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SyndicateThe Confession, Part I
By Robert Ringer - Saturday, July 25, 2009
By Lauri Ringer
As a young co-ed, I clung to my copy of Atlas Shrugged and titled my first college paper “Why Conscientious Non-Voting is American” — a treatise against the two-party political system. I argued that a non-vote could be considered a vote against the two-party monopoly system.
To my pleasant surprise, my professor actually encouraged my impassioned voice. My ideals were fresh and resolute, and I had a reputation as an independent thinker.
Fast-forward to today — and The Confession: I voted for Obama! That’s right, Robert Ringer’s strong-minded daughter was swept away by the waves of social convention and a sea of “change” rhetoric. Mortified, I’ve watched as Obama and his machine have replaced my ideals of liberty with their collectivist agenda.
To say the least, I, like millions of other naive Americans, feel duped. Worse, I feel embarrassed to the point that it’s difficult to look in the mirror.
The Confession is not an easy one to make, and I am not alone in my ideological derailment. In his book Catastrophe, Dick Morris aptly describes how millions of us were hypnotized:
Willfully suspending skepticism, [America] eagerly believed his superficial promises to change the way Washington worked… In a mind-numbing series of debates with his fellow Democrats, he spelled [his program out] for us all to hear. But we weren’t paying attention to the boring programmatic details. How much more exciting it was to focus on the fact that we were witnessing the end of the color bar. … How much more thrilling … to watch … what was clearly a moment that called for change.
In the wake of a crashing stock market, a plunging housing market, and an unprecedented economy, the non-specific idea of “change” offered us hope that America would avert more chaos and emerge as a viable player in the modern-day New World Order. Of course, most of us had no idea what the New World Order meant, but it sounded good. So we voted for Community Organizer Obama.
When President Obama emerged, it was like a blitzkrieg on Democracy. Yes, it is a New World Order.
As radio host Herman Cain related:
I started to get a growing sense that more and more people are having voters’ regret when one very brave and loyal listener to my radio show called and asked me if I knew what a “mulligan” was. I said yes because I play golf, and it’s when you are allowed to take a shot over if you make a bad shot when playing with friends. Jane [the caller] then said, “Mr. Cain, I want a mulligan, because I voted for Barack Obama.”
The internet was full of passionate debates. One poll on SodaHead.com (What’s Bubbling in Your Head?) asked the question: “Do you regret voting for Barack Obama?” Of 17,872 respondents, 16% regretted voting for Barack Obama.
A typical sampling of the over 33,000 amusing and thoughtful reader comments included:
Volunteer: I made a horrible mistake in voting for this Counterfeit American!! (7/16/09)
Bacon Bits: We all make mistakes and you were not alone! He lied to us all! (7/18/09)
Michele: To me, saying “he lied!” at this point is merely a way to escape responsibility. It is the responsibility of “We the People” to listen to what the politicians say, question them, demand straight answers, and then make up our own minds. It is the responsibility of “We the People” to NOT allow the media to make our decisions for us. (7/18/09)
Not only were we not listening to Obama’s actual words, we were failing to take the example of Joe the Plumber and actually listen to his proposed program.
To whom were we listening? To a mainstream media that went so far as to cover Candidate Obama as if he were already President Obama. When McCain commented on Obama’s lack of foreign travel, let alone foreign relations, the press followed Obama on his staged tour oversees and portrayed him as a statesman.
Fred Barnes from The Beltway Boys on Fox News called it this way:
[Obama is] taking … the television anchors with him. … He should say, look, anchors stay home. I’m taking minimal press. This is a serious trip. I’m fact finding and getting to know and learn about foreign leaders. He should say, I’m not Bruce Springsteen and this is not my summer rock tour. But it is going to be a summer rock tour.
Those of us who recognized the liberal bias of the mainstream media had turned to Fox News. But, even there, we had trouble feeling comfortable with McCain. When he had the opportunity to do so, he failed to execute a decisive blow in the debates. Rather than exhibiting a presidential demeanor, he sounded more like a schoolyard bully.
