So we're cruising down Main Street, on our way to Whole Foods, a cliche redeemed in part by my dangerous new beard, when a pick-up pulls even on our right, and its driver begins shouting shit about Obama at us. "Obama, boo!", was apparently the first thing the silver-tongued bastard said, undoubtedly responding to the sticker adhering to the bumper of our car (purely from laziness, I assure you). Paula Jane flipped him off--good girl--and momentarily we lost him, when several cars in front of his slowed to turn. I could see him, in the rear view mirror, straining to catch up--catching up is always a very large deal to big brains like this one--and as we prepared to turn left into Whole Foods, Paula Jane was insistently telling me not to react, when he did. As he passed us, though, his fatass white moon face beamed the kind of self-righteous satisfaction particular to moon-faced fatass white men--bred from generations of self-hating mothers, and animated by the certainty that they've fucked the world over for generations now and will continue to fuck it over for many, many more. "Obama sucks!" was his clever riposte, his twisted wet lips mouthing the words with witless lunatic glee Glenn Beck would've envied. Zooming past, he reinforced the sentiment by repeating it on a P.A. system (a must for the contemporary racist zealot).
Paula Jane thought the incident was kind of funny. If it wasn't so illustrative of a madness that is roiling through our consciousness, I would probably agree. There are millions of crazy people out there, certain not only that Obama's presidency is illegal, but also that he is a socialist muslim intent on establishing a military dictatorship that will enforce his real agenda of banning guns, requiring abortions for white people, and establishing Islam as the national faith. They are being abetted in their insanity by the usual suspects, with the same aim as always, gaining power and wealth by any means necessary. And the wave of crack-brained crackers will probably lead the republicans back to power in a few months, and that won't be funny at all.
I blame Obama for some of this. His timidity, and his misplaced efforts at concensus building, cost valuable time, and momentum. Perhaps he's not the student of history that I thought, or maybe he believed he was too exceptional to require instruction from the past. Either way, he's made a number of mistakes, for which he deserves blame. However, progressives are the aggrieved party here--though tea party posturing will enable an over-reaction, a right-wing wrecking ball to smash what's left of the New Deal, and to accelerate America's drift into a Corporatist (Fascist) state.
Disappointing as Obama has been, though, he is better than Bush was, and immeasureably better than what would take his place. And as weak and vascillating as the Democrats have been, at least we're still in the game. If the corporatists regain their majorities, it will be a cold, cold day for almost everyone.
you mention here Obama's timidity--that's one thing I see laced throughout this entry, and reminds me a bit of Obama supporters' collective paranoia two years ago--probably the GOP will pick up some seats in both houses of Congress, but how many? The future is unwritten, and there might be some surprises in store. What I see quite clearly is a Republican Party that is panicking, and the fault lines within the party get larger and larger with every mistake they make. This blunder over immigration in Arizona is probably going to seriously hurt the GOP for the next generation or two as hispanics will become a very powerful voting bloc. You do know that 6 weeks ago the Washington Post changed the Perry/White Governor's race from Lean Republican to Toss-Up, right? That's because the demographics in the state have changed dramatically. Every metropolitan area in the state, except Ft. Worth, is solidly Democrat, and the numbers in Urban areas are growing larger than the Rural/Suburban areas...Chuck Norris better run in 2012 if he ever wants to become President!
ReplyDeleteGeorge, I hope very much that you are right. And your observations about demographics, both in Texas and across the country, are spot-on. There are, however, several items which give me pause, one being the poll I saw reflecting majority support for repeal of the 14th amendment. Another is Obama's constantly dipping poll numbers, and the numbers of Democrats in the house and senate vs. Corporatists--Democrats are lagging by at least 5 points in every poll I've seen, and according to many, many estimates, stand to lose control of the House, and even risk losing the Senate--no better than 52 seats retained, from everything out there I've read. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, is the Supreme Courts reinterpretation of the free-speech (!!!) rights of corporations. Unchecked, this ignominious and unamerican interpretation of law represents a potential disruption of our political system unexperienced since the Civil War. And how will it be checked without majorities in congress to do it? And with a president who seems paralyzed by the desire to be loved by everyone? As a footnote, what would you have said in 1993 if someone told you that in 7 years, George W. Bush, the weasly, alcoholic, half-idiot son of a one-term president--who had never held any political office--would himself be awarded the presidency of the United States? Do not--Do Not!--discount the possibility of President Palin, 2012. These are twisted times we're living in, and there is a savage spirit in the air...
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