On Friday, November 9, Jay Severin answered the questions asked at President-elect Obama’s press conference as if Jay were saying what Obama really thought. About 5 minutes into his monologue, Jay included the following (again, speaking as if he were Barack Obama):
I have already said on my web site that I’m going to establish a civilian police force as well funded as the United States military. My own personal police force out there.
I certainly don’t see anything today at www.change.gov about this, but I understand that web sites change daily. Perhaps the change.gov site at one point included language similar to this section from barackobama.com, in which plans to expand AmeriCorps and other service programs are discussed.
How did AmeriCorps get transformed into Obama’s “personal police force?” One can only speculate that Jay’s knowledge of the issue is limited to a 20-second clip of a speech from last summer, which has been posted on YouTube. A more enlightened version of the facts behind that clip is available at FactCheck.org.
Thanks to MyDD for reminding me about Jay’s statements.
3 Comments
This is yet another example of ultra-conservatives being unable, or unwilling to understand rhetorical nuances. Obama’s point was that the national security of the United States will not be achieved by military force alone, but by civilians rendering service to our country. If we make the world stronger (The Peace Corps) and we make our country stronger (Americorps) we’re all safer. Now I know that might be a bit much for our Libertarian loudmouth friend to follow, so maybe he can click through to the FactCheck.org link you provide and read reeeeaaaal slooooowwwww.
My favorite quote from the AP story about Georgia (go figure!) Congressman Paul Broun, who re-started the ridiculous conclusion leaping:
“You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I’m not comparing him [Obama] to Adolf Hitler. What I’m saying is there is the potential.”
Wow. Shocking that the Republicans are even more in the Congressional minority with great thinkers like that on their side!
these clips are all over youtube. The “Civilian National Security Force” comes right form the mouth of ObamaMarx. Check it out…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s
Jay Severin has it right.
Don’t Hate.
Yes, Soffia, there is a brief clip of Obama saying something about the need for a civilian element to support national security, but he does not say what Jay says he said. Read the FactCheck.org page that I link to in the original post.