This accusation has grown louder, lately, after the revelation that Van Jones, Obama’s Green Jobs Advisor, has a radical past.  This revelation led to his resignation. This is a sensitive issue, but because of its direct relevance to us, it is something we must confront and seek out its truthfulness. 

The accusation gives rise to two questions: Is this a valid argument, and are the people we choose to surround ourselves with a reflection of the value and beliefs we hold dear?

The attempt to associate Barack Obama with Marxism, Socialism and Communism can be traced back to the 2008 Presidential campaign trail: the fuel for these accusations was Obama’s alleged ties to Bill Ayer and Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  Obama’s campaign put these claims at the back seat by calling them the opposition playing dirty politics, but these labels are back in the front, and have been the focus of much discussion recently, after more information has surfaced about the history of people that are advising the President.

Bill Ayers is a member of the Weather Underground Organization, a radical group that claimed responsibility for bombing different locations in the US between 1970 and 1974. He is now a professor of Education at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Obama and Ayers were in the same committee for a group against poverty for at least three years. However, Obama claimed he does not know Ayers and there was no solid evidence found to connect the two. 

Reverend Jeremiah Wright was Obama’s pastor in Chicago for over 20 years, and preached from the pulpit that he believed that the 9/11 terrorist attack, among other things, were plotted by the US Government, in order to push their political agendas. Another controversial sermon was when he told his congregation that, rather than singing “God Bless America,” they should sing “God Damn America” because of the role of the US in the world today. The surface of these sermons led to Obama distancing himself from the pastor saying he does not and never did endorse his views.

Van Jones is a self-proclaimed Communist, and, like Reverend Jeremiah Wright, believes the 9/11 terrorist attack was a government set-up. He also made the claim that “white polluters and the white environmentalists” are “steering poison into the people of color community”, a claim that drew a lot of fire from critics, and subsequently led to his resignation from post as Green Jobs Advisor to the President.

Valerie Jarrett is a Senior Advisor and Assistant to President Obama and President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement at the White House. Jarrett is also a close friend of the Obama’s and has known them for more than 20 years. She also has connections to Bill Ayers and other radicals that critics cite as evidence that she has radical ambitions as well.
Because of these ties and beliefs held by high profile people at Obama’s White House, is it then valid to claim that Obama has the same view as these people, and is therefore trying to implement these views through the policies he is creating? Especially after he’s known and worked with them for quite some time?

In order for this argument to be fully validated, more evidence is needed. However, there is enough evidence to suggest that President Obama may hold the same view as radicals around him. Because of this possibility, we must therefore stay alert.  Be critical of the President. Analyze his policies, such as health care reform, green job movement, financial bailout, auto bailout, and others, to see if they would lead us to Communism.

Some would argue that being critical of the President will not benefit the country nor us. However, the president brings these attentions upon himself because of the people he chooses to surround himself with.   That is a valid question.

We would love to hear from you and what you think. Visit Ke Alaka’i website.

Next question: If Obama is trying to change the US into a socialist country, and is this bad? Stay tuned.

Comments (1)

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Wow...
written by Alan , October 14, 2009

I don't read the Ke Alaka'i much but from what I have read so far, it seems like the editors really like to blow things out of proportion.

The article states that we should be skeptical of the President because of the handful of people mentioned here that having radical pasts.

"Are the people we choose to surround ourselves with a reflection of the value and beliefs we hold dear?"

Even if the answer to that question is yes, how many people that Obama a*sociates with are NOT radicals compared to those few mentioned in the article who have radical pasts?

We need to look at the big picture, not pick out the minority and base our skepticism on that.

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