A friend knew that I was disenchanted with McCain and skeptical of Obama. Knowing that I am philosophically a libertarian and that The Economist generally supports free markets and social liberalism, my friend suggested that I read a piece in that publication. Reluctantly, I read an article titled “The presidential election: It’s Time. [sic]”
Though the author acknowledged “it’s a gamble,” the paper wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. One of the biggest reasons? John McCain, the senator who displayed maverick qualities, seemed very different from John McCain, the candidate who “seemed all at sea, emitting panic and indecision.”
As The Economist justly opined, “Had he become president in 2000 instead of Mr [sic] Bush, the world might have had fewer problems. But this time it is beset by problems, and Mr [sic] McCain has not proved that he knows how to deal with them.”
Then I read the following:
There is no getting around the fact that Mr [sic] Obama’s resume is thin for the world’s biggest job. But the exceptionally assured way in which he has run his campaign is a considerable comfort. It is not just that he has more than held his own against Mr [sic] McCain in the debates. A man who started with no money and few supporters has out-thought, out-organised and outfought the two mightiest machines in American politics—the Clintons and the conservative right.
Bottom line: Obama had out-mavericked The Maverick! No matter my concerns about Obama, I had to admit that his campaign organization was pioneering and its triumphs remarkable. Two days later, I did the unthinkable — I (shamefully) voted for Obama. Was Lauri Ringer now Lauri Pelosi? My regret was almost immediate.
In Part II of this article, I’ll explain how a nice liberty-minded girl like me became Hypbamatized.
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Copyright © 2012 Robert Ringer
ROBERT RINGER is a New York Times #1 bestselling author and host of the highly acclaimed Liberty Education Interview Series, which features interviews with top political, economic, and social leaders. He has appeared on Fox News, Fox Business, The Tonight Show, Today, The Dennis Miller Show, Good Morning America, The Lars Larson Show, ABC Nightline, and The Charlie Rose Show, and has been the subject of feature articles in such major publications as Time, People, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barron's, and The New York Times.
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16 Responses to “The Confession, Part I”
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How did your dad react after you voted for Obama? I suppose he remained cool? He had written a bunch of articles about Obama prior to the voting dates. Just want to learn from a wise man how to stay cool!
Don’t feel too bad, Ms. Ringer. I was exactly where you were years ago when I voted for Jimmy Carter. To this day I can’t believe I did it. But, I learned a valuable lesson and therefore wasn’t drawn in by the Obama mystique this time around. By the way, your Dad is an inspiration.
I really believe Obama meant what he was saying during the debates.Until there is a massive revolution by the people nothing will change.Here is an interesting article showing how Goldman Sachs is partly responsible for the mess America is in today
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/29127316/the_great_american_bubble_machine?utm_source=weekly-newsletter&utm_medium=email
A similar story will be there in the health industry and the greed of big pharma.
Keep up the good work Robert
Until America wakes up and demands a fair,honest third party nothing will change.
I didn’t vote for him, but I almost did – and it was because I read Robert Ringer!
I pondered his statement that things are going to be tough no matter who is elected – and if Obama was elected then the masses might come to realize that socialism is NOT the path to prosperity. He said that if McCain was elected, they would go on blaming capitalism, and that would not be a good thing.
In the end, I couldn’t do it. The man’s smart-alec smirk and pandering voice and the words he uses sicken me. When he comes on TV I either turn it off or leave the room. I could not bring myself to vote for someone I felt was a complete fraud and liar.
We must all hope for the best – and for a sea of angry voters – those with remorse and those like me – will see that he “only” gets 4 years in which to destroy our country.
I decided to be like John Kerry this election:
I voted for Obama (primary) before I voted against him (general election).
Mr. Obama declared the other day that the Cambrige police department acted “stupidly” by arresting Professor Gates for disorderly conduct. I don’t agree, but even if that were true, the ramifications would have been fairly minor. It was one incident, involving a hot-headed professor itching for a fight, and a demonstrably competent and respected police officer. The race industry is trying to make hay of the situation, but it will blow over in time. HOWEVER, the ramifications of millions of American voters acting “stupidly” by voting for Barack Obama will not blow over. We are likely to see permanent, irreversible damage done to our nation as a result. This nation, our economy, our opportunities will never be the same; and the freedoms we are losing will likely never be recovered.
