1.
Senator Obama, you’ve said "We can't drive our SUVs and, you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you
know, 72 degrees at all times...” Why should an American who works hard
and pays his bills on time not be able to decide for himself what kind of car he drives, how much food he eats, and where
he should set his thermostat? And if he can’t decide those things, who
are you proposing should do it for him?
2.
Senator Obama, if getting billions of barrels of oil from ANWR and offshore won't lower the price of oil, why does Nancy Pelosi
believe the price will go down if we release only a few million barrels from our strategic oil reserves? Do you believe she wrong? If you think she is correct, do
you not believe in the law of supply and demand?
3.
Senator Obama, if we have to save the oil and the trees for our children, then don't they also have to save it for their children? And their children's children? At what
point would anyone be allowed to drill for oil or cut down a tree? Who should
make those decisions?
4.
Senator Obama, it has been widely reported that ExxonMobil made $1,500 in profit per second in the second quarter of 2008. But during the same period, it also paid $4,100 per second in taxes. As a percentage of revenue its profit was just over seven per cent, yet you’ve called for a windfall
profits tax on the oil companies. Don’t you think that $4,100 per second
is enough to pay in taxes? And if you believe a seven per cent profit is a “windfall,”
don’t you, to be fair, also have to apply such a tax to all American businesses whose profits exceed seven per cent?
Have you any idea how many businesses such a tax would apply to, or how much the economy would suffer if that much revenue
was extracted from it?
5.
Senator Obama, will you promise that if elected you will not support any slavery reparations legislation, and will veto any
such legislation that makes it to your desk? If not, why not?
6.
Senator Obama, you've said you'll increase the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour. A
small business with a few minimum wage janitors may have to fire one of them and make the others work harder in order to absorb
your mandated increase in wages. No doubt those who receive the raise will be
happy, but what would you say to the unskilled laborer who loses his job because of the increase?
7.
Senator Obama, do you believe that anyone who would vote against you is a racist?
8.
Senator Obama, polls show approximately 90-95 per cent support for you among black voters.
Does that suggest that many black voters are racist?
9.
Senator Obama, a woman who serves as one of your campaign precinct captains and who is the co‑chair of the Houston Obama
Leadership Team had a Che Guevara poster prominently displayed in one of your campaign offices. After you learned of the incident, did you advise all your offices to remove such posters? Your campaign issued a statement that it was “disappointed” to see the media account of the
poster “because it is both offensive to many Cuban‑Americans, and Americans of all backgrounds.” Many people sport Che Guevara T-shirts, probably without knowing much about that revolutionary communist
or the murderous atrocities he committed. Can you enlighten some of those uneducated
now, by giving us your opinion of Che Guevara?
10.
Senator Obama, you were one of the Illinois politicians cited in the indictment of your long-time friend
and fund-raiser Tony Rezko for having received political contributions from his kickback funds. Although you reportedly returned $85,000 in political contributions you received from Rezko and his family,
inasmuch as there would appear to be a conflict of interest, if elected President, will you promise not to pardon Rezko, who
was convicted of corruption charges for trading clout as a top advisor to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich?
11.
Senator Obama, 1960s radicals and Weather Underground militants William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn disappeared in 1970 after
a bomb, designed to kill army officers in New Jersey, accidentally destroyed a Greenwich Village townhouse, and eventually turned themselves in to authorities in 1980. Although they
were never prosecuted for their involvement in 25 bombings, because of improper FBI surveillance, they nevertheless would
be considered shady characters by many Americans. How did you come to know and
become friends with Ayers and Dohrn? Is it true they have been babysitters for
your children? Do you still associate with them?
Do you condemn their involvement with the Weather Underground of the 1960s?
12.
Senator Obama, in your July trip overseas you visited eight countries in eight days, which one fawning CNN anchor described
as “Incredible!” We assume you were not piloting the plane, didn’t
press your own suits, and had your meals prepared by others. Would you describe
what you did as “incredible,” or do you think the media has gone overboard in its unabashed enthusiasm for you?
13.
Senator Obama, blacks and the media support you in overwhelming numbers, but that support does not extend to many other segments
of the population. What do blacks and the media see in your candidacy that others
do not?
14.
Senator Obama, you said you favor affirmative action "when properly structured." Can
you explain what you meant by “properly structured?” When is a quota
not a quota?
15.
Senator Obama, if you lose the election there will be immediate media criticism that “America was not ready” for a black President.
Will you tend to agree with those charges, or will you accept the fact that perhaps millions of Americans simply don’t
agree with your policies?
16.
Senator Obama, for more than 30 years liberals have been arguing that we need a tax on gasoline that is great enough to discourage
consumption and encourage research into alternate fuels. Now that we have the
high prices they wanted all along, suddenly those high prices are not a good idea. Which
is it? Are high oil prices good or bad?
17.
Senator Obama, why do you want to double foreign aid? How will you pay for that
increased aid? Isn’t balancing the budget here at home more important than
trying to curry favor with other countries? Will there be strings attached to
your increased aid? If not, why not?
18.
Senator Obama, do you agree with Democrat Congresswoman Maxine Waters that we should nationalize the oil companies? Are there any other businesses that you think should be nationalized?
If so, why? Should other industries fear nationalization? Why would that not be socialism?
19.
Senator Obama, you’ve threatened to drastically raise the capital gains tax. Where
will the economy get the needed cash to start new businesses if you confiscate it via higher capital gains taxes? History has shown that a lowering of the tax always promotes business growth and expansion, while raising
the tax always slows the economy. How do you expect your tax to do otherwise,
or do you have some unique economic skills that prior administrations in both parties lacked?
20.
Senator Obama, you plan to raise income taxes. Even if you limit those increases
to the wealthiest Americans, how do you avoid the job losses that would necessarily result from such an increase? If, for example, a millionaire pays your higher taxes by foregoing the construction of a larger home or
a new boat, what do you say to the middle-class carpenter or boat-builder who lost his job because of your tax increase?
21.
Senator Obama, you plan on removing troops from Iraq and expanding our
presence in Afghanistan. Won’t the terrorists simply follow American troops from Iraq
to Afghanistan? Isn’t it easier to fight them in Iraq,
where the terrain is much more suited to our troop movements and our military tactics?
22.
Senator Obama, some would say that if we had not gone to war in Iraq,
perhaps one of the more than 4,000 Americans killed there might instead have lived to find a cure for cancer or heart disease. Is it not also the case that had we not killed more than 20,000 terrorists in the
war, one of them might have lived to plant a nuclear suitcase bomb in an American city?
23.
Senator Obama, the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 requires that employees be given up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year
in order to care for a child, spouse, or parent. Many American businesses have
run into significant productivity problems because of employees who take unfair advantage of that law. Employers have also had to raise prices to compensate for the added cost of hiring replacement and additional
workers. You have now called for a paid family leave act. How can you not expect many more employees to take unfair advantage of that law, inasmuch as they will
be able to stay home while receiving full pay? How will that legislation not
further reduce the ability of American businesses to survive in the increasingly competitive global market?
24.
Senator Obama, more than 31,000 American scientists have signed a petition urging the United States government to reject the
Kyoto global warming agreement and any other similar proposals; they believe there is no convincing scientific evidence that
human release of carbon dioxide or other alleged “greenhouse gases” are causing or will cause a catastrophic heating
of the Earth’s atmosphere. Over 9,000 of those 31,000 scientists have PhD
s. You accept the arguments of the “global warming” theorists and
support enormous government programs to reduce carbon dioxide reductions, even though the full scientific evidence has not
been gathered. What do those 31,000 scientists know that you don’t know? Or what do you know that they don’t know?
Are you willing to accept that there is room for some doubt about the global warming theories, and encourage more scientific
study before forcing drastic negative changes in the American standard of living or imposing tremendous costs on the economy?
25.
Senator Obama, if we don’t now drill for oil in the ANWR reserves, or offshore, can we ever drill for it there? When will the time be right? Or should
we leave the Alaskan oil untouched forever? And if we are not allowed to drill
for oil offshore, why should we sit back and watch other nations access it?
26.
Senator Obama, 92 per cent of ANWR would be left untouched if drilling is allowed in the other eight per cent. Between $150 and $230 billion in tax revenues would be generated by drilling there. Between 250,000 and 750,000 jobs would be created. There are
estimates of between 9 and 16 billion barrels of oil in ANWR. Yet you believe
we should leave that oil untouched, and instead continue to buy more oil from other nations.
