That Radical Obama...

When Do We Get to See Obama's Radicalism?

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The search for the radical associations in Obama's pre-political history began almost as soon as Obama's presidential candidacy began in 2007. Some conservatives (and that's an important qualifier; many conservatives understand that this stuff is nuts) have been positively obsessed with uncovering Obama's radical associations. They have also insisted that those associations are closer than anyone thinks. So it isn't enough that Obama once served on a charitable board with former '60s radical Bill Ayers; some want us to believe that Ayers actually ghostwrote Obama's books! Obama didn't just speak at a rally supporting Derrick Bell; he hugged Bell, which just shows how close they were!

And all of this is supposed to lead to something, something about Obama's presidency. Not even the craziest among the conspirators thinks that Obama is, today, taking orders from Ayers. But they would no doubt assert that he doesn't have to, because in his youth Obama drank so deeply from their cup of extremist America-hating that he will be doing what the likes of Ayers want anyway.

So here's my question: When do we get to see Obama's radicalism?

I'm not talking about Affordable Care Act-type radicalism. I mean the real radicalism. The Weather Underground radicalism. The Black Panther radicalism. The dismantling of capitalism, the closing of the Defense Department, the demotion of white people to second-class citizenship. When is that going to come? Can they give us the litany of Obama policies that represent the realization of the visions of the '60s radicals who supposedly control his mind across the decades?

Because after all, the point of the supposedly shocking revelation about Obama's past isn't to help us understand what has already happened but to give us a preview of what is to come. For instance, some conservatives believe the auto bailout is a key component of Obama's nefarious socialist plan. But you don't need to know when Obama spoke with Bill Ayers 15 years ago or what he said about Derrick Bell 20 years ago to understand the auto bailout. You can look at the actual auto bailout. No, the shocking revelation is supposed to warn us about new radicalism, the radicalism to come that can only be appreciated if you grasp the full implications of the people Obama was hanging around with a couple of decades ago.

So what exactly is it that they're warning America about? When do we get to see this crazy radical Obama? If they're pressed, there is an answer to this question: In his second term! That's when the mask will be torn off, and the true Obama revealed. Sure, he might be governing like your average center-left Democrat now, but that's only because he's been lulling us into a false sense of security, so he can get re-elected and then begin his true project of remaking America, when Angela Davis gets nominated to the Supreme Court, private property is outlawed, and half the public gets herded onto collective farms. Or something.

This was covered expertly last month by the Daily Show here and here.

Ed Brayton explains why such demonstrable nonsense remains so pervasive:

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I wrote recently about the pervasiveness of the paradise lost myth among conservatives, but the other side of that coin might be termed the dystopic future myth. Not only have we abandoned a perfect and harmonic past behind, they think, we’re also endlessly headed toward a horrible future that can only be avoided, of course, by putting them in control. The same people who were warning us that social security would make America a communist country are now doing the same thing with health care reform, and the failure of their previous hysterical predictions doesn’t slow them down a bit, nor does it provoke much in the way of skepticism from new generations of followers. Because dystopia is always around the next bend.

I wonder if the dystopic future is just another part/spin of the Christian narrative, specifically the Rapture/Antichrist thing, like the paradise lost myth certainly is. Some secret agent of Satan is going to rise to power and make things awful for everyone. While they certainly don't call him the Antichrist (much) anymore, they are obviously more than comfortable declaring him to be the End of All Things. Which will happen, you know, any day now...

I don't know what the hell they mean when they say the world is going to end someday, because it looks like we're living the hell the politicians created.

There is no middle/purgatory.

Rich & Poor.

Heaven & Hell - and no inbetween.

You're either a politician and wealthy, or a person being taxed to hell.