Joyful! Joyful! We adore thee...
No sour grapes, no bitterness whatsoever on my part since I didn't have a dime in the worthless dollar of either party. Simply commenting on what seems to be a rising tide of excessively effusive deference to and gushing over our President-elect. At the risk of using again a rather hackneyed expression, it is indeed deja vu all over again. I saw exactly this same sort of uncritical praise after the election of Kennedy in 1960.
Before this is over, Mr. Obama will be credited with having set the stars in their courses, created an oxygen atmosphere on the planet, and having single-handedly dug the Panama Canal. Yes, his victory is significant, unique and noteworthy in the skill with which it was won. Yes, he will hopefully reverse many of the unfortunate trends of the last eight years. But...let us remember that he is mortal and far from fallible. President Barrack Obama will make mistakes and they will be expensive in terms of trust, of treasure and of lives.
Please, don't mistake me for a bah! humbug! person who wishes ill of or for him. The American people have spoken, he is our president, and above all I wish that he do a good job of it.
In The Best and Brightest, his ruthless and accurate dissection of the Camelot myth, David Halberstam pointed out that Kennedy was a very fallible human being, with many faults. He was neither capable of walking on water nor were his advisers, despite a burning, near-irrational faith to the contrary the legions of rapt votaries. New Frontier wannabes do not like to be reminded that the new, young guy offering "change" to a previous generation took us as close to nuclear war with the Soviet Union as we've ever come, or that his obsession with toughness - aided and abetted by his brother - set us further along the road to Vietnam, or that one of his advisers kept us in a war he already knew to be lost.
I'm willing to give Mr. Obama a chance to demonstrate himself - not carte blanche, we've had enough of that in the last decade - but not blind adoration and certainly not unquestioning obedience. I wish our new president well, but I do not plan to throw myself under the wheels of the juggernaut cart bearing his image.
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
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Interesting TJ. I was just
Interesting TJ. I was just thinking, earlier today, that I had heard all the naysayers and negative hateful rhetoric for the first time about politics when JFK was elected. In fact, as a child, I remember people being glad when he was killed. Looking back on it, I don't think Kennedy was as bad as all the adult role models in my life said he would be and the world certainly didn't come to an end even though we practiced for it.
In fact I looking back on it, I could probably say that about every POTUS which I was old enough to recall. Last time I looked America was still alive and kicking.
Alive and kicking, but
Alive and kicking, but certainly not thriving. More like involuntary death spasms.
He has already stated he
He has already stated he will do things that are unpopular. That means unpopular for you and me, but very popular with the Establishment. We are already being told to lessen our expectations, although mine were already at sewer level.
His transition team is full of seasoned political hacks and professional politicians, starting with his choice of Chief of Staff. The short list for Treasury Secretary is a who's who of Establishment banksters and assorted white collar criminals - a merry band of looters and plunderers.
I guess the old saying holds true - the more things change, the more they remain the same.
I get very annoyed to read
I get very annoyed to read words like "adoring" and "messiah" when discussing any elected President. Have we educated our next generations to worship our leaders? Could it be that the churches are now involved in the political programs and they use the language of their bible instead of the language of the Constitution?
Is it possible that American schools overlooked the basis of the the U.S. Constitution and allowed the Churches to take over the education of the children?
I remember my Sunday School teacher explaining the difference between sharing the wealth and a government redistribution of same wealth; one was a Christian tenet and the other government socialism.
Malcolm
I thought I was going to
I thought I was going to make just one comment on CHB when I chose my "handle." I ended up coming back but never bothered to change it. Sorry, I know it's trite.
Anyway, the natural corollary to "the more things change, the more they stay they same" would have to be "the worse things are, the more we hope for better."
The best presidents are always hated by conservatives. Lincoln, FDR, Jefferson, etc. And some "conservatives" are rightfully hated by almost everyone.
I really do not understand
I really do not understand why people keep misunderstanding the joy in Obama's election with blind and unthinking adoration. I have said before that our joy, or at least my joy, is not directly related to Obama himself. I applaud all of the Americans who have resoundingly made it known that our country can come together, and despite race or background, elect the best representative for us all.
