Early on in the Obama campaign, one of the biggest fears expressed by people as a reason not to support him was their anxiety about him being assassinated. Slowly, the momentum of the campaign and the realization that he had a real chance at the nomination and Presidency, made people put their anxiety on the back burner, while, indeed, never forgetting the dreadful possibility. Threats to Presidents are, of course, constantly being evaluated, and the news today that a mentally unstable person sent HIV infected blood through the mail, addressed to Obama, underscores that threat.
Of course, there is always a risk that some crazed assassin will find a weak link and break through the tight security that surrounds the President; but, lately, it seems to me that potential assassins are really hiding in plain sight.
The more unnerving possibilities come from the opposition: the conservative right. It has always been that way with the right wing, but lately their vitriol spiked by racist undertones is alarming. Starting early on with Sarah Palin's unbridled attacks on Obama's character and patriotism that unleashed a veritable ungluing of the right's racist/hatred simmering below the surface; to Rush Limbaugh's constant underscoring of Obama's middle name, Hussein, and continual agitating of his retard followers' hatefulness; to the recently published ugly cartoon in the New York Post that depicted a chimpanzee being assassinated; to John Bolton's 'joke' yesterday at the CPAC convention about nuking Chicago (Obama's hometown) with the entire CPAC audience laughing their right wing tails off; that represents a hostility that foments what inexcusably could pass as justifiable violence by conservative instigators.
Watching the news about Bolton suddenly rang alarm bells in my head as it occurred to me that these were the people to watch - that these 'righter than right' sanctimonious self-righteous scarily insecure pod people could be the ones to slip beyond the tight security, no doubt in the name of bi-partisanship, and aim to do harm to our President - to Obama who represents everything they cannot be, and will never be; who with their tiny minds, troubled sexuality and existence full of fear may think that there is only one way to rid themselves of their perceived nemesis.
Am I an alarmist? I am generally not a worrier, but you can never take your eyes off the frightened disenfranchised who feel that they are backed into a corner with no foreseeable way out...at least not for the next eight long years. In this case, it is potentially both your 'friends' as well as your enemies who would do you the most harm. Vigilance is the watchword.
In light of the brouhaha about Obama calling on Sam Stein, blogger for the Huffington Post, by the White House press corps, who got their knickers in a twist over the definition of 'journalist', I am revisiting my very first blog - and actually the only one that I wrote for about 3 years(!) - as it is kind of apropos of the White House press corps questioning the qualifications of 'blogger'. Apparently, 'blogger' doesn't qualify to ask a question of the President of the United States since, cause according to the press corps, bloggers are not real journalists. In any case, no doubt the White House corps journalists quoted Obama as per Stein's question all day long. Touchy, touchy.
I think they just got pissed off because Obama didn't ask one of them their obviously more brilliant question. Sam Stein's question was a really good one about whether Obama will go after the war criminals that just left the White House. Obama answered as he had before, about how he is looking forward, not back...huh? I'm just not getting this. There is no excuse for not dogging the Bush Cabal for their reprehensible misdeeds. A crime is a crime. This is so puzzling...what's Obama thinking?
Anyway, here's the original blog...I think it still has some relevance.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
BLOGGER FOR SALE
Due to recent disclosures of bloggers being paid as 'consultants' for political campaigns and/or various political agendas, I say, upfront, "Why hide?". My blog is as good as the next guy's. Okay, I've never blogged before but I smell opportunity, and the fact that I am new at this, and now a budding blogger, my credibility is unbesmirched, as I have never endorsed a product, promoted an agenda, flogged a book or movie, or even spewed my own self-righteous opinions...yet. My slate is clean, ready to be sullied by capitalism and adaptable ethics. I am up for sale. Following, please find a list of categories for which I will blog mercilessly depending on my consultancy fees. A sliding scale of money-to-blog ratio is available on request. Pro bono services (I do have a heart) are available for those with little or no ka-ching. For pro bono blogging, I will flog your product by blogging within a blog so you can ride on the coattails of another 'enhanced' product.
