If I could deliver a message on all tv channels at once to all of the Obama voters of 2008, I would simply say, “You made history. You were part of it. You helped elect the first African American president. You were there when it happened and you made it happen. You proved our country is not as racist as we once were. But now, prove you aren’t a racist again. Dare to judge someone based not on their color but on their results. For if you vote for Obama just because he is Black and not based upon his achievements, you are a racist.”
I realize this would go nowhere. In fact, Obama supporters would only drag me through the online briar patch of having to explain why my ideas have merit and are not just influenced by race.
Then I realized something else. I am sure there are many psychological aspects in play here. People may be suffering from cognitive dissonance where their preconceived notions are not bearing up to reality. It could be people refusing to admit they were wrong. But one thing I have seen is what I call the OJ Syndrome.
Obama is the OJ of American politics.
Monkey Puppets my age grew up lionizing OJ Simpson. He was one of the best running backs and believe it or not, best role models we had.
In 1994, there was a lot of evidence suggesting he killed his wife. I had to reappraise OJ. Maybe he wasn’t the great running back, nice guy, star of those funny Naked Gun movies I believed he was. It was agonizing, but I had to admit one of my heroes had a horribly dark side. What can you do? Not everyone is perfect.
But the African American men my age had it harder. They didn’t just love OJ they were VESTED in him. He as an icon. But as the trial went on I think most logical people, man or woman, black or white, came to realize that OJ wasn’t who we thought. But try to get an African American to admit that. Especially when they were in the company of other African Americans. Unless one stuck with OJ, unless you publicly declared your belief in his innocence, you were an Uncle Tom. There was a lot of pressure to have all African Americans circle the wagons around their guy in public. Any Black not on OJ’s side was a traitor to be vilified.
And that brings us to Obama. I think most logical people look at his abysmal record and realize that he should be voted out. But, if they say it in public they are an Uncle Tom, a sellout, a traitor. They will be ravaged by their online brethren. They will be subject to the same slings and arrows the Conservatives have had to withstand. Liberals are like Amish, they will shun your ass in a second over trivialities.
One of the main reasons Obama has not lost all of his support from 2008, in spite of his Carter-like performance, is that people don’t want to be wrong. They’d rather give Obama another 4 years to try to get things right. They would rather the country suffer, then admit they were wrong about Obama. I had to come to terms with my 2 votes for GW Bush. He did not deliver as I thought he would. But people aren’t as willing to reevaluate Obama.
Obama isn’t a person to these people, he is a symbol. If he truly fails, they will have to reexamine a lot of their preconceived notions about the world, and few people want to do that. Obama isn’t a person as much as a personality. He is the political Michael Jordan. People love him and want him to do well, no matter what the damage to our country. The people who idolize Obama and refuse to see his faults are not stupid, uninformed or malicious, they are just sycophants of a political celebrity.
