We’re now one-eighth of the way through the first term of the Obama administration. We chose him because he seemed like a nice guy ; because he told us sad stories about people in need; because he grew up in a middle-class family and went to Harvard; because he was half black; and because he was for the “little people.” He promised us that he would deliver a Washington that worked together; that would hold long and open discussions on new bills, eliminate pork projects and do away with special interests.

But today we have a congress that is as divided as ever, bills that are full of pork and special interest handouts being rushed through without allowing time for anyone to read them, and an executive branch full of Chicagoans that have no desire to “work together” with anyone that doesn’t share their ideas. He spoke a good game during the campaign, leading many centrists to believe he was one of their own, but behind the tele-prompter we found an ambitious expert politician with far-left views and an agenda to change America into a quasi-socialist nation.

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise really. After all, we knew that he was only in his first term as Senator, where his was the second most liberal voting record. We knew that before that he was a state legislator, where he voted “present” over 200 times to avoid making a call on controversial issues. We knew that he sat under a hate-filled anti-white and anti-American Pastor for 20 years while it gave him credit among the black community, but that when the affiliation was no longer politically expedient he dropped the church like a rock. We were given a further clue about his willingness to flip-flop for political gains when he decided to opt out of the public financing system in order to get more money, even after saying he would accept it.

As for his socialist ideas, we heard him say from his own lips that the intention was to “spread the wealth around” and he made it abundantly clear that everyone’s woes were due to greedy pocket-fillers in Washington and on Wall Street. One of the central goals of the campaign was to demonize financial success and victimize anyone who is “struggling.” He capitalized on people’s natural tendency to be unhappy with where they are, and told them it was because of the greedy rich. He did it with one word: “change.”

What did he really mean by “change?” How does Obama the President measure up to Obama the Campaigner? And is he the non-politician outsider that he branded himself to be? Let’s take a look at a few of the things we’ve learned about Obama, and examine some of the “change” we’ve seen in the first 6 months.

#1. THE “OPEN AND TRANSPARENT” FIB – He said he’d have every bill posted online and allow 5 days of public debate before signing anything into law. We’ve yet to see anything of the sort. Even the Congressmen don’t get to read the bill, much less us regular folk.

#2. THE $250,000 FIB – He promised, repeatedly, that no one who makes over $250,000 a year would see their taxes raise “one dime.” He had to say this because everyone knew that the massive government projects and programs he was proposing would cost billions, if not trillions. His solution: The rich will pay for it! But with a smooth slight-of-hand he has already broken the promise, and is in the process of doing much more. A few months ago he raised taxes on cigarettes by $1 a pack. He did this knowing that all reputable studies show that the less you make the more likely you are to be a smoker, thereby disproportionately taxing the poor. Secondly, he and Congressional Democrats are trying to pass major legislation that is going to cause Health insurance to be more expensive (according to the Congressional Budget Office). It may not be a tax, but it’ll be coming out of your pocket. During the press conference last week he stated that he didn’t want the health care bill “primarily” funded by the middle class – clearly indicating that they would pay some of it. Then there’s cap-and-trade, nicknamed cap-and-tax for a reason. It will raise everyone’s electricity bills. Hear it is, straight from the horse’s mouth. “Under my plan… electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” Again, it’s not technically a tax on your income, but it’s a tax, and YOU will pay for it.

3. THE NATIONAL DEBT FIB – No need to say anything, just watch these two videos:

What else has he done in the last 6 months?

– He opened up your tax money to fund abortions
– He ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility without a plan for where to put the inmates, and without regard to the large portion of Americans who say it should remain.
– He appointed a liberal Supreme Court Justice that believes that law is subjective

– He has appointed numerous “czars” to increase the watchful eye of the executive branch

– He has spent billions of tax dollars on buying out car companies, insurance companies and banks, then forced them to comply with his rules.

– He has set a cap on the MPG of automobiles, which forces an already hurting American auto industry to create cars that American consumers, by-in-large, don’t want.

– He has stood before world leaders and apologized for our defense methods, when we’ve sacrificed the lives of our men and billions of dollars liberating a people from a vile dictator and keeping a world-wide terror group at bay. And in many other instances he denigrated the integrity of the office of the President, American citizens and most recently the police force in Cambridge, Mass.

– He has coordinated with the Democrat-controlled congress to get massive laws passed that will completely and dramatically alter the way we receive medical treatment, insurance and energy in America, which will inflate the national debt at an unprecedented speed and will be paid for by middle and upper class citizens who are already being hit by the recession. 

– He warned that America’s unemployment numbers could hit 9% if we did not pass the emergency $800 billion stimulus package, and then said nothing as we passed over that mark months later.

I say all of this so not to demonize an individual. Barack Obama, I believe, is sincere in his desire to help people – a commendable objective. But I want to debunk the idea that he is somehow above “politics as usual” as he constantly lead on, and that his agenda is not one of a centrist, but one of a radical leftist ideologue. I do not know if he will be a one-termer or not, but I do hope that a more sensible group is voted into Congress in November of 2010 so that this avalanche of “change” comes to a quick and sudden halt. I truly do not believe the United States can preserve the values and ideals they fought and worked for if they continue down this path. Socialism and Communism destroyed Russia, China, Cuba… the list goes on. America has always stood for freedom – a freedom that is being sold off beneath the noses of American people. Wake up folks… there’s “change” in the air.