Why?
27.
Senator Obama, many experts believe the solution to our energy needs lies in the enormous coal shale reserves in the United States. Where
do you stand on accessing that source of energy?
28.
Senator Obama, America has shown to be
much more environmentally sensitive than almost all other nations. That suggests
there would be fewer oil spills and contamination if we drill for oil in Alaska
and offshore than if other nations do the drilling and sell it to us. If you’re
concerned about the environmental impact of oil exploration, isn’t it better for the Earth to let the Americans do the
exploring and drilling? Don’t you trust American engineers and workers
more than foreign engineers and workers?
29.
Senator Obama, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many Americans concluded that the government should have more helicopters
available for the purpose of rescuing people trapped by flood waters. Many other
American concluded that people who live by the coast should have enough sense to heed weather service warnings to get out
of town when a category five hurricane is approaching. Where do you stand? How responsible should Americans be for their own well-being, and how much should
they depend on the federal government? What is your proposed budget for helicopter
rescues of stranded storm victims?
30.
Senator Obama, even if all Americans were able to buy electric cars tomorrow, they’d have to plug them in at night for
re-charging. Where will all that electricity come from if we don’t build
more nuclear power plants, or use oil, coal, or gas to generate electricity? No
experts believe we can generate all the electricity we’ll need from solar and wind power, so where will we get the electricity
we need to maintain, let alone improve, our standard of living?
31.
Senator Obama, to the average white American some of the things said by the pastor of your Chicago church, Reverend Wright, are both vehemently anti-American and angrily racist. You attended his church for 20 years. Does
that mean you agree with his extreme viewpoints? If not, why did you keep attending
his church? Could you not have been aware, after 20 years, of what reporters
learned so quickly? And although you’re not responsible for what he has
said over the years, you always had the option of walking out. Why didn’t you, if you disagree with his views?
32.
Senator Obama, assuming you don’t think there is any such thing as a “typical black person” and are opposed
to insulting stereotypes, did you ever ask Reverend Wright to stop his diatribes against “typical white people”
– a phrase which you also have used in one of your books?
33.
Senator Obama, a large number of Americans are working solely because their employers provide group health insurance; typically
they are too young to retire and go on Medicare. If your national health plan allows them to be covered even if they were
to become unemployed, why should those people even bother to go to work? Do you
have any idea how many tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of Americans will simply quit their jobs and let the remaining
taxpayers fund their medical care if they are given the chance? How much will
those people cost the taxpayers? Why should working Americans be shouldered with
even more responsibility for non-working people?
34.
Senator Obama, you said that if your daughters make a mistake and get pregnant, you “don’t want them punished
with a baby.” Would you really consider a baby punishment, rather than
welcome it as its grandfather?
35.
Senator Obama, Saddam Hussein repeatedly violated 16 United Nations Security Council resolutions, yet you still believe it
was a mistake to send troops to Iraq and
remove him from power. How many resolutions must a dictator ignore before action
should be taken?
36.
Senator Obama, you said we should not have gone to war in Iraq,
especially because we ended up finding no weapons of mass destruction. But we
know Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons to kill thousands of Kurds in Iraq. Do you assume he used up every last ounce of those chemicals on the Kurds and had
absolutely none left when American troops arrived? Or might he have shipped the
leftovers off to Syria before the war
started? As President, will you investigate that possibility? Or will you be comfortable leaving those chemical weapons unaccounted for, possibly to be used against
Israel?
37.
Senator Obama, you said you would raise the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour. Why
stop at $9.50? Why not make it $30.00 per hour, to make it easier for Americans
to pay their bills and raise a family? If you see a down side to raising the
minimum wage to $30.00, don’t those same down sides exist, albeit to a lesser degree, if you raise the wage to $9.50?
38.
Senator Obama, in the past you’ve said you would support a bill restricting late-term abortions provided there is a
provision to protect the health of the mother. Is it sufficient for you if the
bill includes protection for the mother’s physical health? Or do you insist
on protection of the mother’s “mental health” which, of course, is subject to interpretation and would therefore
allow any late-term abortion to be considered justified? In other words, are
you playing word games in order to satisfy abortion supporters?
39.
Senator Obama, in 2002, as an Illinois legislator, you voted
against the Induced Infant Liability Act. That law was meant to protect the lives
of babies who “inadvertently” survived attempted abortions and then needed medical attention to survive. Can you explain why you voted against that bill, when a similar bill passed
the United States Senate unanimously? How can you endorse leaving to die a baby
who happens to survive an abortion? Have you sold your morality to the N.A.R.A.L.?
40.
Senator Obama, you are opposed to education vouchers, yet send your own children to private schools. Why shouldn’t the poorest Americans, many of them black, be able to use vouchers to improve the futures
of their children? Why wouldn’t more competition from well-run private
schools prompt the public schools to improve their standards?
41.
Senator Obama, you have said repeatedly that one of your goals is to "end America's
dependence on foreign oil." How can you accomplish that if you oppose drilling
for oil in ANWR and offshore, oppose more nuclear plants, oppose expanded use of our vast coal shale deposits, and will raise
taxes, reducing the amount of investment money available to fund exploration and alternate energy here in the United States? Even
if it takes a few years for ANWR and offshore oil fields to be fully productive, it will also be years before every American
has an electric or hydrogen car in the garage. And even if we stopped using oil
to fuel our cars, we still need oil to produce the tens of thousands of other products that require petroleum. We can’t make plastic from wind mills, can we? And won’t
the airlines continue to require fossil fuels for their planes?
42.
Senator Obama, in one foreign policy speech you promised to:
a. End the war in Iraq,
b. Ensure the Iraqi army and police can take care of things on their own,
c. Bring together all of Iraq’s neighbors in a
coalition to help Iraq,
d. Get all the Arab nations to open embassies in Baghdad,
e. Defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and
Pakistan,
f. Make the Pakistanis take responsibility for its extremism and border,
g. Take care of Bin Ladin after we find him in Pakistan,
h. Increase non‑military aid to Pakistan,
i. Increase aid to Afghanistan,
j. Double U.S. foreign assistance to Africa, the Middle
East and Asia,
k. Solve the Iran situation,
l. Make the U.N. “more perfect,”
m. Get China to work
with us on important issues,
n. Improve relations with “all the people of the world,”
o. Gather up all the loose and non‑secured nuclear materials around the world,
p. End U.S. dependence
on oil, and
q. Save the world by preventing the dangerous effects of climate change.
That’s
a staggering list of promises from someone whose resume is relatively slight. Can
you list any major accomplishments in your brief legislative career that would give Americans confidence that you can accomplish
even some of those things that you promised?
43.
Senator Obama, there are plans to introduce legislation which would allow unions to use public sign-up cards for organizing
elections, in place of secret ballots. Will you veto such legislation to protect
the American tradition of secret ballots, or do you owe the unions your signature on that bill in exchange for their financial
support during your campaign?
44.
Senator Obama, would you sign into law a bill that protects our borders without also providing a “pathway to citizenship”
for illegal immigrants?
45.
Senator Obama, will you sign or veto legislation making it illegal for unions to give a portion of union dues to political
campaigns against the wishes of the union members?
46.
Senator Obama, will you sign or veto legislation that prohibits state right-to-work laws?
47.
Senator Obama, if we can’t “drill our way out of an oil shortage,” can we “eat our way out of being
hungry?” Can we “drink our way out of being thirsty?”
48.
Senator Obama, will you support or oppose strict new federal guns laws?
49.
Senator Obama, why do you think we need a new Civil Rights Division to enforce existing laws?
How much will that new bureaucracy cost the taxpayers? What will it do?
50.
Senator Obama, why, in 2002, did you vote against Illinois House Bill 1812, a law that was designed to toughen penalties for
crimes committed in furtherance of organized gang activities? Why should black
voters support you, knowing you don’t believe in tough prison sentences for the drug gangs that are destroying their
communities?
51.
Senator Obama, you support raising automobile fuel efficiency standards to 40 miles per gallon. If you can force the manufacturers to comply with an arbitrary 40 mpg standard, why stop there? Why not 100? Why not 250?
52.
Senator Obama, how can we trust you to end our dependence on foreign oil when you voted to eliminate oil and gas exploration
subsidies and voted to prevent oil exploration or leasing in ANWR?
53.
Senator Obama, in 2005 you voted against a resolution requiring a photo I.D. for voting.
Why shouldn’t someone have to prove who he is in order to vote?
54.