NOTE: Whatever it is that I am blogging, be it an opinion, an issue, a law, bad-mouthing, an Oscar, whatever, is heretofore referred to as the 'product'. Here are the categories, so far:
CORPORATE: Are you about to be indicted? Does your mother know what you've been up to? Not to worry. I will blog by taking the high ground and cover your ass with all sorts of spin, and even go the extra mile by writing letters to the editor of tipsily ethical publications and newspapers like The New York Times and The Drudge Report. Any photographs of you in handcuffs will be derided as obvious photoshop enhancements.
POLITICAL: Nominees and office holders...escape the brazen plumbing of your inner sanctum secrets by dirty tricksters and ethics hound dogs...I'll flog you're 'character' til the cows come home about the fact that you knew absolutely nothing about anything that ever happened in your entire life. Character assassination is easily overcome by endless blogging and a certifiable case of amnesia. Never lose a confirmation again. (I accept soft money.)
WAR: Do you have a war you want to start? Let me blog it for you. We can brainstorm any number of cockammie reasons and I will blog it to death. No food for blogs on this one, hard cash only.
LEGISLATION: Not quite enough pork in the barrel? I can target-blog Capital Hill like nobody's business. Please do not confuse paid consultant blogging with lobbying...blogging is so much more cost efficient, no martini lunches or Cohibas in the cloakroom, just straight to your target's e-mail. We know legislators are monitoring the pulse of the blogging community as though it were real journalism...as if.
CELEBRITY GOSSIP: Oy Vey. This is a tough one and, as such, may cost a little more depending on whether you want to cover up asinine behavior or correct dastardly misinformation on, for example, above the title credits, pregnancy, rehab, pre-nups, etc. Blogging outright denials of obvious plastic surgery will be charged double. Compromising oneself, for ridicule, is costly. My entrance into the bloggosphere of self-made pundits is now hereby official. I look forward to bflogging (not a typo) undetectable 'studies' to support your product, quoting unidentified expert sources and keeping your product's head above water for the duration of...whatever it is we're bflogging.
Disclaimer: I proclaim total and unqualified innocence of any connection to anybody - at this point...in time. Contact me through posts. Discretion guaranteed.
YIKES! Could it be worse? Two tax dodgers resign from nominations put forth by the super duper vetting machine of the Obama campaign. Wait. Don't forget...there was more. Remember Big Bill Richardson resigned from his Commerce nomination under a scandalous cloud that everybody who was anybody knew about for years. Ok, so it might not have been that exact misdeed, but there were plenty of treacherous alliances, shall we say, that should have raised the red flag. How the hell did he get vetted? Lucky Tim Geithner, for Treasury Secretary, squeaked through with his tax 'mistake' mea culpa. Puhlease.
Okay, everybody cheats on their taxes; everybody hateshateshates to pay taxes, but for crying out loud, if you're a politician, shouldn't you be very, very sure your ass is covered in taxes? Yes, of course, nobody's perfect...least of all the vetting team. Wasn't Caroline Kennedy supposed to be vetting people? Or was that just for VP? Where's Donald Trump when you need to fire everyone?
And, of all the people who have made it through the nomination/confirmation process, the very one you would have thought would trip up enough alarm bells to bring out the Washington Fire Department, our Madam Secretary, Hillary Clinton...of all people...sailed through without nary a hair out of place. Awesome. You go girl! Side bar: I think Hillary will do a fantastic job.
This mess has got to stop. Obama stopped the bleeding and took responsibility for the 'mistakes'...don't you just love that word, 'mistakes'...hey, where were the IRS with these 'mistakes'? I gotta remember that...'mistakes' is the new 'sorry'. Anyway, I hope Obama is leaving his cool at the door and giving his team a piece of his mind. The Red Party must be popping the champagne corks. But really, they are still way ahead of us on scandals and corruptions. Compared to them, this is small time stuff. (I know I'm ranting.) Anyway, Obama had better get his ship in shape. This is beginning to look like the Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight.
