Polarization

A few days ago, somebody emailed me a link to web footage of some political speaker. A black man, with the air of a preacher to him (pardon the stereotype), railing against Obama. It was pretty funny. He was calling the President 'Mr. Long-Legged-Mac-Daddy,' and was yelling "You pushing these white people too far! They ain't gonna take it! They gonna rise up, and if you think it was ugly and violent when black people riot, you ain't seen nothin' yet! And I hope they let me join them!"

That's just me paraphrasing. Most of it was pretty over the top, even when you don't factor in him talking about Obama's documented history of homosexuality. But the general point he was making was that, no matter of political correctness, middle-class white people pay a lot of taxes, are being expected to pay a lot more taxes, and are not going to be getting any additional benefit to their lives for having paid those taxes. The average American taxpayer is a middle-class working stiff with a full-time job. Since he has a full-time job, he almost certainly has healthcare already. He will not be pleased at working until July each year before a cent he earns is his own. Not mentioned - but thoroughly implied in the tirade - was that these middle-class white people also tend to own a lot of guns.

All in all, it was pretty funny shit.

But it got me to thinking, and I have to say that I honestly like the way that things are going in this country. I think it's a travesty the way Obama is running the show, but the practical result has been a whole hell of a lot of Americans becoming involved in the political process. Take a look at those town hall meetings; the vast majority of the questions faced where on-point, not accusatory, and should have been anticipated by any rational politician about to present themselves in the public forum. On at least a few occasions, the politicians in question have been completely incapable of rational response, and have ended up looking like jackasses.

I think this is because a lot of those politicians are relics from an era that has now passed. When America was fat and healthy, nobody really cared what their congressmen did. Those congressmen certainly didn't have to face public criticism and questioning of the positions they adopted. All they ever had to do was smile and kiss babies in election years. And look at their responses to these new challenges: usually something along the lines of "How dare you question me! I'm a CONGRESSMAN!!!" Publicly elected officials are getting indignant at the people who put them into power.

I expect a great many of them will be retiring before they run for re-election. Seriously, whoever is gonna run against Barney Frank ("Talking to you is like talking to a dining room table!") has got to be fucking drooling. The man is on film, voicing his contempt for the very people who elected him! I'm taking bets now: he will retire from congress rather than run for re-election. If he does run next year, he will be defeated. Regardless of his seat, next year's mid-term voter turnout is probably going to dwarf any mid-term turn-out in history, and I frankly expect a massive shift towards conservatism and Republican politics.

Barack is simply handling the situation so amazingly badly that most incumbent Democrats who do run will need to distance themselves from him. Look at his antics. His staged "town hall" meeting, with scripted slow-pitch questions. His thumbing his nose at his own party. Acorn employees being caught as the persons behind the "Obama is Hitler" thing. Even professional douchbags like Chris Matthews are having a harder and harder time making excuses for him, and the White House's response to any and all criticism - keeping in recent Democratic mold - has been roughly along the lines of "How dare you question me! I'm PRESIDENT!!!"

The response warms my heart. People are going to come out and vote. Obama is absolutely going to usher in a new era of change, because whatever Republican gets the nomination in 2012 is going to win by a fucking landslide. Congressional elections that year will swing Red as well. All in all, Barack is going to be this generations Jimmy Carter: someone who, for all his intelligence and good intentions, handled the country so amazingly BADLY that whoever follows him will have the full support of a majority that has become quite vocal.