[I’ll be updating and editing, and bumping this post as I come across additional material, or see points that need expansion or clarification - WR]

Barack Obama first came to my attention, as he did for many Americans, in 2004 when he addressed the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I first saw him during a pre-speech interview the day of the speech, and after 30 seconds, my first impression was - this guy is a player. A polished, smooth demeanor wrapped in an attractive packaging. An impression re-enforced by his performance that evening at the convention.

My first question was - “Who is this guy?”

That hasn’t been an easy question to fully answer, and to say the Obama campaign has been less than forthcoming or helpful with assembling or fleshing out accurate information about the matter is an understatement. And when it came to the records of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, the Obama machine actively interfered with the requests to examine them, launching a pre-emptive campaign to discredit the researchers seeking access as smear merchants, before they’d written or publicly uttered a word about the contents of the records. This was quickly followed by a ‘digital brown shirting’ of a WGN Chicago radio program conducting an interview with the researcher looking into the CAC materials, flooding the program with calls and e-mails repeating talking points released just prior to the program by the Obama campaign. Listening to the program, particularly portions where the host tries to engage some of the talking points callers in a discussion of wider scope than the talking points they dutifully recited, and being met with - nothing - as the callers are unable to do anything except repeat the campaign talking points with increasing agitation, is absolutely chilling. Not quite as chilling as the campaign’s veiled threats to television stations (nice FCC license ya gots there - hate for anything to happen to it!), or the formation of “Truth Squads” of local officials, apparently intimating that the powers of their office may be used. All lending even more urgency and import to the question of “who is this guy?”, who is not so much building a campaign, as a cult of personality.

What is available does fit together very well into a narrative - an alternate narrative that offers a reasonable explanation for all of the various parts and pieces of Obama’s life history, how those seemingly disparate pieces fit together, and for the reluctance, even the active resistance against an objective discussion of the subject by Obama and/or his campaign. Quite simply, because it is a perspective that Obama and his campaign simply cannot afford to have people consider, if he has any hope of winning the Presidency. And the narrative is actually very simple - Barack Obama is most likely a Marxist at heart.

In Barack Obama, the American radical far left has identified and cultivated the perfect stealth candidate. A slick, attractive package, that inherently plays to significant segments of the Democratic base, with an ability to project a wider, mainstream populist appeal. In Barack Obama, the left wing of the Democratic Party has pushed through a “double down” on the “progressiveness” of John Kerry in 04.

But let’s go back to the beginning.

Frank probably couldn’t believe his luck, if he realized it, but he no doubt understood or at least recognized the potential represented in the mulatto child that crossed his path in Hawaii in the 70’s. The kid was more than just another privileged, middle class empty vessel to fill with Marxist ideology - he truly was a ‘blank slate’, and one in a very, very mis-directional package. Despite a classic, attractive, truly African-American appearance, this kid was almost completely and totally unexposed to the actual day-to-day lives, experiences, attitudes, habits and customs of mainstream ‘black America’. He’d been totally removed from the direct influence and surroundings of the United States for the majority of his pre-teen and adolescent years, developing, by circumstance, the view of an outsider - moreover, the view of an outsider influenced by the left leaning narrative of America passed on by his mother. This ‘outsider’ worldview was no doubt driven home every day where, as a young, apparently black American child, he was certainly the most unique thing in his child’s universe in Indonesia. And he’d come to Hawaii, to this ‘transitional’ point, his introduction to the version of day-to-day Americana, Hawaiian style, but not actually. No, Obama had not been completely immersed with the locals and the local culture, as he would have been in the public school system - instead, he attended private schools, and was somewhat insulated from the pervasive identity group tagging that goes on in Hawaii. At any rate, he would have still been considered, and treated, like an outsider, as a haole - a mainlander. Thus, the cliquish nature of Hawaii made it easy for the black, card carrying communist to offer friendship to the young prospect, and have the offer be taken up. An arrangement endorsed by his middle class, left leaning white guardian grandparents, possibly eager for their grandson to explore, learn about, and ‘connect’ with his ‘heritage’. Above the fold, polite conversation discussing these early circumstances of Obama’s life in objective terms has largely been attacked and discouraged for being overtly racist, when it is precisely the issue of race, and how Obama’s background completely confounds the ’standard’ racial formularies America is familiar with, that is important here. [Update]- Its importance is illustrated by the need for Barack, an actual living, breathing “African-American” to “authenticize” himself amongst and to the American black community - to ‘fit in’ - and gain access to the benefits available to a politician willing to use identity politics as a professional tool. It all serves to illustrate Barack’s ‘outsider’ status, not on a political, but a personal level - enough to make one ponder how easily Obama’s mind might take up his consideration of his fellow humans along the same lines as Josef Stalin, when he observed “the death of one man is a tragedy, the death of one million is a statistic.” It certainly doesn’t help when one considers how Barack has treated his own blood relatives - making promises to help, but without following through - with his own half-brother living in a slum, existing on $20 a month. While no one has anything other than a moral obligation to assist their extended family, it speaks volumes when someone making millions for several years couldn’t come up with a few thousand to honor the promises he made looking into the eyes of his blood relatives. If he’s willing to lie, and turn his back on them -

