On A Clear Day

There is an interesting piece in the latest Weekly Standard by James W. Ceaser titled "The Roots of Obama Worship". The central thesis involves Obama being an incarnation of Auguste Comte's Religion of Humanity. There's much to admire in the piece but a major quibble of mine would be Ceaser's contention that "His campaign, which was so brilliant in building enthusiasm and attracting support, did little to provide Americans with a clear idea of where he planned to take the country."

Bollocks. Obama's intentions were about as unclear as a mile wide asteroid strike, at least to myself not to mention legions of grumpy pundits who catalogued his bright colorful displays of progressivism and conservative bashing that were as just about as far from recondite as is humanly possible. The biggest problem was not Obama's alleged stealthiness but rather much of the general public's notion that for a candidate to be as un-Bush-like as possible was a cracking good idea.

Much of the public, bless their clueless little hearts, was determined to throw the rascals out so non-stop Bush and conservative bashing was what got and retained their attentions which by all appearances were oblivious to the steady drenching rain of promises to re-arrange the political landscape much more to the liking of progressives.

Obama's "intentions" were hidden only to the extent that the relentless drum beat and exaltation of the brain numbing "Hope and Change" malarky served as a masking camouflage for those unencumbered by the thought process. That it was camouflage of the most sheerly diaphanous sort did not seem to matter.

Cynics might say that this describes politics in general and bewildered liberal pundits made similar observations about the two previous national elections but the last cycle must be counted as a record setting exemplar of the phenomenon. Big time turnabout is fair play in this game and brother it is a corker. Primary evidence for it is that though it took some eight years for the public to become largely un-entranced by the Bush ascendancy the same has happened to Obama in a scant single turn of the calendar.

Secondary, and spectacular, evidence is illustrated by the possibility that a Republican might win (on date of writing this) the Senate seat vacated by the late Teddy K. This seat has been a virtual Democratic sinecure since the Cretaceous Era and even the faint likelihood of them losing it is nothing short of astounding. A clearer rebuke to donkeydom is difficult to imagine.

Awfully early for buyer's remorse to have set in but if political overreach is severe enough the counter reaction is usually just as severe. Overreach there may have been but those intentions were telegraphed at mega decibel levels during the campaign so it took grand prodigies of self-delusion to not take them at face value. The Obamanation has reacted, log-rolled, and legislated in 100 percent predictable fashion. If you'uns are surprised by all this then you're gonna have to take your dope slap in good humor and endeavor to peek a nanometer beneath the glossy surface of the next demagogue's soaring inspirhetoric in three, seven, eleven, or whatever years. Possibly the electorate's idiocy will be a bit less blithering in future but don't bet the grocery money on it.