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| The debate left many confused |
“I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!” - Pete
Townsend
I’ve been fooled. Many have been fooled. Many educated, attacked
as elitist, progressive political thinkers have been fooled. Mitt Romney, his
advisors, handlers and hair-colorists proved far shrewder than almost anyone
had given them credit for. Once removed of the faux-Latino, spray tan epidermis,
heretofore camouflaged cunning was, clearly and without qualification,
despondently on display during the premiere presidential debate. The unpredictably,
wily resident of five home states and
six palatial manors, pater to five identically cloned progeny, the pro-Vietnam
War protestor who avoided service by successfully seeking sanctuary and refuge
in the rough and rugged environs of Paris, France completely dominated the
electoral event. He bullied, berated and lied, lied, lied and lied as our
President, in regrettable non-response stood there head down, or nodding in
supplication and agreement, as
ostensibly defenseless to the unrelenting onslaught of prevarication and
browbeating, as Mark Sanchez is to any team’s defense whenever alighting upon
the grid iron. It mattered not that Obama had truth, facts and an estimable
record on his side, nor did it matter that every oration of the challenger
brought forth an untruth or a policy, stance or belief entirely foreign to
those expressed before, because for some strange and undetermined reason,
perhaps known only to the President and his god, Obama did not challenge Romney
on a solitary, far-fetched, feckless falsehood. It was a sorrowful and
inexplicable performance and certainly an inappropriate way to commemorate two decades of wedded bliss to the inimitable and marvelous Michelle. We have
underestimated the enemy, and perhaps even as Pogo said so wisely, many a year
ago, “we have met the enemy… and he is us.”
What exactly transpired on that dark, dreary depressing
night of Wednesday, October 3rd?
Has Willard Mitt Romney been playing possum, playing the fool, playing the
jerk-card all this time only to be purposely lulling those of us who deem
ourselves of superior working thought processes, we of lefty loyalties? Was
Romney setting us up, as well as shrewdly and skillfully perpetrating the same
swindle upon the entire Obama re-election team throughout the protracted length
of this campaign all for the purpose of the unexpected, quite convincing, and embarrassing
trouncing he placed upon the current sitting President - the intelligent,
thoughtful, concerned, quick-thinking incumbent, the admirable individual who
is in many ways the living embodiment of the oft-times fictional and
fantastical American dream? Is Willard in reality an evil genius? Is he the Lex
Luthor of the LDS? Each fresh sunrise seemed to bring with it the latest news
story of yet another gaffe, another mistake, another ill-spoken statement,
another released tape never intended for release, another hound atop a Honda,
another effeminate student beaten and bullied, another putdown of the common man,
another hidden cache of tax-free riches, “another hundred people just got off
of the train and came up through the ground. While another hundred people just
got off of the bus, and are looking around…” only to find themselves brusquely
removed from their livelihoods and retirement savings while their companies
collapsed or their enviable employment was dispatched far across boundless
oceans. Every rotation of the globe revealed another example of a Mitt misunderstanding
of his fellow homo-sapiens, an outwardly endless litany demonstrating, day in
and day out that same old voodoo following him about, his utter and
disconcerting and discomfiting lack of sympathy, empathy, compassion, humanity
and even intelligence or forethought. Is it even a vague possibility that some
or all of that was purposeful?
As surprising as the debate feat was for the ex-Governor of
the Bay State, maybe Mitt’s managed even more chicanery. As prognosticated by
pundit and politician from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the formerly moderate
Mitt pirouetted to the Far Right for the Republican Primaries, presenting a
furtive figure just somewhat more “severely” conservative than Jefferson Davis.
Also, as anticipated, now in the heat of the general election he has less than
smoothly segued toward the middle. But despite this blatant and obvious tactic
to win the hearts, mind-less and trust of the red, white and blue populace, the
deliberate deception of this cynical strategy may actually be one that results
in a win for Romney and a loss for our country, its people, the global community
and the brotherhood of man (we are the world, we are the children.) The initial
assessments of the world’s watchmen and wise elders was that the road to
victory could not possibly be paved with such a foundation of relentless,
persistent and ever-changing mendacities. Conventional thinking was that people
would see through Romney like Sue Storm startled in a bubble bath.
Additionally, and as we well know, there is the existence of hours and hours of
video tape, easily available and accessible here on the World Wide Web,
documenting each and every flip flop and flagrant falsehood - and therein lies
the possible virtuosity of the Romney campaign, they may have realized from the
get go that none of that matters. Mitt’s four year lease to 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue is held in the uninformed mitts of the undecided voter. So again, Romney
primarily plays to the Tea Party, John Birch, Ku Klux Klan, Junior Sample wing
of the GOP to secure the Republican nomination, and then meanders a modicum
closer to moderation. Those on the extreme may be miffed with Mitt, but no
matter the behavior, actions or policies of Barack Obama - he could make Sarah
Palin the Secretary of the Department of Lurnin’, he could replace all their tattered
confederate flags with brand-spanking new ones or even make it legal for
siblings to betroth - nothing would cause those on the fanatical fringe to cast
a misspelled ballot for the black man in the White House. Romney therefore
retains the Right, and can attempt to capture the unapprised, undecided constituents
in the middle; for at this point, if voters have yet to discern distinct
differences between Obama and Romney, they evidently don’t really care enough
to try and have not been paying needed attention, leaving Willard free to
continue his merry ways of fudging, fabrications and falsehoods. Those
un-attentive undecideds now see naught but the new debate-born fictional
characters that Romney has created of both himself and Obama as genuine as they
have yet to be exposed to the previous prevarications and propensity of
positions. Romney lies like a 9 year old caught sneaking a peek at his Dad’s
Playboys and Barack placidly and passively allows it while he prepares to hand
over the keys to the kingdom.
Perhaps our President went into the evening neglecting proper
preparation. Perhaps in the light of recent polling and the long string of Mitt
Romney’s Bloopers, Blunders and Practical Jokes, Obama was a tad overconfident.
Perhaps he believed his frequent catnaps wouldn’t be caught on camera. Perhaps
he and Michelle indulged in a premature flute of celebratory anniversary Dom
Perignon. Or perhaps, relatedly, his mind was otherwise involved with visions
of anticipated activities in the heart-shaped tub at the Mount Airy Lodge, as
Al Green melodies wafted through his cerebellum. Whatever the rhymes or reasons
for this unfortunate evening, I have no desire to spend another such night,
stomach churning, shouting out unheeded instructions to my wide screen LCD.
Whatever damage might have been done, almost nothing in politics is unforgiveable
or irreversible (I think I spied Anthony
Weiner sizing up some new campaign attire at Men’s Wearhouse just the other
day) so President O, carry on, be steadfast and strong, and don’t get fooled
again
.
You never fail to disappoint, my dear blogging friend. excellent.
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