As Ray Williams said: to be truly radical is to make hope possible, not despair convincing.
to be truly radical is to make hope possible, not despair convincing.
If my use of the term Idol, especially with a capital "I", has offended some, I regret my in-artful language. The truth is that he has been seen by some more in the terms of a Rock Star Idol than as a religious idol, but I don't place a lot of value on either type of idol. I think the Obamas may have even joked about his "idol" status. That is turning into another of these ugly truths which you would have progressives ignore or refrain from mentioning and from which I would prefer Obama to learn. As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
You say it seems to you that he's being treated as an idol and no criticism is accepted, but I could just as easily flip that and say 'your camp' treats him as a demon and no acknowledgment of good things is accepted and then we're both just talking past each other. What good does it do to frame things this way?
It seems to me that you're also framing an awful lot of your opinions and interpretations as fact -- "a hash he has made of his first year; believed that perception management was everything; walked away from the message" -- these are all your judgments, stated as fact. You then exclude any changing of your opinion by saying even if he changes, it's too late to do any good and you've decided it will be based on expedience rather than principle or belief, so he apparently can never win you over.
So if I'm reading you correctly, you're the one who is operating on belief -- strongly held beliefs in which you've judged Obama and found him wanting -- but want to criticize those who 'believe' differently from you and mock them for idolatry? Is there any room for discussion in this dynamic? I'm thinking it just leads to hostility and can't see any good coming from it, which is why I'm asking the question -- maybe there's a benefit to it I'm not seeing. Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. -Hobbes
If that is what you mean, own it.
In any case, having one's hopes raised and then cruelly dashed is an important part in developing seasoned activists and political operatives. Sure, a lot of people get turned off by the process and give up, but I don't think there's anything that can be done - just hope they'll get over it, and re-join the fight later. But others survive the experience, and are stronger for it - more willing to keep fighting the good fight, and more understanding of the hardships we on the left always face.
By their actions the Democratic Party thinks things are basically fine and all that needs to be done is some tuck-pointing around the edges and hanging some bright shining objects up so everyone can "oooo" and "ahhhh."
Until that changes, and nobody reading this has the power to change it, nothing will change.
Admittedly, the Teabaggers have some big advantages, in being funded by rich crazies and promoted by national television celebrities and networks, and accorded all the praise and respect that any mouthpiece of the far right will get. The fact that it has required all this to build any support at all for their utter and complete insanity is telling, though.
