The Communist: Frank Marshall Davis, Barack Obamas Mentor, a Book Review
The Origins of President Obamas Radical Progressive Agenda and View of Americas Future
Copyright © Kelly Smith; all rights reserved; content may not be copied, rewritten, or republished without authors written permission; Authors Google profile; Posted September 24, 2012
This volume (ISBN 978-1-4516-9809-1 [as hard copy], and, 978-1-4516-9815-2 [as ebook]), was released in 2012 by Threshold Editions/Mercury Ink, a division of Simon & Schuster, New York, NY.
This book is authored by Paul Kengor, PH.D. It is a timely work, coming just as the re-election campaign of President Obama is gathering steam in a hotly-contested race against the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney.
Note that throughout the book, Kengor is never hesitant to point out that the communist referred to is Frank Davis, not the president. The point of the book is how communist ideas, from Davis, had a profound effect on the presidents world view.
Why is this book so important? Primarily because the mainstream media completely neglected a professional vetting of 2008 Democrat candidate Obama, an obscure Senator from Chicago, Illinois. As a senator, he had no real record to run on.
Due to the investigative void left by the media, it falls on each citizen to educate himself. Independent media such as this book and the break-out documentary Obamas America 2016 have recently appeared and gained traction due primarily by word of mouth as they have been suppressed by progressive outlets such as MSNBC and CNN.
The president did little work during his brief stint in the Senate. In fact, according to factcheck.org, he voted present 129 times, refusing to take a stand on behalf of his constituents.
Other than that, he spent most of his term on the road, raising money and campaigning for his bid for the Oval Office.
Who was Frank Marshall Davis?
Davis was a Black journalist who grew up in a very racist version of America (in Kansas) before the civil rights movement had its eventual effects. Perhaps the fact that he was such a talented individual living in a country that set such limits on him was the key factor that drove him to Marxism and communism.
In any event, there is no contradicting the fact that Davis not only harbored those radical leftist views, he was an active card-carrying member of CPUSA (Communist Party USA). His card number was CP#47544.
But is the fact that Davis overcame hard times to become a successful writer a reason that we should harbor a degree of sympathy for him? Perhaps to a slight degree, but it must be acknowledged that in todays society he would be considered a sexual pervert as well as a bigot himself.
He was never bashful about these shady sides of his character, writing about his exploits in his books Sex Rebel and Livin the Blues. Perhaps the bisexual revelations could be considered acceptable in todays society, but hardly the seduction of a 13-year old girl.
The Obama/Davis Mentor Connection
Stanley Durham (also a radical left-winger) was Obamas maternal grandfather. He introduced the two specifically with the mentor role in mind since Obama had no father figure in the 1970s.
Young Barack was very impressionable at this point and had seen enough of the world to be able to recognize both poverty and plenty. He was ripe for being presented with concrete concepts on which to hang his perceptions.
So how much of an influence did Davis have on Obamas current world view? Judge for yourself; here are just a sampling of the ideas that Davis stressed over and over in the editorials he penned.
- Advocated universal health care funded by the government
- Lamented Republican tax cuts for the wealthy
- Disrespected Winston Churchill (recall Obama returning the gift bust displayed in the Oval Office?)
- Recognized that the Catholic church was an obstacle to his perceived vision of the ideal state
- Dismissed American exceptionalism
- Preached wealth redistribution from greedy corporations to public works projects and universal health plans
- Blasted the corporate executive for not paying his fair share
- Advocated government stimulus packages
- Advocated nationalizing General Motors
Why is the Frank Davis Story Swept under the Carpet?
Davis might have been the first of Obamas mentor figures to be remanded to the shadows, but certainly not the only one. Like Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Davis has become unwelcome baggage. Perhaps if Barack had settled on a life of community organizing, his relationship with these two maverick icons would have been beneficial. But once he decided to focus on public office, they both became serious liabilities.
Wright became something of a minor celebrity during the 2008 election for his Black liberation theology and his racist and anti-American views and rants and was even offered money at some point to just go away; it was a princely sum of $150,000, according to the New York Post.
In the case of Davis, no hush money was needed; Frank died long ago. Regardless of that fact, he still has not been heralded by either the president or any campaign staffers for his role in shaping the dogmatic ideas of ways to lead the nation away from the Founders vision and fundamentally transform America.
Although the American public is coming to understand Obamas long term agenda as well as recognizing his radical progressive tendency, there is no motivation for the administration to point this out.
Although Barack does reference Davis many times in the original printing of his book Dreams from My Father, he refers to him 22 times merely as Frank without giving his last name. In later reprint editions, as Obamas political ambitions progressed, Franks name has been completely purged.
The question remains, in Dreams from My Father, is the president referring to his non-present, highly-idealized biological father, or Davis, his surrogate father and mentor. It is left to the reader to make that determination.
Go here to get your own copy of The Communist in hardback and here for the Kindle version
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References:
- Paul Kengor, PH.D. (2012). The Communist: Frank Marshall Davis, The Untold Story of Barack Obamas Mentor. New York, NY: Threshold Editions/Mercury Ink
- factcheck.org
- The New York Post
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