Sunday, November 14, 2010

The God That Flailed

Dreams die hard. Illusions die harder.

Politically speaking, American politics is having what I would call a “timber” moment.

The lumberjacks have been sawing away at the majestic tree for what seems to be hours. They have finally reached the point where the tree is losing its equipoise and is beginning its descent to earth. As the slow-motion fall begins, the lumberjacks yell: “Timber,” to warn everyone to get out of the area.

We are now watching one of the greatest political illusions of our time, the presidency of Barack Obama, begin its descent to earth.

Some Democrats, among them Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell seem never to have been fooled by Obama. Others have been wiping the fog from their eyes, the better to see that the candidate in whom they invested their hope and dreams has turned out to be a grand illusion.

Lincoln Mitchell of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University still maintains a glimmer of hope. Yet, even he does not recognize Obama any more. Hope and change, he writes, have become timidity and whining. Link here.

The news analysis from Obama’s grand tour of Asia has been devastating. If Obama was thinking that he could compensate for the Democratic electoral debacle by pretending to be a world statesman, his trip seems merely to have shown that he is more pretense than substance. World leaders have taken his measure and do not respect him.  Link here.

See the reports from ABC News and CBS News.

The public good notwithstanding, politicians are in the business of winning elections. If their leader leads them to ignominious defeat, then they are going to start working to replace him.

It begins with the nay-saying, as the party panjandrums  disassociate themselves from their leader. It is not an accident that Joe Scarborough reported having been told by leading Democrats in the Senate that Barack Obama “has no idea what he is doing.” Link here.

Since the description points to people who are easily identified, you can feel confident that Scarborough received permission to reveal the information.

If you watch through the segment from Scarborough’s program you will see that Mike Barnicle admits to having heard the same thing from the same leaders.

These leaders are, dare I say, worried for the future of an Obama-led Democratic party. If they count among the two dozen Democratic senators who will be running for re-election in 2012, they are worried for their own political future.

And yet, they are facing an extremely difficult problem. If Obama is defeated in a primary, then his base supporters in the African-American community will likely not come out to vote for another Democrat.

And no Democrat can win a national election without the participation of the African-American community.

And if it appears that Obama is forced out by a cabal of Democrats, the African-American community will also feel the sting of betrayal.

The only real solution, as Schoen and Caddell explained in the Washington Post yesterday, would be for Obama to decide not to run again. Link here.

But, how can you convince Obama not to run again while at the same time convincing his most ardent supporters to remain loyal to the Democratic party.

Schoen and Caddell have found an excellent rhetorical ploy. They are telling Obama that the road to Mount Rushmore leads through his refusal to run for a second term. As a one-term president, Obama can be one of the greatest of presidents.

The mind boggles at the amount of vanity you need to believe something like that. Anyway, Schoen and Caddell have made their first attempt to get Obama out of the way without destroying the party. Neat trick if you can accomplish it.

Speaking for centrist Democrats, they have just yelled: Timber!

Is there another possible rhetorical ploy here? If they ask me-- they haven’t-- I will recommend that they tell Obama not to run for re-election because the job is beneath him.

7 comments:

  1. TO: Dr. Schneiderman
    RE: Lousy Analogy

    We are now watching one of the greatest political illusions of our time, the presidency of Barack Obama, begin its descent to earth. -- Stuart Schneiderman

    The 'Tree' is actually, America. And the likes of Obama and his enablers in Congress are the people with the saw.

    Regards,

    Chuck(le)
    [The Truth will out....but only if people will admit to it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TO: Dr. Schneiderman, et al
    RE: Heh

    If they count among the two dozen Democratic senators who will be running for re-election in 2012, they are worried for their own political future. -- Stuart Schneiderman

    Sounds to me like their 'focus', i.e., on 'their own political future', is poorly oriented.

    I remember, as a junior-grade captain of infantry in the 4ID(M), watching a 'water-walker' brigade commander relieved of duty for cause because HIS 'focus' was mis-oriented.

    His top priority was 'command image'. His LAST priority was 'training'. When the CINC FORSCOM—visiting his 'water-walkers'—saw that on a plaque on the brigade commander's 'love-me' wall, he crossed through it with a pen, turned and told the flabbergasted commander and his principle staff officers, "If you last priority were your first, everything else would fall into its proper place."

    The same is true in politics, or everything else on Earth.

    But, I suspect that Obama's principle priority is not, repeat NOT, America.

    Regards,

    Chuck(le)
    [The best way to rob a bank is to own the bank.]

    P.S. That applies to other nefarious activities as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Chuck,

    Forgive my ignorance, but can you tell this old submariner what is a "water-walkers"?

    ReplyDelete
  4. TO: Old Submariner, a.k.a., 'squid', suncraig
    RE: Army Jargon

    Forgive my ignorance, but can you tell this old submariner what is a "water-walkers"? -- suncraig

    In Army jargon, a 'water-walker' is on a par with Jesus Christ.

    Colonel B. was one such officer. And up-and-comer. Until the CINC FORSCOM visited his command in 4ID(M), he was on his way to his own 'flag-grade' position.

    Some time after that famous visit, I recall hearing a report from a newly assigned LTC to 4ID(M). Someone from HQ FORSCOM who was responsible for maintaining the 'Book of Life', i.e., a three-ring binder that held all the OERs for all the 'water-walkers' in the US Army, as assigned in FORSCOM. Allegedly, he took all of Colonel B's OERs OUT of the 'Book of Life'.

    Regards,

    Chuck(le)
    P.S. We frequently referred to the denizens of the 'Puzzle Palace', a.k.a., the Pentagon, as 'echelons above God'.

    Hope that helps....

    ReplyDelete
  5. P.P.S. Ask a question and you're ignorant for 3 minutes. Don't ask the question and you're ignorant for the rest of your life.

    ReplyDelete
  6. In Army jargon, a 'water-walker' is on a par with Jesus Christ.

    That term hasn't been used in the Army in 20 years.

    --Gray

    ReplyDelete
  7. TO: Gray
    RE: 20?

    That term hasn't been used in the Army in 20 years. -- Gray

    It was in use when I left it in '97.

    Regards,

    Chuck(le)
    [Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier. -- Samuel Johnson]

    ReplyDelete