[Bill,
March 2, 2008]
And again the alienation thing ...
Via PajamasMedia, comes this video, which was NOT produced by the Obama campaign. Every time I think, OK, I'll give Obama's candidacy the benefit of the doubt, something weird happens. So I'm still sorting out whether we just have a popular campaign with excesses (still the most likely scenario) or something more dangerous is on its way (unlikely, but there are some signs).
Here's what I've got so far:
1. There is a scarily sentimental group of people in this country who have been prepared to follow a leader of enormous charisma, and they can easily be used in all sorts of nefarious ways.
2. I have no idea how big a group of Americans it is.
3. Point two is the scary part, and the scariness is proportional to their numbers. And the really scary part is these people will remain a dangerous cauldron no matter what happens electorally.
4. Barack Obama is just a left-liberal democrat running for president, and his campaign happens to have tapped into something scary. That is, I don't think this was his intent.
5. Nonetheless, this kind of fanatic following means Obama will be tempted and tested in ways that most presidents, and most people, aren't.
6. If it wasn't Obama these people were following, it'd would be the next charismatic leader.
7. Obama isn't, right now, dangerous. But the situation could become dangerous, but unlikely.
That's all I got so far. Chances are, we just have a fad going ... and maybe his followers are just some folks blowing off steam. Obama himself is just a guy who caught fire. What's important is his reaction to this kind of worship.
Here's what I've got so far:
1. There is a scarily sentimental group of people in this country who have been prepared to follow a leader of enormous charisma, and they can easily be used in all sorts of nefarious ways.
2. I have no idea how big a group of Americans it is.
3. Point two is the scary part, and the scariness is proportional to their numbers. And the really scary part is these people will remain a dangerous cauldron no matter what happens electorally.
4. Barack Obama is just a left-liberal democrat running for president, and his campaign happens to have tapped into something scary. That is, I don't think this was his intent.
5. Nonetheless, this kind of fanatic following means Obama will be tempted and tested in ways that most presidents, and most people, aren't.
6. If it wasn't Obama these people were following, it'd would be the next charismatic leader.
7. Obama isn't, right now, dangerous. But the situation could become dangerous, but unlikely.
That's all I got so far. Chances are, we just have a fad going ... and maybe his followers are just some folks blowing off steam. Obama himself is just a guy who caught fire. What's important is his reaction to this kind of worship.
I have to admit that I do take some amusement out of your posts on this stuff. Now you know how I felt watching people support and elect George Bush. Then GWB trampled all over many things I believe in - confirming all on my worst assumptions about him. And those dangerous people cheered him on!
All I could do was tell myself that he couldn't totally destroy the country in 4 or 8 years and that I had to last it out. That America would eventually see the light. That democracy was really the right thing and that the pendulum would swing back away from that side. (Well, OK, I also posted about 250 to 300 whiny anti-Bush posts along the way)
I do think that it is a real sense of fear that some people are feeling. It is not an irrational reaction to seeing that people are going to impose their beliefs on you and they don't give a rat's ass about your feelings on the matter. In fact, I can tell you that some of those people will really enjoy seeing your discomfort. They'll go out of the way to make worse by rubbing it in out of some kind of sadistic pleasure. (Sometimes with the creative rationale that if you feel enough pain, you'll come around to see their side of it). Perhaps they'll even start calling you a traitor because you disagree.
Kind of frigtening at that.
Well, victory isn't final, and failure isn't fatal. And they haven't won yet :) I am aware, though, that the Party of Molech has a pretty good chance this time around, and what that would mean culturally for our country.
BTW, Newt Gingrich's book, Real Change, contains an excellent takedown of the failures of the GOP since 94 and especially the handling of Iraq.