In the October 15, 2008 presidential debate, Obama tried to calm the country by claiming that he associates with political moderates — but in so doing, implicitly endorsed the idea that he can and should be judged in part by those with whom he associates. (And on this, he’s right: if you choose to associate with good folks, you deserve credit; and if you choose to associate with bad folks, you deserve criticism.) So about 9-10 months into Obama’s term of office, let’s examine some of the people with whom 0bama has chosen to associate during his time as president.

* There’s Van Jones, Obama’s (thankfully former) Special Advisor for Green Jobs, who is a self-admitted Communist and a loony 9/11 truther.

* There’s Carol Browner, Obama’s director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, who was in a leadership position in a part of the Socialist International, and who advocates “global governance.”

* There’s Anita Dunn, Obama’s White House Communications Director, who openly professes that Communist mass murderer Mao Tse-Tung is one of her favorite political philosophers.

* There’s John Holdren, Obama’s Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, who brings up the possibility that women should be forcibly sterilized if they have more children than the government feels is proper.

* There’s Cass Sunstein, Obama’s Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the nutjob who actually feels that, in his own words, “animals should be permitted to bring suit” in a court of law.

Keep in mind, these are but a handful of the leftist wackjobs with whom Obama has chosen to associate simply since taking office — this brief list doesn’t include numerous pre-presidential close associates such as unrepentant terrorist and self-described “communist” William Ayers, raving hate-filled bigot Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr., and the Marxist professors that Obama admits he sought out as comrades during his college years.

People who desperately want to blind themselves to inconvenient truths will rationalize and/or overlook all of this. On the other hand, I advocate recognizing and understanding all truths — even uncomfortable ones — to the best of each individual’s ability.

– Mark Kalinowski
North New Jersey Tea Party Group
Liberty, Free Markets, and Individual Rights

By the way, I encourage ALL liberty-minded folks to “friend me” on Facebook,

and also to join the official Facebook page for the North New Jersey Tea Party Group