Even before the surge announcement, support among liberals for Obama's Afghanistan policy had dropped 22 points since July, to 59 percent from 81 percent, according to a Post-ABC News poll. Overall liberal support for Obama had drifted down to 80 percent from 94 percent in the spring -- and, given the noisy complaints from the left last week, that number seems likely to fall further."So yeah, how's your hero with feet of clay NOW, stupid Dirty F'ckin Hippies? Obama's worse than Bush! Hur hur hur SUCK IT!"
It was bound to happen eventually. Obama had become to his youthful supporters a vessel for all of their liberal hopes. They saw him as a transformational figure who would end war, save the Earth from global warming, restore the economy -- and still be home for dinner. They lashed out at anybody who dared to suggest that Obama was just another politician, subject to calculation, expediency and vanity like all the rest.
Certainly, Obama gets some blame for encouraging the messianic cult as he stumped for change and hope. "I am asking you to stop settling for what the cynics say we have to accept," he would say as he wrapped up speeches. "Let us reach for what we know is possible: A nation healed. A world repaired. An America that believes again."
In other cases, Obama truly has gone back on campaign vows. Even some of his advisers are disappointed that he has moved so slowly to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. Civil libertarians are justifiably disappointed with his decision to continue much of the Bush administration secrecy. Clean-government types are understandably frustrated that Obama vowed that lobbyists "will not get a job in my White House" but now grants waivers so that lobbyists can work in key administration jobs.
But at least as much blame for the disillusionment goes to progressives who simply expected too much of him. Some are disappointed that the Nobel Peace Prize winner proposed even higher defense spending than George W. Bush did -- but Obama never said he would cut the Pentagon's budget. Many liberals are disappointed that he isn't pushing the "public option" more forcefully in the health-care debate -- but it was never something Obama emphasized during the campaign.
To which I reply "yes, because Obama went from 89% to 21% approval ratings like Bush did, and 9/11 happened on his watch, and Obama got us into two wars and never got anything passed in Congress and never once signed an executive order like Bush could do at will."
It's nice to know that even a year later, the Village is still pushing the "Cult of Obama" meme to the Church Of People Who Think Obama Is Really Darth Hitler Satan Riding Jormungandr. Irony detection is the first thing that goes when you get inside the beltway.
Then again the real brainwashed cult around here is the Village, folks.
As you know, I am no shrinking violet when it comes to defending Obama... but the only people EVER pushing the "Obama will end the culture wars and save America" was the media. Every panel I see has at least one commentator bring up, in perplexed tones, the question of "I thought Obama was going to end partisanship?" and then everyone putting on their serious faces while they lament the direction Obama is taking us.
ReplyDeleteIf only we had a "strong" leader that "stood up" to tyrants in Iran, why then we could turn this nation around.