[img]583|left|Eric L. Wattree||no_popup[/imgTwo types of people support President Obama. His supporters who want him to succeed and the cheerleaders who go along with everything he does. They deeply resent his supporters who don't.
The President's supporters understand the importance of remembering that in a representative democracy the President and all politicians are elected to serve the people, not the reverse. They understand politicians are employees. Their primary job is to represent, to protect the interests and principles of those who hired them.
When we place the importance of one man above our own principles, we create a dangerous situation by corrupting the intent of our founding fathers. We turn the democratic process on its head.
Cheerleaders tend to be followers, loyal subjects. Instead of thinking for themselves, they fall so deeply in love with individual politicians they depend on them to do their thinking. That is what the founding fathers sought to avoid because it creates a political class free to wheel-and-deal without oversight. It also sets the people up to be demagogued where politicians cease acting in the people's best interest.
Striking a Balance
That is why this country is dysfunctional today. We have embraced a cheerleader mentality that makes it easy to be exploited by special interests. Under the current paradigm, instead of special interests having to con an entire population, they simply have to corrupt a handful, which explains why money is the life blood of our political system.
Independent thinking Obama supporters play an important role Obama's Presidency. Like the checks and balances of our three branches of government, vigilant Obama supporters keep him from straying too. Cheerleaders, or the other hand, forget that no matter how well-meaning, Obama is isolated in Washington. He can't go out on the street and get a feel for what the people are thinking as we can. He has to rely on the advice of the political establishment. So much advice is tainted to meet the establishment's agenda.
As important and as brilliant as President Obama is, in Washington he is in the position of a billionaire confined to a harlot's den. He's getting a lot of advice from seductive people. Most is designed to enrich the persons offering the advice. It is up to those who truly support him to keep him focused and help him to navigate a totally corrupt environment.
A Good Motto: Remember Bush
George W. Bush's more sensible supporters found that out the hard way. Had they not allowed themselves to become cheerleaders and drowned out by Washington's special interest groups, Vice President and military/industrial lobbyist Dick Cheney wouldn't have been able to destroy Bush's presidency. Bush himself seemed to recognize that in the end. That's why he refused to pardon Cheney’s chief of staff, Lewis (Scooter) Libby, and became estranged from Cheney toward the end of his Presidency.
It is important that Obama supporters speak out so we won't be drowned by Washington's special interests. We are the only ones he can depend on to tell him what he needs to hear as oppose to what's convenient for him to hear.
As Edward R. Murrow pointed out during the McCarthy era, “A citizenry of sheep begets a government of wolves.” That is as true for Presidents as it is the public at-large. It is incumbent upon all Obama supporters, therefore, to speak out when they see him veering off course. By doing so we protect our resident from Washington's wolves, and prevent him from becoming a part of the flock.
We have mentioned before that sometimes even the greatest of men must be dragged up Mt. Rushmore kicking and screaming.
Eric L. Wattree is a writer, poet and musician, born in Los Angeles. A columnist for the Los Angeles Sentinel, the Black Star News, a staff writer for Veterans Today, he is a contributing writer to Your Black World, the Huffington Post, ePluribus Media and other online sites and publications. He also is the author of “A Message From the Hood.”
Mr. Wattree may be contacted at wattree.blogspot.com or Ewattree@Gmail.com
Religious bigotry: It’s not that I hate everyone who doesn’t look, think, and act like me – it’s just that God does.
