Bono on President-Elect Barack Obama
(photo AP / Ron Edmonds - from www.ctv.ca)
Thanks to Phil for pointing this out to me this morning on sojo.net’s “God’s Politics: a blog by Jim Wallis and friends”:
Obama’s Harmony of Intellect and Intuition
by Bono 11-07-2008
Mr. President, Barack,Every room I have ever been in with you was a much easier room for your presence.
It’s rare to meet a person like you, where intellect and intuition make such a perfect rhyme.
Your intuition tells you that the well-being of the American people, spiritually as well as physically, is connected with America’s role in the world. I know you know that the prosperity of your fellow Americans, though hard fought, is less fulfilling knowing there is so much more that can be done to alleviate poverty and suffering in the developing world. You know that less than 1 percent of government income as a contribution from the world’s richest economy to the world’s poorest is not a fair tithe — even in times like these — which is why you have promised to double foreign assistance. As with our own personal sojourn, so it is with country and community -– we discover who we are in service to others.
I know your intellect — fashioned in the halls of Harvard and on the floor of the United States Senate — has weighed up the evidence on how effective American tax dollars are, when converted into smart, targeted, focused aid. Putting children into school where they can think freely of freedom. Giving farmers on the parched land seed varieties that double the size of their crop yields. Giving mothers 20 cent immunizations to protect their newborns from the deadly viruses that they pass on through childbirth. I know your intellect has taken in the data and seen the analysis on the transformative power of effective aid in places where the United States flag is currently not one smiled at. I know you know how much cheaper it is to make friends of potential enemies than to defend yourself at a later date. I know you know all this stuff.
My prayer for you is that your instinct and intellect stay in harmony in the difficult months and triumphant years ahead.
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This need for everyone to have to “like” America is simply ridiculous. The greatest media boondoggle in the history of the US was just consummated with our Presidential election. Barack Obama has never sacrificed a thing for his country or even managed any type of business for that matter. He has not authored a single piece of meaningful legislation in his life. His aspirations for the legal bounds of abortion make even the Europeans cringe. Yet he consistently associates himself with some of the most anti-American and vile creatures in our country (Farrakkhan, Wright, Ayers). Think for a moment what the media reaction would have been if a major American newspaper held the videotape of McCain addressing a crowd in praise of the US PLO representative (as the LA Times did leading up to election day). Imagine if McCain attended a church for 20 years where the minister that married he and his wife spewed the filth that Reverend Wright did? Hussein Obama named his memoir with a line from Wright’s sermon!! Can you believe what the mainstream media did to Palin and how they ignored Biden’s comments about FDR addressing the US on television and how we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon??? Simply insane! But we bought it!
A message to Bono…we appreciate your concert tour once every 5 years or so…but this elitist crap about how we need to elect someone so everyone will like us is out of control. France, Germany, UK, and Canada have all elected Pro-US (therefore Pro-Bush) leaders in the last 4 years… Despite that, 1 of every 5 Frenchman are of Middle Eastern origin. The UK has begun to officially recognize Sharia law. …Get the picture? Who gives a shit whether those sponges like us? We will be rescuing them from the shores of the English Channel within 10 years at this rate.
Bono!! Please just shut up and sing!!!! Don’t forget, Obama was raised by a WHITE WOMAN, after his black father skipped town…..what a joke!!!!!!!!! But at least the French liked us for a few days!
Allow me to translate:
Mr President, Barack,
I know you know all this stuff, so you’re probably wondering why I’m about to tell it all to you. The reason is that I’m actually not so sure you know all this stuff.
Trustingly,
Bono
Dear Mr. O’Neill
However unjustified a response to your rant may be I feel it necessary to let you know that not only do you miss the point, but you also are in need of real religion. Bless your hateful heart. Bono is expressing a hope that Obama will help the ones in most need and that by doing so it will in turn help America. Bono is not talking about the French. Next time you feel the need to write such a negative comment, try, just try, to see the good first. Or at least know what you’re ranting about.
Mr. O’Neill,
Something smells of sour grapes…hmmm. Seriously, if you think that the media dogged Sarah Palin because she wasn’t Barack Obama, then you just weren’t paying attention. I suppose that Republicans like Hagel and analysts like George Will, who have been nothing but in the tank for the GOP for years that say she damaged the campaign because of her just blatant ignorance were under the media biased banner as well, right? Next time, instead of just vomitting cheap Republican talking points, maybe you should actually do some research and formulate your own thoughts on politics. Pay close attention to the candidates, not the media. Get involved in your own way.
Bono for president! (of the world!)
