Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Honeymoon Over

Something’s going on. Still ubiquitous only a month ago, Obama stickers are disappearing from the Volvos and Priuses around the very blue Portland, Maine metropolitan area. As I wrote last August, they seemed to be everywhere. People were still proud to identify themselves with President Obama and his policies. Now I have to look for them. Driving around my usual routes down there last week, I saw fewer than a dozen. What does it mean?
Yeah, the president’s poll numbers are tanking. Yeah, making fun of him on Saturday Night Live is getting to be a habit. Yeah, 53% of Americans don’t trust him now - but think of what it takes for all those bumper stickers to disappear. People who loved what Obama represented now want to sever their public identification with him. After listening to his 1000th speech, they walked to their vehicle, saw the stickers, and made a decision to peel them off. Some had been on since 2007 or 2008 and it’s not as easy to take those old ones off as it was to put them on. The adhesive hardens. The vinyl breaks up and your fingernails wear down trying to get purchase on remaining fragments. Then you need to rub off dirty old adhesive with a solvent.
These are actions akin to taking off a wedding ring and throwing it away. Or, in an age in which people tend to just live together without getting married, it’s more than just choosing to sleep on the couch. It’s like putting his clothes out on the sidewalk - or even throwing them out a second-story window if you’re’ really mad that your health insurance policy was cancelled after hearing him promise you thirty times that if you like your policy, you can keep it - period.
But, unless he’s impeached, Obama will still be your president for more than three more years. Considering that, it seems more like you bought a house with him and you both have to live in it together until the divorce is final and you can sell it. Then you can split up the the proceeds and move on, but that can take a long time. Meanwhile you treat him with silent contempt and try not to brush up against him when walking by.
But what if he keeps on talking? Should you tell him to just shut up because you don’t believe him any more? Why does he keep thinking he can make everything all right by giving another speech? For three more years you’ll think to yourself: “What did I ever see in him?” and “How could I ever have fallen in love with him?” and “Why didn’t I pay attention to those early warning signs?” and “He’s been lying about a lot of things. How could I have been so stupid?”

The media fell in love with him too and avoided looking into his relationships with friends like Bill Ayers - the left-wing terrorist, or Reverend Jeremiah Wright - the racist pastor, or Frank Marshal Davis - the communist pornographer who was his mentor. They never looked into his college transcripts either or whether he and his wife got into those prestigious universities through Affirmative Action, and not because they were smart, hard-working students in high school. He belonged to the “Choom Gang” in high school for cripe sakes. He was a stoner. But he made all of you feel good when he spoke. He gave you tingles up your leg. When he said he would bring Hope and Change, you thought he meant your hopes, the changes you wanted. He knew that. He kept it vague and you all swooned because he said it so well.
Yeah, the man sure could talk. But now you’re realizing, along with everyone else, that that’s all he knows how to do. And it isn’t enough anymore. Talk is cheap, but it’s all he’s got. You know he’s going to keep on talking, and you’re not sure you’ll be able to stand it for three whole years.

And you only have yourself to blame.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe they could just cover the stickers with a Romney Ryan sticker.

Anonymous said...

Maybe he wasn't Socialist enough? Jose Garcia octavian61@yahoo.com

Jock MacGregor said...

Well done Tom, there was a similar occurrence after Jimmy Carter's Peter principle event in the late 70'S

Anonymous said...

This is why I've paid closer attention to Senate, and House (National AND State) candidates, rather than the showcase figurehead-in-chief(of ANY organized group) for the last....40 years or so.

Sadly, sometimes The President, and The Governor, utilize "extra-democratic" measures in the Republic.

I've found it personally unproductive to dwell on the agony of such choices after the ballot slides into the box.

I certainly find it productive to SHOW others "See? This is what you get".

Call it Itoldyousoitis.

CaptDMO

Anonymous said...

I consider this nightmare divine intervention. God works in mysterious ways, so says my mom. Some knuckleheads refuse to recognize socialism as it's being forced fed to them on a daily basis;now they suffer serious indigestion. I pray we will make it through this storm and be a stronger Republic for having survived it.

buttercup said...

Anecdotes (wishful thinking, really) presented as fact by Mr. McLaughlin.

Tom McLaughlin said...

Buttercup's going to keep her stickers on. How's your health insurance policy? Premium's going up?

Anonymous said...

Isn't this almost the exact same "honeymoon over" column that you ran during Obama's first term. You know, when you were so sure of his plummeting popularity that there was no chance of him getting re-elected.

Politics is full of ups and downs, major swings in short periods. The great god Reagan himself was down to 41% approval at one point, not so far off from what Obama is facing now. It's not like he is anywhere near Dubya's 22%.

Don't get to giddy, nor too down with the ebbs and flows.

buttercup said...

My insurance is going to cost a great deal less. Thank you for asking, Mr. McLaughlin.

Can you share the methodology you used in gathering numbers for your fewer sticker theory?

Mark said...

The methodology he used? He stuck his up up his ass, looked around, and saw no Obama stickers. This is pretty much how he does all his "research".

Oh, and mark me down as another with lower premiums thanks to Obamacare.