Comment

Comment by Eric L. Wattree on January 31, 2011 at 11:25pm

Thank you, Enhager.

 

I understand exactly what you're saying.  But cheerleading is a form of close-mindedness as well, because it is the antithesis of independent thought. And we must always meet ignorance with efficient thought, regardless to how tempted we are to circle our wagons. 

And there's another thing.  We're kneed-deep in a class war, and due to our 40 years of apathy we've allowed our representatives to become a class within themselves - the political class, which is a subset of the corporate class that we're fighting.  So eventually they're going to groom a ringer that's just as intelligent, affable, and charismatic as Barack Obama.  Then if he reaches the presidency and we love him so much that we refuse to accept the facts before our lying eyes, we'll be doomed. 

That's why I never allow myself to become too enamored with ANY politician.  I support them on a day-to-day basis, based on what they DO, not what they say.

Comment by enhager on January 31, 2011 at 8:57pm

Very nuanced take. And I wholeheartedly agree - we should scrutinize our leaders, even as we support them.

 

The Bush-Cheney example is a good one as Bush almost became a sympathetic figure.

 

Yet even though many conservatives ended up breaking off their love-is-blind following of both of those leaders, they are so close minded as America tries to move forward. That makes it hard not to be a cheerleader in reaction to the opposition Obama engenders whether his position is liberal, centrist, business friendly or a compromise.