What an insight Bono has. God must be wanting us, the richest nations to be more helpful to the extremely poor people of the world. God must, in my humble opinion, want us to be proactive about helping those suffering and dying in massive numbers. We all are concerned about our own well being, but for us to include in our concerns those who are unreached by the blessings of this life, must be of tremendous concern to God. I believe Bono knows this and is unselfishly using his platform and celebrity to help lead us all to this profound realization. What does it help a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul. We know the suffering and poverty that exists, we must act, we must realize that our God will not spare us from justice if we ignore those in horrific need. Thank you Bono for being obedient to what God is showing you.
Bill
Bono is always quick to lecture the rest of us on our supposed obligations of charity to Africa. But behind the facade he perpuates of his own messianic charitability. Bono is in fact rich far beyond the aspirations of most of the people he preaches to and certainly much more decadent. His antics around St. Tropez speak for themselves. His hypocrisy should come as no surprise.
The reality of the sort “charitable” motives Bono and his ilk are famed for is that they are ultimately self-serving, and grossly so like the Bourgeosie over humble Ballymun folk. If they were not then why relocate your holding company to Holland? Are you using your saved tax royalties to assist those less fortunate paving the way for a better form of social capitalism by setting a good example? Hardly!
There is an easy, feel-good message — pour tons of money into third world countries full of needy, starving people and everything will be right with the world — that has more to do with the emotional power it shores up in those preaching it than the value of the message as a solution to anything. Appearing benevolent to crank up the public relations team is more important than being truly honest and taking an effective, realistic lead - wherein the only forthright benevolence and charity can be said to exist. But taking the lead is not something Bono is really interested in. If he were he might use some of his own obscene wealth to bail out Africa in the way he demands we and government taxpayers do to shore up his publicity currency to sell more discs and fill up stadiums. Wealth is good to have but many lose the purpose and balance that goes with it.
That we elevate people like Bono to positions of esteem and vilify the likes of other NGOs for trying to bring some sanity to things says volumes about us; and how we too are obsessed with propping our egos up with pity-power like Bono.
In that aspect like even his fellow band members, they share a lot with crony Irish politicians in the Dail who have not managed their economic growth wisely by only looking after their self serving interests preying on the vulnerability of others that eventually leads to a complete loss of any respect and now through greed economic collapse in their country.
The cliches of spokespersons like Lanois who should know better about ‘this is the greatest album yet’ are not lost when a credit crisis is on, an album is delayed and a more opportune time is picked to release and tour to earn those dollars, euros and pounds to appease record and affiliated companies at the expense of others offering the same sanguine hope and experience that has less to do with the music.
Unfortunately, constructive criticism on these peoples antics are needed to allow others to review their antics for what they are worth with there at times pompous profanity laced boorish sycophantic behaviour that serves no usefulness anymore then feeding ones own self importance and believing it.
King of Ireland? That’s a title that maybe sums up matters for its ironic connotations.It is something even Irish people forgiving as they are need less of to put up with not to mention others around the world who see through these antics as phony as they are like a three dollar bill in global circulation.
The pro-Bono (no pun intended) posts all fall into a general category of carte-blanche acceptance of anything any liberal says as long as it’s accompanied by lots of “feel good” language. Facts seem to have become completely irrelevant.
Much like a U2 concert where throngs of adoring fans are whipped up into a frenzy of good feelings as the band launches in Streets or One, just slightly over half the voters of this country are in the early throes of a love affair with a charismatic candidate about whom they simply do not want to know the ugly details in the back story.
MagMystour - two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because you don’t like George Will’s opinions, that doesn’t justify the mainstream media obfuscating seriously troubling facts about our new President. And it’s not “in the tank” if the opinions are based on solid facts and understanding of the given situation.
“In the tank” is virtually every voice in national journalism looking the other way when Obama keeps changing his cap for personal income tax increases - first it was $250k, then $200k, then Biden said $150k days before the election. Which is it? Don’t voters deserve to know? Apparently Obama-ites don’t think it’s important. And BTW, $250k may be a fairly high income in, say, Columbia SC. It’s a pretty meager salary in San Francisco.
“In the tank” is opting not to observe that Obama’s math for tax reduction is insultingly farcical - he says he will cut taxes for 95% of Americans - neat trick when 40% of Americans pay no federal income tax.
“In the tank” is looking the other way when Obama lies about his ties to an unrepentant terrorist.
Nor does dissent within the Republican party regarding Palin prove anything, in and of itself. Exactly what ignorance are you referring to re: Palin? Have you confirmed or are you just “vomiting” what you heard on MSNBC? In fact, the post election smears were all retracted. Unfortunate that someone took it upon themselves to do that, but an isolated incident does not a syllogism make.