Senator Obama, you said you would pursue a goal of a world without nuclear weapons.
How would you persuade other nations to give up their weapons?
55.
Senator Obama, you said you would expand the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Why? How much will that cost, and where will you get the funds?
56.
Senator Obama, why did you vote against extending the Patriot Act’s foreign wiretap provision in December of 2005?
57.
Senator Obama, you’ve said that America
does not allocate enough money for the health care of illegal immigrants. Why should we allow anything for the health care
of illegal immigrants? Doesn’t providing people with additional free benefits
simply encourage more of them to come here, at the expense of hard-working, tax-paying Americans?
58.
Senator Obama, why did you vote against declaring English the official language of America? It was only a symbolic measure,
yet you still voted against it. Why? Shouldn’t immigrants learn English?
59.
Senator Obama, you support raising the cap on Social Security taxes from $97,000 to $250,000.
What will happen to the economy after you’ve taken an additional $1.3 trillion dollars from it with that increased
tax?
60.
Senator Obama, experience has shown that raising the capital gains tax reduces, rather than increases, revenue, because Americans
simply choose not to sell assets rather than pay higher taxes on them. What makes
you think that people will act against their own best interests simply because you are in the White House?
61.
Senator Obama, you have sponsored a bill to combat global poverty that would cost American taxpayers over $800 billion. Why should Americans pay $800 billion of their hard-earned wealth in order to help
the rest of the world, when it often shows nothing but contempt for those of us who created the wealth they want you to give
them for nothing?
62.
Senator Obama, ExxonMobil will pay more in corporate taxes this year than the bottom 50 per cent of all taxpayers. Isn’t that enough? At what point do you risk killing
the golden goose with higher taxes?
63.
Senator Obama, when Jimmy Carter imposed a windfall profits tax, it led to a six per cent drop in domestic oil output. Why will things be different with your planned tax increase?
64.
Senator Obama, you’ve proposed giving $25 billion in federal money to the states to help eradicate state budget deficits. Why will that not encourage more deficit spending at the state level? Why is that not rewarding irresponsible state legislators with funds from hard-working taxpayers? Shouldn’t those irresponsible state legislators be voted out of office, rather
than be bailed out by the taxpayers of other states?
65.
Senator Obama, you’ve said you have no close ties to 1960s radical, former terrorist, and Weather Underground member
William Ayers. Why does Ayers refuse to answer questions about his relationship
with you? Is he embarrassed by his associations with you? Or does he fear your campaign will be hurt because of your close associations with him?
66.
Senator Obama, you’ve often said that instead of building more prisons, we should expand health care entitlements. Is that your response to Americans who have been the victims of crimes committed by
thugs who were let out of prison early because we didn’t have enough cells to house them or because judges imposed lax
sentences?
67.
Senator Obama, you say you’re not seeking to establish a single-payer, universal health care plan for the United States,
yet you repeatedly proposed a state constitutional amendment in Illinois mandating universal health care. Which should we trust, what you have already tried to do or what you say you won’t do?
68.
Senator Obama, you speak repeatedly of bipartisanship, but your record in the Illinois Senate indicates you believed in bipartisanship
only when it meant compromise by Republicans; when it came to compromise from you, your response was universally, “Take
a hike.” Is that lack of bipartisanship why you have the most liberal voting
record in the U. S. Senate?
69.
Senator Obama, Robert Wolf, CEO of the American branch of the Swiss banking giant USB, has collected for you more than $370,000
in campaign contributions. How does your promise of having an open and transparent
administration square with your association with Mr. Wolf, when USB has lied to our government and concealed the identities
of over 19,000 clients in order to help them avoid paying U. S.
income taxes? What does Mr. Wolf expect from you in exchange for those campaign
contributions?
70.
Senator Obama, we all realize you have given speeches that impressed many Americans.
Can you, however, cite any significant accomplishments in your life that involved doing, rather than simply saying?
71.
Senator Obama, why did you tell an Alabama audience that the 1965 March on Selma resulted in your father meeting your mother and hence your eventual conception, when
you were born in 1961? Why did you feel it necessary to give yourself “civil
rights credentials” when you know virtually all blacks will vote for you?
72.
Senator Obama, why have you relayed the story that your father was a simple goat-herder when he was, in fact, a privileged,
well-educated person who attended Harvard and worked for the government of Kenya?
73.
Senator Obama, why have you stated that your father was a proud freedom-fighter when he was, in fact, an employee of one of
the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya
has ever had?
74.
Senator Obama, why did you support Raila Odinga when he ran for President in Kenya
and tried to get Sharia Muslim law established there? Granted, some say he is
your cousin, but assuming you believe in democracy over Sharia law, and Christianity over Islam, couldn’t you have been
a non-committed bystander in that election? After he lost the election and his
followers burned women, and children alive in a Christian church where they sought refuge, why did you think it was a good
idea for him to visit you on one of your fund-raising tours in 2007?
75.
Senator Obama, why do you say your name is African Swahili when the name Hussein is Arabic, and Barack comes from the Arabic
word meaning blessed? Granted, the origin of your name should be irrelevant,
but if so, why was it necessary for you to lie about it? Why did you feel it
was important to mislead people about the origin of your name?
76.
Senator Obama, although you may no longer practice Islam, you studied it in your youth and were required to memorize and recite
the Quran while schooled in Indonesia.
Based on your knowledge of the Quran, do you consider Islam a violent religion? If
you do not, what verses of the Quran do you think are being misinterpreted by the radicals and terrorists in their war against
Western civilization?
77.
Senator Obama, you once described the Muslim call to prayer as “one of the prettiest sounds on earth at sunset.” Has your view changed since you made that statement?
78.
Senator Obama, why do you represent yourself as a Professor of Law and a Constitutional lawyer when, in fact, you were merely
a senior lecturer on leave?
79.
Senator Obama, you state that you don’t accept PAC money when you have accepted it, and why do you insist you do not
use lobbyists when you have at least 47 of your staff? Why the discrepancy between
what you say and what you do?
80.
Senator Obama, you’ve said we “cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security
objectives we’ve set.... we’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just
as strong, and just as well-funded.” Exactly what did you mean by a “civilian
national security force?” To many Americans, that sounds suspiciously like
something Hugo Chavez or Kim Jong Il would create. What is the job description
you envision for that national police force? Where is their creation justified
by the U. S. Constitution? How will you pay for such an enormous workforce if
they are to be “just as well-funded” as our military?
81.
Senator Obama, at a meeting with Democratic lawmakers on July 29, you said you represented the world’s hopes for America. You
said, “This is the moment the world is waiting for,” when asked about your overseas trip. To that you added, “I have become a symbol of restoring America to its best traditions.” Looking
back on your comment, don’t you think it was a bit egotistical and over the top?
What would you say to those who believe you think too highly of yourself?
82.
Senator Obama, many Americans were offended when, in a recent Superman movie, the phrase, “Truth, justice, and all that
stuff” was used in place of the expected “Truth, justice, and the American way.” During your July visit to Europe you referred to yourself as a “citizen
of the world,” which prompted a similar reaction from many back here at home, who wondered if being an American was
not good enough for you. Were you merely pandering to the European crowds? Or did you mean something more? Do you
consider yourself something other than an American?
83.
Senator Obama, what was the significance of replacing the American flag on your campaign plane with a campaign logo? Couldn’t you have found room for both?
84.
Senator Obama, in 2007 you supported a complete federal ban on handgun sales. Do
you not think that Americans should be able to defend themselves from home intruders?
Do you honestly expect that criminals will willingly turn in their guns as readily as law-abiding citizens?
85.
Senator Obama, does America have 50 states
or 57? Why did the number 57 come to your mind when you made your famous gaffe?
86.
Senator Obama, you said, “…but understand this, instead of worrying about whether, uh, immigrants can learn English
- they’ll learn English - you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish.”
Were you serious, or were you just pandering to Hispanic voters?
87.
Senator Obama, when in the Illinois Senate you voted against expanding the death penalty for gang-related murders. Why should we be sympathetic to gang members who kill innocent children while protecting their drug turf?
88.
Senator Obama, you voted against an Illinois bill banning
state funding of late term abortions. Why do you think it’s acceptable
for a woman to have an abortion as late as her ninth month of pregnancy, when the baby is, at that point, clearly able to
survive outside the womb? If the mother’s due date is December 10, why
is it acceptable to kill the baby on December 9?
89.
