When the Emperor Was Dying

When Barack Obama's remarkable eloquence was dismissed as "just words" during the primary campaign, he survived the criticism. Telling the truth and offering inspiration aren't just words. They are incredibly important in keeping a society together. Now Obama faces another challenge where words can make a difference over whether the economy recovers. Injections of billions of dollars have done little good to the financial system so far. What we need is an injection of confidence.

Read the rest of this article in the San Francisco Chronicle

Visit www.intent.com to read more from Deepak Chopra and other prominent voices.

Comments

[research]

Some of you ask: The democrats have been in control of congress for 2 years, why haven't they done anything"?

YOU KNOW WHY.

The Record number of GOP originated Filibusters and vetoes.

This is a deceptive argument.

[Michale32086]

That is such a cheap cop-out..

The Democrats didn't even TRY to fight the GOP..

I know, I know.. You believe that Democrats are as pure as the driven snow..

You are like a religious fanatic who simply CANNOT accept the fact that there may be no god.

I understand..

Michale.....

[chaos4700]

Michale understands. Heck, he even sympathizes! Too bad his sympathy is misplaced.

Also not, he has no cogent reply to the fact that Republicans have been the most obstructionist, damaging element in the political process since... oh, back in 1995 when the Republican controlled Congress engineered that budget crisis.

[research]

70 filibuster last year

130 filibuster so far this year

endless vetoes and threats of vetoes.

all from the GOP

The Democrats have OBVIOUSLY tried very hard.

I can't STAND half the democrats. You truly do not understand.

[Michale32086]

@chaos4700

}}}}}
Hand waving your neutrality is completely at odds with your posts. I have yet to observe you assign the blame for anything on the Republican Party when you can turn around and blame Democrats instead.
}}}}}}

If you have read any of my posts, you will notice that I only trot out the responsibility of the Democrats when confronted with bigotry, hypocrisy and the claims of the hysterical Left that Democrats are as pure as the driven snow...

Michale.....

[chaos4700]

Really? Because I've never complained about Clinton being the champion of NAFTA, which has decimated all three North American economies in favor of short-term gains by the rich? Because I've never complained about Pelosi and Reid being weak-kneed and bound to corporate lobbyist interests? Because I've never criticized Lieberman for his unenlightened self-interest (to be fair, Lieberman isn't /just/ a Democrat anymore, so he proves both my point and yours when I criticize him. He gets his cake and eats it too!) Because I've never complained about Obama's cabinet being devoid of Progressive champions?

So out of curiosity, what do you blame Republicans for?

[Michale32086]

So, we are agreed that Democrats share the blame in what's wrong with this country. Common ground. A wonderful thing.. :D

}}}}
So out of curiosity, what do you blame Republicans for?
{{{{

Everything that a logical and rational person would blame them for.

Michale.....

[Michale32086]

@chaos4700

}}}}}
LOL! So apparantly, I blame the GOP for everything, and you blame the Democrats for everything. At worst, that means we cancel out. If you were right -- which of course your not, but since you've managed to torpedo your own talking point, Mission Accomplished.
{{{{{{{

Actually, I don't blame the Democrats for everything.. I only point out their culpability and responsibility when people like YOU unilaterally blame the Republicans for everything..

In short, I have proven my NPA status over and over again, while you have shown over and over again that you simply are a slave to the Democrat Party and it's corrupted ideology...

Michale.....

[chaos4700]

"In short, I have proven my NPA status over and over again, while you have shown over and over again that you simply are a slave to the Democrat Party and it's corrupted ideology.."

And there you are folks. Proof of Michale's "neutrality." Shake a tree enough, and sooner or later a juicy piece of fruit will fall to the ground. I don't recommend actually eating it though -- it looks very bitter indeed.

[carrieanna]

Hmmm, I wonder if partly the truth was kept from the US citizens so that George could end his term before the economy's wheels totally came off...so he could blame the next president. He's so wrapped up in his "legacy" right now. But I'm thinking that we'll come to see that instead of "Spend, baby, spend" he should have told us, "Save, baby, save."

