is not a matter of not liking an article or a video - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]There are clearly news sources that are not credible and WND happens to be one of them.
prove it/nm - theotherside
[ In Reply To ..]nm
Huh? - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]nm.
credible sources - herewegoagain
[ In Reply To ..]Clearly? If you state there are "clearly news sources that are not credible and WND happens to be one of them," can you prove it? Can you tell us what the credible new sources are? I would argue that EVERY news source has an bias and EVERY news source has done shoddy journalism.
WND equals - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]tabloid news.
WND describe themselves as an...sm - VTMT
[ In Reply To ..]Independent conservative news website with an emphasis on aggressive investigative reporting and gossip.
Media Matters -David Brock openly stated he lies - to destroy people, yet posters cling
[ In Reply To ..]cling to him like Saran Wrap, hang on his every word as gospel. Yet it came out of his own mouth he will destroy anyone he wants, in any way he wants, with whatever lies he wants, simply because someone diasgrees with him and he hates them for that (no mental disorder with that lib ). That's your tolerant left for ya. Just like this board.
Here we go again. You are wrong - what if - sm
[ In Reply To ..]WND is posting the same articles I'm seeing on other sites like Huff, etc. WND - World News Daily is a credible news site. They are not tabloid news. Do you even know the difference? No, I didn't think so with a statement like that. Tabloid news focuses on celebrity gossip, astrology, crime stories, etc. WND does not do that. WND reports the same stories that are on Huff, MSNBC, Fox, etc. They are all credible and all "real" news reporting stories.
Tim Tebow's image in danger? - Is a "real" news story.
Teen sells kidney to buy iPhone - Is a "real" news story.
'Painter of Light': Thomas Kinkade dies at 54 - Is a "real" news story.
Taiwan planning to build submarines - Is a "real" news story.
Get it? Those are just a few headlines on their news site. I'm also finding the same stories in Huff, MSNBC, CNN and Fox's site.
Again, just because you don't like the news stories doesn't mean it's not real news. Anyone who claims that WND or any other news site they don't agree is not "real" news or tabloid news shows they have no idea what they are talking about.
WND - goldie
[ In Reply To ..]Yeah, once in a while I'll go to sites like WND and Daily Koz for a chuckle or two. I put them together in the same category of "not so credible sites" and "don't believe everything you read."
Media Matters equals - bird cage liners - :)
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LOL - you got that one right - nm
[ In Reply To ..]nm
Speaking of noncredible new sources, try - Media Matters, HuffPo right up there
[ In Reply To ..].
Have to ask - what if
[ In Reply To ..]Did you even watch the video. It doesn't sound like it by your post. Did you just see WND and then stopped and not watch any further. If you'd like I can send you a link of the same video from a different website. It's the same video, but it just doesn't have the WND appear at the very beginning. The reason I believe you didn't watch it or even read anything about it is your question of why haven't Bill and Hillary said anything. The answer is what the video is about.
Really, if providing a link to a different website will get you to watch the video, let me know and I'll be happy to provide a link that doesn't have WND (they are just one news source that picked up the story. Otherwise, you would have not asked the questions (Hint - Chelsea's life).
Of course I watched the video - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]But, if you are trying to get me to believe that Hillary and Bill, two of the most powerful people in the country, basically kept quiet about all this because of supposedly being threatened, I just find that hard to believe. Did Hillary also accept the position of Secretary of State because of a threat?
Maybe you don't understand - what if
[ In Reply To ..]the concept of love they have for their daughter. Maybe they think their daughter's life is more important than her being president. I'm sorry you can't understand that. I for one did not want her as president and I voted for Obama to help keep her out, but this is way past reasonable. That's what I don't understand. People who think this is okay.
There is a lot more going on behind the scenes than you or I even know about.
I just finished agreeing with you above and then saw...sm - oldtimer
[ In Reply To ..]this post. Please do NOT believe the lie that Chelsea Clinton's life was ever threatened by the Obama campaign to gain ma and pa Clinton's cooperation! Are you freaking kidding? So I guess the reason that she is doing such a bang-up job as Secretary of State is because her daughter's life is at risk? Come on people....do you really believe that?
