Political Humor - Obama in Wonderland
Political Humor - Obama in Wonderland
Author Lewis Carroll was one of the Victorian era’s more interesting literary characters and at times, produced work that appeared seriously disturbed. Using the artistic license allowed by creating a story in dreamland, Carroll took his readers through surreal adventures in Alice’s Wonderland. Subject to reinterpretation over the years, the stories Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass have combined characters and undergone adaptations. The central concept though, of falling down a hole and entering an alternative universe, remains a key element.
When the country elected a new kind of Democrat last November, the nation didn’t exactly fall down a rabbit hole, but rather tripped over something a gopher left in a pasture. The nation will recover from the fall, but for now, voters have indeed entered an alternative universe where miraculous powers of persuasion and magical slogans are believed to be the essential requirements to change the world. If we only ’have the audacity to hope’ and say ‘yes we can,’ societal utopia will be ours. The only problem is that Obama really believes in this alternative universe. The alternative universe frees liberals from logic, reason and lessons of history.
History’s most important lessons involve catastrophic failures of previous world leaders. Marxism and appeasement are two great lessons that were thought to have been well-learned this past century. North Korea is demanding appeasement in exchange for the mere promise of stopping its nuclear program. Obama’s belief that Kim Jong Il would like to join the Obama fan club and should be willing to stop weapons development in exchange for membership is childish, risky and dangerous. The folks in Hawaii may find out how close the DPRK can come to dropping a missile down Mauna Loa in the next few days. Obama has no option other than confrontation – which North Korea guesses He will be unwilling to take. Should Obama choose the path of appeasement, the problems will be far worse in the next few years just as they turned out after 1938.
Socialism is another twentieth century disaster that Democrats- including the aforementioned President – are trying to resuscitate. Taking property and value from one and giving it to another might be a good way to buy the vote of the person on the receiving end of the transaction, but the practice is a Ponzi scheme that will collapse like the housing market. As Maggie Thatcher said, “the problem with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
History teaches many other valuable lessons – like inflation results from government paying its bills with newly printed money. History also teaches that dream merchants and political snake oil salesman have the ability to convince people that their world can be different if the voters only have courage to believe it so. The population can also write major benefits to itself, such as free health care and make others pay for their benefits, if only it posseses the will to make it so. These outdated and failed philosophies illustrate the awful power of make-believe. In 2009, these failed philosophies are being repackaged and resold – just like the new Alice in Wonderland film scheduled for release in March.
Alice in Wonderland is a classic tale taking place in that dreamland somewhere between sleep and reality – not unlike the place the current administration lives. Additionally, some interesting character similarities between the new Alice in Wonderland and the Obama Wonderland have also begun to emerge.
Below then are the main characters in the new Obama in Wonderland episode about to unfold.
White Rabbit – Rahm Emanuel - Keeping the President on his game and hitting the right tee time is a big job. Not only does Rahm continually keep Obama on course to ruin the country, he does it with colorful – if repetitive – language. Hollywood loves gritty characters, so Rahm should fit right in as this administration’s White Rabbit. Saying “ I’m $!@#$@^& * late!” would be a nice twist. The White Rabbit’s ability to quickly disappear also fits.
Queen of Hearts –No doubt about this one, Hillary Clinton. (Yes, this was too easy.) The Queen, famous for uttering “off with their heads!” exclaimed this at a cabinet meeting while still under partial sedation for her broken elbow. This would have been fine except the subject under discussion was health care reform. No one dared laugh.
Mad Hatter – Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. The Hatter poses a riddle to those present at the tea party. When the audience gives up, the Hatter acknowledges that he doesn’t have the answer either. When Geithner is asked how the country is to repay the outrageous sums borrowed under the Stimulus bill, Geither just says that the country’s growth will pay for it. This is Washington-speak for “we don’t know and we don’t care… it is someone else’s bill to pay.”
Tweedledeedum – Kim Jong Il – The world can easily see Twedledee and Tweedledum morph into the same short stubby character and attempt to take over the world. The Obama administration embraces the character with the objective of giving him what he wants so he won’t blow up the magical garden. Obama has grown this character into a real threat and should the Chosen One allow the DPRK to continue its nuclear development while the US stands down from missile defense… the next several years will be the most dangerous that US voters have faced for generations.
Cheshire Cat – President Obama Himself. One that hides behind his smile and good humor, the President throws out absurdly expensive project after project. When questions arise, Team Obama impugns the character of the questioner and falls back on the ‘yes we can’ theme from the campaign. And should one of these programs or ideas turn out badly, the President will be nowhere in sight to accept responsibility. He will leave behind only his smile.
Knave of Hearts – Commentators on Fox News - Charged with tart theft, the Knave of Hearts is put on a show trial for the crime. Fox News is enjoying the publicity generated by Team Obama’s continuous public demonizing. Stealing the country’s ‘Hope and Change’ attitude is actually what Fox is charged with, but, like the Queen’s tarts, the item of value thought to be stolen really isn’t important.
The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, All on a summer day:
The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, And took them quite away!