Senator Obama, do you understand the process involved in a late-term abortion? If
so, would you explain it to Americans who are watching this debate and who may not be familiar with the process?
90.
Senator Obama, you voted against the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which would prevent minors from being taken
across state lines without the consent of the parents in order to have an abortion.
Don’t you think a child deserves the counsel of his parents at such a difficult time? Or do you think the government always knows best?
91.
Senator Obama, if a thug shoots a pregnant woman in the abdomen and the baby dies as a result, was a murder committed? Or was there simply a displacement of fetal tissue?
92.
Senator Obama, why do liberals almost always refer to tax cuts as “giving money to the wealthy” when, in fact,
it was their money in the first place? In reality, isn’t a tax cut simply
a decision by the government to confiscate less of the money earned by American citizens?
93.
Senator Obama, what is your position with regard to offering generous in-state college tuition rates to illegal immigrants? Why should illegal immigrants get a better deal than American citizens?
94.
Senator Obama, you’ve said you oppose gay marriage but support gay civil unions.
What’s the difference?
95.
Senator Obama, if a man married to a man or a woman married to a woman is acceptable, then why can’t a man have more
than one wife, as is the custom in the Muslim world?
96.
Senator Obama, you’ve said you would ban racial profiling. What do you
mean? If a tall black man with a beard robs a liquor store at gunpoint, must
the police also be on the look-out out for tall white men with beards?
97.
Senator Obama, yours was the only vote against Illinois Senate Bill 485, which would have made felons convicted of sexual
abuse crimes serve their full sentences without getting credit for time served in the county jail. What was it that influenced your vote, but which had no effect on any other Senator of either party?
98.
Senator Obama, you’ve said you would consider a needle-exchange program for drug users, and stated that you understand
why youngsters want to use drugs. Assuming you believe your own drug use earlier
in your life was a mistake, don’t you think that as a potential role model for millions of young Americans you might
now want to be less sympathetic to a practice that is destroying the lives and futures of thousands of young Americans?
99.
Senator Obama, the nations of the Middle East have, for decades, used the Palestinians as
pawns in pursuit of their anti-Israel goals. Don’t you think it’s
about time those nations take in the Palestinians to solve the problem once and for all?
Or are you willing to let them have some of Israel’s
real estate?
100. Senator Obama, there’s an old saying that, “If the Arabs lay down their weapons, there will be no more
war; if the Israelis lay down their weapons, there will be no more Israel.” Do you believe that statement? If not, why not?
101. Senator Obama, you’ve said you would provide free public college for any student with a B average. How much taxpayer money would you need to finance such a generous offer, and, human nature being what it
is, how would you prevent sympathetic teachers from suddenly becoming incredibly generous in their grading habits?
102. Senator Obama, how do you think you would accomplish your goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent by the
year 2050? Have you invented a perpetual motion machine?
103. Senator Obama, what if you’re wrong about the theories of human-induced global warming? Should we risk ruining our economy, reducing our standard of living, and spending trillions of dollars
we don’t have trying to change world temperatures when, in fact, they may simply be changing as they always have for
thousands of years, in response to cycles of solar activity and other natural causes?
104. Senator Obama, scientists at NASA have demonstrated that global temperature changes correlate much more closely with
cycles of solar activity than they correlate to carbon dioxide levels. Why, then,
do you believe in the more inconsistent correlations? Do NASA scientists know less than you about the subject?
105. Senator Obama, all Americans are painfully aware that oil is refined into gasoline for use in their automobiles. Could you list a few of the tens of thousands of products made from petroleum that
are not used as fuels? How will we make those products if we stop drilling for
oil and instead rely on solar power and wind power?
106. Senator Obama, in 2004 you used state funds for a political mailing. Did
you pay back the Illinois taxpayers for that abuse of their
funds?
107. Senator Obama, in an effort to shut down conservatives on talk radio, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is determined to
block a bill that would outlaw a renewal of the so-called “Fairness Doctrine,” which would be used to force radio
stations to provide free time to liberal broadcasters. Our First Amendment right
to free speech only means that the government cannot prohibit someone from speaking his mind, it doesn’t mean that opposing
viewpoints must be subsidized. Network and cable television and large-circulation
newspapers are overflowing with liberal viewpoints, and conservatives haven’t demanded free time to compete with them. Why must liberals demand that their views be subsidized on the radio? Are you going to side with Speaker Pelosi’s attempt to use the power of the government to silence
anyone who happens to disagree with your views?
108. Senator Obama, you’ve said you oppose taking money from lobbyists, but have accepted tremendous amounts of
cash from campaign contribution “bundlers” like USB’s Robert Wolf.
What’s the difference between lobbyists and bundlers, don’t they all want favors in exchange for substantial
contributions?
109. Senator Obama, you’ve said you support the Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms yet support local gun bans. Why should local regulations trump the Bill of Rights? Aren’t you just playing
with words in order to have your cake and eat it too? What do you really feel,
deep down inside, about a citizen’s right to own a gun?
110. Senator Obama, you believe you can drive down medical costs by taking on the insurance companies, yet with considerable
financial support for your campaign coming from trial lawyers, how will you be able to reduce the impact of frivolous lawsuits
on rising medical costs? Don’t the trial lawyers expect something from
you in exchange for their generous contributions?
111. Senator Obama, you’ve said that your universal health plan would turn no one away because of their health or
because of a pre-existing condition. Why, then, should anyone bother paying insurance
premiums before they get sick? Don’t the insurance companies have those
clauses for a reason? Wouldn’t car insurers go out of business if people
only bought policies after an accident or car theft? Can you explain how your
plan would avoid that problem?
112. Senator Obama, you believe that health care is a right, rather than a privilege.
How can there be a right if it’s at someone else’s expense? If
I have a right to food, shelter, and medical care, why should I bother going to work if I can get some other sucker to pay
for all those “rights?” In other words, how do keep people from “gaming
your system?”
113. Senator Obama, is it correct that you want to require women to register for the draft, albeit in non-combat roles? Why? What kind of compulsory national
service are you planning?
114. Senator Obama, you’d like to shut down our terrorist-detainee facility at Guantanamo. Where would you put those prisoners instead?
Hyde Park, Chicago?
115. Senator Obama, you’ve said you don’t think we should allow illegal immigrants to work in this country,
yet you don’t want to deport. Who, then, should pay for their food, clothing,
shelter, and medical care?
116. Senator Obama, you support legislation giving illegal immigrants a “path to citizenship.” What’s
wrong with the “path” that already exists - that is, the one that calls for entering the country legally, completing
the proper paperwork, obeying the laws of the United States,
and acclimating to our culture rather than expecting that legal Americans accommodate them?
117. Senator Obama, if elected President, will you immediately pardon border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean,
who were sentenced to 11 and 12 years in prison for shooting an illegal alien drug smuggler as he fled across the border into
his native Mexico with 800 pounds of marijuana?
118. Senator Obama, you sponsored a bill allowing an Air Traffic Controller’s Union,
and would also give public safety officers collective bargaining rights. Can
you explain why you disagree with former President Reagan, who felt that public safety was too important to be endangered
by strikes by those workers?
119. Senator Obama, you said it’s not surprising that people in small towns who lose their jobs “…get
bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or
anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” Can’t
a laid-off worker be frustrated without your accusing him of being a red-necked, xenophobic, racist who is so old-fashioned
he still believes in God and the Second Amendment?
120. Senator Obama, you voted against repealing the so-called “death tax.”
Why do you insist on taxing what people leave to their children when they die, when they’ve already paid taxes
throughout their lives on their income and their capital gains? How many times
must you tax the same income and assets? Or, like the famous bank robber Willie
Horton, are you simply going after dead people because “that’s where the money is?”
121. Senator Obama, many of your fellow Democrats, including Senator Clinton, sided with the President in sending troops
to Iraq to get rid of Saddam Hussein. In hindsight, it’s easy to now say that you were against the war and would have
voted against its authorization. But because you were not yet in the U. S. Senate,
those Senators had access to classified information to which you were not privy. Are
you more intelligent than all those Senators who authorized the war? Or are you
simply opposed to war at all costs, even when dictators repeatedly defy 16 United Nations resolutions?
