Okay. Okay. You have to stop using “Obama” and “Change” in the same breath. I'm begging. Because when I hear that, I get shooting pains through my arms and I begin to sweat in places I didn't know existed. Needless to say, I'm getting concerned about my health.
I live in Cook County, Illinois, see, and we knew Obama long before he was a tingle in Chris Matthews' leg. You may have heard of Cook County; it is home to Chicago. And of course, Chicago isn't known for its inspirational politics. Charles Merriam famously called it “the only completely corrupt city in America.”
So the notion that a politician cut from the machine of Illinois politics, and specifically Chicago politics, could “change” American politics is frankly ... well ... absurd. And yet half this country has bought into that very idea.
These true believers were shocked last week to discover that, despite exaltations of the media elites, Barack Obama is in fact, just a politician. His reversal on retroactive immunity for telecom companies and hedging on the war in Iraq left many hardcore suppporters feeling abused and foresaken.
Indeed, folks in Chicago learned a while back about Obama's more cynical side. He has a track record of putting party over principle.
In 2006, he endorsed the re-election of Rod Blagojevich, despite very real concerns about the Governor's ethics. Since the endorsement, Blagojevich has come very close to full blown indictment, so close that some Illinois Democrats tried to have him recalled. But Obama's voice has been silent on the matter.
In 2007, incumbent Cook County Board President and long-time Machine candidate, John Stroger, faced a tough challenge from a reform candidate in the Democratic Primary. Obama refused to make an endorsement.
When John Stroger was incapacitated by a stroke two weeks before the election, Obama was silent. When the Machine told us Stoger was fine and only admitted the seriousness of the stroke once the deadline for candidate filings had passed, Obama remained silent. And when the Machine replaced John Stroger with his inexperienced and unimpressive son, Todd, well Obama endorsed him.
Since Obama's endorsement, Todd Stroger has gone on to break promises, lie to the public, and raise taxes to support six-figure salaries for his family and friends.
Even now, Obama is putting politics over principle in Illinois. Illinoisans have a chance to reform state politics by voting “yes” for a consitutional convention on a November ballot question. But Obama's own campaign mastermind, David Axelrod, has been hired to oppose the effort.
I'm not blaming corruption in Illinois on Obama; let's be clear. But he's done very little to stand up for principles and good governance in a state that deperately needs principled and bipartisan leadership.
I really don't care if you vote for Obama. I fully admit, as far as politics goes, he's a fine candidate. He probably should win.
What I can't stand is willful and selective naivety, that kind of feigned idealism that is clearly a surface level rationalization of baser motives. Vote for Obama, but for god sake, do it cynically.
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