h/t: TheBlaze
Here is the alleged audio of Barack Obama back in 1998 saying, ‘I actually believe in redistribution.’
The audio is a little hard to make out, so here is what is said:
“I think that what we’re going to have do is somehow resuscitate the notion that government action can be effective at all. There has been a systematic, uh, I don’t think it’s too strong to call it propaganda campaign, uh, against the possibility of government action and its efficacy.”
And I think some of it has been deserved. Chicago Housing Authority has not been a model of good policymaking. And neither necessarily have been the Chicago Public Schools. What that means then is that as we try to resuscitate this notion that we’re all in this thing together — leave nobody behind — we do have to be innovative in thinking, “how…what are the delivery systems that are actually effective and meet people where they live?”
And my suggestion, I guess, would be that the trick — and this is one of the few areas where I think there are technical issues that have to be dealt with (as opposed to just political issues) — I think the trick is figuring out “how do we structure government systems that pool resources and, hence, facilitate some redistribution?”
Because I actually believe in redistribution — at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody’s got a shot.”
Here is another alleged audio by Obama talking about welfare reform:
Again, the audio is a little difficult to hear.
“What I think will reengage people in politics is if we’re doing significant, serious policy work around, uh, what I will label ‘the working poor,’ although my definition of ‘the working poor’ is not simply folks making minimum wage, but it’s also families of four who’re making $30,000 a year.”
They are struggling and to the extent that we are doing research figuring out, uh, what kinds of government action would successfully make their lives better, we are then putting together a potential majority coalition to move those agendas forward.”
One of the good things about welfare reform, which, the 1996 legislation I did not entirely agree with and probably would’ve voted against it, the Federal level, the one good thing that comes out of it is that it essentially desegregates the welfare population, which, presumably, is black and undeserving and urban, versus the working poor, which are the other people.”
Now, you just have one batch of folks. Folks who are working but don’t have health insurance, aren’t making much money, can’t figure out daycare, don’t spend an hour and a half trying to commute to the jobs that do exist, and don’t have much opportunity for enhancing their skills so that they could actually move up into a income bracket that would actually support a family.”
That is increasingly a majority population.”
The staff at TheBlaze hasn’t been able to confirm that it is Obama, but the voice of the speaker is clearly distinguishable enough for one to assume it is Obama.