Back to Basics

The outcome of the debate between Obama and Romney had less to do with any extraordinary qualities possessed by Mitt Romney than with the purely ordinary qualities of Barack Obama. No matter how much Team Obama tried to warn the media faithful against any enthusiasm, the expectations were high and remained high until the Chicago Messiah began to speak. And then there was nothing.

Obama did not blatantly fail. He didn’t forget the number of states or stand there stammering for five minutes before throwing a chair and storming off the stage. That would have been extraordinary. Instead his performance was ordinary, a bland heavily rehearsed stew of big government talking points with nothing behind them. It lacked confidence and inspired no confidence.

Romney did not come to the debate and deliver a brilliant performance. The former Massachusetts governor is not Ronald Reagan. He was just qualified and that word is more damning than any other because it highlights Obama’s incompetence. His debate performance was the work of a professional politician who prepped for it, as he preps for everything.

Mitt had spent most of his life talking to people and trying to convince them of various things, religious, economic or political. His way of doing that is through methodical preparation for a presentation that convinces people of whatever he is trying to sell them on. He’s not particularly charismatic, but he is qualified. And qualification means working to exceed the standards of your chosen profession.

Obama has spent most of his life convincing people that he is qualified for things that he isn’t qualified for. He has faked his biography a disturbing number of times, padded out his resume and leaped from position to position until he became the living embodiment of the Peter Principle. He doesn’t work for things, but skates by on doing the least amount of work possible. When he falls behind, then he quickly tries to get up to speed and dives in while hoping that no one notices.

That is what happened at the debate where Obama gave the kind of performance you would expect from an Illinois Congressman, which is the job that he should have had about now. And had he been running for that position, few  would have questioned his abilities or qualifications. But it’s not an acceptable performance from a presidential candidate.

Romney is a qualified professional. Obama is a talented amateur. None of that is really new. What is new is the product comparison that the debate made possible.

We’ve all seen ridiculous trends take off, bad art, bad music and bad writing. The power of such trends is that they exist in isolation. They are either so different as to be presented as incomparable or comparison is carefully avoided. A legendary image is manufactured for their creators. They are iconized and elevated to a unique stature so that no one can possibly judge their worth by a real world metric.

The iconization of Obama elevated an ordinary ambitious junior machine pol with a funky bio to the status of a deity. And it was done by singling him out, by treating him as a unique incomparable quantity, a force of history, a living embodiment of poetry, a racial healer and a thousand other empty titles.

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away,” Philip K. Dick said, when asked to define what reality is. Dick was a Science Fiction writer and that seems appropriate enough we are living in a Science Fiction world where there is no reality anymore, because the real goes away, but the unreal does not.

Virtual reality, it turned out, was not some complicated gizmo that made you look like a blind skier and allowed you to enter into another world, instead it was an unreal world being comprehensively overlaid on top of our own. The lines between the real and the unreal haven’t blurred because the unreal has gotten so much more sophisticated. The unreal is more fake than ever, but discerning that has become more difficult now that the real has gone away.

As we watch the news covering a story, what we are actually watching is the media making up a story and then telling that story incessantly and embedding it in every nook and cranny of their coverage. This blurring of the lines between the real and the fake is not happening thanks to the magic of technology, but the prosaic methods of complete insincerity.

The fake is being overlaid on the real, like men fighting on top of a board with a movie of a train passing by in the background to give the impression that they are fighting on top of it. Such cheap trickery defines our media environment where reporters barge into events and badger the participants into playing along with their movie. Or they just play the clip of actual events and frame them so that everyone hears their version of what is going on.

There’s Godzilla and we know he’s real because we can see Tokyo in the background. There’s the latest media narrative and we know it’s real, because we can see Tampa in the background as some blow-dried buffoon does breathing exercises before commencing to tell us that the Republican Party, which supports things that would have made Ike and Ron have coronaries, has gone so far to the right that it might as well be a Godzilla of reactionary running dog capitalism.

This is our shoddy virtual reality with a CNN or MSNBC logo planted on top. There is you still sitting on your same old couch, watching Chris Matthews yelling himself hoarse about racism, because racism is our virtual reality. It is the world that we are supposed to live in and Chris’ job, for which he receives some 5 million a year, is to convince us that we are living in it.

“Racism,” Chris yells at the screen, like the idiot shaman of some stone age tribe, and those dull-witted enough to believe him nod knowingly, because it makes them feel as if they know something. And in a world where nothing is real, knowing something makes them feel a little less confused. They don’t understand why the prices are suddenly so high and the bank won’t give them a loan– but they can understand that Republicans are bad people and somehow responsible for it.

