[quote=partypup]”The general assertion here that we are just victims here is not one that has validity. No one may enter the house of strong man without his permission and so no one may take away our power just by force. We may be dumb enough to be conned out of political power and in that sense you have a point.”
Urban, you have nailed the heart of the matter: the American people are unquestionably dumb enough to be “conned” out of their democratic principles. Just as they were dumb enough to be “conned” into a war with absolutely no evidence whatsoever against our enemy. It has been my position all along that Obama’s campaign is one of the most brilliant con jobs in American political history because he may be able to convince Americans to give up willingly that which they would not allow to be taken by force. Why? Because of his Messianic following and silky rhetoric. I suspect it would be infinitely harder for the walking corpse/McCain to convince Americans to surrender their rights. Don’t you?
You may say that if Americans are dumb enough to let this happen, then we get what we deserve.
Unfortunately, you and I will go down with the idiots. Hardly seems fair.
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Nope.
Don’t buy it.
He is only messianic in comparison to McCain and due to the ambient anger about Bush.
Ed Rollins has some things to say about this from a Republican perspective.
He has what appears to be a minimum winning coalition of support.
This coalition will factionalize the minute he becomes the ruler instead of the critic-in-chief.
He is an effete intellectual. He is John Kerry with some style (kind of like a Tucker Carlson with rhetorical ability) and grace.
I don’t doubt that he is a genuine believer. In fact, I make no judgment and have no opinions on his beliefs. Instead, I think that he (like Clinton, who really was a believer) will just be one more liberal governing a country of non-liberals.
So while I still think we are often dumb enough to lose our way of life, I don’t think this will be the time.
I will end this rant with 2 quotes:
“Remember how the Nazis came to power. THEY WERE ELECTED!!!” — Victor Magagne, UCSD Political Science perfesser
“And this is how democracy dies. With thunderous applause.” –Padme Amidala, former queen of Naboo