122. Senator Obama, you’ve said you would strike Al Qaeda in Pakistan
if you are shown “actionable intelligence.” How will you be able
to recognize “actionable intelligence,” when you argue that 77 Senators, Republican and Democrat alike, erred
in their consideration of intelligence information when they authorized sending troops to Iraq in 2003? Can you recognize flawed
intelligence reports more readily than could Democrat Senators Baucus, Biden, Breaux, Cantwell, Carnahan, Carper, Cleland,
Clinton, Daschle, Dodd, Dorgan, Edwards, Feinstein, Harkin,
Hollings, Johnson, Kerry, Kohl, Landrieu, Lieberman, Miller, Nelson, Nelson, Reid, Rockefeller, Schumer, and Torricelli?
123. Senator Obama, during your trip to the Middle East and Europe, you told reporters
you wanted to get to know the foreign leaders you “…expect to be dealing with over the next 8 to 10 years.” It seems incredibly presumptuous of you to assume a second term as President when
you have yet to win a first, and when even a second term would only give you eight years as President, not 10. What do you know that the rest of us don’t know?
124. Senator Obama, along with former Weather Underground radical William Ayers you funneled money to Professor Rashid
Khalidi, a known terrorist sympathizer, critic of Israel, and former spokesman for Yassir Arafat who also held fund-raisers
for you. Can you explain and defend your association with Khalidi?
125. Senator Obama, you told Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian rights activist in Chicago,
that you were sorry you weren’t talking more about the Palestinian cause, but your primary campaign had “constrained”
what you could say. How can your campaign constrain you? As the candidate, aren’t
you free to say what you feel about the Palestinian cause? Were you lying to
Mr. Abunimah then, or have you been lying to supporters of Israel
all along?
126. Senator Obama, how can you defend your relationship with William Ayers, member of the 1960s radical Weather Underground,
who was involved with the group’s bombing of the New York City police headquarters in 1970, the Capitol in 1971, and
the Pentagon in 1972, and who once said of his terrorist activities in the 1960s, “I don’t regret setting bombs,
I feel we didn’t do enough”?
127. Senator Obama, you said you “… will invest $150 billion over the next decade… and leverage billions
more in private capital to build a new energy economy.” Where will that
$150 in federal funds come from? And where are you going to get the billions
more in private capital? How do you plan to get people to put their money into
risky energy investments while, at the same time, discouraging their investment with an increase in the capital gains tax?
128. Senator Obama, there is speculation that, should you become President, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will give
your open Senate seat to your wife. Do you have plans for an Obama dynasty?
129. Senator Obama, Democrats who support abortion often use the phrase “safe but rare” in order to appease
anti-abortion voters. Exactly what have you, or other liberals, done to address
the “rare” part of the statement?
130. Senator Obama, you’ve talked about a goal of one million 150 mile per gallon hybrid cars on the road within
six years. Even if that can be accomplished, that would leave about 250 million
gasoline vehicles still on America’s
roads. What will all those cars run on if we can’t drill in ANWR or offshore? Won’t your plans still leave us dependent on foreign oil for decades to come? Isn’t really impossible to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil?
131. Senator Obama, you’ve said you’d require that 10 per cent of the nation’s energy come from renewable
sources by the end of your first term. Exactly how will you accomplish that? Will you use force to make people buy power from wind power companies or solar energy
companies, even if the price of that power is greater than that of nuclear power plants?
And to the extent that alternate energy sources aren’t yet practical or affordable, how do you force someone
to invent something that may be decades away from realization? Can you legislate
into existence ideas, inventions, or miracles?
132. Senator Obama, you want the American people to reduce their demand for electricity by 15 per cent by the end of the
next decade. How will they do that, especially if they have to plug in 100 million
or more electric cars every evening? And if an American pays his electric bill
on time, why should some government bureaucrat tell him how much he is allowed to use?
Wouldn’t it be simpler to build more nuclear power plants, something we already know how to do, and which do
not rely on imported oil?
133. Senator Obama, can you understand why many Americans believe politicians are hypocritical, when they see that while
Al Gore is giving speeches on global warming, his limousine is waiting outside with the air conditioning running to keep it
cool for him after he’s done scolding the rest of us for emitting carbon dioxide?
Inasmuch as you also believe the global warming theories, do you expect the rest of us to do as you say, or do as you
do?
134. Senator Obama, part of your energy plan is calling on people to keep the tires of their cars properly inflated in
order to get better gas mileage. Isn’t that a bit on the ridiculous side,
akin to Jimmy Carter telling us to wear sweaters? Aren’t Americans intelligent
enough to take reasonable steps to save their own money, and is putting more air in your tires really a reasonable alternative
to drilling for more oil?
135. Senator Obama, for each dollar of increase in the minimum wage, the federal government receives 15.3 cents in Social
Security and Medicare taxes. With roughly 8 million Americans earning the minimum
wage, that means that for each dollar you raise the minimum, the government will receive more than $19 billion per year in
additional tax revenues, assuming a 30 hour work week. Will you promise that
all additional Social Security taxes received from any minimum wage increase will be permanently allocated to the Social Security
Trust Fund and will not be used as general revenue? Or will you simply use that
additional tax revenue to help fund all your campaign promises?
136. Senator Obama, we sent troops to Iraq
based, in large part, on Saddam Hussein’s repeated refusals to obey 16 United Nations resolutions. You are now proposing that we send more troops to Afghanistan
and Pakistan. If 16 U.N. resolutions weren’t enough justification for the Bush administration and our allies to
send troops to Iraq, how can no resolutions against Afghanistan and Pakistan
be sufficient for you to send troops there?
137. Senator Obama, you criticized the Bush Administration for “acting unilaterally” in the war in Iraq, and for not consulting enough with the governments of
European nations. Yet, on your own, you say you plan on sending more troops to
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Why isn’t it considered acting unilaterally when it’s your plan?
138. Senator Obama, your supporters reacted to a campaign ad comparing you to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton by saying
it was meant to exploit the anxiety of white Americans who are “…still freakishly hung up on the idea of black
men… becoming sexually involved with white women.” Didn’t
they, and you, understand that the ad was simply making fun of your rock-star-like celebrity status, implying you are all
fluff and no substance? Or is this the sign of things to come, that an Obama
administration will react to all criticism as if it is racially motivated?
139. Senator Obama, if you succeed in getting your proposed universal health plan, millions of Americans who have been
putting off doctor visits and medical treatment because of the high cost will suddenly rush to physician’s offices and
hospitals… after they know someone else will be picking up the tab. Where
are all those additional doctors we will need going to come from, when the cost of malpractice insurance has already caused
many of them to give up their practices, and when you will need to force fee reductions in order keep the cost of your plan
from exploding? Will you do something about frivolous malpractice lawsuits to
help the situation? Or do you owe too much to the trial lawyers who have helped
so much to finance your campaign?
140. Senator Obama, you ridiculed President Bush’s plan for tax rebates for Americans to help stimulate the economy,
and now you’ve proposed a $1,000 energy rebate. What’s the difference
between the two, except that this rebate is your idea?
141. Senator Obama, you’ve been critical of the United States
for having only five per cent of the world’s population while using 25 per cent of the world’s energy. But it’s also true that the United States
produces 25 per cent of the world’s goods and services and wealth. In other words, we’re putting the energy we
use to good use, and helping to feed the world in the process. Instead of arguing
that the United States is using too much
energy, can’t you argue that many other nations are astonishingly unproductive because they haven’t embraced capitalism
and free markets? Why do you emphasize what we use, rather than what we create? Why do you insist in looking at the glass as half-empty, rather than half-full?
142. Senator Obama, you have an on-line campaign donation process that is incredibly lax and allows illegal donations
to be made from foreigners. In one example, over $29,000 was donated to your
campaign by two Palestinians from within the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The
donations were listed as coming from Razah, Georgia,
a place that doesn’t exist, when research shows they actually came from a refugee camp in Razah, Gaza. What are you doing to change your process
of collecting donations, in order to prevent further violations of U. S.
campaign laws?
143. Senator Obama, most Americans believe Congress is doing a terrible job, both Democrats and Republicans alike, yet
because of the perks of office it is incredibly difficult to defeat an incumbent. Where
do you stand on term limits? If you oppose term limits, would you support an
end to the generous pensions awarded to members of Congress, all of whom should certainly be capable of earning a living in
the private sector? Why should the taxpayers set them up for life with benefits
few Americans have?
144. Senator Obama, a substantial number of contributions to your campaign are in unusual amounts, like $74.37 or $42.95,
even though one would expect most people to make donations in amounts like $10, $25, $150, or $100. Contributions made in foreign currency, however, would result in odd amounts after their conversion to
U.S. dollars. Those many odd amounts in your records suggest that a substantial
amount of contributions to your campaign are illegal contributions coming from foreigners.