“Cheap Republican talking points?” Real conservatives don’t “use talking points”. Our beliefs are based on a complete worldview and observation of FACTS. FACT - raising taxes in a recession destroys wealth. If you can’t understand that or would prefer not to study the basics of economics and instead read a U2 biography again, I fail to see why I should have to suffer for it.
I regret that some elected officials of my party have behaved badly. I regret that Bush did not honor his promise to reduce the size of government. I can’t control what a senator from Alaska does any more than you can control what Hillary does. What you can control is your own behavior. Bono’s feel-good language is just that - wealth is not built on poetry. Paul McGuinness seems to understand this - he moved U2′s tax base to Holland to PAY LESS TAXES. So apparently it’s ok for Bono to dodge the taxman, it’s just not ok for me - I now have to live under the tax-happy administration of a politician he helped get elected in a country where he is not even a citizen.
Mr. Livingston,
I couldn’t thank you for proving my point, more. OK, to address your comments:
1. “The pro-Bono (no pun intended) posts all fall into a general category of carte-blanche acceptance of anything any liberal says as long as it’s accompanied by lots of “feel good” language.” - I didn’t kow it was a crime to be positive and optimistic. If you agree with what the poster say…you must be a liberal, right? If you disagree, you must be a conservative. I don’t even know what else to say, your first sentence here doesn’t really make any sense and really doesn’t have anything to do with anything.
2. “just slightly over half the voters of this country are in the early throes of a love affair with a charismatic candidate about whom they simply do not want to know the ugly details in the back story.” - Would we be saying the same thing about the dear, sweet Sarah Palin if they had won? First of all, having worked on the campaign and living in Chicago, I have had the unique opportunity to speak to people all over the country about Obama. Many people know a great deal about him. Its not difficult to find out. He’s been on the TV box and in practically every journal or newspapers (the ones even Sarah Palin reads) for nearly 2 solid years. Again, just another cheap Republican, Sean Hannity/Rush Limbaugh recycled talking point: “no one knows Obama’s deep secrets.” Whatever. Then you weren’t paying attention.
3. When did I ever say that I didn’t like George Will’s opinions? I actually think that he is a great writer. I don’t agree with a lot of his stuff, but at least he provides a thoughtful and understandable approach to conservative ideas. I respect George Will so when HE says that Sarah Palin is a problem on the campaign, I have to believe him. Again, you failed to see my argument only because you couldn’t get past your blind hatred for all things liberal. I understand what ‘in the tank’ means. I wasn’t saying it as a bad thing. Keith Olberman and Chris Matthews are ‘in the tank for Obama.’ Its just the way it is. Sean Hannity is ‘in the tank’ for Satan. They’re BFF.
4. I’m so sick of the Bill Ayers, unrepentent terrorist bullshit. Excuse my French. Get over yourselves with this crap. They had no association. Give credit to the Obama campaign for not stooping to that level and bringing up Keating, or Vicki Iseman, or Joey ‘Bananas’ Banano. Any of them would have been a lot more apt.
5. I’m sorry, who are the 40% of Americans that pay no federal income tax? And, really, is this all you got?!!! To summarize, your biggest problems with Obama are the fact that between him and Biden, they altered their tax ceiling, they want to cut taxes for 95% of Americans that PAY TAXES (you’re not really THAT dense, are you), and an absolute non-association with what you call an unrepentent terrorist. Had Sarah Palin used the term ‘unforgiving evil-doer’, that’s how you would have described him, right?
6. You claim that your opinions are based on fact and that the media is out to get Sarah Palin. Obviously, you are confused by what the term ‘facts’ means. Fact: Sarah Palin energized the conservative right base with her pro-religion, anti-science, pro-gun, anti-choice ideology. Good for her. But then when she started doing interviews and couldn’t come up with one thing that John McCain did to reform government, understand in mildest terms what the Bush Doctrine was, or name a newspaper that she reads, it started becoming obvious to even the blindest GOP followers that they were in trouble. Mitt Romney on the ticket makes this election a lot closer. You are going to have to get over it and come to terms with the fact that Sarah Palin is a lying, hypocritical idiot. The media didn’t have to make her look dumb, she handled that pretty well on her own. And she didn’t even do the REAL talk shows: Face the Nation, Meet the Press, etc. She couldn’t even give a legit interview to KATIE FREAKIN’ COURIC!!
7. “Real conservatives don’t “use talking points”. Our beliefs are based on a complete worldview and observation of FACTS. FACT - raising taxes in a recession destroys wealth. If you can’t understand that or would prefer not to study the basics of economics and instead read a U2 biography again, I fail to see why I should have to suffer for it.” - What?
