Obama and the Cult, Part 2

This is just a quick follow-up to my previous post regarding Barack Obama's relatively innocuous yet slightly creepy and totally annoying cult of fanatical fandom.
First of all, to all those who are skeptical that Obama is being compared to people like Hitler and other fascists, get bent right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBlm6-hSnuU

And as for the Obamaniacs, you're going to have to deal with this quotation:

By Obie Today at 4:37 pm EST
I am so inspired, I don't even know how to describe it. The other day, I went out jogging. Along the way, I hurt my ankle, so I wanted to stop and just walk back home slowly. However, I thought of Sen. Obama and said to myself "if he can win 10 straight states, I can make it and run home." With each step I ran, I was singing "O-Ba-Ma." I was able to overcome the pain and ran 2 miles limping with a bad ankle back to my home.

I don't know how you guys are inspired by him, but I guess each individual is different. I am just so proud to be part of this country, AGAIN. Thank you Obama! And thanks to all of you who have supported Obama! Yes We Can!

Running 2 miles on a sprained ankle can't be good for you.
Also, to quote Eden Lin, a satirist working for Clinton or McCain could not have done better.
Also, there's this tragic clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGeu_4Ekx-o

I feel for you.
And finally, as long as we're on the subject of retardation, allow me to comment on the Will.I.Am video circulating the net. If you are actually inspired by this, then you are retarded. No joke- it's a clinical sign. While the sight of celebrities singing along with the man brought us such modern day classics as "My Humps" and, of course, "Let's Get Retarded In Here" might cause some to think a new golden age of American politics is dawning... those people would be wrong.

That's all for now!
Have a good weekend!

Barack Obama and the Cult of Personality

Now that Barack Obama seems to be the front-runner in the Democratic nomination race, it’s become more and more common to hear about the so-called “cult of personality” associated with this particular candidate. The charge that there is something vaguely sinister about the enthusiasm Senator Obama inspires in people- especially in traditionally apathetic young people- has dogged him since the very beginning of the campaign. In the wake of his surging momentum since Super Tuesday, it has become even more frequent, and more fervent. In general, there are two kinds of people who express concern over the Barack Obama cult of personality, and two subsequent ways of responding to it.

The first way of looking at it is in the hysterical and nasty way that someone from Fox News might mean it, as a way of insinuating a vile political implication, namely fascism. The reason why the term “cult of personality” is such a slur in the political arena is because it is one of the red flags of a totalitarian- or even fascist- movement. Understand that no one has come out and said “Barack Obama is a fascist”, etc. But when people criticize him for cultivating a rabid base of support founded on his personal charisma; that is what they are implying- whether they realize it or not. While specialists disagree on a lot of the specifics of fascism, generally there are four telltale characteristics. These characteristics are:

- An intense (and unhealthy) sense of group identity and an obsessive belief that the group is in great crisis.

- A resulting fear of foreign contamination of the group.

- A demonstrable willingness to commit actions outside of the law and moral norms.

- The adoration of a charismatic leader whose individual instincts are raised to a level above the law and typical morality with the assent (or encouragement) of the group.

It is the final trait that is being slung like mud at Senator Obama and his supporters. The types who do this will associate Obama with the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, or even Stalin, even though he was an uncharismatic boor. There is, however, a simple response to this claim. While Barack Obama does seem to inspire an atypical level of devotion in his followers, at no point have I ever noticed the Senator, or any of his followers, suggest that he will take actions that extend beyond the legal authority of the President. I never seen even a hint that Obama will attempt to act outside the law or the moral norms of this country. In fact, he would in all likelihood be more law-abiding and moral a leader than President Bush. Additionally, while Obama does talk about the country being headed in the wrong direction- in “crisis” if you will- he does not single out or represent any one particular group. He is a big-tent candidate in the classic sense; and his support cuts across almost every swath of society; blacks, whites, men, women, Christian, Muslim, and atheist. Without the group identity trait reinforcing the others, it is really impossible to support an indictment of totalitarian intent. So the fascism-from-fandom claim made by Obama-bashers really doesn’t hold any water; and it never will unless these people back up their claims with some sort of evidence that the man will take illegal actions that are tolerated simply because he is popular.