What steps are you going to take to ensure that you stop violating campaign financing laws?
145. Senator Obama, your campaign records show an October 28, 2007 donation of $1,077.23 from someone named Jkbkj Hbkjb,
who lives in the city of Jkbjnj, and whose occupation is Balanon
Jalalan. In fact, there are quite a few entries like that in your records. Apparently you’ll accept anything from anyone, without insuring correct information
or confirming that the contributions aren’t made illegally from outside the United States. What will you do to
stop that abuse?
146. Senator Obama, out of curiosity an investigator attempted to make a contribution to your campaign and to Senator
McCain’s, using a Macy’s credit card. Senator McCain’s web
site refused the attempt, yours accepted it. Does this help explain why you’ve
been able to rack up record amounts of campaign contributions?
147. Senator Obama, alleged copies of your Hawaiian birth certificate appear to have been forgeries made from an altered
female’s birth certificate. Will you release your original birth certificate
to the media? If not, why not?
148. Senator Obama, your wife criticized President Bush’s $600 economic stimulus checks when, at a “working-women’s
round table discussion” she said, “The short-term quick fix kinda sounds good, and it may even feel good that
first month when you get that check, and then you go out and buy a pair of earrings.”
You’ve said that Americans should tighten their belts by not leaving their thermostats set at 72 degrees, and
should check the air in their tires to save gas. While we’re all doing
that, might you consider forgoing some earrings and donating $600 to the Salvation Army or to pay down the national debt?
149. Senator Obama, assuming you believe in free speech, could you place a call to Google and Yahoo ask them to stop shutting
down web sites simply because they are opposed to your candidacy?
150. Senator Obama, we understand you were given an iPod for your birthday last year.
Because the plastics used to make iPod cases come from petroleum, do you think your voting against allowing oil exploration
in ANWR or offshore will contribute to future iPod shortages?
151. Senator Obama, your colleague from Illinois, Senator
Durbin, said that, “The oil companies need to know there is a limit on how much profit they can take in this economy.” Inasmuch as Google, Microsoft and most other software companies, most major banks,
the aerospace industry, chemical companies, makers of appliances, and most food and beverage companies have profit margins
that exceed those of the oil companies, are you and Senator Durbin planning on going after all of them too?
152. Senator Obama, you’ve said that the oil companies should invest in alternate sources of energy. Exploring for oil, extracting it, refining it, and marketing it is what they do best. Why should they be forced to do something else? Should Starbucks
be required to invest in or soft drinks or beer? Should aluminum companies be
made to invest in copper mines? Should a shoe store be made to sell gloves? Should radio stations be forced to publish newspapers?
And if the oil companies were to aggressively start pursuing other lines of business, what guarantee would they have
that you won’t go after them for anti-trust violations or consider their new sources of profit as windfalls?
153. Senator Obama, net cash farm income was up 10 per cent from 2006 to 2007, a greater increase than enjoyed by the
oil companies. Should a windfall profits tax be imposed on farmers?
154. Senator Obama, at a time when food prices are increasing because agricultural land is being diverted from food to
bio-fuels, doesn’t it make sense to finally stop paying subsidies to farmers?
Why should the taxpayers continue to have to pay farmers not to grow crops?
155. Senator Obama, during the last 30 years the oil companies have paid in taxes more than three times what they made
in profits. Isn’t that enough?
156. Senator Obama, we assume you agree it would be unfair to tax American workers at different rates just because they
work in different industries. For example, you wouldn’t make a teacher
pay a higher rate of income tax than a truck driver who earns the same amount of money.
Why, then, do you think it is fair to tax oil companies at a higher rate than other industries, when their profit margins
are actually less than thousands of American businesses? What is your justification
for the inherent unfairness in your proposal?
157. Senator Obama, if you impose a windfall profits tax on the oil companies, how will that tax not be passed on to the
consumer? If you take $10 billion from ExxonMobil, will it not have $10 billion
less to spend on exploration, research, drilling, and refining? Won’t it
simply have to raise prices to get the cash needed for those activities?
158. Senator Obama, you enjoy an overwhelming amount of support from members of the print and television media. Television panel discussions typically have only one conservative joined by two or three liberals. Senator McCain is gracious while being repeatedly interviewed by liberals, knowing
full well he will get ambivalent treatment. You, on the other hand, refuse to
be interviewed by anyone from the Fox News Network. What could they possibly ask that makes you so afraid to face them? Or do you simply think you can coast your way into the White House with the softball
questions lobbed your way by sympathetic members of the media? If you can’t
stand up to Bill O’Reilly or Sean Hannity, how can the American people believe you can stand up to the leaders of Iran, North Korea, or Venezuela?
159. Senator Obama, when your political career started in Chicago in 1995, a fund raiser for you was held at the home
of former Weather Underground radicals William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. Both
were involved in terrorist bombings and were fugitives from justice who managed to avoid prison because of disallowed FBI
evidence. Dohrn once publicly praised Charles Manson and his followers for killing
actress Sharon Tate. Dohrn’s words were, “Dig it. First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them. They even shoved a fork into a victim’s stomach! Wild!”
You defended your association with Ayers and Dohrn with the statement, “The notion that…me knowing somebody
who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago… somehow reflects on me and my values doesn’t make much sense.” For the record, exactly how many years must pass before one can, like you, have a
guiltless friendship with a terrorist?
160. Senator Obama, do you agree with Democrat Senate candidate Al Franken that we should increase the federal tax on
gasoline to further discourage its use?
161. Senator Obama, how do you feel about rap music that calls on people to kill police officers and degrades women as
slaves and whores?
162. Senator Obama, you had scheduled a visit to wounded soldiers on your trip to the Middle East and Europe. Why did you cancel that visit? Was it
because you would have had to visit the troops alone, without campaign aides and the media?
163. Senator Obama, what do you owe the hedge fund executives for the enormous sums of campaign contributions they have
“bundled” for you?
164. Senator Obama, the largest group of people involved in “bundling” campaign contributions for you are
trial lawyers. How can you be expected to do anything about rising health care
costs when the trial lawyers who financed your campaign so fervently will insist that you do nothing to rein in frivolous
medical malpractice lawsuits?
165. Senator Obama, you brag about collecting many small campaign contributions from average Americans, in amounts of
$200 or less. Yet in June alone you collected more than $12 million in contributions
of $1,000 or more. More than one-third of
the contributions to your campaign are “big money” donations. How
do you square that with your criticism of the Clinton and McCain campaigns for accepting large contributions from people expecting
favors? Don’t your many big contributors also expect favors?
166. Senator Obama, Ronald Reagan was criticized for calling the Soviet Union an “evil
empire,” and George Bush was similarly scolded by liberals and the media for referring to an “axis of evil.” In this day and age of political correctness and moral relativism, many would say
there is no such thing as “good” or “evil,” and that everyone should simply be allowed to “do
their own thing.” Do you agree with that?
If not, can you describe some people you would consider evil – without naming the easy dead ones like Hitler,
Stalin, and Pol Pot?
167. Senator Obama, one of your books is titled, “Dreams From My Father,” yet your alcoholic, weak-charactered,
polygamist father played almost no role in your life. You were raised more by
your maternal grandparents than by anyone else, and it is your mother’s side of the family that saw to it that you went
to good private schools. Clearly you owe a great deal of success to them. Why, then, weren’t they “dreams from your grandparents?”
168. Senator Obama, in the 1950s black families were known for their strength and close bonds. There is clearly less racism in America now than there was in the 1950s, and we have seen 50 years and
trillions of dollars of federal, state, and local programs to help improve the lives of poor blacks, yet today they no longer
seem to have those strong families and instead have an incredibly high percentage of babies born without the advantage and
support of a father in the home. Where have we gone wrong? Did we make some inherently bad decisions with these nanny-state programs?
169. Senator Obama, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have lost billions of dollars in the last year. To keep from losing more they have no choice but to discontinue the gas-guzzlers from their product lines
and start marketing more efficient cars. Why have you proposed legislation requiring
them to produce more fuel efficient cars? Are the automakers too stupid to realize
that is what the buyers now want?
170. Senator Obama, you support raising the cap on Social Security taxes from $97,000 to $250,000. Will that be money down the drain for those taxpayers, or will you raise their future benefits to compensate
for their additional taxes?
171. Senator Obama, between 2003 and 2007 ExxonMobil paid more than $64 billion in taxes. Was that a “windfall”
for the federal government?
