Barack the Faithless Strikes Again. The Obama Administration has announced its decision to permit a lot more offshore oil drilling, in open defiance of Obama's environmentalist supporters, in yet another attempt to mollify the President's enemies. A lot of people, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann among them, are puzzled by Obama's endless attempts to achieve bipartisanship, even tho his enemies have absolutely no desire to cooperate with him on anything (Olbermann thinks Republicans are willing to cooperate on issues of national security, but I have my doubts). I'm afraid I do understand.
+
All members of minorities have to deal with a lack of general acceptance. Different individual members of minorities deal with their minority condition in different ways, sometimes at different times. Some hide (gay men and lesbians). Some cast off all distinguishing features, to the extent possible, to become as "white bread" as possible. Some become militant and in-your-face. Some adopt the stance that "the best revenge is living well", and turn their energies to making the best life they can, without regard to what other people think or do.
+
Barack Obama is a double-minority, which makes everything worse.
+
Bluntly put, Barack Obama is an "inter-race" or "biracial". As such, he has had to cope all his life with trying to be all things to all people, and insist on tolerance for himself, which has obligated him to be tolerant of others in return. He is certainly not white-enuf to white people to be considered "one of us", and not black-enuf to black people. He has had to try to make a virtue and positive out of what everyone else regards as a negative. Having had to slog thru various societies and subsocieties all his life — remember that he lived for years in Indonesia, a uniracial society, as a non-Moslem in a dominantly and intolerantly Moslem society — Obama simply cannot give up the idea of prevailing over time. And he became President of the United States, so has, to his mind, manifestly been confirmed in his belief system and habitual behavior. So this is no time to stop trying to get everybody to get along.
+
Obama did not have to go thru a police beating to take the attitude of Rodney King: "Can we all get along?" (Usually remembered, inaccurately, as "Can't we all just get along?" See King's statement on YouTube, at the 0:57 mark.) Obama went thru decades of small indignations, rejections, questions, and challenges to his authenticity, which prepared him well for the challenge by "birthers" to his authenticity as an American. He knows what's behind all of it, as we all know what's behind it. Call it "clannishness" (or "Klannishness"); call it racism. Call it "small-mindedness" or "discomfort with outsiders" or "unease with change". It all comes down to Them vs. Us, and for the Republican Party, despite its token-n* minstrel-show RNC Chairman Michael Steele, 'colored people' are Them, not Us.
+
Barack Obama won over a majority of the electorate, but that's not good enuf. He could ram thru a program over Republican objections, but that's also not good enuf. Because he has to win over the people who hate him. It is his deepest psychological need. "See past race. See me. Accept me." If to win over present-day, seemingly intractable enemies he must pander to them, while pretending he's not selling out his principles, he will pander. The question becomes, does Obama HAVE any principles? Or is it all about him, about his deep need to be accepted — even loved — by everybody?
+
It is in the nature of American politics that the only people who can put up with the sh* are profoundly damaged people who not merely crave attention but need to be loved. It's not their principles they need people to love. It's THEM. And if to be loved, they have to sell out their principles, that is, for all too many major politicians, a very small price to pay. For the rest of us, who vote for someone because of the principles the candidate claims to espouse, we are continually surprised that they don't stick to their principles and fite for them — and thus fite for us. We shouldn't be surprised when we are sold down the river — or in the case of the offshore-drilling issue, pushed out to sea. But we shouldn't tolerate it, either.
+
George Bush was a likable, even adorable guy. But he allowed himself to be used by his masters to do terrible things, in our name. Barack Obama is also likable — because he needs to be liked — but we mustn't let him do terrible things in our name. NO to nuclear power; NO to offshore drilling unless there is NO possibility of accidents creating oil spills to coat seabirds, poison marine life, and foul beaches. Mr. Obama, we don't care about your psychological needs. WE care about principles, even if you do not. Do what we elected you to do. See a shrink to help you accept not being universally adored.
+
(The current U.S. military death toll in Iraq, according to the website "Iraq Coalition Casualties", is 4,386 — for Israel.)
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 5:43 PM