As recently as October 9, Barack Obama assured reporters — and, through their office, all Americans — that he is not a socialist. (Reminds me a little of another president who is famous for saying “I am not a crook.”)
It’s a good thing Obama keeps reminding us that he is not a socialist because, if you had to judge solely from the company he keeps, you sure might conclude that he was one. Consider his appointments so far as president. These include people who variously have expressed admiration for the likes of Karl Marx, Mao Tse Tung, and Hugo Chavez, while exhibiting contempt for capitalism, American exceptionalism, and all-around love of country.
Of course not all of Obama’s appointments are demonstrably socialist. Some are merely radicals who have no business working in any facet of American government. Take his most recent nominee for a federal judgeship — please! His name is Edward Chen, and Obama has nominated him to fill a seat on the Northern California federal district court. Chen is currently a federal magistrate in San Francisco, and and was for a long time a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union.
So what are some of Chen’s beliefs? For one, he believes America is inherently racist and that judges should let their “ethnic and racial background” impact their decisions from the bench. (Why does that sound familiar?)
An editorial in this past Sunday’s Washington Times features some of Chen’s more revealing comments. Upon hearing “America the Beautiful” sung at a funeral, Chen told the audience of his
feelings of ambivalence and cynicism when confronted with appeals to patriotism — sometimes I cannot help but feel that there are too much [sic] injustice and too many inequalities that prevent far too many Americans from enjoying the beauty extolled in that anthem.
In a speech following the attacks on 911, Chen spoke of a
sickening feeling in my stomach about what might happen to race relations and religious tolerance on our own soil. … One has to wonder whether the seemingly irresistible forces of racism, nativism and scapegoating which has [sic] recurred so often in our history can be effectively restrained.
I kind of understand Chen’s point. Reading his words gives me a sickening feeling in my stomach about what might happen to the greatest country on earth if Barack Obama continues in his radical, socialist ways.
Comments 6
Another radical judge?
Howard, please.
October 28th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
fuster:
@ I forgot, Sotomayor isn’t radical enough for you. Well, take comfort. This guy has espoused many of the same idiotic views but has not yet retracted them. So I suppose we’ll see.
October 28th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
@ Howard Portnoy:
She’s never been anything like a radical judge.
You might view her as someone with pronounced personal views, but you’ll find little of it in her work.
Is there anything in Chen’s work that makes it “radical”?
October 28th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
@ fuster: I don’t know but it would comforting for once to see Obama nominate someone who didn’t seem way out in left field
October 28th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
As long as he’s not nominating bleacher creatures….
October 28th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
It seems like a risky move. Whatever else we can say about Chen, he’s not a wise Latina woman. Now that OSlash has broken the barrier on that one, our best course would seem to be loading up the bench with the demographic we know will come to better conclusions.
Inconstancy, thy name is Barack.
October 28th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
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