Sunday, May 03, 2009

Barack Obama, Hypocrite-in-Chief

Who is the bigger hypocrite - Barack Obama, or his fawning sycophants in the news media?

The hypocrite-in-chief has wasted no time in engaging the sort of double-talk that routinely earned his predecessor the label of "Worst president ever", but isn't it even more nauseating that the news media, the self-styled truth-to-power speaker which considers itself the conscience of the world, can't cast on Obama even one one-hundredth of the scrutiny and criticism it routinely doled out to George Bush?

Let's just try and imagine what would have happened if George Bush had engaged in just one of Obama's many shenanigans:

-Having an attorney general who labels the country as "Cowards" when it comes to "Talking about racial matters" - Of course, Eric Holder did nothing to illustrate exactly what matters he was describing, but it was merely a racial elephant in the room for everyone to ignore by unspoken agreement. Could he have been referring to the street-thug gangsta-rap ideology that pervades the culture and denounces those who read and study for "Acting White"? That would indeed be speaking truth to power, but by the shamefully absurd lack of focus, it's clear that Mr. Holder was talking about something that no reporter even felt the need to ask for details on. Is it still such a foregone conclusion in the U.S.A. that the only racial issue that matters is the notion of white hatred towards blacks? Apparently, it's easier to avoid facing the fact that reality is a good deal more complex than this simplistic scapegoat, but as always, it's easier to blame the white race for all social ills. But the differentiation appears to be the mere fact that Mr. Holder himself is black - sure, a white Attorney General would never say such a thing - but why is a black man given a pass for such a thing, where a white man would be hounded to obscurity? The mentality that allows such double-standards is precisely what allows the national racial-angst monologue to continue.

-Expanding our debt by trillions, then denouncing the same debt, then pretending that projected reductions would be "Savings" (and let's not even discuss what usually happens to such projected reductions). Generally, doublespeak about money is uncool. This time around, Obama's "Trust me, I'm really cool" message appears to be pegged to a currency of its own, which circulates for as long as everyone accepts it - but what happens when people lose their faith in it, and want real cash?

-Saying that we "Need to look forward" regarding actions taken by the past administrations, but then quietly sending out the lawyers to see if "Truth Commissions", prosecutions, lawsuits, and indictments can be obtained at the same exact time.

-Taking boatloads of campaign money from a company, and then using his power as president to force the company into government receivership, effectively taking it over.

-Indulging in the most expensive inauguration ever - particularly at a time when the rest of the economy is reeling from contraction. Oh, well, it's different, everyone thinks; it's an "Historic" occasion, the inauguration of the first black president, so it's okay. If you bought into this line, you've patronized millions of Americans with your shallow airs. Apparently, you've invested so much into the notion that America is the Great Satan of the world, you've forgotten how many lives America has sacrificed to emancipate blacks from slavery (leading the rest of the world way behind in the rearview mirror), rescue untold millions from dictatorships and fascists around the world during the twentieth century, and the millions upon millions of dollars transferred from the pockets of U.S. taxpayers every year into the bank accounts of other nations, even those who pocket such largesse while at the same time uttering drearily predictable rants about how evil the U.S. is. Hypocrisy? Set your watch to it; it's Obama time!

-Pretending that every one of his tax-cheating cabinet appointments were absolutely crucial to the survival of the nation, and that their tax offenses were something to be explained away - or simply ignored.

-Making "Calls" for "Bipartisanship", then denouncing those who don't buy into it once it becomes clear that "Bipartisanship" to the president means that everybody on the other side gives him what he wants, while he gives nothing in return.

-Claiming that he'd have no lobbyists, then bringing in a whole bunch of them.

-Claiming the budget had no pork, and then adding a mountain of pork.

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So much of this see-no-evil approach has to do with Mr. Obama's purported personal charm, and I say "Purported" specifically because too many have made huge concessions about the one's "Oratorical Gifts", and "Cool Demeanor", and such, but I'm sorry to report that I see little evidence of it. Sure, he's not wearing a sideways baseball cap, and saying "Yo, 'Sup" at press conferences - instead, he adopts the tones of a smooth salesman, and talks in exceptionally bland platitudes - this is supposed to be evidence of an amazing personality? It's just snake oil all over again. Bush's line about the "Soft bigotry of low expectations" once again proves far more visionary than anyone could ever have expected. So Obama can go on and on about stuff that sounds good in the abstract, and avoids details when turning on his charm offensive. That's statesmanship? It's just the same old malarkey, and everyone who thought we were getting a new and better spin on the presidency is having the wool pulled over their eyes at the same time the rug is being pulled out from under them.

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However, there are of course many actions taken by Obama that are not hypocritical in the sense that he'd be praised for them, where Bush would have been damned, but that's because Bush would never have done them:

-Kissing up to Hugo Chavez, and even accepting a book from him, which was, of course, a diatribe about how all of South America's problems are the fault of the U.S.A.
-Kissing up to Daniel Ortega
-Apologizing for America (just as though it were necessary)
-Releasing CIA information to further demonize the former administration, while giving no consideration to whether such information affects America's safety.
-Turning up the thermostat in the Oval Office to 80, while burning absurd amounts of jet fuel on "Earth Day" for photo opportunities, and at the same time denouncing coal as an industry, and buying into the notion of a cap-and-trade bureacracy of dubious nature and need, which is all but guaranteed to act as an albatross around the neck of the country.
-Targeting celebrities, such as Jim Cramer and Rush Limbaugh in an attempt to deflect criticism and scrutiny of his own agenda.
-Returning the Bust of Winston Churchill to England - what many would consider to have been a treasured gift from a staunch ally - then allowing his staff to tell the British that they shouldn't consider themselves any different from anyone else, nor expect special treatment.

No, Bush would have been far more classy - but you can be sure, that whatever Bush did that's "Bad", is now "Good", just as long as Barack Obama is the one doing it. Since that's the only rule that anyone needs to know, being a fan of Obama is possibly the easiest, most default position to take - but, as always, thinking for yourself takes a backseat to such group-think. So carry on, emperor Obama, and your adulatory bootlickers in your press corps - because they do work for you; never forget that. You earned them, and they're yours - sure, they are still ostensibly owned by private companies, and their own steep declines in readership, circulation, and shareholder values have taken a concurrent plummet - but that has nothing to do with you. In fact, they might be eligible for a bailout, no? Pull the AIG trick again, and they're all yours, in deed as well as fact!