Posted by
Aaron Miller on Saturday, February 14, 2009 12:00:00 AM
Today, I watched
Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck dispute whether or not the inevitable economic fallout from the recent "stimulus" bill will hurt Obama's popularity. It won't. In fact, Obama's popularity is likely to increase.
The most obvious and compelling evidence for that claim is FDR's presidency. America's economy only worsened during Roosevelt's presidency, and yet he remained so popular that he was reelected
twice! He served longer than any other president in our nation's history, and is generally remembered today as one of our greatest presidents. Again, the economy did not improve under Roosevelt, yet American voters didn't turn on him.
Why not? I'm no historian, but I know of at least two factors. First, FDR was an exceptionally skilled and charismatic orator. Second, he bought affection with pork projects for interest groups.
That should sound familiar.
Obama is a charmer and master manipulator. The complete lack of substance in his campaign and his supporters' willingness to overlook the most blatant lies demonstrate the charismatic power Obama has over the American public. He just pushed Congress to pass a "stimulus" bill that offers little stimulus, a bill that not one Congressional representative has read entirely, a bill of unprecedented size that we must pay for with money we don't have (thereby depreciating the dollar to a dangerous degree)... and yet he has the support of half the nation in doing so! A hundred obviously separate issues were legislated into a single bill and passed with little to no discussion -- that's called dictatorship.
This is only the beginning of the spending packages. TARP 2 is already in the works, and you can bet that Obama will be injecting it with more federal control. Obama will keep liberals in his pocket with pork and one-sided mandates for years to come.
Have I mentioned how terrorists might strengthen Obama's chokehold on the public? Numerous persons from intel backgrounds have suggested that America is likely to experience another major terrorist attack on home soil within the next few years; even within the next few
months. If we are struck again, it's a certainty that Obama will gain power from it. Presidents always gain power after a direct attack on America, because leadership is vital during a crisis like that. And let's not forget that Obama
proposed a domestic military force, nor his proposal that all citizens participate in mandatory (changed to voluntary, post-election) community service.
The bottom line is this: Obama is a man out for power. He has it, and he'll gain more over the next few years.
Our only hope -- aside from God, of course -- is for conservatives like O'Reilly to accept that America is not unbreakable. This is a great nation, but we are not immune from tyranny or
de facto revolution. Americans must believe that events of historic proportions and terrible nature can occur during their lifetimes and at home. Obama is gaining a dangerous level of power, and we won't be able to resist his manipulations if we don't even acknowledge that power.