While I agree that human irrationality has a lot to do with the economy (in my eyes, probably 50% of the stock market plunge can be based on our human reaction to the bad news) I think it was wrong for our leaders to misdirect us into believing we could spend our way out post-9/11 and the current recession. And now that I've heard the story about the Bush team meeting with major media outlets to push a pro-American propaganda post -9/11, I wonder what other kinds of subtle messages they may be putting out. I do see a correlation between the fever-pitched mass consumerism on tv and the "luxury-as-necessity" con people were buying into. Maybe it's time I give up US tv altogether...except for Simpsons, of course.

[curiousasheck]

Sooner or later the younger adults will realize that there are enormous opportunities for them in a new and very different economy.

Hopefully SOONER then later.

[skaterdon66]

You're wrong darthdarcy....if we had practiced "true conservatism" the last few years
we would not be in this financial mess..both Dems and Repubs are to blame..so get over
it and move on....

[darthdarcy]

The Republicans and so called "Conservatives" a misnomer if there ever was one, used words and reverse constructed rhetoric, to pervert our economic system and lay bare our financial institutions to the swindlers, scoundrels and barbarians who were primed to pillage and plunder it as is now undeniable many of those most directly responsible for this being Texans...from Ken Lay, to Phil Gramm, Dick Armey, Tom Delay and of course our President himself..

The self proclaimed "conservatives" have done a great deal to pervert our language since the Reagan counter revolution, which is another reason our nation is in such a bad way and terrible crisis..and there have been since then our media all to willing to spread this disease the "conservatives" unleashed upon us and we now suffer from..

Language is so every important and communication in reality difficult at best...this poisoning of our lexicon is something as well as this financial crisis we may never recover from..

[skaterdon66]

Don't look now but the bailouts have only just begun..In a few wks Calif will come crawling
to congress, with their tin cup in hand...Their spend, spend economy is broke..Now those
of us that live in states (Texas), with a budget surplus will see our taxes go to bailout states
like Calif, & NJ...there are 41 states with budget shortfalls, so get ready to shell out more
"welfare" to these thoughtless politicians who couldn't run their own states and now want us
to get them out of the ditch..!!

[Michale32086]

Yep and now Pelosi is already pushing for ANOTHER 500 Billion dollar "stimulus" package...

Do Democrats think money grows on trees???

Michale.....

[chaos4700]

Republicans do. Are you forgetting all the stimulus checks you got courtesy of the Republican Congress and President Bush back when we still had Clinton-era budget surpluses?

[Sundialsvc4]

This Emperor had a fatal illness which was seen as early as 1961, by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who coined the phrase "military industrial congressional complex" to define the cancer. "Ike" observed that, without "an alert and knowledgeable citizenry" and "constant vigilance," this cancer would in time subsume every legitimate priority of Government. And, so it has. Write a big fat check, please, for "brain wave binoculars." (No, I'm not kidding.)

This also gave us a practical application of a term that we have too-long ignored: "High Crime." Financial crime, aided and abetted by hundreds of "impeachment is off the table" civil officers, is what brings us now to the moment when the leprechaun's "gold" has turned back into the dross that it always had been. War crime is what that financial crime was used to pay for. And the criminals, who now look forward to sailing away scot-free, have only "regrets" and very fast airplanes.

But our nation is actually quite far from "dying." It has been swindled by a few thousand civil officers, whose numbers include members of all three Branches of our Government at the very highest levels, but this nation of 305+ million people can overcome even this.

[Michale32086]

@DanBest

}}}}
Michale, you speak "to" someone not at them (or wtih your cute little tick "@") Speaking at someone is offensive I'm sure you know this. I also can tell from you numerous posts that you have little or no interest in true discussion. You like throwing molotav cocktails and then spraying any response with @. This isn't warfare. It's a thread.
{{{{

I post how I post.. The best way I know to direct my comments to specific people is to use the '@'.. It's not warfare in the least, but if that's how you want to look at it, more power to ya...

}}}}
As far as blaming the democrats as much as the republicans, I believe you're wromg.
{{{{

The quote is from President Clinton. If you have a problem with it, take it up with him...

The point of fact is, the Democrats are as much to blame for the problems of this country as the Republicans..

Anyone who doesn't understand this one simple fact is simply exhibiting bigotry...

Michale......

[research]

Deregulation and privatization = GOP religion.

But thanks for playing.

[Michale32086]

"Well, maybe everybody does that a little bit. I think the responsibility the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or by me when I was President to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
-President Clinton

Case closed...