I should also state the the media on both sides is really getting to me lately. They all seem to ask questions looking for the most incindiary tintillating responses, caring nothing about the boring actual facts.
Cheers, Happy Easter and Happy Passover, or Happy Spring! No one can argue with that.
Well of course not anymore - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Since they dropped the issue, then no, of course her life is not in danger. SOS has nothing to do with the issue and she's doing a very poor job of it. If this is an indicator of what it would be under her regimen I'm VERY happy Obama won.
Nobody thinks it is okay if it really happened - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]nm.
CNN says "right wing fringe group"..sm - oldtimer
[ In Reply To ..]is responsible for this story. Here is the other side of the story.
Thanks oldtimer - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]I think you found the info that sets this crazy story to rest. I also found the comments underneath the article interesting.
No- Sect. of State was a power grab - Keeps her close to the throne - nm
[ In Reply To ..].
What if - great post - Conservative
[ In Reply To ..]and loaded with verifiable facts and sources. Hard to understand why there is such an aversion to the truth by some, especially when the truth does not prop up their way-out ideology. What is to be gained by denying facts from several sources that do not line up with extremist beliefs? Makes no sense at all. On here, it is always attack the messenger and damn any truth. None more sad, or more blind, than those the refuse to see.
Forgot to mention - This wasn't in WND only - what if
[ In Reply To ..]I saw a clip of the video and WND's name didn't come up on it. Doing a simple search you will find many other news sources (including liberal news sources) talking about the same exact story, same video...word for word.
All I say is at least now I know why Bill and Hillary looked so upset/distraught when this happened back then. I had wondered why back then in just a day or two Bill Clinton went from being his normal happy self to being silent and clearly depressed/distraught. That is any parents worst nightmare. I may not have liked his policies when he was president but this is beyond sad and shame on anyone to think this is okay or call them liars.
I like Bill and Hillary - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]Actually, I voted for Hillary in the primary, voted for Bill both times for president. I think it is more likely that Bill was upset because he realized his wife was not going to get the nomination.
Well if that is the case - what if - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Anyone coming out saying something like this is up for a lawsuit if it is not true. I don't like Bill or Hillary. I voted for Billy the first time. Took about 3 months to realize what he was about...learned my lesson the first time. Hillary, NO WAY. I saw what she was like as the so called first lady. Learned about her ideologies, background, lies, and disposition. No way I wanted that or a third term Clinton presidency. I didn't know Obama except had heard him asking questions in some senate thing. I liked his questions and I voted for him. But no matter how much I dislike a politician's policies or ideas, this is not acceptable to threaten their children. Don't care who it is.
Would agree with you - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]I would agree with you if that is what happened, but there is no proof that it did.
And there is no proof it didn't - oh wait....
[ In Reply To ..]There is proof...If it didn't happen this lady would be filed with a lawsuit...or worse. There ya go. Time will tell.
So who wrote this and where did it come from? - Trigger Happy
[ In Reply To ..]Surprised no link or reference was given. Would appreciate some more info. Thanks.
Here it is - goldie
[ In Reply To ..]I just Googled "meeting young obama" and found it here http://radiopatriot.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/meeting-young-obama/
And also http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/meeting_young_obama.html
Sister Toldja wrote about it here http://sistertoldjah.com/archives/2012/03/11/meeting-young-obama/
A video of the guy is here http://anonymouspoliticalscientist.blogspot.com/2011/11/dr-drew-on-meeting-young-obama-excerpts.html
I wish I had more time on this, but I have to work this morning. I'll try to be back later this evening.
Here is another example of his writings... - sm
[ In Reply To ..]My initial impression is that he thinks a lot of himself (near-genius, award-winning political scientist) and is a master at insulting and tearing down others.
Wow. Now that is insightful. Thank you. - Psych MT
[ In Reply To ..]He is way out there. Obviously has some sort of ego-centered agenda. What better way to do it than to try and smear the president.
Prove it - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]Now all the Obamer haters have to do is prove that there is a lick of truth to this.