The second aspersion on the Barack Obama cult of personality is less serious, but also more apt. This is the perspective of more reasonable people who view the candidate’s Messiah-like status with a profound anxiety. Speaking for myself, I find the uninhibited adulation Obama provokes in people at the very least perplexing, and at times even creepy. Apart from being an excellent public speaker, there is very little that differentiates Obama from his fellow politicians, and even less from his fellow Democrats. The thing that makes the real difference is his personal charisma; and while no reasonable person is suggesting that Obama is using his charisma and charm like Hitler did, it is profoundly dangerous to allow such considerations to interfere with cool-headed political analysis. The fear that these people have is that Obama’s rock star appeal is simply that- rabid fandom that just might translate into enormous power. It’s not like I don’t like Obama, if he is the nominee I will almost certainly vote for him; I just don’t trust passion. Politics is a game with some very serious repercussions, and it would be a shame to see the electorate award highest office of the land to someone simply because of their power to charm.

In light of the Iowa thing…

So, the Iowa thing happened, and Barack Obama was a big winner. This wouldn’t bother me under normal circumstances. I tend to think that Clinton is the right choice, given that she’s competent, represents the Clinton team, and is the safest possible choice. But Obama seems perfectly up to the task of winning a general election too, if not by so safe a margin.

However, in the wake of Iowa, my opinion has changed. This is not because of the nature of the Democratic race, but of the Republican one. The big winner for their side was not Mike Huckabee, though he did build a lot of steam. The biggest winner out there was John McCain. John McCain only came in fourth, it’s true. But McCain didn’t compete in Iowa. Mitt Romney worked that state for a year and spent millions of dollars on it. McCain did relatively well and he didn’t even bother to show up. A few months ago, John McCain was written off as dead in the water. Now he’s started coming back, and he really scares me. He scares me because unlike the other clowns who make up the Republican slate, he could actually win. Hell, I could even vote for this guy.

If John McCain gets nominated, Barack Obama will not be able to beat him. It doesn’t matter how flashy or “hopeful” he is. Compared to McCain, he is an unknown commodity with some big- but as yet unexplored- flaws. Versus John McCain, I think that only Hillary Clinton can win.

Hillary Clinton is solid, and she is the safest possible chance the Democrats have for victory. But, unfortunately, people don’t want solid. At least not the fringe voters who dominate the primaries. These people want flashy. They want pizzazz. They don’t want business as usual; they want someone who can make a really exciting speech, full of good jokes and promises of “change”. Primaries are all about appealing to the most extreme ideals of the parties, often at the expense of the more moderate people who vote in the general election. This tendency is most pronounced in the Democratic Party. At least insofar as it has led to more catastrophes. Many times the Democrats have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by nominating candidates who are idealistic- and terrible. I wasn’t born at the time, but I’m told George McGovern from 1972 is a good example of this.

Now let’s look at some specifics.

Obama has practically no experience. This mattered when it was just Obama vs. Hillary, and here he’s only competing with a junior senator/former first lady. What do you think is going to happen when it comes time to deal with a skilled, tested, charming, 5 time all-star senator war hero?

Now for the drugs. Obama has admitted to doing cocaine.

But Dave, he admitted that already! And no one really cares! LOL!!!

Sweet f-ing Jesus what is wrong with you? In 2000, the Republicans destroyed the character of a two time Vice President who was so clean cut it was actually off-putting. In 2004, they annihilated the reputation of John Kerry, a Vietnam veteran who earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and THREE Purple Hearts.

The Republicans are going to find someone who did coke with Barack Obama. Maybe this person will even say that Mr. Obama provided the cocaine that everyone enjoyed. I already know Obama is going to be turned into a drug dealer and the Republicans haven’t even brought the knives out yet. You’re going to pit this man against the war hero John McCain? Don’t be cruel.