172. Senator Obama, you’re going to need an awful lot of Americans investing in alternate energy companies over
the next few years if you think you can wean the nation from foreign oil. But
why would anyone consider investing more in the stock market if their chances of making money are reduced by a future possible
windfall profits tax?
173. Senator Obama, after you raise the capital gains tax, won’t Americans react by simply holding on to their assets,
rather than liquidating them to pay your higher taxes? Won’t that result in less capital being available for the growth
of the American economy, when what we need is more?
174. Senator Obama, many companies have greater profit margins that the oil companies, yet you’re not going after
them. Isn’t a windfall profit simply a profit earned by a business you
and other politicians dislike?
175. Senator Obama, why should Americans invest in new energy businesses, or in the stock market at all, if they don’t
know if or when you may decide the companies in which they own stock are making a windfall profit? Isn’t government unpredictability what caused the Great Depression to last so long, when businesses
were simply afraid to do anything because they continually feared FDR’s next crazy move?
Should American businesses fear what you’re going to propose next?
176. Senator Obama, when the Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax of 1980 was passed, the tax depressed the oil industry, raised
only a fraction of the revenue expected, reduced U.S.
oil production by up to six per cent, and caused an increase in foreign oil imports.
Why wouldn’t your windfall profits tax do the same?
177. Senator Obama, what do you know about the circumstances of the December 23rd execution-style killing of the choir
director of your church, a confidante of yours, who your acquaintance Larry Sinclair says was killed in order to keep him
quiet?
178. Senator Obama, you have said you will “…slow our development of future combat systems.” Isn’t your first responsibility as President of the United
States to serve as Commander in Chief and protect Americans?
Why aren’t future combat systems a priority? Do you expect us not
to have future combat, or not to have a future?
179. Senator Obama, you have said you “…will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.” Isn’t the point in investing in them, to move them from the unproven to the
proven category? All defense systems are unproven when new, aren’t they? And didn’t the military have success in intercepting a ballistic missile near
Hawaii in a sea-based missile defense test? Why are you so willing to throw in the towel?
180. Senator Obama, do you expect the United States
will never need missile defense systems? If so, how can you be so sure, given China’s
and Russia’s aggressive military build-up and the threats of Iran and North Korea? You’re a firm believer in negotiation, but isn’t it better to negotiate
out of strength, rather than weakness?
181. Senator Obama, you’ve promised deep cuts in our nuclear arsenal. Why?
182. Senator Obama, do you think the presidents of Iran and North Korea are pleased that you’ve promised to cut
investment in our missile defense systems?
183. Senator Obama, why does the military not need the F-22 Raptor, the V-22 Osprey, the Virginia-class submarines, or
the DDG-1000 destroyer?
184. Senator Obama, you’ve promised to cut military spending and gut military programs, while doubling foreign aid. Do you see our national security as nothing more than foreign aid, and using our troops
for “international meals on wheels?”
185. Senator Obama, in 1995 you successfully sought the endorsement of what was called the “New Party,” a
Marxist third party that once operated in Chicago, for your 1996 state senate run. Why
did you solicit support from a socialist group? Did they contribute to your campaign
because they expected you to promote their socialist causes, or were they just being careless with their money?
186. Senator Obama, you have plans for a $60 billion “National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank.” Exactly what is that, and where will the $60 billion come from?
187. Senator Obama, your new spending plans add up to close to a trillion dollars, a staggering figure equal to one thousand
times one billion. How can you get that much revenue without either crippling
the economy with massive new taxes or deficit-spending at record levels and a corresponding increase in the national debt? Anticipating that your answer will be that your plans don’t add up to almost
one trillion dollars, exactly how much will they total?
188. Senator Obama, what plans do you have for using Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, George McGovern, Al Gore, George Soros,
or Warren Christopher in your administration, either as cabinet members or advisors?
189. Senator Obama, why have you said you barely know convicted money launderer Tony Rezko when, in fact, you’ve
known him for at least 10 years, wrote letters asking for Illinois government business to
be thrown his way, and received $21,000 from him for your Illinois
campaigns?
190. Senator Obama, we assume you disagreed with the Reagan Administration’s philosophy of trickle-down wealth,
but can you comprehend trickle-down taxes? That is, after you raise taxes on
corporations, how can they not pass those costs on to consumers in higher prices, lay-offs, and reduced plans for growth and
expansion? Where do you think corporations will get the money to pay your increased
taxes?
191. Senator Obama, you’ve said “…it is not weakness, but wisdom, to talk not just to our friends, but
to our enemies, like Roosevelt did…” When
did Roosevelt have conversations with Hitler or Hirohito?
Roosevelt did speak with Stalin on several occasions, but those talks did nothing to prevent the Soviet Union from
taking over Eastern Europe after World War II and dominating it for over 50 years. What was gained by Roosevelt talking with “Uncle Joe” Stalin?
192. Senator Obama, what is the difference between diplomacy and appeasement?
193. Senator Obama, in 2006 the federal government shut down an Islamic charity called KindHearts because of its fund-raising
for terrorist groups, including Hamas. The chairman of that organization, Hatem
El-Hady, is now directing his fund-raising efforts to your election. What does
a supporter of terrorists see in you that prompts those efforts, and has your campaign accepted any contributions from El-Hady,
either directly or indirectly?
194. Senator Obama, you’ve downplayed the reprehensible and illegal actions of your friends, William Ayers and Bernadine
Dohrn, as things that took place 40 years ago. Yet as recently as 2007, Ayers
describes the United States as an “…incipient fascist country,” and talks about overthrowing capitalism,
while Dohrn, at a reunion of the radical group Students for a Democratic Society, said that “…living in America
constitutes living in the belly of the beast” and “the heart of the monster.” What makes you continue your associations with people who clearly are still filled with hatred for the
American way of life?
195. Senator Obama, you’ve said that your pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is “not particularly controversial.”
Do you think most Americans hear the words, “God damn America” or “we deserved 9/11” in their
Sunday sermons?
196. Senator Obama, you aren’t getting anywhere near the support from Jewish voters that other Democrat candidates
have received in the past. Do you think it has something to do with advice and
support you’re getting from Zbigniew Bzrezinski, Robert O. Malley, Samantha Power, General Merrill A. McPeak, Joseph
Cirincione, and Daniel Kurtzer – all known for their anti-Israel views?
197. Senator Obama, there is considerable evidence that Google, Yahoo, and others have shut down, or refused to allow
links to, web sites that are critical of your campaign, while allowing sites critical of Senators Clinton or McCain. E-mails critical of you get flagged as “spam,” while e-mails critical
of Senator McCain get delivered to regular in-boxes. What have you done to stop
these abuses of free speech, or is it just something Al Gore built into the system when he invented the internet?
198. Senator Obama, the United States has the second highest corporate
tax rate in the world, behind only Japan. Yet you threaten to raise those taxes even more.
How can American businesses create new jobs and compete with foreign businesses with even greater tax burdens imposed
on them?
199. Senator Obama, in one of your books you criticized your grandmother as a bigot who sometimes acted like a “typical
white person.” Can you describe what you meant by a “typical white
person,” and contrast that with a “typical black person?”
200. Senator Obama, you said Americans should be embarrassed because most of us don’t speak a second language. In July you visited eight countries. In
which of their languages are you fluent? Are you fluent in any language other
than English? If so, which ones?
201. Senator Obama, your chair in your campaign plane is already labeled “President.” Have you ever heard
the saying, “pride goes before a fall?”
202. Senator Obama, why is it so important for Americans to learn a second language, when English has become the de facto
global language of business? If Americans should learn French for a short vacation
to Paris, why shouldn’t Mexicans have to learn English
if they plan to live in the United States permanently?
203. Senator Obama, when criticized for your association with William Ayers, former 1960s radical and terrorist, you said
you can’t be held responsible for things that happened 40 years ago. But
as recently as August, 2001, Ayers posed for a photograph in which he was trampling on an American flag. Although you’re certainly not responsible for his actions, the company you keep says something about
you. What is it that your association with Ayers says about you?
204. Senator Obama, Alexi Giannoulias ran for Illinois State Treasurer in 2006 and received a strong endorsement from
you. You said he was “…one of the most outstanding young men I could
ever hope to meet,” despite his youth, total lack of experience, mob connections, and his family bank’s financing
of a Chicago crime figure. He later raised $100,000 for your
Presidential campaign. Was that a specific pay-back for your endorsement, or
just another example of old-style Chicago politics that you
claim you were never a part of?
