About Rod D. Martin
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Politics & Economics
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Faith & Cultureby Rod D. Martin
February 19, 2008
And these people want to run America?
Mrs. Obama: “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m proud of my country.”
You just gotta shake your head at this kind of thing, almost like when Hillary Clinton several years ago, describing her feelings after the death of her father, told a crowd that “for the first time in my life, I realized there was something bigger out there than me.”
Do baby boomer liberals realize that most Americans find their self-absorption disgusting?
But more to the point in the case of Michelle Obama: shouldn’t it seriously worry us that someone who’s lived out the end of centuries-long institutional racism in America — through degrees from Harvard and Princeton, the utter transformation of our society, and now the likely nomination of her husband for President of the United States — has spent her entire adult life ashamed of her country? Why has she been ashamed? And just what has she been ashamed of?
Of course, in writing these things, I fall into the same trap as most commentators: the trap of assuming Obama is talking about race.
And she isn’t.
Michelle Obama is ashamed of America for the same reason that the entire liberal “progressive” crowd is ashamed: America is not a socialist workers’ paradise firmly under the control of global institutions like those now clamping down in Europe. America is still populated by supposedly-unenlightened religious people. America still hasn’t bought into the idea that nation-states are Neanderthal. And America is still strong enough to both defend and expand the ideals of the American — not the French, not the Russian — Revolution.
In short, Michelle Obama is a Blame-America-First socialist in the same mold as George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Mike Dukakis and the Clintons. She’s just younger, prettier, and a lot more hypocritical.
So yes, we should be worried. Obamamania continues to sweep the land. And it may be doing so on a wave of calls for “change”, but the change beneath the rhetoric is as “back to the future” as it gets.
And today, Michelle Obama let us all see behind the curtain.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.