Frontpage Interview's guest today is Brad O'Leary, former President of the American Association of Political Consultants. During his ten year career as a talk show host on NBC/ Westwood One, he had two million listeners a day. He is the author of many books, including Presidential Follies, Triangle of Death, and Are You a Conservative or a Liberal? His new book is The Audacity of Deceit: Barack Obama's War on American Values.
FP: Brad O'Leary, welcome to FrontPage Interview.
O'Leary: Thank you, Jamie, it's great to be here.
FP: What inspired you to write this book?
O'Leary: Earlier this year at a family gathering I discovered that several of my six daughters and five, voting-age grandchildren were considering voting for Barack Obama. They thought he was articulate, good looking, and they liked his speaking style. However, when I asked them what they knew about Obama's positions on the major issues of the day – issues that impact their lives and the lives of all Americans – they all drew blanks. They knew nothing of substance about Obama. So, to convince them to study the hard facts before making a decision, I started to write a long letter to my children and grandchildren that documented how, if Obama is elected, they will lose opportunities that I feel are important to them. I soon realized that my letter to them had become a book. As they say, the rest is history.
FP: How is the book being received?
O'Leary: Wonderfully. Although, it depends on who you talk to. The feedback from everyone who has read the book has been phenomenal. They tell me it's the only book on Obama that thoroughly details what his presidency would mean across a broad array of issues. I've had many independent voters thank me for opening their eyes.
The Audacity of Deceit has also been incredibly well-received in the world of talk-radio. I've done hundreds of interviews since its release and many hosts have had me make repeat appearances. Even people who thought they knew and understood Obama are amazed after reading this book. Readers tell me that it's the best voter education tool they've ever encountered.
On the other hand, the feedback from Obama supporters has been hostile. They don't argue with the facts presented in the book, but rather, hurl threatening and vile invectives. I've never seen anything quite like it – the level of blind hatred, I mean. The only way I can describe it is ‘cult-like'. Some hostility is to be expected, of course. But you would also hope there would be some rational arguments made by Obama supporters against what I've laid out in my book. But I'm still waiting for any.
FP: What exactly lies behind Obama's plans for "change"?
O'Leary: That's the million-dollar question and my book answers it thoroughly. One of the most frightening ‘changes' Obama has in store for Americans is his tax plan. He says he will give 95 percent of Americans a tax cut. But, as I detail in my book, this is not possible, because only 70 percent of Americans pay federal income taxes to begin with.
FP: What exactly is Obama's tax plan about?
O'Leary: What Obama's tax plan would actually accomplish is increase the percentage of Americans who pay no federal income tax from 30 percent to 44 percent. That means 56 percent of all working Americans would foot the bill for everyone. That's pure socialism. As for Obama's plan to give tax cuts to people who already don't pay taxes, those people would actually receive bonus checks from the government on top of being absolved of their tax liability. Obama's tax cut plan is really a tax welfare scheme. He would pay for it by significantly raising taxes on the so-called ‘wealthy' and small businesses across the country. When you combine Obama's punitive tax hikes on wealth producers and businesses with his closed-door, Hoover-like trade policy, you have a toxic mix that will almost surely drive our economy into depression. This isn't theory. This is fact. President Hoover did the same thing and it caused a prolonged depression.
FP: You focus in your book on American "values."
O'Leary: Yes. Obama would systematically destroy American values as we know them. He has proclaimed that one of the first things he would do is sign a bill, the Freedom of Choice Act, that would wipe-out any state restrictions on abortion. No more partial birth abortion restrictions. No more parental notification laws for minors. No restrictions. Abortion on demand. Obama has also vowed to sign legislation that would lift all state restrictions on voting by convicted felons. This is particularly galling considering he refuses to support legislation, currently in the Senate, that would help fix voting irregularities that prevent our men and women in the military, who are serving overseas, from voting. Obama wants to count the votes of felons but not of our nation's military.
FP: The Second Amendment?
O'Leary: As a U.S. Senator, Obama voted for a bill to ban almost all ammunition currently used for hunting and sport shooting. Obama also endorsed a ban on handgun ownership not too long ago when he was working his way up the political ladder in Chicago. As a State Senator, he voted to uphold local gun bans and the criminal prosecution of citizens and homeowners who use a gun in self-defense. He even supports gun registration, which history has shown is the first step to gun confiscation.
FP: What's wrong with gun confiscation?
O'Leary: Nothing at all if you're a criminal or an iron-fisted dictator. Just ask New Orleans residents what's wrong with gun confiscation. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, lawlessness was rampant. Thugs were roaming the streets. Looting was commonplace. Shop owners were crippled with fear. Everyone remembers that. But what few remember is how Mayor Ray Nagin, in his infinite wisdom, tossed gasoline on this fire. In a chilling edict, Nagin declared, "No one will be armed. We will take all weapons. Only law enforcement will be allowed to have guns." And with that, he unleashed law enforcement on law-abiding citizens to confiscate their firearms. Some confused residents were battered and bruised in the process. No receipts were handed out. There was no way for citizens to get their firearms back at a later date. All lawfully-owned firearms were simply taken to fulfill Nagin's decree. Now, did this bring calm, peace and safety to the region? No. It brought the exact opposite. Anarchy ruled the streets. Criminals preyed on defenseless homeowners and shop keepers, stealing, raping and pillaging at will. The New Orleans police force, even when it wasn't preoccupied with disarming lawful citizen, was still overwhelmed. Nagin took away the only means by which law-abiding citizens can protect their property, their lives and their loved ones. It was a monstrous disaster. What Nagin proved in New Orleans is what has been proven throughout history: gun confiscation causes crime waves, it doesn't stop them.
