During the 2000 Presidential Election the Liberal Media went to bat for their favorite son, Democrat Albert Gore Jr. was the beneficiary of the Main Stream Media's blistering assault on the GOP nominee George W. Bush in a plainly conspicuous adoption of the Democratic Party talking points made against George Bush's lack of experience on foreign policy in particular, and meaningful life and world experience in general. The liberal main stream media hacks tore the page right out of the DNC play book and went right to work even adopting a word to use. A word that actually became rote, trite and so over-used in the Liberal media's effort to sabotage Bush in the polls and ultimately knock him out for the election. That word was "Gravitas" the Microsoft Encarta dictionary defines this latin word as: (- seriousness of behavior: a serious and solemn attitude or way of behaving or being of weight and consequence). This word was repeated over and over constantly for several weeks by the Broadcast and print MSM to reference Bush, and his Gravitas deficiency vs. the worldly and capable Al Gore.
This word was used so much in 2000 against Bush, and Americans were so sick of hearing it that it went out of common American usage and drifted into the obscurity until some future date when the DNC could launch it again upon the illiterate un-washed masses of dopey Red-State Americans who wouldn't know how to interpret it other than to attribute it's application and usage on Bush as being some serious and negative thing so dire in it's connotation; much like the ignorant stigma attached to the evil-sounding word Neo-Con.
But hey if a word fits in 2008, use it. I say it is high time the word is dusted off and put back into common American usage, and once again in the Political arena: this time to correctly portray a candidate who is truly sadly lacking.
Gravitas deficient. Barack Hussein Obama. They just seem to go together.
It is a word that is a perfect fit for the Democratic nominee. You see Americans just didn't swallow it for it's application that George W. Bush was lacking it in 2000. It didn't fit with a guy who created and ran several Oil Companies. It couldn't be applied to a nominee that saved, rejuvenated, and then very profitably sold a Major League Baseball Franchise. And, it certainly couldn't be applicable for a candidate that went on to defeat an incumbent Democrat Governor and then invigorated a huge state by unshackling a stifled Texas economy and replacing it with a thriving and growing economy larger than nearly half of the member National economies in the United Nations. Certainly it couldn't be used to accurately define George W. Bush in his solemn and serious responsibilities of deciding and signing crucial legislation or life and death pardons and death warrants.
American's saw through the silly attempt by the DNC and their MSM lackeys in the propaganda of the left in their effort to stick it on Bush. Unlike then, I think it is exactly what is festering in the back of American minds as they ponder what to do for President. Obama just doesn't have Gravitas. It is THE perfect word to describe what I have known for some time, and what I believe most American's are coming to realize now about the Democratic nominee; Barack Hussein Obama is an empty suit. Americans see it, especially now that he has the stage to himself. They see him in Forums and Town Hall meetings where your knowledge on the issues and the world are not hidden by prepared stump speeches and well managed photo ops. When he is put into these situations, he stutters, and struggles to find the right words, or thoughts. He is unsure and afraid that he may say the wrong thing, which to Barack seems to be anything that somebody might disagree with him on. So he says nothing,, nothing but platitudes about how we all need change and come together. This mirrors his history in the U.S. Senate and Illinois State Senate for his preference to vote "present" rather than take a stand.
