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TYRRELL: The god that failed
The Democrats are about to be beaten by something they do not in their heart of hearts think exists - a huge national majority. At this late hour, with the storm clouds gathering and the livestock getting restless, they see only sunshine. Yes, there is "foreign money" out there. Yes, the media have bungled broadcasting the purity of the Democratic message. And naturally, angry voices can be heard. Yet surely there is no majority gathering to unseat the party of decency and good deeds. Well, there is, and it is nothing like the Democrats describe it.That majority is amiable, sensible and believes in limited government. It is convinced that we face a catastrophic budget crisis and that measures must be taken against the spending and on behalf of growth. Furthermore, many of these friendly Americans would be delighted to give our president a ride home if they found him on a street corner, though they would be a lot happier if he did not live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. They doubt he would ask them in for a drink. After all, to him they do not exist. Many of these people are Tea Partiers. They certainly do exist. Yet they are nothing like the Democrats believe them to be. They are not angry and warlike. They are concerned about what the Democrats have done these past months, but they will retire them the old-fashioned way - through the ballot box. Our president has a difficult time conceiving of this growing majority that opposes him. Apparently, in May, President B.O. invited a group of presidential historians to the White House to discuss history and inform him of any historic movements comparable to the Tea Party movement in all of American history. The historians told him what he wanted to hear. As Peter Baker wrote in the New York Times Magazine, the president wanted to know whether there were "precedents for this sort of backlash against the establishment. What sparked them and how did they shape American politics." Reportedly, the historians spoke of the Know-Nothings of the 1850s, the Populists of the 1890s and the Coughlinites of the 1930s. Thus our president was reassured. They were racists and fruitcakes. He heard nothing to challenge his smug sense of history. There were a few other incidents and people they could have talked about if they hadn't been wearing their blinders. There were the Abolitionists, for example. They simply wouldn't shut up about freeing those damned slaves. There was the Whiskey Rebellion, back in President Washington's time. And there were those Texans, holed up in their Alamo. Posted by: Fred 2010-10-22 |
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