FP: So what does all of this mean?
O'Leary: The bottom-line is Barack Obama is the most far-left candidate to run for President in a very long time. If his policy positions don't convince you of this, then look no further than his friends, mentors and allies, like Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Michael Klonsky and Frank Marshall Davis. Obama is a committed leftist. The ‘change' he's promising is not what a majority of Americans want.
FP: If the ‘change' he's promising is not what a majority of Americans want, then what would it mean if the majority of Americans elect him? They are electing him because they support what he stands for. Or are you saying that what he really stands for has not been properly reported?
O'Leary: Absolutely it has not been reported. This is why I urge everyone to read my book before they vote. The mainstream media has absolutely refused to report anything negative about Obama Whether it's his lack of experience, the extreme positions he's taken as both a State Senator and U.S. Senator, or his close relationships with some of the nastiest America-haters our country has seen – the media has been AWOL throughout the entire campaign. Obama has proven that in tough times, the mere promise of "change" is enough to garner substantial support. It's an empty sound byte to be sure, but clearly powerful.
Those supporting Obama don't question what "change" actually means. But they need to. They must. How many voters understand that his economic plan is the same plan President Herbert Hoover implemented and drove our nation into a deep and prolonged depression? How many voters know that his so-called "energy plan" is nearly the exact same plan that President Jimmy Carter implemented that caused shortages, gas lines and energy rationing? How many voters understand that his supposed tax cut for 95 percent of Americans is impossible because only 70 percent of Americans pay federal income taxes – that his tax plan is really just a welfare scheme that would raise the percentage of Americans who don't pay taxes from 30 to 44 percent? How many voters know that his relationship with Bill Ayers and the Ayers family was deep and longstanding – that Bill Ayers served as Obama's mentor and partner? These are serious bullets on the resume of a man who might become president, yet the media shields them from the public eye, fearful it might undermine Obama's chances on Election Day. Again, every one of these issues, and much, much more is covered in my book. If I could afford to put my book in the hands of every voter, I would do it. The information it contains is that important.
FP: What will Obama's foreign policy be like do you think? How will he stand up to the jihadists? How will he protect American national security? How do you think he will do in terms of helping defend Israel? What evidence is there to make a judgment on these things?
O'Leary: I don't think there is any question that an Obama presidency would only embolden terrorists and enemies of the United States. And apparently, Joe Bid agrees with me. First, Obama has stated that he would sit down without preconditions and talk to America's enemies and agents of terror. That would be laughable if it weren't so frighteningly ignorant. Now, we know that Obama has zero foreign policy experience. We know that when faced with tough decisions as a legislator, he's ducked them by voting "present." I simply don't think he's equipped either in terms of experience, or fortitude, to stare down evil in the world. And for that reason, I think he would be completely ineffective in standing up to jihadists. As far as Israel goes, it's no secret that Iran's president, Ahmadinejad, wants to wipe Israel off the map – in fact, I think he used those exact words. And although Obama has gone out of his way on the campaign trail to profess his commitment to Israel and Israel's defense, some of his recent history has to leave you wondering if he means it.
For example, in 2001 and 2002, when Obama was director of the Woods Fund board, he funneled $75,000 to the Arab American Action Network. This is an anti-Israel outfit run by his good friend Mona Khalidi, whose husband is Rashid Khalidi. They all are pals from Obama's days at the University of Chicago. The LA Times has even quoted Obama fondly recalling dinners he had with the Khalidis in their home and how they helped guide his philosophy. Rashid Khalidi has called Palestinian suicide bombings a response to "Israeli aggression." Khalidi has even referred to Israel as a racist state. Now, if Obama has such a strong commitment to Israel, why just six years ago was he lining the pockets of an anti-Israel group? Why is he such great friends with anti-Israel activists? Again, these are the vitally important truths that I divulge in my book. Truths that all Americans must know and contemplate before they vote on November 4.
FP: What is of greatest concern to you in terms of an Obama administration?
O'Leary: My greatest concern is that Obama's policies, both foreign and domestic, are going to bring our great nation to her knees. His redistributionist economic policy and union-certified trade policies will destroy economic growth and job creation. His foreign policy will leave us vulnerable to our worst enemies. Most important, an Obama administration will rob my grandchildren of the future and opportunities that I so badly want them to have – opportunities they deserve.
FP: Brad O'Leary, thanks for joining Frontpage Interview.
O'Leary: Thank you very much for having me. It was my pleasure.
Jamie Glazov is Frontpage Magazine's managing editor. He holds a Ph.D. in History with a specialty in U.S. and Canadian foreign policy. He edited and wrote the introduction to David Horowitz's Left Illusions. He is also the co-editor (with David Horowitz) of The Hate America Left and the author of Canadian Policy Toward Khrushchev's Soviet Union (McGill-Queens University Press, 2002) and 15 Tips on How to be a Good Leftist. To see his previous symposiums, interviews and articles Click Here. Email him at jglazov@rogers.com.