8. Bono and Co. can do whatever they want. They aren’t our government. He’s a rock star that gets involved in activism, but at the end of the day, he’s still a rock star with several houses, a yacht, a hotel, and an off-shore holding company for his assets. Good for him. I admire the man, but I don’t really think that what he thinks about our election and government should be considered gospel. I never made that claim. I was referring to the sore conservative losers that are now blaming everything and everyone else for their misfortune. It appears that you are a Palin apologist and can’t get over why half of the country agreed that we need real intellect in the administration. We’ll have this conversation again in 2 years, and if the country isn’t at least on the right path, then you can complain.
Mr. Livingston, one more thing:
“And BTW, $250k may be a fairly high income in, say, Columbia SC. It’s a pretty meager salary in San Francisco.”
Are you serious? I mean, really, truly serious? I know San Fran is expensive, but I don’t think its enough to consider $250,000 a year meager. Wow!!
“You know that less than 1 percent of government income as a contribution from the world’s richest economy to the world’s poorest is not a fair tithe — even in times like these — which is why you have promised to double foreign assistance.”
Yes we are the world’s richest economy, but we have many poor here in the US who are barely getting by on the money they do make. I know that the US is looked upon like we are kings of the world (economically, socially, etc), but others outside America need to realize we, especially the lower classes, are hurting. There are people who live beyond their means, which makes this country look even more financially sound (i.e., people living outside the United States may see families with multiple room housing complete witht a backyard pool and two or more cars, etc., etc.);this is visually deceitful. The regular people of this country are not rich. We struggle to feed and clothe our children. Many of us cannot pay our utilities even though our annual income is $50,000.
Paying 1% is not enough. I do agree with that. However, I have to ask where the money will come from and when it does come from whatever source, how will it further effect our infrastructure and other systems. Who really pays the bill?
Let me just say this about Obama and Bono . . . I swear to you, if I hear Bono mention, talk about, allude to, or anything of the kind the words “Barack,” “Obama,” “United States President,” etc. etc. etc. while singing ‘Pride’ ever, Ever, EVER . . . I am going to pelt him with something, so just be warned, B-man.
I know it’s very tempting to get all wrapped-up in the Obama-mania and fall to the altar, but facts are facts.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream has not yet been realized.
The day that a U.S. Presidential election is about the content of someone’s character and NOT the color of his or her skin, *then* we’ll be there.
But we’re not there, yet.
Man o man, all this mindless bickering. Bono is a Catholic, yet is supporting a Democrat whose party supports abortion. I was just with a Catholic whose parting words were negative against a guy who hasn’t had a day in his new, fairly ELECTED office. Must be ONLY because of the pro-choice thing or because he is a bigot himself. There is no reason I could think of anyone in his right mind would what Bush’s party is for (although considering he butchered at least 1.2 millioninnocent Muslim men, women and children, you gotta wonder about his real feelings for human life. And how could actually brand someone in a fraternity or put firecrackers up the anuses of Frogs for the fun of it?) Maybe Dick Cheney will give up his 466,000 Halliburton stock options, as promised, to some worthy cause, but all I can see is dollar signs in his eyes. Maybe all the war profiteers and war criminals will get away with it but they can forget about traveling abroad.
Bono, like Oprah, know that what they do can raise a lot more money that what they actually give out of their own pockets. Yes, we have a lot of downtrodden lower income people here, as well, and the numbers are rising at a rapid rate, most of whom are black.
But I can tell you, you can spot a bigot a mile a way. And why would anyone automatically assume that anyone who is pro-American is pro-Bush, especially when his approval rating was in the 20′s for so long? That’s pretty ignorant.
No, we certainly haven’t realized Dr. King’s dream which incidentally didn’t stop in the US, not by a longshot but maybe both Dr.’s (BTW, both actually earned their doctorates against great odds), they weren’t fake ones like Bill Cosby’s.
Pretty soon some bigot is going to bitching about grammatically correct complete sentences, how tough it is to have to carry around a dictionary when watching an Obama speech or whatever. Or the blame for the Reagan/Bush doctrine will suddenly fall in his hands.
I think Obama drinks a little less than Bush, as well. I’m sure Obama will also make sure that Bush still holds the distinction as the only American president in history not to attend a single military funeral. You can see all the body language of shame on Bush just as well as when he is lying and smirks, winks, holds his hands behind his back, etc. Hate to say it, but that dude just wasn’t too bright. And we didn’t hear him admit that he invaded the wrongcountry and knew about 9-11 and what was going to happen. And if a pathological liar says bin Laden it, we must all just believe him without question or we are “the enemy.”
Good riddance. Couldn’t they find anyone smarter than McCain out of all the Republicans? That tells you something right there.
John D. (White atheist male)