Sunday, February 17, 2008

Obama's Mirror

Is he the perfect reflective source for the outsized egos of those whom laughingly call themselves "progressive"? The Secret is revealed at Just One Minute:

Obama's basic message is that he is a smart and reasonable guy who will reach out to people representing a wide range of views and bring them together to bring about "change".

But what people actually hear is something somewhat different, namely, "Obama is smart and reasonable and he will listen to me; since my ideas are smart and reasonable, he will ultimately embrace them as his own".

This creates a very different dynamic from the typical political campaign. Rather than trying to convince a majority of voters (primary or general election) that his ideas are superior, Obama simply needs to convince a majority that their ideas are superior.

The post also refers to the "Mirror of Erised", a Harry Potter reference that meant nothing to me until I did some research:

Symbolically, the Mirror of Erised is a mirror into the soul, because it reflects your heart's deepest desire ("Erised" is "desire" spelled backwards). The mirror image of the inscription "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi" reads "I show not your face but your hearts desire." In the Mirror of Erised you do not see reality, you see exactly what you want to see.

If true, and Americans are only seeking someone that seems to validate their sense of world order, then it is a poor reflection on us as a people. Even worse, it would authenticate every pop psychologist's analysis of Americans as narcissistic feel-gooders, who believe that deeper insight and true understanding of cost/consequence are irrelevant as long as it all looks good on TV.

Well, that may explain his popularity among Democrats (the ultimate ostriches), but questions will be asked over the general election cycle that will cause the mirror to crack; at least for those whom are not bound to vote by race or party.

Can John McCain and a Republican/Independant coalition be the ones to smash this false mirror and expose the truth?

"Si, Se Puede !!"

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

the O-Man has peaked too soon.
Verrry beatable this fall.
It will be the Demos that will be suffering from buyer's remorse when they nominate this featherweight.