Obama’s private schooling and performance (did I mention he’s actually got a pretty sharp mind?) opened the door for him to attend college - but his first couple of years were given over to general youthful indulgence and short term rebellion - partying, having a good time, more or less apparently ‘goofing off’ in the manner that a tremendous number of 18, 19, and 20 year olds goof off being out of the nest for the first time. But while he may have gone through a ’slacker’ period, [Update], he didn’t stray too far from the ideology he’d learned about in Hawaii, in fact, according to his own words, he sought it out, and he came out of it with a renewed sense of purpose and direction - which led him to Columbia University, and an reconnection with immersion in the ideologies he’d been introduced to as a teenager being worked by an old, experienced Bolshevik.

Columbia was the perfect logical next step - a situation where Obama’s background, combined with his early political tutelage, would serve as the foundation for his studies of political science and international relations - subjects which would bring him into direct contact with the theoretical basis of the ideologies he, the outsider, had been exposed to as a teenager, by Frank Marshall. There, in an atmosphere not only tolerant of radical Marxist idealism, but friendly to it. Locationally, as well, Columbia was a good fit - located in Manhattan, with easy, no, practically unescapable access to a living laboratory of the theories and concepts Barack was examining daily in his studies. It is here that Barack probably refined and gained his greatest insights into the concept of racism as practiced in modern America, and the use of ‘the race card’ - grasping the enormous power, and danger, it held as a political tool. He also most likely here, in this environment, became familiar with the work of Saul Alinsky, who wrote the play book for agenda driven, marxist/left wing organizing and agitation. It was at Columbia, most likely through the ebb and flow of the course of daily interaction with those passionate about the subjects Obama was studying that he was exposed to and became acquainted with the likes of, and ideals of, people such as the SDS and its offshoot, the Weathermen, including William Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Mike Klonsky, and others that were the movers and shakers of the energized, radical, and most committed of the far Marxist/Maoist left during the 60’s and 70’s. Keep in mind that Ayers had only recently ‘resurfaced’, and was present in New York, associated with Colombia during this period. It’s also reasonable to assume that Barack also became aware of the works of two prominent Colombia professors, the Cloward-Pliven Strategy of Orchestrated Crisis, which serves as an overarching, Marxist oriented framework that is complimentary to Alinsky’s methods of tactical implementation. These connections clarify and explain Obama’s path following graduation. His sole apparent brush with an actual, non-ideological, private sector experience was extremely brief at one year’s duration, but not particularly random, if one considers the activity he was engaged in. He was working for a firm that provided reliable news to, and facilitated discussions between, mid-to-upper level governmental power brokers and corporate executives on an international scale. Obama was not only making powerful, diverse, and useful connections for later in life, but more importantly - he was seeing up close how ‘the game’ is played in real life. Then he moved on to begin actually ‘doing’, himself; executing the strategy he’d been studying, working to mold foot soldiers for the cause. It is very probable that with the tools now in his possession, Barack was able to visualize the broad outlines of the course which brought him to that pre-speech interview in 2004, and that he’d most likely come to a very keen understanding of how to use his unique gifts to do it.

After his initial ‘orientation and hands on training’ period in New York, the selection of Chicago as the place to jump in with both feet is not really all that surprising, considering the numerous Chicago ties and influences that Obama had already accumulated - and the classically corrupt political landscape of Chicago, with the ready made identity politics demographic offered by the South Side, it was the perfect opportunity. As Obama himself said - “I’ve been fighting alongside Acorn on issues you care about my entire career,” and this was the point he joined the fray.