Some 70 percent of Barack Obama’s Twitter followers may be fake, but why quibble at such numbers.

Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, it’s headline vs. Tweet today.

Remember this from just a few days ago?

Obama’s got a “lot on his plate” according to White House Spokescomedian Jay Carney.

Here’s a glance at the president’s plate this evening:

Obama’s used to seeing a lot on the plate though… upwards of $35,800 per as a matter of fact.

In other news, Obama must be a worried about the Jewish vote this year — but only a little. An Obama campaign aide said that, for the first time as president, The One will visit Israel… in his second term.

Nice message: “Hey Jewish voters, if you want the Lightworker to take the magic on the road to Tel Aviv, ya gotta pony up in November!”

UPI FILE

In 2008, Barack Obama promised change.

In 2008, Presidential candidate Barack Obama boasted of hope and change. Progressive liberals were convinced their savior had arrived. With Obama in office, there would be no reason to worry. The “Magic Negro” represented peace of mind in otherwise turbulent times.

But  the median net worth of households has declined, falling from $126,400 in 2007 to $77,300 in 2010.

In the past four years, 4.6 million jobs have been lost.

And State spending has increased by 14 percent.

Obama promised change. Things changed.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlZ8BsDLQlU

Last night, Obama campaign released their 2012 documentary, helmed by “Inconvenient Truth” director Davis Guggenheim (so you know it’s gotta be factual).

The actual title of the video is “The Road We’ve Traveled,” but the implied title is “How Obama Saved the Country from Years of Bush.”

The Tom Hanks narration might leave you feeling like you’ve watched an Apollo 13 documentary… provided the film ended before the successful re-entry and splashdown that this video desperately wants you to assume went well:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2POembdArVo

Shorter version: “I spent a sh*tload of your money, killed Bin Laden, spent another sh*tload of your money, passed a health care law that’s going to cost at least twice what we told you, and… did I mention I killed Bin Laden?”

Loved the flashback scenes to 2008 featuring the teary-eyed mounties in the Hope & Change Unicorn Cavalry along with the message, “Remember what it felt to feel like this? Wouldn’t you like to feel this way again? Force yourself!”

Oddly enough, the film didn’t feature any follow-up interviews with Peggy to see how that free gas and mortgage is working out for her.

Among the true faithful however, The One hasn’t lost the magic.

Obama: “People faint all the time at my meetings.”

This is from just a little while ago at a speech in North Carolina… The Deliverer still has the magic:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo1uaDJEpn0
*****

I’ve noticed that the number of fainters at Obama speeches has increased in number lately. There was another one just last week. As election season heats up, we’ll see many more. Is “designated fainter” at Obama speeches a union gig or does the campaign use scab labor?

I smell the formation of a new Super-PAC: “Syncopers for Obama.”

In 2008 they were fainting because they were overcome by The One’s awesomeness. In 2012 they’re fainting because they’ve been standing in the unemployment line too long.

It’s Friday afternoon, which means we’re sitting around waiting to see which documents get dumped out a second floor window of the White House before everybody heads off for the weekend. Until that happens, Jay Carney’s taken it upon himself to keep everybody entertained:

WH reporter: “Do you understand the optics when, at the economy event he was on the ground in Orlando for less than three hours, yet he spent roughly seven hours at these four different campaign events. The way this is viewed, you hear from Republicans…”

Jay Carney: “…I would challenge you to look at what the President does on any given week, including this week and many weeks going back, and not come to the conclusion that he spends a relatively small amount of time — at this stage — on campaign events. That’s a simple fact”:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maEI8bN83_A

The Press Corps would ask the President himself if he’s spending much time campaigning, but yesterday Obama’s completely non campaign-related photo op at the Magic Kingdom was followed by the four non campaign-related NYC fundraisers the reporter was referring to (one featuring an Al Green impression that by now is probably Chris Matthews’ cell phone ring tone). Those were followed today by another non campaign-related fundrasier, so the press isn’t able to reach him quite yet:

(h/t HAP)

I was really excited about this at first because I thought we’d finally get a photo of Obama in the Magic Kingdom with Goofy. But sadly, Joe Biden won’t be travelling with the President this week.

Why am I guessing that this POTUS assistance will culminate in Disney going bankrupt before summertime?