Newbe’s!
All this has been going on for over 50 yrs–Joe McCarthy was right! Maybe now your lights may come on!
One of the great lessons of my life…and which was first articulated by Robert in one of his earlier books is,..don’t listen to what people say. Look at their past history and watch what they actually do, as someone’s actions clearly illustrate what a person is really thinking.
Words have the power to deceive but actions better indicate a person’s true unarticulated beliefs and thoughts. Obama’s rhetoric fooled many as they failed to review and objectively consider the words and actions of his past.
This last Presidential election was one of the worst choices American voters had been presented with in recent memory. If these were the two BEST candidates the Democrat-Republican duopoly could offer, and during a major national identity crisis, then no matter which candidate had won the election, negative consequences for the nation would have been the result. It would have been just a matter of degree.
There is an old saying that “the devil can often quote scripture if it serves his purpose”. Enough people bought into the sophist and demagogic campaign rhetoric and thus failed to consider the past record showing a total lack of integrity in the candidate’s character. Nor did McCain offer a sense of confidence from his checkered past as a man of his word.
The last Presidential election was, in hindsight, a no win situation for the American people. Future Presidential elections will continue to be no win situations, until we demand candidates who’s words and actions are consistently in accord and we can have faith in voting for exactly what is clearly promised during the campaign period.
Shame on you Lauri,
Don’t you know father always knows best?
Let’s just hope enough of the Obamatrons wake up from their trance and take back this great county before it’s turned into a third world socialist “utopian” cesspool.
We have our work cut out for us.
Mr. Ringer and others that feel duped by Obama: I think you are forming your judgement way to quickly on Obama. This man just took office 6 months ago and he was critized by day 100. I least he is doing so work unlike other presidents. How about George Bush? All we hear whenever he made mistakes was stay behind our leader and that it would be unpatriotic to not support him while he bankrupted us. Remember he is the one who started the bailout. I do not think AMericans were duped because they wanted change by voting for a black man as a previous comment was made. Racism still exists. I think people are calling him unpatriotic and more eyes ( such as the press) are watching him because of his color. Not because he thinks he is a rock star. Obama will go down in history as one of the greatest American leaders not because of color but because he his sincerely working hard to solve problems. You may not agree with all the decisions anyone makes but give the guy a chance and see what happens. Look at the TARP funds for Goldman Sacks that turned out to be a handsome return on our dollars. It has only been six months we gave George Bush more time than that.
What was the reason you did not vote LIBERTARIAN?
A wasted vote? Your father answered that in his book. Ever since reading RESTORING THE AMERICAN DREAM, I have voted LIBERTARIAN and encourage others to do so.
The result was obvious even to an idiot.
I think this is the first “I wish I wouldn’t have voted for Obama” confessions I have heard. You have done the right thing.
What REALLY irks me are the people that know they did the wrong thing but will never admit to it. Their egos are so huge they will never admit they were wrong at all costs… country burning in flames, death on the streets, etc. Never will they let anyone tarnish their delicate egos.
I congratulate you… the more people that follow your example, the better our country will be.
@sandysalter racism will never go away the more your side makes race an issue. The opposition against Obama has never been about race. It has always been about his twisted ideologies.
I am ashamed to say I voted. I should have abstained, and if there were a “none of the above” option, that would have been my choice. But, reluctantly, I voted for anti-drug warrior, anti-freedom legislator and Libertarian poseur Bob Barr.
Hopefully in 2012 we Libertarians will, well, nominate a libertarian.
SandyS are you just ignorant and stupid or just ignorant, what “return” on our tax dollars did we get from Goldman Sucks?
“Look at the TARP funds for Goldman Sacks that turned out to be a handsome return on our dollars.”
Airheaded white women like you that believe in a “handsome return” from Goldman Sucks, is why an incompetent like Obama is president.