Bull

When you hit the ‘search’ button for ‘Obama’ on my blog, nearly everything I’ve ever written turns up. This got me to thinking how easy it is to demean anybody these days. I remember how easy it was turning Bush into a monster. Now, with Obama it’s the same. The public’s gotten immune to it. Hardly anybody pays attention anymore. It’s all method. I suspect even JB is quite skilled in it. He seldom uses those particular arrows, to be sure. …and that’s entirely to his credit.

It’s become sport. In literature there is Jerzy Kosiński‘s “Painted Bird”. A group of boys will catch a bird and paint it some garish color and send it aloft. It’s mates will find it and peck it to death.

‘President of the U. S.’ is one of those garish colors - perhaps the most garish of them all. We collectively paint these scarlet letters on his chest. Then, everyone happily participates in the spectacle of watching him plummet. We tear up our presidents as if they were toilet paper. We really do.

I really can’t think of anywhere on earth where it’s any different. At some point we must realize it boomerangs. And even if the president happens to be lacking in certain graces, we should really restrain ourselves.

Some of it is orchestrated, I know. Some of it is downright macabre. (Has anybody bothered to check if Lisa Murkowski’s ad was photo shopped?) Most of it is downright immature. But the fact is that most of us no longer know the difference between a serious grievance and piling on.

I too have been guilty of it, I know. Most of the time I’ve even thought I was right. Now I’m no longer so sure. There are people I respect who absolutely love this president. They have won the coin toss. Let them have it. Let them be the first ones to complain. If they were wrong, it is they who should be the ones to proclaim it.

What we’ve done instead is lock horns. We choose this man or that; and then we turn on him. He is suddenly no longer one of us. He becomes a laughing stock; or worse: the enemy. It’s kinda like bull fighting. Before we’ve even bought the tickets, we already know the bull is dead. We go home afterward, and eat and drink. If it should turn out the other way around, we are shocked. We don’t eat because we’ve lost our appetite.

Well, I can’t resist saying, there’s a bull in the WH china shop and it is winning. He’s happily knocking about, breaking all our precious stuff. Though most of it can be mended, some of it is irreplaceable - like our respect for the office.

I was watching the news out of France. Sarkozy is trying desperately to get his fiscal house in order. The changes he’s proposing aren’t huge if you compare it to what will happen if he can’t make it happen. Yet, the people won’t let him do what needs to be done.

If we continue to tear down Obama, it’ll make it that much harder for the next guy. Eventually, they’ll all be running for the hills. Only the fanatics will be left to dictate terms. …and they won’t take as kindly to our fun and games.

All I’m saying is that we’re in serious danger of losing it all - if we haven’t already.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/