Questions and Observations

Pay attention because this is important.

A week or so ago, a video from a 2007 Obama speech surfaced in which he used race baiting tactics to exploit the Hurricane Katrina disaster as proof that Republicans didn’t care for Black Americans.

In his speech — delivered in a ghetto-style accent that Obama doesn’t use anywhere except when he is addressing a black audience — he charged the federal government with not showing the same concern for the people of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina hit as they had shown for the people of New York after the 9/11 attacks, or the people of Florida after hurricane Andrew hit.

Departing from his prepared remarks, he mentioned the Stafford Act, which requires communities receiving federal disaster relief to contribute 10 percent as much as the federal government does.

Senator Obama, as he was then, pointed out that this requirement was waived in the case of New York and Florida because the people there were considered to be “part of the American family.” But the people in New Orleans — predominantly black — “they don’t care about as much,” according to Barack Obama.

Got it?  That was the crux of the speech.  Now remember, when delivered, he was a US Senator.  And remember too that the speech was delivered on the 5th of June, 2007.

Why is that significant?

Here’s why:

Because, less than two weeks earlier, on May 24, 2007, the United States Senate had in fact voted 80-14 to waive the Stafford Act requirement for New Orleans, as it had waived that requirement for New York and Florida. More federal money was spent rebuilding New Orleans than was spent in New York after 9/11 and in Florida after hurricane Andrew, combined.

So on the 5th of June, Senator Barack Obama got up and told a lie.  A known falsehood.  The Stafford Act had already been waived.  In the United States Senate.  You know, the body to which he was an elected member?

And if you can believe it, it gets worse:

The Congressional Record for May 24, 2007 shows Senator Barack Obama present that day and voting on the bill that waived the Stafford Act requirement. Moreover, he was one of just 14 Senators who voted against – repeat, AGAINST — the legislation which included the waiver.

Sowell says:

Some people in the media have tried to dismiss this and other revelations of Barack Obama’s real character that have belatedly come to light as “old news.” But the truth is one thing that never wears out. The Pythagorean Theorem is 2,000 years old, but it can still tell you the distance from home plate to second base (127 ft.) without measuring it. And what happened five years ago can tell a lot about Barack Obama’s character — or lack of character.

I don’t use the word “liar” much.  Politicians stretch facts, spin them to their own advantage, etc.  But there are certain instances when the word is very appropriate.

This is one of them.  And, as Sowell implies, that’s why this isn’t “old news”.

So next time you see the left deploy the  word “liar”, refer them to this “old news” and remind them about “glass houses”.

~McQ
Twitter: @McQandO
Facebook: QandO