Obama: The Silent Type -- Not the Leadership Type

In his latest "Chairman's Update", Jeff Frederick reminds us of that, for all his self-aggrandizing verbosity, Obama is the silent type -- at least when it comes to leadership. When it comes to taking questionable campaign contributions, he has his hand out.

The Audacity Of Silence

"When it comes time to lay blame for the recent economic turmoil surrounding the collapse of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG insurance, Barack Obama has no problem speaking out when the cameras are rolling while blaming "Republican trickle down" policies.

Remember, Obama is a candidate for President, so it seems appropriate that he tell America how he would address the situation, but he is curiously silent. Silence is great if you’re on a golf course, but it’s not a comforting trait from a presidential candidate in a time of crisis. Obama’s silence was an eerie reminder that this is the same candidate who voted "present" 130 times while in the Illinois senate instead of taking a position on an issue.

Okay, so leading isn’t his "thing," but it’s important we remind people that Obama was glad to be there for "trickle down" politics when Fannie Mae was putting $126,349 into his campaign account to go easy on oversight, an amount surpassed only by the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Chris Dodd of Connecticut (Mark Warner’s old boss).

Apparently, leading isn’t the strong suit for any of the D.C. Democrats. When Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was posed the same question on what to do, his response was to adjourn, saying "nobody knows what to do."

At least he’s honest.

Democrats are less honest in acknowledging that the top three beneficiaries of Fannie Mae hush money were Democrats.

As we noted in our last update, while the Administration and Senator John McCain over the last 5 years both called repeatedly for oversight and reform of Fannie and Freddie to avert the disaster we now face, and which will cost the American taxpayer billions, Obama was nowhere to be found. Is that the kind of "leadership" this country needs?"

Jeffrey M. Frederick, Chairman
Republican Party of Virginia