...reporting from the future....May 2009....
It was inconceivable that he would lose, at least to his most ardent supporters. While others had tried to warn Obama, he ignored the advice, and let his surrogates accuse his opponents of being "Joe McCarthy", pick apart every small statement, and make things up. He focused his entire campaign on his democratic opponent, and in the meantime let the constitutional egresses of Bush and Company stand unchallenged. In the name of "reconciliation" he chose to gloss over the egresses, reach across the aisle, and forgive.
But many other things contributed to his downfall, including many of his own making. And when the Clinton supporters walked out of the Democratic Convention in August because his accused Hillary Clinton of making it tough for him, and because he insulted half the democratic party for voting for her, Obama was left alone with a young, over-hyped crowd that was too naive and inexperienced to mount the kind of effort he would need to defeat John McCain.
The man with the silver tongue was defeated by the man with the silver medals.
Suddenly, the "fired up, ready to go", and the "yes we can" crowd took it upon themselves to use the same tactics they used on democrats, and devolved into name calling and dismissal of John McCain--the war hero.
The dismissal of McCain's war record and his public service--even though fraught with ethics violations--was the straw that broke the camels back. Instead of strategically focusing on McCain's problems, Obama supporters called him names, thinking it was all very funny.
Americans soon tired of Obama's arrogance, masked under the guise of "hope", and his dismissal of all things serious in favor of soaring rhetoric. The democrats tired of his acceptance of the destruction of the Constitution under Bush, and Obama's constant running away from the label of Democrat and of "liberal". And Obama's plan to keep the tax cuts for the wealthy in place, as a gesture of reconcilation, forced thousands of families and businesses into bankruptcy just as the election was occuring.
The final election narrative? "We'll be ok with McCain". And Obama lost in a landslide.
Unmasked by McCain in a series of excrutiating debate fiascos and serious critiques, Obama's "plan" for America was shown to be thin on details and thin on ways to pay for the promises made. His "foreign policy expertise", snippets of which were delivered in halting, unsure statements during the course of debates, was unmasked as naive and without substance. He was ridiculed for "being against the war before he was for it" because he continued to fund the war with almost no exceptions nor any statement of disapproval. Obama was roundly dismissed as having any foreign policy expertise and his statements were ridiculed as "just words" because of his failure to hold even one hearing in the foreign policy committee he chaired, as well as his failure to show up and vote on key foreign policy matters in the Senate.
And as the gaffes began to mount, and as he failed to produce any details of his plans--again, preferring to give speeches instead of paying attention to details--the "hopeful Americans" became cynical, as they realized that they had succumbed to a "bill of goods" sold to them by Obama and his surrogates. Americans were frightened by his failure to disclose that he sat in a church for 20 years listening to hateful comments, disclosing this only when he had to. His explanations fell woefully short even though delivered in a soaring speech, and his inablity to utter the words "I made a mistake" hung around his neck like an albatross and only reinforced the perception of arrogance that followed him everywhere.
The loss of hope was perhaps the most devastating--here was a man who seemed right, but in the end turned out to be just another slick politician who would say anything to win. Turning up the heat on McCain far too late in the campaign smacked of disingenuousness and divisiveness...and this contributed to the undermining of his message of hope and reconciliation. Who then was the real Barack Obama?
But how did he lose America? By failing to win, he depressed the American electorate. Never again would a candidate with soaring rhetoric be trusted. His concerns for the poor were unmasked as convenient rhetoric when Americans realized that indeed, this ivy league, privileged person had never suffered, nor understood, the humiliation and despair of poverty.
By dismissing anyone who could have been helpful to him--especially half the democratic party who did not vote for him, he fractured the party and divided it forever...splintering it into a million little pieces. In the end, he could not bring himself to a reconciliation within his own party.
On the day McCain was inagurated, Al Queda launched a missile attack on America, and dozens of suicide bombers hit restaurants, train stations, shopping malls, and airports. McCain declared a state of emergency and instituted martial law. Two days after McCain was inagurated, he launched a missile attack on Iran, who he had longed blamed for everything that was wrong with America. Finally, he had his World War III.
A war whose only end is mutally assured destruction. In May 2009, we are just beginning to realize the key crucial errors that were made by democrats.
Obama's focus on "me" as the savior--as if he alone would bring an end to the madness--fell woefully short when the universe was calling for our collective action. The "messianic" message, and the blind following it engendered, was unfortunate. The politics of personality was not the answer to a world that needed our collective leadership. And by alienating half the democrats by insulting, ridiculing, and dismissing anyone with a concern, Obama made certain that there would be never again be a united democratic party.
(note: don't like this scenario? Then please do something about your candidate and begin to focus on the real issue--republican rule--instead of tearing down democrats or anyone or anything that raises legitimate concerns about Obama. Don't kill the messenger...heed the message.)