Obama's Gravitas- where is it? What does it amount to? His depth of experience is as a Community Activist? A civil-rights lawyer and front man for radical organizations like the now defunct Marxist/Socialist "New Party" who would later become his friends, political patrons, and sponsors? Or as the legal defender and attorney for organizations like ACORN where he worked hard to defend their history and notorious reputation for voter fraud violations and crimes? As a back bencher in the Illinois Senate who formulated a decisive and courageous record of voting "present" more times than a definitive vote cast for "yea" or "nay"? Would his experience as a U.S. Senator provide the earnest depth for him to be worthy of the term? Well, maybe, but unlike most Senators, he has been more interested in running for an even higher office- than ever achieving, or accomplishing anything as a Senator to earn Gravitas in this capacity. Running for President may be an opportunity to earn Gravitas but in Tampa St. Petersburg a radical would-be Obama supporter took him to task by heckling him about not being engaged enough with the African/Latino community and issues. In this confrontation with a heckler Obama displayed a complete lack of Gravitas, stumbling, stuttering and stammering out some sort of response to a litany of offenses that he felt determined to convince this idiot that he Obama was REALLY on his side and very concerned about his plight and engaged in defending the record. It was as stupid as having a terrorist asking you what are you going to do to get my vote? I got problems, the government has cut back on my ability to get C4 and you haven't done anything about it... what are you going to do for me a terrorist to make my life better and easier? Then to legitimize the guys point and concerns by saying what you have done and will do to help him be a better terrorist, with the intent of garnering the vote with the pandering acceptance for the guys grievous concerns. If Obama can't handle this guy any better than to stammer, stutter and stumble at a Town Hall in Tampa St. Pete, how is he going to handle Putin when he invades the Ukraine, or when Mad Ahmed of Iran makes a move on Israel? Lack of Gravitas has consequences. Think hard and long about the Gravitas of McCain vs. Obama when you choose your leader America.
Is a lack of Gravitas also evidenced where you clinch your parties nomination and celebrate by going on a Worldwide Gravitas Acquisition tour to the Middle East and Europe? How is it that the 200,000 plus throngs of German's we saw on CNN and ABC see the Gravitas in Obama when we Americans see none of it? Are they really superior to us in their political appreciation of his greatness? Never fear, our American instincts about his fecklessness are justified!!! You see it could just be that all of our Main Stream Liberal Media sources like CNN, CBS, ABC, NY Times, etc. failed to share a simple and minor detail with American's. That little detail was that Obama's speech was sandwiched between two free concerts of the most popular rock and pop bands in Germany. So rest easy America, it was not European acumen that saw the Gravitas we Americans can't recognize filling a Soccer stadium up for Obama's speech. It certainly wasn't Gravitas that led him to make a decision to skip a visit with our wounded heroes in the Army hospital in favor of a Berlin shopping trip. Final result of the Obama Middle East/European Gravitas Acquisition tour? Z E R O. In fact, less than Zero. For his premature and forced quest for Gravitas, he went backwards, slipping to even or under McCain in the latest polls, at a time when historically the Democrat zooms to a lead at this point in the race. His only hope to stop the slide was to get out of Dodge and take a Hawaiian vacation. It seems when one is lacking in Gravitas, the best strategy is to not display the deficiency and keep out of sight, and shut your mouth.
But then disaster strikes. The Russians invade our ally Georgia over rogue breakaway provinces that Russia is trying to re-absorb into their borders. Obama is on vacation and issues a lightweight statement of neutrality calling on all parties to cease fighting and negotiate. This as Russian forces are dividing the country in half and pushing through Gori and heading toward the capital of Georgia proper. McCain came out forcefully, decisively and presidentially calling for the aggressor to stand down, remove forces or face American and European consequences in the European Union, and in future relations and security decisions. It could have been worse for Obama though. Luckily he had some advisor's that didn't let his press release out where he called for Russia to remove the troops around Atlanta and the ships blockading Savannah. OK, that is a joke, but it still probably gave you some pause as you question all his other examples of naiveties he has displayed in his quest for the worlds highest office. His call to unconditionally talk with Mad Ahmad of Iran. His desire to bomb Pakistani allies who walk a real tightrope being our allies in this War on Terror to get Taliban and Al Qaeda targets hiding there. His call to just leave Iraq two years ago and that Iraqi's would figure it out on their own by forcing their political reconciliation. Lets not forget of course his sage and expert opinion that the surge McCain was calling for at the time would lead to abject failure instead.
I do have to thank the Lib's for inundating me 8 years ago with the term Gravitas to the point where I would never forget it. I also wish to thank them for providing the perfect candidate to illustrate a real lack of Gravitas especially when compared to a candidate like John McCain where you will find his picture, right there in the dictionary when you look up Gravitas....as an example of someone with Gravitas.
Michael R. Bednarz
