2016 Elections

[Mudhammam]

History will have to judge whether Obama was 

1. ...a tragically naive idealist who thought he could heal the divides of the nation if he was just nice enough, 
   
2. ....an inept product of the Peter Principle (promoted up to a level beyond his abilities, brilliant at state level politics but in over his head at the Federal level) or 
   
3. ...an ingenious 5th column agent secretly working for the Republican Party. 
   

I'm not enough of a conspiracy theorist to actually embrace #3 but you know, it would explain a lot. After all, he took a roaring progressive movement that gave him the White House and overwhelming majorities in both houses facing a GOP that was disgraced after the economic and foreign policy disasters and within two years he managed to thoroughly marginalize and demoralize liberals, gave the GOP room to regroup and revive and covered up for the abuses of the previous administration. He couldn't have done a better job if he really was acting as a 5th columnist. 

I think Obama will be viewed as a "centrist," or rather, as Mr. Establishment. The man who did a few good things, spoke a populist message, and most importantly for his legacy, cemented policies that the left rallied against during Bush's terms, by cleaning up and perfecting the latter's ad hoc, neo-con creation of a global battlefield abroad and a police state at home... all the while "liberals" and "loyal" "Democrats" will continue to hail the Great Leader as the GOAT and paint all of his accomplishments by the most petty means possible... the measure of his personal appeal (Fuck, he disappointed me quite a bit and I still find him to be a likable man). Like those before him, but with more art, he demonstrated how future ambitious (aka sociopathic) prostitutes in expensive dress can successfully run a campaign, portray themselves as victims of the "other side of the aisle" in their scripted performances to pretend to be battling it out for the little guy, and leave the White House with complete impunity... avoiding the jail house where they belong and with outrageous profit awaiting their return to private life, which for them, is actually private!