Notice that the Republicans really haven’t said a word about Obama. They do this, because they want to face him. They are dying to face him. When your opponent seems keen to hang himself, you don’t take his rope away. The Republican smear machine has stayed quiet for now because they know that if and when it comes time, they are going to eat this guy alive.

Now let’s look at the scariest part. Mike Huckabee is an all-star right now, himself. He’s young, charming, an amazing public speaker, a great campaigner, and he speaks intimately to the Christian Right.

McCain’s big problem politically has always been that (despite being conservative) he's much more appealing to the moderate center- he never worked well with the fringe of the Republican Party; precisely the people who are most important in the primaries and precisely why he has trouble getting nominated. Should McCain win the nom, he will still want to shore up this flank so he can continue appealing to the center with his maverick shenanigans. Another small problem for McCain is his age. Currently 71, he would be the oldest incoming President to date. Enter Vice-Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee; he’s young, charming, an amazing public speaker, a great campaigner, and he speaks intimately to the Christian Right. I might also point out that Huckabee is from Arkansas, and McCain is from Arizona, so it sounds like they’ll have the South pretty well sewn up.

Also worth noting is that the McCain and Huckabee campaigns have a “non-aggression” pact of sorts in effect. They don’t launch attack ads on each other because they both weaken each others’ primary rivals, and also because, according to Huckabee:

“We’ve developed mutual respect…We see each other as worthy soldiers fighting the fight to be president and recognizing that each of us will have a chance to share our platform. And we have plenty to run on — both of us — without having to go and try to attack each other.”

This is a nightmare ticket in its gestation.

But Dave, Obama is the real thing. You shouldn’t have to choose a candidate based on “electability”! That’s precisely what’s wrong with American politics! I don’t want to choose between a douche and a turd!
Shut up. Shut your f-ing mouth. Shut. Up.
How DARE you speak such nonsense to me? How dare you believe it yourself?
I only have one thing to say to you:

- “Frankly, when I look at Al Gore and George Bush, I don’t even see a difference. They’re both big party candidates supported by the corporations/media/lobbyists/Jews. I’m going to vote for Ralph Nader because I vote based on what I think is important to me, not the dynamics of the race.”

This entire decade is your fault.
Forget Iraq and the War on Terror. We are going to have an ultra-right wing Supreme Court for the next generation at least.

Finally, remember Bill Clinton? Leaves the warm and fuzzies in your heart, doesn’t he? See, everyone I know looks back on the Clinton years as a golden age, and they are rabidly devoted to the old guy. People seem to forget that Bill Clinton wasn’t really that liberal a president. NAFTA was a Bill Clinton joint, people. As a president, Clinton was extremely centrist. What’s more, it was exactly for this reason that he was so successful as a president. Does the term “triangulation” ring a bell? This was Clinton’s strategy of taking his left-leaning ideas, observing the right-leaning ideas of his opponents, and then coming down in the middle, simultaneously stealing his opponent’s ideas and influencing them with his own. It tended to work very well; the mixing of strategies was usually to the benefit of the country. Hillary works just this way, and this is why left wing Democrats hate her. They are wrong, and the rest of us need to realize this before they ruin another four years for us. Do not let the quest for "perfection" become the enemy of "good enough".

So please listen to me. Please, do not nominate Barack Obama. I know you want to, and I even sympathize, I do. He’s immensely likeable. He’s even electable, come some more experience. He could even be VP candidate. But now just not his time. In a general election, this man will be destroyed. The Republicans have been dealt a very weak hand this year, but they’re very astute politically. And if there’s one thing they know how to do, its smear a candidate. I know you lefty- Democrats out there hate Hillary Clinton and all, but for goodness sake, think of the rest of us. Think of the mistakes you’ve already made in the not so distant past and just use some judgment. Please. Just this once.