Why must some of you continually - Trigger Happy
[ In Reply To ..]refer to us a Obama haters? Just because I see things differently than he does doesn't mean I hate the man. I like a lot of people I disagree with. Take my husband for example. We disagree a lot, but I still like him. ;)
Seeing things differently - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]I have no problem with you personally or what you believe in, but when I read things like this, I get a super headache. Anyone can say or write anything about anyone, but that does not make it necessarily true.
You are correct...and that is why I - Trigger Happy
[ In Reply To ..]asked who wrote it and where it came from. I think some people are too quick to believe things without any proof...and that happens on both sides of the aisle. I personally don't know what is MORE annoying....people who believe something without researching whether it is factual or not....or people who refuse to believe anything without researching whether it is factual or not.
It seems to me that people on both sides get in trouble for assuming things are true and/or false without doing research.
I don't know if this original post is true or not, but I do know that our president has been known to associate and be around some very radical people. So it is plausible this is true, but I would like to know more information before I decide to believe it or not to believe.
Know what you mean - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]There are so many negative stories out there about this president and many, if not most, are not true.
Yes, the conservatives are the party who cried "Wolf!" - too many times
[ In Reply To ..]Not much credibility. There are so many crazy conspiracy theories and out and out lies, I just don't like to waste my time on any of it.
Sounds like constant cry of Dems - with the term racist - nm
[ In Reply To ..].
Prove it ISN'T to mbmt - you CAN'T - nm
[ In Reply To ..].
But then - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]It is not worth wasting my time trying to prove or disprove that post.
Then why demand proof from others when - you can't provide anything
[ In Reply To ..]to disprove it. If you want to state someone is not believable, then you should have a way to back up those accusations. OP posted a story that appeared on LIBERAL and conservative sources. Not one poster here has been able to prove any of the sources OP listed were lying about the story. Seems the time was wasted by those looking up LIBERAL sources the disbelievers wouldn't research. You could hear it from Obozo's own mouth and still say it wasn't true.
Common sense tells me this is baloney - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]If you believe it, that's certainly your right. Don't let me stop you.
mbmt - common sense
[ In Reply To ..]Common sense? The definition of common sense is "the basic level of practical knowledge and judgment that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way." How does a man's story about his connections to a young Obama make no sense to you and tells you it's baloney?
Two Posts - mbmt
[ In Reply To ..]I still believe the video is baloney.
There was also the original post. Like I said, anyone can write or claim anything. That does not make it true, and there is no way of proving it. I am not going to get caught up in trying to disprove or prove everything that supposedly happened 30 years ago.
Message to all above that asked about the article - what if
[ In Reply To ..]It took about 10 seconds to find this article. If you are all MTs, don't you know how to find things? It really is quite easy. In a Google I typed in the heading of this article she/he posted (Meeting young Obmaa) and Viola. There popped up a bunch of links. One in particular is from a site called American Thinker, but there are many other articles too, which are interesting. Either the poster forgot to post the link to where this was found or she didn't feel like it. I don't blame him/her for not posting a link, after all look down the line with someone actually saying WND being not credible. LOL (had to laugh at that).
Anyway...makes no difference to me. When someone posts something I do my own due diligence and research the topic/subject being discussed. It's really quite easy. Now if someone comes back and says American Thinker is not credible I do think my day will end in laughter. :-)
Hahahahaha! - nm
[ In Reply To ..].
Well...I asked because - Trigger Happy
[ In Reply To ..]I was working and had spent enough time reading through it and didn't want to spend more time while I was supposed to be working in order to google it myself. Also, I was just being lazy. lol So sue me! ;)
That's okay - will not sue you LOL - what if - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I wrote that basically because others posters always do that. They want to know where you read something and then they tell you it's not credible. Actually I'm pretty darn sure they have the "it's not credible" in a word expander so that way it's already programmed in ahead of time. LOL
My response was basically to many of the posts throughout the board when people won't take the time to research. We all have our days when we don't feel like looking things up. I'll tell you I was getting exhausted trying to find out the motives of Ken Thomas writing about Drew what-ever-his-name was (too tired to look that up again), so I really wasn't picking anyone out in general, my message was just a general statement. I do enjoy reading your posts even if I don't always agree with you. I find you to be one of the more respectable posters on the board.
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