THE DAILY BLADE: By Their Words You Shall Know Them
In a 2001 Chicago Public Radio interview then-IL state senator Barack Obama lamented that the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren did not remedy civil rights violations by redistributing wealth to “dispossessed peoples” because they thought such “economic justice” was unconstitutional, reports FOX News.
In the interview, Obama said (emphasis throughout, The Stiletto):
The Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of basic issues of political and economic justice in this society, and, uh, to that extent as radical as … people try to characterize the
It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, at least as it has been interpreted.
And the Warren court interpreted it generally in the same way - that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties [that] says what the states can't do to you, says what the federal government can't do to you, but it doesn't say what the federal government or state government must do on your behalf, and that hasn't shifted.
And one of the … tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court-focused, uh, I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing activities on the ground that are able to put together the … coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change, and in some ways we still suffer from that.
"Now we know that the slogans 'change you can believe in' and 'change we need' are code words for Barack Obama's ultimate goal: 'redistributive change,'" McCain-Palin senior policy adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin tells FOX.
The “economic justice” Obama seeks is not just “redistribution of wealth,” it’s reparations extracted from
I’m not optimistic about bringing about major redistributive change through the courts. The institution just isn’t structured that way. … You start getting into all sorts of separation of powers issues, you know, in terms of the court monitoring or engaging in a process that essentially is administrative and takes a lot of time. You know, the court is just not very good at it, and politically, it’s just very hard to legitimize opinions from the court in that regard.
Back then, Obama was not in a position to add activist judges to the Supreme Court – as he may soon be. Undoubtedly his hand-picked justices would not find statist income redistribution to remedy past civil rights wrongs unconstitutional, because activist judges do not regard the constitution as etched in stone, but a “living document.”
Writing in National Review, Pajamas TV commentator Bill Whittle warns: “That a man so clear in his understanding of the Constitution, and so opposed to the basic tenets it provides against tyranny and the abuse of power, can run for president of the United States is shameful enough” and adds, “I do not blame Barack Obama for believing in wealth distribution. That’s his right as an American. I do blame him for lying about what he believes.”
In contrast, here is what John McCain believes, as stated in a commentary published by The National Law Journal about legal issues he anticipates as president, the rule of law, the federal court system, judicial appointees and priorities for the U.S. Department of Justice (Obama has thus far declined the to similarly state his views on these matters):
I want to concentrate on what would be three important priorities in a McCain administration: keeping the Department of Justice politically neutral, focusing law enforcement programs on addressing important issues of the day and appointing strict constructionist judges. …
Unfortunately, we have all recently observed what happens when banks, major financial institutions and other engines of commerce become subject to market manipulators. Those who make a mockery of rules designed to keep our markets transparent and efficient must be brought to justice. …
In particular, the FBI's mortgage fraud task force is an important tool for keeping our markets clean. No matter who they are or where they hide, we must hold accountable those who would disregard the law, placing innocent citizens and investors in peril. …
As we use aggressively all lawful means to combat threats, we must also ensure that our counterterror programs enjoy bipartisan support and widespread public acceptance. … As long as I am president, I will ensure that the world never again sees
Terrorists are not the only threat to public safety. Lax enforcement policies, judges who legislate from the bench and lack of support for law enforcement personnel all continue to force our innocent citizens behind the barred windows of their homes and allow criminals to roam free. …
The federal government must both support state and local law enforcement and effectively enforce federal laws designed to root out violent crime, organized gangs and other interstate criminal activity.
None of these law enforcement efforts will succeed without a judiciary that understands its proper role and its proper mission.
BTW: In this commentary, FOX’s Neil Cavuto encapsulates the evolution of Obama’s concept of “rich” during the course of the campaign:
A year ago, Barack Obama called anyone making a million bucks rich. It was a big number, a round number, an easy to remember number.
Then it went down, and down some more. …
[M]aybe it was this campaign's way of saying, we've done our own math, and our numbers don't add up.
We can't pay for all our programs taxing just the very rich, so we've moved to the rich, then the close-to-rich, then maybe not-so-rich at all.
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Basically, if you have a job and pay taxes you are “rich” – never mind how much of your paycheck goes for a family health insurance policy, commuting costs, 401K set-asides, rent or mortgage, car payments, a college fund for the kids, or that pricey assisted living facility where the hairdresser knows just how much spray Mom likes on her coif. One of these “luxuries” will have to go so that Obama can give your money to someone else.
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