fpb | The saddest thing.

The saddest thing.

The saddest thing is that when, in a few months or years, all those of my friends who have committed their emotion and excitement and happines and spiritual joy to their LJs today, come back and read them again, most of them are likely to look for excuses rather than to say honestly: "We were in a mood to be deceived, and we let ourselves be deceived. This was done with our willing collaboration." They will blame people like me, or political opponents, or the Jews - anything rather than admit that they asked, begged, sought to be deceived.

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Collaborators, the willing or the unwitting, almost never look to themselves when the shit hits the fan. It was always that other "them."

"We were in a mood to be deceived, and we let ourselves be deceived. This was done with our willing collaboration."

I say the same thing about our last 8 years. Or last 200.

We get the government we choose.

Why does every person who wants to make any kind of argument for Obama talk as though I had ever shown anything but naked contempt for Bush II? Do you suppose that it is an argument in favour of being eaten alive by Scylla, that at least we have been too smart to serve as Charybdis' snack? As for getting the government we choose, I have more than once refused to vote rather than have to contribute my vote to two coalitions both of which I despised.

As for you in particular, may all my fears about Israel be wrong. And I will say nothing more.

Sorry for the late response, I didn't get the notification in my email til today.

I didn't intend to imply that you were Bush 43's biggest fan, I'm just saying that I think the same principle applies.

Too many people are content to complain without putting any action into it. If they wanted to defeat Bush, if they wanted to defeat Obama, whatever it is -- do something, make it happen. We get the government we choose. Sometimes we also get screwed, but then, I'm still cynical in spite of the "yes we can!"

I haven't been particularly frightened about Obama with regards to Israel, although it's been a popular meme in the Jewish world. It seems the selection of Rahm Emanuel allayed the fears of many, I guess.

You seem to forget two things:

1) I am not an American citizen and cannot vote in American elections;

2) I have otherwise done all I can, down to the admittedly ridiculous length of an open invitation not to vote for him (http://fpb.livejournal.com/357975.html), divided into two arguments, one for non-Catholics and one for fellow Catholics, both of which I regarded as compulsive. I admitted at the time that that sounded pathetically self-important, but at least you cannot say that I did not do everything that was in my power to avoid a result that still worries me deeply.

Just as I assumed your original post wasn't targeted at individuals in particular, I didn't intend my comment to be targeted at you in particular but instead meant it a little more broadly.

No, obviously you can't vote and your ability to influence a US election is limited. But most of the people behind the "Impeach Obama!" movement are all Americans, as far as I've observed.

I'm choosing to wait and see what he actually does and does not do. I sure don't think there's a chance he's going to accomplish everything he said he'd accomplish, but no point in writing him off yet.

I can't remember if there's actually a quote to this effect, but I remember reading somewhere about how the followers who put someone on a pedestal are the first ones to turn on him when he falls off that pedestal. I think there are a lot of people in for some disillusionment in the next 4 years.

I can't imagine voting for someone for president with no political experience other than one incomplete Senate term. I hope Obama has enough good sense to listen to those around him who are experienced when times get tough. (And you know they will.)

I knew it was over when I saw McCain had lost Ohio last night, but I stayed up to listen to his concession speech, which I felt showed a lot of class. Compare that to Al Gore in '04, when he conceded to Bush and then, when he realized Florida was in dispute, called Bush up and wanted to take back his concession.

I think you nailed it - there is no room in the liberal world-view for "small-c" conservatives: people who are both anti-Bush and anti-Obama. Anti-Bush is good. Anti-Obama is evil. The two can't be combined they - simply can not exist in the same blogosphere.

Of course people don't want to admit that they're wrong after the fact. What are you, new?

I did not say that I will be surprised. To the contrary: I said that I see it coming already. And your manner is rather more arrogant than the ordinariness of your insight warrants.

The saddest thing is that when, in a few months or years, all those of my friends who have committed their emotion and excitement and happines and spiritual joy to their LJs today, come back and read them again, most of them are likely to look for excuses

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/obama_win_causes_obsessive?utm_source=embedded_video

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The saddest thing.

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Talk about obvious

Re: Talk about obvious

Re: Talk about obvious