American Made: politics

Chicago eighth grader gives politics a chance.

Chicago Tribune: Catherine Vogt, 14, conducted an experiment in political tolerance at her Oak Park middle school and learned some valuable lessons. (Tribune photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo / November 12, 2008)

Catherine Vogt, a 14-year-old Chicago student, tested the reaction of fellow classmates by wearing "McCain Girl" and "Obama Girl" shirts to school. She recorded her results as an extra-credit project for history class. Here she shares them with Chicago Tribune reporter John Kass.

So just before the election, Catherine consulted with her history teacher, then bravely wore a unique T-shirt to school and recorded the comments of teachers and students in her journal. The T-shirt bore the simple yet quite subversive words drawn with a red marker: "McCain Girl."

"I was just really curious how they'd react to something that different, because a lot of people at my school wore Obama shirts and they are big Obama supporters ..."

"People were upset. But they started saying things, calling me very stupid, telling me my shirt was stupid and I shouldn't be wearing it," Catherine said. ... "One person told me to go die. It was a lot of dying. A lot of comments about how I should be killed," Catherine said, of the tolerance in Oak Park.
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"In one class, I had one teacher say she will not judge me for my choice, but that she was surprised that I supported McCain," Catherine said.
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The next day, in part 2 of The Brave Catherine Vogt Experiment, she wore another T-shirt, this one with "Obama Girl" written in blue. And an amazing thing happened.

Catherine wasn't very stupid anymore. She grew brains.

The new majority: conformists committed to non-conformity — in the name of fitting in.

Let's stop to ask: What change?

Now on the home stretch of this election campaign, we, on the right of center (and on dead center), have watched as so many unexpectedly stepped into the shadow of a would-be leader—a premature and uncertain legend—who, like the Pied Piper, stands ready to lead them away to some unknown place.

They've placed their unwavering trust in him. They are mortgaging their children's lives on his promises. They follow him with blind faith against logic and reason, ignoring unanswered questions and failing to pose questions of their own.

But this is not a first in history, and many wiser than we have pointed out that history always repeats itself—if we allow it. Americans though are immune to such things, or so we like to think. We wax poetically of rocket's red glare and bombs bursting in air, finding great pride in the battles of our forefathers, but we know little about what that means. After 9/11, our hearts reached out collectively to pick up the pieces, and several generations were given an idea of what war looks like up close—too close—for the first time.

When my daughter was in fifth grade, she was asked to create a virtual society on paper. She was told she could choose any type of government, any type of economy, any number of races of people to live there and all the very specifics of society. The first task was to learn about the possibilities (note: this was not a project of the "standard" curriculum). So, I helped her research and weigh the pros and cons. I tried not to inject bias, but I did make note of the failings of certain ideologies. (Being an American who enjoys freedom of speech, possibility and opportunity, I am obviously somewhat biased.) Ultimately, she chose democracy and capitalism for reasons of fairness and freedom—the idea of a dictator did not sit well with her, and she did not choose herself as a leader. For the president of her fledging society, she chose a kid from her class—she felt, in fairness, she was not the best choice for that job. I was touched by her honesty and ability to think through the qualifications such a leader would need. She described this certain boy as very fair, always willing to help, honest, reliable, funny and ready to stick up for people: He could always find common ground, but she felt he would never try to dictate to others. The assignment was not graded or judged. It was simply a lesson in thinking—an opportunity to look at the world. It was a lesson that many Americans will never learn. Many of us choose to gamble with the casting of our vote, pulling the lever and hoping for the best.

That virtual world, I'm sure, is thriving today, but I'm not sure America's fate is as safe. Many Americans have failed to take the time, as my daughter did, to understand that character in a leader matters. Many of us are clueless about history, geography and varying forms of government and ideology that exist—and no longer exist—around the world.

Recently Barack Obama has been compared to Karl Marx, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez—socialism and communism. It's been noted that his economic plans and ideas about "spreading the wealth" are socialist. He was, in fact, a member of the socialist New Party in Chicago, but now he claims he is not a socialist. He was named by the National Journal as the most liberal member of the Senate—his "composite liberal score" in 2007 was 95.5. The not so gradual incline from 82.5 in 2005 and 86.0 in 2006 indicates that over time Mr. Obama continues to move further and further to left—radically to the left. The National Journal provides a list of votes that were weighed:

NO -- Define a fetus as an "unborn child." August 2. (49-50) L-3
YES -- Make temporary guest workers eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. June 6. (57-40) L-3
NO -- Make English the official language of the United States. June 6. (64-33) C-2
YES -- Limit debate on a measure to permit labor union organizers to bypass secret-ballot requirements if a majority of eligible workers sign a union card. June 26. (51-48; 60 votes required to invoke cloture) C-3
YES -- Limit debate on a bill raising the federal minimum wage without providing offsetting tax relief for businesses. January 24. (54-43; 60 votes required to invoke cloture) C-3
YES -- Expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program by increasing taxes of those earning more than $1 million. August 1. (36-60) C-2
YES -- Raise the tax rate on income over $1 million and use the revenue to increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. March 22. (38-58) C-2
YES -- Require U.S. troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq within four months. March 15. (48-50; 60 votes required because of a unanimous consent agreement) C-3
YES -- Limit debate on a proposal to express the sense of Congress to disagree with the president's troop increase in Iraq. February 17. (56-34; 60 votes required to invoke cloture) C-3

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Q: How often did Obama vote the liberal position in 2007?
Green: He participated in 66 of the 99 votes used for the ratings. He voted the liberal position 65 times. [National Journal Editor Charles Green]

What does this mean for Americans? Do Obama's supporters understand the implications of electing a president who's policies favor an extreme shift from where we are as a country? Is this good change?

If we look to history—and to those who have experienced a similar change—we have the answer. It's time for education, America. It's time to think. It's time for change, because in America, it's always time for change. We are always evolving, growing and improving. Barack Obama is not change—you are the change that we need.

Think, America.

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Che Guevara, Castro's right hand man—a Marxist, atheist, socialist, communist: A flag with this man's picture was hanging on the wall in an Obama campaign office in Houston, Texas.

Notice the star on Che Guevara's hat—it's a symbol of the Cuban flag and represents socialism and communism. Guess who else wore this symbol recently: