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Obama: The Bizarro FDR
Barack Obama is lots of things - eloquent, dissembling, conniving, intelligent and calm. But one thing he is not is weak.
This basic truth is belied by the Obama criticism you occasionally hear from liberal pundits. They usually stipulate that the president genuinely wants to enact a progressive agenda, but they gently reprimand him for failing to muster the necessary personal mettle to achieve that goal.
This story line is a logical fallacy. Most agree that today's imperial presidency almost singularly determines the course of national politics. Additionally, most agree that Obama is a brilliant guy who understands how to wield political power.
Considering this, it is silly to insist that national political events during Obama's term represent a lack of presidential strength. And it's more than just silly - it's a narcissistic form of wishful thinking coming primarily from liberals who desperately want to believe "their" president is with them.
Obama is a Franklin Delano Roosevelt - but a bizarro FDR. He has mustered the legislative strength of his New Deal predecessor - but he has channeled that strength into propping up the very forces of "organized money" that FDR once challenged.
On health care, for instance, Obama passed a Heritage Foundation-inspired bailout of the private health insurance industry. On foreign policy, he escalated old wars and initiated new ones. On financial issues, he fought off every serious proposal to re-regulate banks. On fiscal matters, after extending the Bush tax cuts, he has used the debt ceiling negotiations to set the stage for potentially massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
As hideous and destructive as it is, this record is anything but weak. It is, on the contrary, proof of Obama's impressive political muscle, especially because polls show he has achieved these goals despite the large majority of Americans who oppose them.
Importantly, though, Obama himself has not suffered from equally negative polling numbers. In forging such bipartisan complicity with what were once exclusively Republican objectives, Obama has achieved what he fantasized about when he famously celebrated a previous bizarro FDR. In an illustrative 2008 interview with a Nevada newspaper, Obama lauded Ronald Reagan for changing "the trajectory of America" and putting "us on a fundamentally different path."
Reagan was a truly strong executive - but the Gipper was nothing compared to our current president.
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Show All"Most agree that today's imperial presidency almost singularly determines the course of national politics."
This is fantasy, and most people do not agree with it.
While capitalism exists, it will produce capitalists, and these will inevitably strike down any and all attempts to ameliorate the worst "excesses" of capitalism, persisting in that effort for as long as it takes and recruiting whomever they can dupe by any twisted rationalizations that serve. Liberals and progressives saw FDR as instituting a new level of civility in American society -- but it was only a lull in the unlimited conflagration of the whole planet. Any hope that capitalism can be "reformed" should be permanently euthanized. Reform is only the stalling technique of capitalists, the promise of a better future for all made with the fingers crossed behind the back.
Anyone can call o what they want to call him. I only look and see and hear what his actions are and those actions bespeak of someone 'following instructions' that are totally opposite of what he campaigned on in 2008 and who I DID NOT VOTE FOR and neither did I vote for mcpalin. And a bizarro fdr can fit the description IF bizarro was up to 'taking instructions' that made him the opposite of superman.
Being a turncoat, o doesn't even have to be intellectual, as most criminals are, that get away with their crimes. What o is, is a judas psychopath who has no problems looking into the camera promising 'change to believe in' and quite adroitly going to work and doing the opposite 'like' a bizarro only what he is doing is intentional by his own volition or by 'taking instructions' WITHOUT ANY REGARD to any consequences, good but mostly bad with absolutely NO remorse. That is a problem of which fixing would have to take radical steps as that means ridding the whole government and corporate nest of corruptions of these psychopaths/sociopaths.
Good intentions won't get anyone these day anything but 6 foot deep.
For those who might be missing the reference about 'BIZARRO FDR'.
Bizarro world is a popular cultural reference. Bizarro world was originally created by DC comics in the early 60's, and was used in the Superman comics. In Bizarro world everything was the exact opposite of Earth. THe planet was a cube, and was called "Htrae" (earth spelled backwards. THe Bizarro world code was: "Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!"
Then Bizarro World became a huge popular cultural reference to the TV sitcom, Seinfeld. In this episode, "The Bizarro Jerry" Elaine found a group of people who were the EXACT OPPOSITE personality traits as her friends Jerry, George and Kramer.
Jerry explains Bizarro world to Elaine: "Yeah. Like Bizarro Superman. Superman's exact opposite, who lives in the backwards bizarro world. Up is Down. Down is Up. He says "Hello" when he leaves, "Good bye" when he arrives."
If you missed this pop cultural reference I would completely get why you think Sirota is so wrong for comparing him to FDR. But if you get the pop cultural reference you understand why Sirota is dead right for calling Obama, Bizarro FDR.
I hope this helps clear up the air....
Eric,
Thanks for the clarifying background. I don't watch television and the only "Bizarro" I know is the Dan Piraro cartoon (which I love).
The Bizarro was only in the comic books as far as I know. Haven't watch t.v. or movies in more than a decade and don't know if Bizarro was put in any superman movies.
Eric,
You're right, I didn't catch the reference. And I have heard of Bizarro World!
But, it is confusing because I remember when Obama was running for prez people were trying to compare his eloquence to that of FDR...and many liberals were outwardly hoping that he would be the next FDR because we were heading into a depression. But I see your point, Obama would still be the Bizarro FDR. I just don't think Sirota's Bizarro theme was very effective.
"In Bizarro world everything was the exact opposite"
"if you get the pop cultural reference you understand why Sirota is dead right for calling Obama, Bizarro FDR."
The exact opposite of FDR?
... would be weak.
... making Sirota's claim that "Reagan was a truly strong executive - but the Gipper was nothing compared to our current president" itself Bizarro.
I agree with Sirota's statement that Obama has acted to prop "up the very forces of "organized money" that FDR once challenged. I think that anyone who can not see that at this point is willfully blind.
But where I disagree is with his drawing a parallel between Obama and FDR with regard to "strength".
And while Sirota is correct that Obama supporters have used the claim that Obama is "weak" as an excuse for why he has acted as he has (namely, that "he actually supports the liberal agenda but is just too weak to get it passed"*), the claim that Obama "is weak" does not itself contradict the claim that he has willfully "propped up the very forces of "organized money" that FDR once challenged", because doing the latter (essentially doing the will of the bankers, CEOs, generals, etc) does not require any real "strength" to speak of.
And, by the comicbook definition, the combination "weak and propping up organized money" would( truly) make Obama "Bizarro FDR" :-)
*It appears that Sirota's position on this issue has itself been a little less than ambiguous recently. In fact, it seems that just a couple months ago, he was doing precisely what he has chastised others for above: believing that "their" president is with them and that he "genuinely wants to enact a progressive agenda".
From MSNBC Live June 3, 2011
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43295626/
UYGUR: can Democrats trust the White House during budget negotiations? Yesterday‘s meeting, the Democrats led by Representative Harry Waxman called for stronger action from the president in fighting back against the Republicans. Someone at the meeting said that President Obama responded by saying “There‘s a difference between me and a member of Congress. When I say something, markets and countries and people react in a way where it could cause us more problems than we have now.” David, I found that quote really telling. It said to me that the president‘s like, oh my God, I have to worry about the markets, I can‘t be doing progressive things because of the markets. Am I over reading that?
SIROTA: No, I think you‘re exactly right. I mean, I think the president—the comment seems to exude that he‘s thinking not about necessarily the agenda. He‘s thinking about other factors. I‘m not saying he should only think about what he wants. There‘s many, many parts moving here. But I think you‘re exactly right, that the question should be, what has he promised? What does he want to do? And will he do it? And that requires marshalling the entire platform of the White House almost regardless of those other external factors. Frankly, the president can‘t control the market. We‘ve learned that from George Bush to Barack Obama. He should be thinking about how to get his agenda through the Congress.
//end quotes
I'm not defending Sirota, or his article. I am just informing everybody about the pop cultural reference to bizarro world.
But nice comment.
Obama is a blue dog. So lets us call him what he is: Traitor; Blue nigger in the kitchen and a fool. The worst dem. pres. since forever!
That is what he is. No two ways about it. He needs to be primaried! Al Gore maybe?
A pastor in New York once called Obama "Mac Daddy". He is selling the country to the highest campaign money bidder, and selling the future generation to slave masters. We are all in a dip mess. Obama duped us, and I am so unhappy because I voted for him in 08. He has lost four votes in my household. You are so right David, those who believe Obama is weak must be living in a lala land, is like when people classify President Bush as stupid. Mr Bush is one of the smartest men in the Universe. Rove is not Bush Brain, in fast the opposite, Bush is Rove Brain. Take Mr Bush southern accent for example, where did that come from. Listen to all his siblings speaks, his father and mother included. Go figure that out and Mr Bush succeeded in fooling the American population and the people of Texas for more than 14 years. Mr Bush is brilliant. Mr Obama is playing from the play book of Mr Bush. Bush is in fact Obama Brain.
The "Bizarro" thing somewhat works, but not completely, because there are many aspects of FDR which are also applicable to Reagan and vice versa.
FDR did have a greater sensibility in the 1930's, but by the middle of World War II, FDR was creating the MIC. Harry Truman was brought in to destroy almost any semblance of socialistic tendencies.
I think it works for the mythical FDR, the mythical Gipper, and the mythical Obama.
But just too many layers of myth for a coherent article, y'know?
Shame because he makes a really good point.
I WISH he was a Socialist. He's about as far away as you can get...
Meanwhile, in Bizarro World, a weak and ineffectual left continued to argue among themselves about trivial nonsense while the oligarchs, without shame, openly stole the past, present and future.
You got that one right, errrr correct. :)