Triumph of the Moochers?

Some thoughts from Zero Hedge, via Instapundit, on what it all means.

“Obama’s winning tactic was to do what any respectable man does when he wishes to have something; he bought it. From cell phones and contraceptives to food stamps and unemployment benefits, the Obama administration kept the money flowing to ensure a steady turnout on Election Day. The coup de grâce was painting his opponent as a second coming of Dickens’ Scrooge that was ready to cut the voters from their trust funds. The campaign made no attempt to hide this tactic.”

I just heard an anecdote about a conservative who voted for Obama. He'd voted conservative in every past election. The difference this year was that he was out of work and had not made a mortgage payment on his house for two years. He was still able to live in the house, without foreclosure and eviction, because, he thought, of Obama. And Mitt Romney would wind up speeding up the process of foreclosure.

It is difficult to understand how a President could be reelected having presided over such a disastrous economy, but there it is: Because the economy is so weak, and people are so miserable and just holding on to their fingernails, the Catastrophic President becomes the only lifeline available to many. They wind up caring less about the economy as a general matter, because their survival instincts are just to keep themselves sheltered and fed. They are looking at the current moment, scared as hell of the next.

Which is a bit like welfare addiction, generally: It keeps you dependent on it so you don't search for alternatives which are better for you, both financially and spiritually. And you'll fight like hell to keep on it, because, at the moment, it's what's putting food in your mouth.

It could be that Obama has failed himself into victory. It just might be that he's created such a nightmare of circumstances that far too few people will even listen to persuasion.

Related Thought: I think the entire movement is depressed -- almost suicidally -- and it's never a good time to make important decisions with far-reaching consequences when you're in such a state. I think we need to get some perspective on things before committing ourselves to wholesale changes. We need some data, and we need some thinking.

It strikes me that the public made a similar impulsive decision under emotional stress.

Maybe we shouldn't be as hasty.

posted by Ace at 03:37 PM

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