Obama continued his trial by fire, slogging in the trenches, putting into direct practice the strategies and techniques he’d learned in college. The outcome of this was completely satisfactory to Obama’s long term goals - he was able to establish himself as a ‘known’ operator, able to energize people with his natural born skills and appearance, consistently working diligently to execute the larger strategy outlined in the works he most likely came to know very well during his Columbia studies. And his long term Chicago associations are important, not so much for the specific individuals themselves, but as an overall pattern of professional association and effort. In that almost all of the most relevant figures in Obama’s life during this period were people who’s goals and political desires aligned conveniently with the use of the methodologies that Barack was putting into practice. This segment of his life is completely consistent with the game plan; his association and work for ACORN [Updated], which was a direct continuation of the work he’d done in New York; his selection of and 20 year membership at Trinity, a hotbed of racial, identity-politics fueled radicalism; and the ties that gave him assistance to take his next step - entry into the Ivy League, specifically Harvard Law, for the express purpose of honing his knowledge of ‘the system’. To achieve his goals, the ones that aligned so easily with those trying to implement a radical and socialistic transformation of American politics. An effort that proved successful, with his acceptance to Harvard Law in the fall of 1988.

In the wake of this ’success’, also comes the first indications of what was also to become a recurring result of projects of the kind Obama associated himself with. At ground level, it’s most easily referred to as “Seagull Politics”. The Seagull Politician (or, in this case ‘community activist’) literally swoops in, creating a lot of frenetic activity and excitment, only to just as quickly swoop out, leaving behind confusion, annoyance, and usually several steaming piles of poop. Which is an apt description of the immediate results of most of Obama’s early Chicago activities.

Upon gaining entry to Harvard Law, there is little doubt that Obama was anything other than fully committed to ‘The Path’ - so he worked diligently to garner accolades and importance at the institution, but doing so in a manner that held his political cards extremely close to the vest, leaving behind virtually no overt indications of his beliefs or agenda. That fact that Obama passed on the pursuit of seemingly high-powered, well connected positions he could have doubtlessly walked into as the graduating editor and President of the Harvard Law Review is not at all that odd if one considers that such positions, while potentially very financially lucrative in the short term, would ultimately complicate, or completely derail, the political plans which were most likely already firmly coalesced within Barack Obama.

Now groomed for leadership, Obama returned full time to a Chicago he’d remained in contact with through his summers, as an associate at the law firms of Sidley & Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990. [Update:] One noteworthy item about his stint at Sidley & Austin - this is where he met his future wife, Michelle; she was Barack’s ‘mentor’ during his internship, and one of her co-workers, and potential mentors was, co-incidentally, Bernadine Dohrn, Bill Ayers’ wife. It should be noted that at that point, Dohrn had failed induction into the Bar, because she refused to apologize for her unlawful Weather Underground activities.

His accolades from Harvard paid off with an offer of a teaching fellowship and a book deal - which gave him the flexibility to take a sabbatical pause. Which he did, returning to an island environment, outside and away from the United States, while he digested life to that point. This pause for introspection was not idle or wasted time - simply a laid back and relaxed transition into the next phase of Obama’s life, where he channeled all his natural skills and abilities with the tremendous education he’d accumulated, and began his professional life. And the most consistent aspect of that professional life has been the same thing Obama toiled at during his time in Paradise - self promotion. It was time to make use the package he found himself in, with the knowledge he’d picked up along the way on how to do so. And there were folks ready, willing, and able to help him.

The actual record of Obama’s activities in Chicago during the 1990’s is the part of the story that peeks readily above the surface - the tip of the iceberg. It’s one of the most obvious periods of Obama’s life to receive immediate scrutiny, and it’s also the period about which the most effort has been applied to either misdirect attention or discourage investigation. Because during this period, Obama’s work was the nuts and bolts of the implementation of the radical agendas and strategies of the people he surrounded himself with. Not that he simply knew these people, but he actively participated in assisting them to achieve their ideologically driven goals and objectives, beginning with his bread and butter - a voter registration drive. [Update:] He worked as the executive director of Project Vote, the voter registration arm of ACORN - actively participating and supporting an organization with a reputation for massive voter registration fraud incidents. Then, securing a position at a fairly prominent civil rights firm, he continued making a name, agitating from within the system. He still had the “Seagull Activist/Politician” problem - although his friends who made money didn’t seem to mind too much.

His best work was on the case against Citi; that case was the judicial trench warfare that cemented the foundation of the sub-prime mortgage balloon and collapse, actively working with horrendously misguided policy implemented by the Democrats in Washington. Policy implemented at the behest of ’social justice’ organizations like ACORN, represented in the fight by none other than - Barack Obama. Likewise, with his membership and work as a directing executive with the Woods Fund, the Joyce Foundation [Updated], and the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, along with the goals and objectives of these organizations is extremely relevant and instructional in figuring out the central question of ‘who is Barack Obama’. Protestations of mere guilt by association are simply distractionary non-sequiturs. [Update:] They also ring hollow with evidence that Obama was an acknowledged member of the Socialist New Party. One possible explanation the campaign may float is that Obama merely used the NP as a tool to help win the election - but iis it really likely the NP folks would lend their branding without some evidence of bona fides in the ideological alignment department? Probably not.

