Obamamania - the Flip-side

It's clear that the honeymoon is over and Obamamania -in terms of senseless worship from supporters- has given way to rational expectations.

Some of us are concerned that the president is not acting quickly enough to close Guantanamo, or that he is slipping on his pledge to end "Don't Ask; Don't Tell."

Regarding the financial crisis, I was more in favor of a "We don't need no water" approach, rather than a massive taxpayer bailout of the [expletive deleted] bankers who got us into this mess.

But there's a flip-side to Obamania -an equally senseless loathing from his detractors- that is not giving way to any measure of rationality.

There is just no logical explanation for such venom hissed at a president who has yet to be in office for a full year.

Let's look at just a few puzzling right-wing reactions to this president.

• The President tells school children to work hard and stay in school: OUTRAGE!

• The President tries to bring the the Olympics home and fails: JUBILATION!

• The President wins the Nobel Peace Prize: INDIGNATION!
  

Now, we can always count on fringe groups to irrationally worship or demonize public figures. And sometimes such sentiments spill out into the general population; but it doesn't last.

Here's my concern: I think the Republican Party is becoming a fringe group. Has anyone bothered to tell them that they can't win elections with only the Southern states? Even if they whip every last WASP in the country into a raging, foaming-at-the-mouth, gun brandishing frenzy; there just aren't enough of them to win national elections!

Well I'm not going to tell them. I plan on taking a "We don't need no water" approach. We'll see how it plays out.

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Obamamania -The Pros and Cons

The enthusiasm that President Obama has generated in the US and around the world has been mind-boggling. I even had to force myself to post a series of "Obama Gripes" to maintain my inner anti-authoritarian. The pro-Obama and pro-America feeling that has taken hold of the population is both exciting and worrisome.
First of all, we are recovering from one of the most hated administrations in American history. Part of our enthusiasm is because we feel like the good guys again. Our identity as a nation has been built on the idea that America is a place where justice will prevail in the end; no matter the odds. We fought for our right to exist as a nation. We have fought slavery and won human rights for women, minorities, children, immigrants, and laborers. The election of a black man to our nation's highest office is validation of the America we were taught to believe in back in elementary school.

It feels good to believe in America again.

And we need to believe in America now more than ever. In these dark economic times, faith in ourselves may be the only thing that sees us through another day. In my earlier explanation of our country's economic woes, I made a brief reference to the subjective nature of our money. The basic idea is this: a car will always have value as a car, a building will always have value as a building, but a dollar only has value if we all agree that it has value. A dollar is only worth what you can buy with it. Faith in our country is tied to faith in our money, therefore, Obamamania could play an important role in our economic recovery.

Now for the cons. I think most reasonable Americans are at least a little shocked at how Obama has risen to Messianic level worship.

I'll admit, I'm tempted to justify the mesmerization of the masses. I'm tempted to say that we need that level of unity and loyalty to weather the tough times ahead. On some level, I do believe that the sheep need to be herded, but I am still obligated to try to snap my fellow citizens out of their trance.


Faith, if allowed to give way to blind faith, can be very destructive. When the individuals in a group participate in "group think" by turning off their own conscience, sometimes called "drinking the Kool-Aid," the results can range from dismantling our own Constitution to invading other countries on flimsy justifications. When blind faith is complicated by tough times; the results can be even worse. Let's not forget that Hitler's rise to power was partly dependent on Germany's dire economic situation after WWI.

Fortunately, President Obama does not encourage such unwavering loyalty. He is not a "you're either with us or you're against us" kind of leader. He has gone out of his way not to appoint yes-men to his cabinet, and he seems more honest and straightforward than any politician in recent times.

But it is every citizen's duty to hold this administration accountable for everything it does and doesn't do. We must not be soothed by the romantic notion of the America we worshipped in elementary school. We must all be on edge and vigilant. This is our country, and this is our economy. We bear as much responsibility as those we elect to represent us.

Faith in America is not faith in Obama; it is faith in ourselves. So let us move forward with the positive energy and good-will of the times without letting our guard down and giving in to a pack-mentality.

Obama Gripe #2

Maybe this is a petty gripe, but I have a few problems with Obama's pick of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

First, of course, is Warren's anti-gay stance. I understand that Obama may be trying to reach across the isle and win some evangelical support, but would he accept an invocation by a pastor who opposes interracial marriage? And let's not forget that Warren is not just opposed to gay marriage, but has said that practicing and unrepentant homosexuals cannot join his congregation. What if he didn't let black people join his church? Or immigrants, or the handicapped, or any particular group of people? Where should we draw the line on accepting those who perpetuate hate?

My second issue here is why do we have an invocation at the inauguration of our president? What happened to the separation of church and state? Can't we have an official state function, from Congress to the courts to the inauguration of our president, that doesn't begin with appealing to sky fairies?

Witness Bush's Cat-Like Reflexes

Seriously, do you think this president walks around anticipating that someone is going to throw something at him?

Top Ten Healthiest and Unhealthiest States

Forbes recently put out a list of America's healthiest and unhealthiest states.

They calculated categories which included: Prevalence of Obesity, Air Pollution, Lack of Health Insurance, Immunization Coverage, Primary Care Physicians, Poor Mental Health Days, Cardiovascular Deaths, and Cancer Deaths.

Here are the final top ten lists:

Healthiest States in the US
Vermont
Hawaii
New Hampshire
Minnesota
Utah
Washington
Maine
Idaho
Connecticut
Massachusetts

Unhealthiest States in the US
Georgia
Nevada
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Florida
Texas
Tennessee
S. Carolina
Mississippi
Louisiana

When I looked over the list, I immediately wondered why Forbes failed to point out one glaring indicator of whether a state is healthy or unhealthy: Whether it's a red state or a blue state.

8 of the top ten healthiest states are blue.

10 of the top ten unhealthiest states are red.

Here's a visual aid:


I have some personal theories about why blue states are healthier; Democrats are more likely to fund public programs for disadvantaged families as well as public projects like parks, and after school programs. (You know, those gosh-darned tax-and-spend Liberals, always whining about the general welfare and what not!)

But when it comes to making the case for why blue is just all around better than red, I can't top The Letter to the Red States, so I won't try.