Summary: Nothing reveals our values like what we applaud. The Left’s love for Obama, and the things for which they applaud him, reveal their corruption and why they’ve become trivial political force in America. {2nd of 2 posts today.}
“Mussolini may have done many brutal and tyrannical things; he may have destroyed human freedom in Italy; he may have murdered and tortured citizens whose only crime was to oppose Mussolini; but ‘one had to admit’ one thing about the Dictator: he ‘made the trains run on time.’
— From The Prevalence of Nonsense
by Edward Darling and Ashley Montagu (1967).
This shows a common form of applause for Obama. How many ways can this graphic astonish us?
Myopia about anti-liberal actions
First, it displays myopia on a fantastic scale, ignoring Obama’s anti-liberal actions. His illegal surveillance programs (& advocacy for broad NSA power), most aggressive-ever use of the Espionage Act of 1917, persecution of whistle blowers, mockery of his pledge to run the “most transparent administration ever“, continued use of Guantanamo Bay, and his assassination programs (including US citizens). He has done many of the same things Liberals condemned Bush Jr for doing, and done things Bush did not even imagine — such as the gift to the world’s mega-corps called the Trans Pacific Partnership (so awesome we’re not allowed to see the text).
Blindness to his wars
Second, it shows blindness to Obama’s wars, breaking with the Left’s anti-war tradition. He executed Bush’s plan for withdrawal from Iraq, deepened our wars in Afghanistan and Yemen, waged an illegal war in Libya (of the sort he specifically promised not to do) — with terrible results — and laid the foundation for future ways by expanding Africom.
GDP over liberty and equality
Second, we see the Left’s decay in its prioritization of economic growth over liberty and equality. No political polarization when it comes to the interests of the 1% (largest beneficiaries of the growth of the stock market and GDP, and the reduced deficit).
Folly about the power of the leader
Third, these claims are foolish. Presidents have limited effect on markets, GDP, and employment. They share control of fiscal policy with Congress; neither has much influence over monetary policy — by far the stimulus tool most strongly wielded since the crash. Also, the state of the economic art provides only weak guidance on how to assure economic growth.
This implies Obama is a kind of chief wizard of the economy. We might as well applaud him for the rains in Texas.
We have heard this before
Last, this displays a horrific lack of historical memory. It’s the equivalent kind of claim to “Mussolini made the trains on time” — both false and masking the leader’s ugly deeds.
Conclusion
Together these vividly show why the Left has become a marginal force in America, an ineffective force even to slow the rise of a New America on the ruins of the Republic-that-once-was. Abandoning its principles for support of the 1%, the Left has cut their own roots.
Listen carefully and you’ll hear the 1% laughing.
For More Information
This is another in a long series of posts explaining how and why the Left has become so weak in modern America. See the other posts here.
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. See posts About the quiet coup in America and all posts about Obama and his administration, especially these…
- Under the cloak of liberalism America slides to Fascism — By Norman Pollack. Not technically accurate, but all too true.
- What will Obama do in term II? He’ll finish the great work of term I!
- The real Obama revealed, at last! — Truths the Left refuses to see.
- Obama + assassination + drones = a dark future for America.
- Obama repeals Magna Carta, asserting powers our forefathers denied to Kings.