[Michale32086]

@weatherwaxx

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Bull. Democrats have had a majority, true. But the Republicans have blocked any effective change to business as usual, and with less than 2/3 majority any bill passed was simply vetoed.
{{{{{

So, let me get this straight. When Republicans had control of Congress, everything was there fault.. When Democrats had control of Congress, everything was STILL the Republican's fault??

Gotcha {wink} {wink}

}}}}}
You can't accept the fact that your boys (and a few girls) have wrecked the country.
{{{{{

"My" boys and girls?? Newsflash for ya, cupcake.. I have no boys and girls save my own kids and grandkids. I am a political agnostic and a registered NPA (No Political Affiliation) who voted for Senator Obama...

}}}}}
"I realize that it's anathema to ya'all to hold your own Party accountable for anything."

Do you understand the psychological concept of "projection?" You should; you're doing it.
{{{{{{

Thank you for proving my point so perfectly...

Michale.....

[chaos4700]

Democratic control? Maybe in the House, but in the Senate the margin of control is exactly as thin as Senator "Connecticut for Lieberman"'s conscience. And we all know his convictions simply drift wherever he thinks the money is. I suppose it's possible to be non-Republican and simply be anti-Democrat, which is what your posts seem to suggest you are. I would characterize myself as an anti-Republican non-Democrat, for instance. Although my rationale is that the GOP has been causing problems for this country for more than thirty years, and the Democrats have by and large merely tagged along instead of standing up and reversing the changes pushed through by neoconservatives. The Clinton years being the perfect case in point.

[Michale32086]

Actually, I am a registered NPA... No Political Affiliation..

I simply maintain that the Democrats have absolutely ZERO moral authority to point the finger at Republicans over ANYTHING...

And the converse is also true...

Michale.....

[avraamjack]

Full disclosure is always the best policy

If witholding truth is the policy, it may have a short term positive effect until people realize that is the policy. The Long Term effect is that everything is suspect and therefore quite negative
.

[HoustonGal]

I've know for a year what the administration only admitted yesterday - we are in a recession. Withholding the truth from us only shows us the emperor has no clothes.

[curiousasheck]

About the only he can say is . .

Wealth Accumulation and gross hyper consuming is no longer sustainable.

We're going to have to learn The Art of Living

[curiousasheck]

And The Art of Dying . .

while we're on the subject.

[Michale32086]

@tailgateshirts

}}}}
The bailout isnt the problem, its what got us to needing a bailout... namely the things Bush ignored to help his people out and solidify his families fortunes for generations to come.
{{{{{

Democrats have had control of Congress for two years now..

What have they done to forestall this??

Again, I refer you to the words of President Clinton..

"Well, maybe everybody does that a little bit. I think the responsibility the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or by me when I was President to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."

I realize that it's anathema to ya'all to hold your own Party accountable for anything. The Democratic Party is all goodness and light and the GOP is all darkness and evil, I realize that's how ya'all view things..

But facts are facts... And the fact is, Democrats share as much blame as Republicans...

Michale.....

[DanBest]

Michale, you speak "to" someone not at them (or wtih your cute little tick "@") Speaking at someone is offensive I'm sure you know this. I also can tell from you numerous posts that you have little or no interest in true discussion. You like throwing molotav cocktails and then spraying any response with @. This isn't warfare. It's a thread.

As far as blaming the democrats as much as the republicans, I believe you're wromg. Democrats may have helped the parade, but the republicans were way out in front with their philosophy that the free markets can do no wrong. With their allies in the media they kept most Americans in a norcotized state of consumerism. Not all of us fell for it. I used to think I was a moderate and a free market libertarian. I don't anymore because reality has intruded into that fantasy. Then I started paying attention to the left wing media in this country. It wasn't easy to find. It doesn't exist on TV. But certain sites like counterpunch did a great job of ringing the warning bells. It didn't take that much insight to see where this was taking us. So yes, both sides got us into this mess. But one side (the republican) will pay the highest price because their narrative was dead wrong. So yes they are more to blame. I won't be checking back so don't bother to @ me.

[weatherwaxx]

Bull. Democrats have had a majority, true. But the Republicans have blocked any effective change to business as usual, and with less than 2/3 majority any bill passed was simply vetoed.

You can't accept the fact that your boys (and a few girls) have wrecked the country.

"I realize that it's anathema to ya'all to hold your own Party accountable for anything."

Do you understand the psychological concept of "projection?" You should; you're doing it.