You know, I used to think Obama was a socialist.
I have to admit, now I don't think that anymore; in strict point of fact, I just think he's a fucking idiot, now.
You see, some of his programs are clearly socialist, and this initially faked me out.
But then I realized that behind the scenes, this guy is Bush 2.
...Big statement, there, but:
Treasury secretaries from Goldman Sachs: check, and check.
Seemingly unending war in the Middle East, hallmarked by good generals getting ignored and general mismanagement: check, and check.
Massive taxpayer bailouts of companies than then don't give squat back: check, and check.
Gitmo still open: check, and check.
Don't ask, don't tell: check and "still thinking about it."
Deficits? Check and check.
Poor response to disasters? Check and check.
Patriot Act: check and check.
Secret meetings and hidden legislation? Check and check.
If anything, this guy is Bush squared; he's doing everything wrong that Bush did wrong, plus a lot more besides.
He even golfs more than Bush ever did; eight times more, to be specific. And during the president of Poland's funeral, no less. That's pure awesome, right there. I mean, ok, getting there to personally attend might be tough, but "fuck it, want to go 18 holes?" is hardly an appropriate diplomatic response.
He's spent cartloads more money than Bush ever did, just in his first year; Bush had eight.
He's sent the deficit through the roof, far more so than Bush did - in eight years.
He's not only kept the Patriot Act going, but actually expanded its provisions, and authorized things Bush would never have done, like the assassination of an American citizen.
So.
There's a narrative at work, describing Obama as the anti-Bush; no matter what he does, he blames every problem on his predecessor, and the media blithely goes along with it.
Here's the problem: despite blaming Bush for everything, he does THE SAME THINGS that Bush did, as solutions.
If all you've got is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
Troop surge? Worked for Iraq, so let's try it in Afghanistan!
Seriously. It's like he's making it his life quest to emulate Bush in every way except the ones that count - the ways that let Bush understand the threat this country faces, and deal with it head-on, with steely determination even in the face of significant public outcry.
The ways that let Bush actually cut taxes, while Obama (mysteriously, you'd think a fix was in in the media) gets credit for a tax cut, despite having merely shuffled the tax burden onto other things.
Ok, you knuckleheads, he cut the income tax, but at the SAME TIME, he raised practically every other tax in the country - and you guys actually PAY most of those. How is that a tax cut? You're losing money like water out of a leaky bucket. You didn't think you were broke by ACCIDENT, did you?
For me, realizing that this is in fact what's going on was a moment of clarity, remarkable in its ability to make obvious things which were previously hidden by my deep-seated sense of "what the FUCK is going on?!"
The first rule of tautology club is the first rule of tautology club!
Right.
So here's the Narrative Gap, part two: Obama really, really wants to be like Bush. So much so, that despite throwing his panicked and angry constituents the occasional greasy bone so they shut up, he's doing everything he can to make the same decisions and choices Bush made, only more so.
Moderation in all things is the soul of virtue, Benjamin Franklin once said. He wasn't wrong. The thing about Bush was, even when he screwed up, he didn't do so on such a catastrophic level - no matter what the media tells you - that it put the survival of our nation itself at risk.
Obama, on the other hand, is following him in lockstep down the shady path into hell, taking massive leaps instead of decisive strides.
As Lee once told me, replacing once massive fuckup with a new, different massive fuckup is not an improvement.
He was right.
I am afraid of what we might find in the Narrative Gap part three.
