House of Eratosthenes

We are witnessing one of the more rapid turnabouts in recent American political history. President Obama’s popularity has plummeted to 50 percent and lower in some polls, while the public expresses even less confidence in the Democratic-led Congress and the direction of the country at large. Yet, just eight months ago, liberals were talking in Rovian style about a new generation to come of progressive politics — and the end of both the Republican party and the legacy of Reaganism itself. Barack Obama was to be the new FDR and his radical agenda an even better New Deal.

What happened, other than the usual hubris of the party in power?

First, voters had legitimate worries about health care, global warming, immigration, energy, and inefficient government. But it turns out that they are more anxious about the new radical remedies than the old nagging problems. They wanted federal support for wind and solar, but not at the expense of neglecting new sources of gas, oil, coal, and nuclear power. They were worried about high-cost health care, the uninsured, redundant procedures, and tort reform, but not ready for socialized medicine. They wanted better government, not bigger, DMV-style government. There is a growing realization that Obama enticed voters last summer with the flashy lure of discontent. But now that they are hooked, he is reeling them in to an entirely different — and, for many a frightening — agenda. Nothing is worse for a president than a growing belief among the public that it has been had.

Second, Americans were at first merely scared about the growing collective debt. But by June they became outraged that Obama has quadrupled the annual deficit in proposing all sorts of new federal programs at a time when most finally had acknowledged that the U.S. has lived beyond its means for years. They elected Obama, in part, out of anger at George W. Bush for multi-billion dollar shortfalls — and yet as a remedy for that red ink got Obama’s novel multi-trillion-dollar deficits.

Third, many voters really believed in the “no more red/blue state America” healing rhetoric. Instead, polls show they got the most polarizing president in recent history — both in his radical programs and in the manner in which he has demonized the opposition to ram them through without bipartisan support. “Punch back harder” has replaced “Yes, we can.”

I’m guessing maybe three quarters out of all the electorate has little-to-no understanding about the civil war raging between conservative and liberal…or does understand it, and doesn’t care for it. Wants to wish it away. If they could ask one single question each election cycle that defines their concerns, the question would be Rodney King’s “Can’t we all just get along?”

The answer is no.

From global warming to drilling in ANWR to abortion to home-schooling to minimum wage to single-payer healthcare to the death tax to the card check bill to the death panels to “negotiating” with terrorists to the airborne laser to the right to keep and bear arms. The issues are all the same. They all boil down to one thing: Are people glorious. Do they have potential. Can they have ideas…as individuals. Are they worthy of a vigorous, terrible and lethal defense.

Is it a more noble exercise of the human creativity to create things — or to destroy things. It all comes down to that.

And last fall we didn’t vote for a creator. Well…some of us did. But most of us didn’t.

I’m guessing maybe three quarters out of all the electorate has little-to-no understanding about the civil war raging between conservative and liberal…or does understand it, and doesn’t care for it.

Yup. That would be me… understanding and not liking. I tend to think of you (and your rhetoric) as sort of a scorched-earth pessimist, Morgan. If you throw out the outliers on either side of the bell-curve… and by that I mean the Jane Hamshers and the Morgan Freebergs (in the blogosphere)… the great majority of us are indeed sick and tired of all the goddamned “Your’re eeevil!” statements, followed by the inevitable “You’re stoopid!” retorts. Our politics today look more like an elementary school playground than reasoned discourse between adults.

There HAS to be a better way, or the republic is doomed.

And get off my lawn.
- bpenni | 08/19/2009 @ 12:58
[…] This comment, though, was a little bit of a head-scratcher: I tend to think of you (and your rhetoric) as sort of a scorched-earth pessimist, Morgan. If you throw out the outliers on either side of the bell-curve… and by that I mean the Jane Hamshers and the Morgan Freebergs (in the blogosphere)… the great majority of us are indeed sick and tired of all the goddamned “Your’re eeevil!” statements, followed by the inevitable “You’re stoopid!” retorts. Our politics today look more like an elementary school playground than reasoned discourse between adults. […]
- House of Eratosthenes | 08/20/2009 @ 05:54

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