As President Obama continues to steady the once erratic, neocon-crippled ship of state, the contrast between a hope-based agenda and a fear-based one is ever clearer.
Even as he shrewdly (we hope) co-opts the right's offshore drilling fetish, he also frames the controversial issue in a way that an intelligent, vital leader must in order to make it less controversial, less confrontational and potentially viable, something his jingoist jerkoff predecessors were fundamentally incapable of.
And as the right's systematic obstruction continues with all the commitment and personality of a malignant tumor, the executive ability of our president is also sharply accentuated.
With his jujitsu approach to dealing with rabid adversaries, he sometimes verbally diffuses the bullies' ham handed attacks, sometimes strips them of their weaponry, sometimes just chokes them out. Not only is this a leader we need now, he's one we could have used for some time.
The public's perception of America is still at odds with reality; the amber waves of grain-Christianity based-Greatest Country On Earth conceit is belied by the nation's ongoing struggle for its soul in the form of a defeated political party's aggressive tactic of encouraging a purposefully uninformed mass to use its misdirected frustrations in order to disrupt and obstruct the progressive policies of its opponents.
This, of course, is not democracy. It is gang dynamics, ruthless and thoughtless. And it is comprised of psychological projection of desperate, destructive attributes, classic bully stuff.
The right wing has sure done a number on the American people. Luckily, we have a president who can count.
Follow Steven Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@TheStevenWeber
In a sentence, at least take into consideration that there are possibilities of intelligence and stupidity on both sides.
Excellent take. Spot on. I've been refraining from saying it outright-but it has been increasingly, painfully evident. To me the defining moment came during the "You Lie" episode. I wish I could super-impose it over a classic movie scene from a classic movie - Rod steiger and Sidney Poitier in " The Heat of the Night".
It's the scene where Virgil get's a little to friendly or..equal to the Sherrif. "It must get lonely sometimes" Virgil says in a human moment after much contention ...and Rod Steiger's Sherrif replies in anger and bigotry ... " Oh no Boy...Oh no! Watch yourself boy. No sympathy for me please thank you !" It's a shocking scene that exposes all of the pent up ignorance and false sense of superiority... that describes republicans today as well. They attack the office of the president, the ways of democracy and are locked into the lie of this nation's original sin. More of us these days should be calling things for what they are.
Being an optimist I can only hope that when Obama is done, and some sense of security and prosperity and justice occupies the land, the republicans and those they represent follow the movie script completely, and say goodbye with and admiring farewell.." Hey Virgil, You take care ...you hear."
This allows those who know to control those who don't know. And fear has always been a viable tool to manipulate when materialism continues to be (collectively) pathological, and when feeding the "belly" continues to exceed feeding the mind.
"Facts don't lie but losers often do."
Classic!
What is he going to do next tell us how many times we can breath everyday?
Brilliant, Steven; simply brilliant! (I wish I'd written that)
Incidentally Weber, nice catch.
KIDS R SMRT, THY DON'T LISTEN TO WHT WE TELL THEM, THY EMULATE WHT THEY R SHOWN, AND BECAUSE THT IS SO, I FEEL THT IT IS TIME THT SOMEONE STND UP AND SAY WE ARE NOT GOING TO TKE THE REPUB BS ANYMORE......AND MY FRIEDS THT IS XACTLY WHT OUR PRES. DOES!!
ROC ON OBAMA!
BUZZARDSKORNER