First came the vigorous and seemingly never ending battle – months of Hillary vs Obama – the conclusion of which finally came in Denver. Seems Obama was the clear winner, a fact which was confirmed by him decidedly passing Hillary by as nominee for vice president. Some of us really thought, finally, change is coming to Washington.
But now, the heady days of rhetoric have passed, and we’re left with one question: has it? First we’ve got Rahm Emanuel, a former Clinton advisor, named as Obama’s chief of staff. Granted he’s a fiery piece of work who is guaranteed to make some changes – and probably some enemies too along the way – but still, he’s connected to the Clinton era.
Then there’s Eric Holder, potential attorney general, who, get this, was Bill Clinton’s deputy attorney general. Another possible appointee, Peter Orszag as head of the Office of Budget and Management, is also a former Clinton advisor.
And finally, the big fish, the “Clinton” itself. (We’ve taken to using the singular form when referring to the power couple, as at this point they really have merged into one political entity). According to CNN and other news outlets, it now looks highly probable that Hillary will be named Secretary of State after Thanksgiving.
Of course disregarding Hillary only because her last name is Clinton would be foolhardy. If she’s the best person for the job, then she certainly deserves it. Just a pity for those that thought (or desperately wished) that the Clinton dominance of the Democrat party was finally over.
Is this the change we’ve all been anticipating with almost unbridled excitement? Looks like Obama is fast realizing that running a country is much more difficult than talking about running a country. Seems that even those propogating the message of hope and change are realizing that experience, well, it isn’t such a bad thing.
Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite?
The French Revolution was started with the best of intentions and although Robespierre and the Liberals wanted an orderly overthrow of the status quo (Louis XVI), the entire affair degenerated into a ruthless and bloody mess. As the “Republic of Virtue” and the “Declaration of the Rights of Man” spiraled out of control due to the practical inexperience of a naïve revolutionary bureaurocrat, the response was horrific. By the time the “Reign of Terror” was over, France sought refuge under the tutelage of an absolute ruler and Napoleon plunged the country into a war of conquest that eviscerated the nation and ended in horrible defeat.
Whereas the American Revolution was one of practicality, “No taxation without representation,” the French Revolution was cloaked in idealism, “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite.” Beware the idealists because their comfort lies in the fact that whatever course of action they choose, no matter how vile, that action can be cloaked in the rationalization that it is for “the people.” Robespierre had the Guillotine singing in the market square to satiate “the people” and Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot, Hitler and Fidel Castro executed millions of their own countrymen using “peoples’ courts” to justify their bloody ends. In every case, these monsters believed that what they were doing was in the best interest of their country and that the ends justified the means. Take over your country in a coup and execute thousands of your countrymen in backrooms and we will storm your capital and hang you as a bloody dictator. Do the same things as an elected Chancellor and you get to negotiate with Neville Chamberlain.
We are about to enter a new age of idealism in America not seen since the civil war. A junior senator with virtually no executive experience has just been selected over a seasoned political veteran and war hero. With no record of accomplishment and no experience beyond some rudimentary local community involvement, Barak Obama’s success is the result of a cult of the individual. Women faint when he speaks. Throngs of chanting supporters sway with the rapture that is his persona. He has stated, boldly and without qualification, that he is going to fundamentally change America….not Washington and not the government…America. This is a forty seven year old man who has done virtually nothing outside of politics, who has fed at the government trough for his entire adult life, and has written two autobiographies and told his nation that he will alter its very foundation and move it in a direction that He has determined is appropriate.
If the polls are correct, almost seventy eight percent of American Jews voted for Barak Obama. We do this. For reasons that are unique to the Jewish psyche, we feel that if we choose Liberalism over Judaism, maybe this time the world will love us.
When Joe the plumber dared to challenge candidate Obama in a public venue, the designated goon squads took it upon themselves to defend their savior and they broke into government computers looking for anything that could assault citizen Joe’s character. While they sent investigators to interview North Vietnamese officers to undermine the McCain POW legacy, they refused to do even the most rudimentary investigations in vetting their designee. Think about it. It has actually become perilous to publically challenge our new president.
This sycophantic adulation is dangerous and we, as Jews, should realize this. Will Obama supporters begin to wear uniforms…brown shirts? In a speech in Colorado Springs he called for an internal civilian defense force. With the failure of Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs, the Jews are beginning to be associated with the recent financial crisis. If the recent fiscal chaos is seen as an inhibiting factor to the Obama revolution will his minions come after us? He calls for the redistribution of wealth and that it is patriotic to pay taxes. As “rich Jews,” will it be patriotic to take from these Jews to implement his revolution?
In the beginning, Robespierre wanted only the best for his country. He was adored, his idealism unchallenged, his motives noble. He, too, wanted change and would have never dreamed that his republic of virtue would succumb to the most radical factions that put him into power. As countless nobles were sent to the Guillotine because the people demanded retribution will we, as Jews, assume the tragically historic roll of scapegoat if the Obama revolution is compromised?
With the election of Barak Obama to the presidency we have catapulted an enigmatic, charismatic cult leader to a position of supreme power. He is not a Democrat. Even Democrats concede he is from the most radical faction of their own party. He is not a liberal. This is a man who voted to the left of the only declared socialist in Congress. He is something new. We have to be careful here. Although we like to celebrate our history, the fact of the matter is that we do so rather selectively. Jews were so captured by the Stalinist ideal of communism and an egalitarian society that we were actively involved in bringing Stalin to power and supporting him even during the purges.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity…it sounds nice. So does “change.” Let’s hope that we got it right this time.
Bravo! Couldn’t have said it better.
And just WHAT did you expect???
So are you going to buy out the Rocky Mountain News or just move into 2nd place after the Denver Post when it folds? Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem,
Hanan
So Obama will need a fresh chief of staff. I’m wondering with the latest modification we’ll see a softening in a few of the community policies or will it be the identical game as per normal. You cannot criticize Rahm Emanuel for aspiring for higher office as well as a chance to manage things on his own terms.