205. Senator Obama, your chief education policy advisor is advocating slavery reparations in the form of generous school
tuition grants to minorities as payback for an alleged “education debt” owed blacks by white Americans. Why are you opposed to school vouchers that would help all children, while supporting massive education
support intended only for minorities as slavery reparations?
206. Senator Obama, Winston Churchill said, ‘The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal distribution of blessings,
the inherent vice of socialism is the equal distribution of misery.” Many
voters are worried that the policies you advocate will push us closer to the latter.
Why should they not fear your plans?
207. Senator Obama, what’s your fall-back energy plan if everything you’ll need to eliminate dependence on
foreign oil doesn’t get invented?
208. Senator Obama, the city of Sarajevo was once ethnically
diverse. Today it is almost entirely a Muslim city, with ethnic cleansing a reality. What did the United Nations and Bill Clinton do wrong in the war in Bosnia to prompt virtually all non-Muslims to flee the city?
209. Senator Obama, faced with unprecedented rising gas prices and demands from the American people to increase oil production
here at home, the Speaker of the House adjourned Congress for a five week vacation, refusing to let Congress vote on comprehensive
energy legislation. Why is it more important for Nancy Pelosi to consume jet
fuel flying around the country promoting her new book than to work on energy legislation for the American people?
210. Senator Obama, do you agree with Nancy Pelosi that drilling for oil offshore and in ANWR will do nothing but lower
the price of gas by two cents per gallon 10 years from now?
211. Senator Obama, a Democrat Chicago alderman was convicted in early August of 13 federal counts of bribery, extortion,
theft, and embezzlement. Chicago aldermen seem
to have a habit of such illegal activity and, although you often call yourself a reformer, your record shows you regularly
supported the candidates of the Chicago “machine.” Why should we believe your judgment will improve just because you’re in the
White House?
212. Senator Obama, many of your former Democrat colleagues in the Illinois State Senate were critical of your legislative
tactics in getting your name attached to bills you had virtually nothing to do with.
One of them said, “No one wants to carry the ball 99 yards all the way to the one-yard line, and then give it
to the half-back who gets all the credit and the stats in the record book.” What
is your response to those charges?
213. Senator Obama, your first six years in the Illinois Senate showed little accomplishment and then, after you decided
to run for the United States Senate you engaged in a flurry of activity to get your name on bills that related to issues prominent
in the news. Helping you was Senate President Emil Jones, who pushed bills to
you to give you notoriety. Once in the Senate, you repaid Jones with tens of
millions of dollars in federal spending for his district, which he glibly referred to as “steak” rather than the
“pork” it was. How do you square these activities with your claims
that you are a reformer?
214. Senator Obama, renters of several Chicago slum tenements
owned by the now-convicted political fixer Tony Rezko went without heat for five weeks in January and February of 1997. Although Rezko didn’t come up with the money to turn on the heat, he nevertheless
managed to contribute $1,000 to your Illinois State Senate political campaign. You
then sought state funds for even more Rezko housing developments. When some of
the poorest of your constituents complained to your office about their ice-cold apartments, what did you do about it other
than try to get more deals for Rezko?
215. Senator Obama, an organization which supports your candidacy and uses the name Accountable America, is sending letters
to nearly 10,000 citizens who often contribute to Republican causes, threatening them with potential legal problems if they
finance conservative groups. While you can’t be held accountable for every
group that supports you, can’t you at least make a public plea for freedom of speech and ask these threats on your behalf
to stop? Or do some of your supporters think you can’t win in a free marketplace
of ideas?
216. Senator Obama, you once praised Detroit’s Mayor
Kwame Kilpatrick as a “great mayor” who is doing an “outstanding job” and who will be doing “astounding
things for many years to come.” He was sent to jail for violating travel restrictions while he awaits trial on eight
counts of perjury and other felonies. He was also accused of assaulting a sheriff’s
deputy who served him with a subpoena, and is a super-delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Tossing Kwame Kilpatrick in with Tony Rezko, Alexi Giannoulias, Mazen Asbahi, William Ayers, and Bernadine
Dohrn suggests you aren’t the best judge of character. Do you think it
might be time for you to rein in your endorsements of people?
217. Senator Obama, you’ve spend a fair amount of time on the campaign trail railing against the lobbyists and fat
cats of politics, but in your own political career you surrounded yourself with those same kinds of people, not the least
of which is the now-convicted Tony Rezko, who raised more than $200,000 for you. Are
we not supposed to pay any attention to that man behind the curtain?
218. Senator Obama, were you one of “certain Illinois government officials” who were asked by Tony Rezko to
try to get the State Department to overturn its refusal to grant a visa to Nadhmi Auchi, a billionaire donor who was convicted
on fraud charges?
219. Senator Obama, in the speech you gave in Germany
in July, you said, ‘The burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together.” Exactly what do you consider those burdens to be? What obligations
do Americans have to the rest of the world, and what obligations do all other nations have?
220. Senator Obama, you said in your speech in Germany
that the fall of the Berlin Wall proved “that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.” When Ronald Reagan demanded that Gorbachev “tear down that wall,” he was
met with ridicule and criticism by the American media, most Democrats, much of Europe, and
pretty much the rest of the world. Aside from Margaret Thatcher, few stood with
Ronald Reagan in standing up to the evils of communism. You would have a difficult
time finding anyone who believes Mr. Reagan got much support from France,
Latin America, Canada, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia. How could you possibly have come to the conclusion that the “world stood as
one” in a battle that President Reagan’s Administration fought almost single-handedly?
221. Senator Obama, you’ve said your tax increases are only meant for the wealthiest Americans, but your proposed
capital gains tax increase would also apply to all older Americans who sell off their stocks during their retirement years. Millions of those retirees are not wealthy, yet you are asking them to turn their
golden years into silver or bronze. Is it fair that someone who put money aside
throughout his or her working years now has to retire with less, for the sake of your extravagant spending plans?
222. Senator Obama, your campaign’s Muslim outreach director, Chicago
lawyer Mazen Asbahi, was ousted from his job when questions about his ties to a radical Muslim imam and the Muslim Brotherhood
surfaced. If you make it to the White House, are you planning on performing better
background checks before allowing people access to top secret documents relating to our national security?
223. Senator Obama, you’ve said you want to raise the minimum wage from its current $6.55 per hour level all the
way up to $9.50 per hour. If you raise the lowest wage-earners to $9.50 per hour,
the people now getting $9.50 per hour will then expect $12.00 or $13.00 per hour. Won’t
those increases simply keep ratcheting their way up throughout the economy, forcing businesses to raise prices to pay for
the increases, eventually hurting most the people on fixed incomes who get stuck with the higher process but who didn’t
get a raise?
224. Senator Obama, Republicans and Democrats alike have wasted tens of billions of dollars each year on “pork,”
spending taxpayer money on bridges to nowhere, the study of mariachi music in Nevada, and
a film festival in New York. The Citizens Against Government
Waste identified almost 14,000 frivolous projects in just one year of appropriations bills.
The kings of pork, like Senators Ted Stevens of Alaska and Robert Byrd of West Virginia, show no inclination of stopping such extravagance. Isn’t it about time for a line item veto to prevent legislators from burying
wasteful spending in otherwise legitimate bills?
225. Senator Obama, your mentor between 1975 and 1979 was Frank Marshall Davis, a propagandist, radical agitator, and
member of the Communist Party USA. What was your relationship with the Stalinist
Davis, and how much were you influenced by the man who you refer to in your book, Dreams From My Father, only as Frank?
226. Senator Obama, what have you ever done to fight communism?
227. Senator Obama, in a speech in South Carolina your
wife said, ‘…Sometimes it’s easier to hold onto your own stereotypes and misconceptions. It makes you feel justified in your ignorance. That’s
America.” Do you agree with your wife that many Americans are ignorant simply because they are opposed to your views?
228. Senator Obama, do you think illegal immigrants should be allowed drivers licenses?
229. Senator Obama, after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, you wrote in the Hyde Park Herald that you “…hope
we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy,” and engage in “…understanding the sources
of such madness.” Senator, most Americans viewed 9/11 as an unprovoked
attack by a group of radical Islamists. What wisdom do you think we were supposed
to draw from the tragedy?
230. Senator Obama, you said in an op-ed piece in the Hyde Park Herald that the essence
of the 9/11 tragedy