Now Coach?

Is it time to to join the cat under the bed yet?


















Via lucianne.com, a little simplistic, but essentially correct take by Jonah Goldberg in the UK Mail Online.

FTA 'We are the ones we've been waiting for,' Obama told mesmerised crowds. 'Unity is the great need of the hour,' he insisted. We need unity, he explained, 'not because it sounds pleasant or because it makes us feel good, but because it's the only way we can overcome the essential [empathy] deficit that exists in this country'.

Or as his wife, Michelle, put it: 'We need a leader who's going to touch our souls because, you see, our souls are broken.'

It's worth noting that in the Anglo-American tradition, unity is not, in fact, the highest political value. That's why we have constitutions, separation of powers and independent courts. The hero in the Anglo-American tradition is not the mob, but the man who stands up to it.

And yet the cult of unity remains seductive, particularly in chaotic democracies. One way it manifests itself is in the myth of the Third Way, one of Tony Blair's enthusiasms.

It's ironic how the Left is always ready to brand a conservative who steps off the politically correct reservation as a fascist, but sees nothing wrong with embracing concepts that fit neatly within the fascist wheelhouse.

[...]

As early as 1946, George Orwell wrote that: 'The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies "something not desirable".' [To the left.]

In the old days when I was still engaging the outside world corporeally, I served on many public minded and academic boards and committees. I was a lot more circumspect in voicing opinions contrary to the CW in those days when our kids were in the public schools and we had to work for a living, however even the most polite question about the efficacy of some of the more egregious crack-brained left wing do-good proposals would bring out nasty name calling, Nazi being one of the most popular.

Occasionally when I simply couldn't keep quiet, I'd reply that I might be offended by being called a Nazi if I thought they had the foggiest idea what a Nazi was. They didn't and after all these years, they still don't. Most especially academics who pride themselves on their vast knowledge.

All in all, it's far more comfortable being out of the workforce and being able to speak my mind even though now it's mostly from the comfort of my bunker.

PS: Pictures of the Obama sneer make me want to hurl even more than pictures of the Carter "smile" did.