Live by the symbols, die by the symbols What exactly it means is something we can only speculate on, but it seemed that someone was having a jolly old time sneaking in references to the Dog Star in speeches, press conferences and all of the rest of it. It seemed to dissipate early in this year, as the ridiculous "messiah" hype (or "Antichrist" hype from the snakehandlers) ran smack dab into the brick wall of unified Republican intransigence.
I avoided this election as best I could, so I don't know if there were any symbolic shenanigans to be had. I have a feeling probably not, since there was obviously a power struggle going on behind the scenes that may actually dwarf the struggle that played out in the open. Now we see Obama acting like a whipped dog in the face of Republican triumphalism, so I can only wonder what is really going on in that town (I have a feeling it's something very nasty indeed). While Obama was riding on a wave of mind-numbingly ridiculous hero worship, his enemies were taking stock of him as a man and I believe they realized pretty quickly that he was no messiah- he isn't even much of a leader. Certainly not a fighter.
Even though a lot of their voters were wetting their pants over the ridiculous cartoon painted of Obama as some Marxist firebrand with demonic ambitions, the Republican leadership saw him as just another corporatist go-getter with deeply narcissistic tendencies who started his campaign before he even finished his first term in the Senate.
Of course, on everything that matters, Obama is no different from the Republicans, and he's only advanced the warfare state agenda and the erosion of civil liberties. I'll tell you, it really got to be a sick joke reading all the headlines that started with "Obama continues Bush policy on..." last year.
Of course, on everything that matters, Obama is no different from the Republicans, and he's only advanced the warfare state agenda and the erosion of civil liberties. I'll tell you, it really got to be a sick joke reading all the headlines that started with "Obama continues Bush policy on..." last year.
But there's another, more blog-appropriate lesson here- elections are nothing but the manipulation of symbolism.
Symbols rule political advertising because both parties serve the same overlords, they only disagree on who gets the scraps from the table.
So in order to appeal to a dumbed-down public, they use dumbed-down symbols.
The symbolism of a young and inexperienced black man in an inherently symbolic office rankled a lot of older white Americans who've seen their prospects vanish as wealth and power is transferred to countries they once looked down upon.
The fact that they don't take out their anger on the globalist traitors in both parties who sold us all out is another story, but still.
Obama blew a lot of symbolic tests: his Supreme Court appointments did nothing to reassure Middle America, the cringe-inducing "beer summit" did nothing to smooth over ruffled feathers over the fact that Obama trashed a white cop from the Presidential podium before he even heard the facts of the case. In the grand scheme of things none of it really seems important, but to swathes of the country used to certain symbolic protocols, they arguably did more damage than his policies.
But his weakness and his prevaricating have hurt him the most. Not even the most inbred snakehandler buys into the Antichrist meme anymore. But that would be preferable to the image of a guy who rolls over every time the Republicans (or the "Blue Dogs") looked at him cross-eyed. Polls show that people hate the Republicans even more than the Democrats but at least the GOP acts like it has some balls.
There's a lesson there for my liberal friends.
I'm probably the wrong person to comment on it all since I hate both parties like poison, but I do understand the power of symbols. Obama and his handlers might have some devious masterplan to turn it all around before 2012, but if not, I'd recommend that they score some symbolic victories that don't require the gutless whores in Congress to assist. And for God's sake, find some archetypal role to reinvent himself as other than the whipped dog he's playing now.
I'd also recommend that he wake up tomorrow and hold a press conference and say "I offered an olive branch and that mincing old queen from Kentucky slapped it back. So from now on, all y'all can kiss my ass."
Well, not in so many words, but you get my drift.
UPDATE: After I finished writing this post last night the missus and I sat down for some Fringe worship. And what do my wondering eyes behold? Olivia, crowned with the Stairway to Sirius. If that ain't a sync, what is? Bonus sync: the four funerary goddesses.
UPDATE: Recovered Dominionist Frank Schaeffer sees the hand of the Rapture-ready snakehandlers in the election. I don't see that so much of that, I must say.
I think Bush's failed Apocalypse in Iraq took a lot of the oomph out of the movement politically in this country. Their paymasters seem more focused on bigger prizes like China and Africa and the movement can't even sneeze without their OK.
I still see the usual right wing reaction you get whenever a Democratic president is elected combined with Obama's inability to preside and use the Bully Pulpit. Maybe he and his team are great policy wonks, but they had it all two years ago and pissed it all away.
As the Gospel of Thomas says, what you bring forth within you will save you and vice versa. So ball's in your court, President Tut.