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will visit Walt Disney World on Thursday to “unveil a strategy that will significantly help boost tourism and travel,” a White House aide said today.

The president will deliver his remarks inside the Magic Kingdom, with Disney’s iconic Cinderella Castle as backdrop.

That “strategy” is looser visa policies to get more visitors to places like Disney World. Loosening visa policies is not a good idea.

And of course, whenever Obama visits a state these days, Dems in toss-up districts scatter like cockroaches when the light gets switched on. Florida Democrats are offering the usual “uh, I have to re-arrange my sock drawer” excuse for missing Obama’s visit and avoiding a possible kiss of political death:

It doesn’t appear, however, that Obama will get much love from local politicians. Aides to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said the Florida Democrat was unlikely to attend because the office “got word too late” of the visit and had meetings planned in other parts of the state. And Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer is scheduled to be in Washington that day for a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Barack Obama — the Maytag Repairman of presidents.

These are indeed dark days for the Herman Cain campaign. How many women has this diabolical fiend harassed, assaulted and even raped during his tenure with the National Restaurant Association? Not to mention during his many other years of life!

Yes, I understand the concerns people have over what has been pretty much non-specific, vague, uncorroborated and third and fourth hand charges. It is hard to conceive that women who believe Herman Cain is a monster would remain silent and allow him to continue to prey on other women for all these years. It is hard to take a woman seriously who claims that Herman Cain felt her up over a decade ago but just in the past few weeks was so eager to see and chat with her good friend that she was witnessed at an event hugging and conversing freely with Mr. Cain and never once mentioned the incident.

Yes, there are doubts. But I am about to put those doubts to rest. Because I have gone to the end all and be all source when it comes to answering questions; my Magic 8-Ball. I asked the question, “Are the accusations that Herman Cain sexually harassed women true?” Shaking the all-knowing seer of infinite knowledge the answer came through clearly. “Yes – definitely!”

SHOCKING! I thought for sure he was innocent.

I probed further. I asked. “Are more women who have been groped by Herman Cain going to be forth coming?” The response was a clear, “It is certain!”

GASP!

At this point, something was grating inside of me. I could not explain it. But there was a question on my mind that needed to be answered. I spoke to the Magic 8-Ball, “Was I ever sexually harassed by Herman Cain?” Without even a shake, the device gave me a chilling answer; “Yes!”

I felt a shiver go down my spine. I did not remember this violation of my person. How could I not though? The Magic 8-Ball must be wrong I thought.

As the days went on, I could not shake the disgusting thought from my mind however. I could not buck the feeling that I had been violated Mr. Cain. How could I not trust the Magic 8-Ball? So, to confirm what the unquestionable, unimpeachable, unerring authority of the 8-Ball, I set out to enlist the help of the esteemed Madame Bullcrapio, and old world, psychic.

What she told me made my jaw drop.

I know it might be hard for you to believe, but hear me out. After we begun our session, she told me that yes, indeed, my assault at the hands of Mr. Cain was all too real. It was a warm, sunny day. The year was 1723. The place; Charleston, South Carolina. I was at the time, during a previous life, when I was young black woman working the farm under the watchful and cruel eye of my white master. That man was a previous incarnation of none other than the infamous Mr. Herman Cain. Madame Bullcrapio told me so.

He often made advances. I was able to rebuff them until one day when he cornered me in the back of the barn. He put his hand up my dress and proceeded to have his way with me despite my protestations.

Regrets, he’s had a few

As we stampede toward the Iowa caucuses and beyond, Newt Gingrich is trying to shake some unnecessary baggage that has caused him some political problems as well as mockery from assorted conservative bloggers. Specifically, I’m referring to Gingrich’s appearance next to Nancy Pelosi on what became affectionately known as the “global warming loveseat” in a PSA for Al Gore’s organization WeCanMakeAlGoreRicher.org WeCanSolveIt.org.

Whether or not Gingrich regrets dabbling in Gore’s global warming magic remains to be seen, but he sure is sorry about being pictured sitting next to Nancy Pelosi:

GOP White House hopeful Newt Gingrich wants voters to know he really, really regrets making a 2008 ad with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) calling for action to address climate change.

“That is probably the dumbest single thing I’ve done in recent years,” Gingrich, the former House Speaker, said Tuesday on Fox News, calling the ad “inexplicable.”

Okay, Newt’s kinda-sorta repented for the Pelosi ad — will Mitt see Newt’s repentance and raise him one Romneycare regret at tonight’s debate? Highly unlikely.