PrintJune 13, 2009
Desperately Seeking Scapegoats for Obama
As absurd as it may sound, more Obama devotees than you think truly believe that the current economic crisis can be exclusively attributed to eight years of grossly irresponsible behavior on the part of George W. Bush, and possibly his dog. Moreover, they also maintain that it will take at least another eight years for the new President to "solve" this ever worsening calamity.
They authoritatively forecast this generous timetable, vainly presupposing that their great leader is destined to reign a second term, barring some extenuating circumstances; in which case he could become the future Hugo Chavez of the U.S.
This means that they will then have to afford him as much time as he needs to effectively address our dismal financial predicament, which tragically, most serious economists are now starting to believe is only being exacerbated by Obama's highly unconventional brand of fiscal sorcery.
This caveat of absolute inerrancy entails that Obama can be absolved a priori of any responsibility, being such a likeable guy and all, and the country can continue to blame the previous administration for as long as he is in office. Essentially these people believe that he should be given the perennial benefit of the doubt, until perhaps socially and economically, we begin to resemble a third world country.
Notwithstanding Obama's pre-election stern admonitions that somewhere down the line citizens would be forced to take some responsibility for their own progress, these standard Obama devotees have gradually grown complacent to the exponential growth of government, thinking that the bigger it is the less they have to worry about personal accountability. How soon they have forgotten that the more we ask government to become our servant, the more it tends to morph into the cruelest of taskmasters.
Needless to say, it is ideal for Obama to have disciples like this actively participating in the democratic process. If he fails it is not his fault; if he succeeds it is to his credit. He has complete latitude to either blame the previous administration or enjoy endless adulation for having pulled the country out of such dire straits, depending on what the outcome is. It is a win-win situation. The only expectation is for him not to betray the enraptured media that worships the ground he walks on. This will virtually guarantee him another term no matter how he performs.
But at least some of his loyal followers will eventually bump into some facts and gradually join the ranks of the informed. There is always the possibility that reality will deal them a good slap in the face and compel them to reevaluate their comfortably held misconceptions about the man they blindly elected. But even that takes a lot more energy than simply looking for a scapegoat.
For those who actually care about the direction in which Obama is taking the country (where have we heard that refrain before?), the hope is that his nescient supporters represent what is actually a very loud minority, and that any reports of alleged widespread approval are only a smoke and mirrors stratagem, orchestrated by a Main Stream Media with a tendency to routinely disseminate information through an increasingly biased grid.
And though it is painful to continue engaged in the face of discouragement, those who are focused on the fight cannot afford to let apathy set in, or believe the lie that they are powerless to do anything to temper a government that continues to overstep its boundaries They must continue to fight and proclaim the truth in spite of the obstacles, though commitment to the truth may seem an unpopular sentiment. For while the latter is sometimes upheld only by a beleaguered minority, it has the moral authority to ultimately prevail against the odds and expose the bankruptcy of the loyalties the presumed majority stubbornly clings to.
Gradually more people will start recognizing that this administration's economic panacea has not yielded the prodigious results that were boldly advertised, and that a government which promised greater empowerment for its citizens has become a soft - but no less deadly - strain of totalitarianism. But more importantly, they will realize that scapegoats have only a limited shelf life, and that they can not continue to blame the previous administration for Obama's blunders.
As the loyal opposition the odds are actually in their favor, as history is witness to many a committed resistant minority which, after having stood firm to their principles, in the end had the final say. A fitting illustration of this principle is offered by a rather notable development in our times, where our European allies are coming to terms with this cycle as we speak, and recognizing the utter failure of the very system which this administration seems so eager to adopt.
