Thursday, January 10, 2013

Downfall III: Obama’s Totalitarian Streak Goes Mainstream?


I think yesterday afternoon’s Drudge homepage deserves a revisit.



I have long maintained that Obama has a totalitarian streak.  But I cannot recall that being asserted so strongly in a mainstream venue before Drudge yesterday.  And Matt Drudge is no fool and no extremist.

Now although I am convinced Obama’s totalitarian streak will contribute greatly to his downfall, I am unsure whether the perception of his totalitarian streak will be much of a factor.  Americans often criticize and ridicule their presidents, but most do not want to countenance the thought that a current president has more in common with Hitler and Stalin than with Washington and Lincoln.

Oh sure, Leftist loons called W “Bushitler”, and some of the brilliant vanguard on the Right, such as yours truly, have noted Obama’s streak.  But more mainstream and influential voices have not asserted such about Obama . . . until yesterday.

I still doubt whether many outside the Right will perceive Obama as getting his totalitarian on.  But . . . but him going after guns may be the tipping point that gets more people to fear that we do have a President more akin to Stalin than to Lincoln.  That largely depends how much he is willing to play the dictator in going after guns.  I do think he is more willing than some think.  And, as I mentioned, vigorous reverence for the 2nd Amendment crosses party lines.  This is an issue that can set off the alarms of a great many Americans.

Having said that, Presidents have acted too much like dictators before - FDR and Nixon come to mind - and few, rightly or wrongly, came to see them as having a totalitarian streak.  So I still doubt whether the perception of Obama’s totalitarian streak will be much of a factor in his downfall.

But it said perception does become a factor, yesterday’s Drudge may prove to be a moment of import.

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