Disappeared News

“The deal that emerged late Sunday reinforces that reality, eliminating with finality the possibility that our elected leaders might somehow find a way to invest in the future. Instead they have relegated us to more of the same -- an unwinding of traditional American economic expectations. This is a disservice to taxpayers and working people. This is a disservice to democracy, the most advanced form of governance known to humanity, now turned into a craven spectacle.”—Peter S Goodman

The agreement to avert disaster truly is disaster in another form.

Use your mouse. Surf the web. There’s lots of good commentary out there on the debt ceiling agreement. The insight I gained from Debt Ceiling Deal: Staving off Disaster With Disaster (Huffington Post, 8/1/2011) by Peter S. Goodman is, in my own interpetation, that Obama’s speechwriters are no substitute for political skill nor for political will. Teleprompters don’t substitute for an actual spine.

But what if Obama was marketed to us by these speechwriters and others, and they’re still there, writing the words he says, continuing to sell Obama, now the 2012 candidate. Obama, as a leader, is nothing like his PR. Obama, the 2008 candidate, no longer exists in any reality.

Perhaps he was simply an avatar, projected on giant screens for our entertainment, animated by a skillful crew of publicity hacks. From his lips came words from a clever script, not from his own hard politician’s heart. It was just a voiceover. And that avatar is still “alive” today, because it is needed for the next election.

And we’re stuck with him, since the alternative for 2012 is likely to be just the Republican Taliban. Even if Bernie Sanders would run, could he win? From there, it’s downhill.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 8/01/2011 11:11:00 AM