Does anyone believe that he can walk on water or solve every problem or do so with no mistakes? Only a moron would think those things and those of us who support Obama are getting just a little bit tired of people assuming that we are. Some of the more extreme Republicans keep referring to him as "the Messiah" and "the one" as if the voters for Obama are part of a cult like experience, unable to think past some type of religious experience, and they are trying to some how take away a most impressive win by a very effective political candidate...do I smell the foul funk of jealousy?
Although I hear a lot of comparisons to JFK, perhaps it would be better for people to make a more valid comparison to George W. Bush, our elected president for the last eight years. When I make that comparison, I am not amazed at the Obama election, I am more amazed that we still have a viable country left to run. January 20th can not come quick enough and I truly believe that Obama will do a good job. I believe that he represents the ideas and ideals of the American spirit, and that he will take good care of our constitution and our country.
Very good, Angela! Our
Very good, Angela!
Our Constitution will take time and effort to restore. I doubt it can be discussed on the internet. The anger and hated has risen to a new high online. Many of these forums gave others the tool to vent their inner hatreds for others.
The fight for individual freedoms restored will bring about the wrath of hell because the religious right demands an Amendment to the Constitution to ban those actions that they declare sins. This attitude will be a fight to the finish.
I remember clearly Falwell, Robertson, Dobson and even Alan Keyes trying to add these sins in the GOP Platform. They now represent the supposed base of the GOP and will not stop fighting until they win. Falwell is still on this list as he is quoted often by the Religious Right. They were and are behind this fear of same sex marriages. They are in full fighting form against any Death With Dignity that a close friend of mine has been working on in three states. They will never understand individual freedoms and choices as they believe men and women are evil and under the thumb of Lucifer.
I used to laugh at these people until President Bush 43 carried their agenda into the White House.
Malcolm
Ooooh, oooh, Malcolm...you
Ooooh, oooh, Malcolm...you had me right up to the last part!
The religious right DO NOT believe men and women are evil.
They believe that obsessive uptight white men (themselves) are good, and that all the rest of us men, and ESPECIALLY women, are evil.
They themselves are EXEMPT, on account of both their obsessions and their uptight outlook.
Oh, and the fact that they walk around all day long saying that they are "evangelistic, spirit filled, walking in the word, saved...bla bla bla bla..."
Can you tell I just listened to Pastor Ted Haggart on CNN this morning? ROFLMAO!
messiah Obama voted for FISA
messiah Obama voted for FISA and telecom immunity. What on earth makes you think he will restore the constitution?
Do tell.
He lied about campaign financing. He flip flopped on guns.
We have Bush 3. The only difference is the color of his skin. Perhaps to some, that makes him more acceptable.
Because that's what the
Because that's what the propaganda machine is telling us. And since no one really reads the Constitution or actually believes in its contents, they are happy to believe the big lie.
Some of us do care what is
Some of us do care what is in the Constitution. Many of us are now members of the Libertarian Party. We are dealing today with Americans who believe they cannot exist without the government. I remember when I was a young man and could not understand why others could not figure out that to be successful, we needed an endgame which meant a solid education a good strong wife and family and a sense of right and wrong.
I tried many jobs and finally settled on one. I wanted healthy children and took care of my health and of course found my very health-conscience mate.
We chose not to attend any church as we both felt it clouded the mind. The internet is filled with losers who want to blame others for their (whatever when wrong).
I leaned into the right fiscal conservative political party and then watched it dissolve into a religious madness. The last part of government intrusion is not to set social cultural laws. I felt the onslaught of hell from the Republican Party the day I signed on to the internet. I faced the horrors of hell when I tried to find out what Bush 41 was doing to the GOP. Clinton simply carried much of Bush 41s policies and yet the GOP went insane when these things were accepted. I had been a member of several internet sites that are now gone. Many of us simply logged out.
Extremism bloomed on line and absolutely nothing of value could be found anywhere. I'm new to CHB and can only hope some damn good debates can show up here without the insults. So far, so good.
Malcolm