With the resume Barack Obama had assembled at this point, he had the choice to associate himself with just about whoever he wanted to - there were probably hundreds of likely alternatives - so it is not an unlikely stretch of the imagination that he gravitated towards, and associated with people and organizations that either matched his political outlook, or were useful in furtherance of his ambitions, or ideally, both. It’s not simply that he knew them, or precisely when he met them, it’s that he willingly worked with them and supported the achievement of their objectives, which they themselves often stated quite plainly was to undermine and ‘overthrow’ the free-market, capitalist oriented, classically liberal structure of the United States of America, and institute Socialistic, top-down driven, command and control of society. This is more commonly called Socialism or Communism, depending on the shade of the authoritarian stripe of the people implementing the policy.

Observing the methods used for the denials and obfuscations about this period of Obama’s career is quite informative, in a way that does much to re-enforce the theory of an utter Machiavellian using Socialist trappings, who at this point is hoping that the full association, examination and consideration of this decade of his professional life does not take place in the mind of the American electorate before the 4th of November. Or that, when it is considered, that it is only processed using the information supplied by the campaign or an amazingly compliant, and at times blatantly biased, mainstream media.

The campaign activities and methods that Obama has thus far used are classical for a Socialist seeking power. Among them: attempts to bully or intimidate individuals or mediums that question or criticize the candidate in areas the candidate doesn’t want discussed, with more and more attempts to either shout down, drown out, or simply urging people to ignore as irrelevant information revealing the true nature of the candidate; discreditation or elimination of political opponents through extreme legal means, or nefarious sabotage operations; blatantly pandering to special interest groups or influential individuals to gain their support, and then just as quickly distancing himself from the groups and their positions once they become a liability in the pursuit of larger demographics.

This last point is disturbing, in what it portends for a potential Obama administration - in that there is absolutely no guarantee whatsoever what this man may do once and if he actually gets the reigns of executive power within his hands, but the things he’s shown an interest in doing to this point don’t bode well for the future of the United States of America. His tendency has been towards more and more intrusive government involvement in a wide spectrum of issues - at a time when we’re facing some serious economic decisions, keeping in mind the recent realizations that government intervention during the last economic crisis of this magnitude, the great depression, the net effect was to prolong and deepen the effects of the downturn. So far, Obama has only offered hints to the sorts of things he has in mind, but a doubling of the Peace Corps, the institution of an as yet role-undefined “service corps” operating domestically, and his hints about massive expansion of infrastructure projects (likely with direct government management) give the impression he has in mind things along the lines of the programs Roosevelt used - with a net negative effect.

Some may look to his chameleon’s approach to the issues and draw the conclusion that he is amenable and flexible to differing political positions or options. The track record, however, of people who’ve come to power espousing or implementing the types of policies that Obama has studied and worked for all his life is, well, less than promising. Lenin (and Stalin), in Russia. Mussolini, in Italy. Hitler, in Germany. Mao, in China. Castro, in Cuba. Mugabe, in Zimbabwe. All men who became dictators, pushing policies that, when completely put into practice, have resulted in the deaths of millions, and untold suffering by billions. There may be a segment of the American voting public that genuinely desires to move this country in a decidedly Socialist direction, but has the whole electorate considered the question as coming down to choosing capitalism over socialism? That defining question isn’t one I’ve seen discussed widely with any seriousness whatsoever, and the Obama campaign is doing everything it can to keep that question from being framed in people’s minds. Perhaps people aren’t that interested, as it is basically the same argument the modern left and right have been wrestling with since the 1930’s, and people don’t think of it quite so bluntly.

The more frightening concept is that, given what we do know about Barack Obama, and the things he’s been willing to do so far, is that the United States of America is potentially about to elect the first individual in it’s history possibly with actual designs on becoming a dictator, and possessing the political skills and training to be able to pull it off. He’s been consistent in his willingness to use misdirection, creative chaos, and any number of other tactics to gain power - so it all begs the question which doesn’t appear to concern many people - what might he be willing to do to hold on to power once he gets it?

That second big question, which, given what is known about the answer to the question of “who is Barack Obama?”, is something that I for one hope we never, ever learn the answer to.