Flashback, 1998: Obama Says "I Believe In Redistribution"
Plus: In 2001, Obama Talked Up How "Redistributive Change" Must Come Through Political Power, Not the Courts

By the way, in 2001, he said something very similar -- he said that the liberal movement had become too focused on the Courts, which could announce rights and negative limitations on government, but could not affirmatively insist on what the government could do as far as "redistributive change."

Thus, he felt the rights-based focus took the movement's eye off the big issue, redistributive change. Which he suggested had to be accomplished by non-court action (like, for example, a President leading a compliant Congress).

The previously reported -- but never adequately reported -- 2001 statement that the liberal movement had to focus more on non-court power to bring about "redistributive change."

Bit of personal history: Andrew Breitbart was editing Drudge's site in 2008 when this 2001 statement hit. He had just been burned by that girl in, what was it, Pittsburgh? The one who'd claimed she'd had a "B" carved in her face by a marauding gang of liberals. She was lying and faking, it turned out.

He wanted to make sure he got the headline right, with no possibility of being attacked for editing the quote in a supposedly-misleading way.

So, he called me for editorial assistance-- what parts of the lengthy statement (and he does babble) could be cut out? Which parts had to be left in?

So, that day, I wrote Drudge's big headline and quote.

It was very cool.

Incidentally, the quote was accurate, and couldn't be attacked. There was no misrepresentation: I just locked on the key bits. So it wasn't hackery or anything. It was what the man said.

Not that the media was interested in an accurate, newsworthy quote. Not that the media was interested in all in exploring the thoughts and beliefs of this elegant cipher called Barack Obama.

No one attacked Drudge's headline and quote; they just ignored it entirely.

PROTECT

OBAMA

Plus: In 2001, Obama Talked Up How "Redistributive Change" Must Come Through Political Power, Not the Courts&bodytext=By the way, in 2001, he said something very similar -- he said that the liberal movement had become too focused on the Courts, which could announce rights and negative limitations on government, but could not affirmatively insist on what...&topic=world_news"> posted by Ace at 03:37 PM

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