By RON JAGER—
After spending election night banging the wall with my head in disbelief, I realized that what was valid in American politics in the past will no longer be. The sad fact is that Democracies are not perfect systems; despite the economy, despite the Middle East, despite the unemployment rate, the majority of the American public chose to go with the illusion of change rather than with the sacrifices inherent in dealing with reality. As for the newly reelected President Obama, he must confront his greatest challenge today, uniting a deeply divided nation and making the switch from campaigning to governing.
Obama’s second term, can no longer be about hope, the hope is largely gone. Obama will confront a daunting agenda, from an economy that is still largely unable to sustain a prosperous American society for most Americans, to rampant unemployment in the foreseeable future, to the looming “fiscal cliff” towards the end of the year. Internationally, the Iran nuclear threat is like a ticking bomb waiting to explode, and America’s standing in the eyes of Russia, China, and the majority of the third world sees Obama’s America as weak, always retreating, always uncertain about her role as the leader of the free world.
On Tuesday night, Bill O’Reilly was interviewed on Fox news, it was hours before Obama was declared the winner, but O’Reilly could read the writing on the wall. He was about to talk about what is largely taboo in the American political discourse, mainly that it’s all about demographics, which is a code word for the black and Latino communities who voted in bloc and in mass for Obama, opting for a clan mentality vote irrespective of ones personal preference. “The white establishment is now the minority,” O’Reilly said. “You are going to see a tremendous Hispanic vote for President Obama. Overwhelming black vote for President Obama. “People feel that they are entitled to things and which candidate, between the two, is going to give them things? “The demographics are changing,” O’Reilly said. “It’s not a traditional America anymore.”
Besides the demographics, there is something else, even though it didn’t show up in all of the traditional polls. When Obama campaigned, in speech after speech, the same thing would always happen. “We love you!” someone would shout out from the crowd. And always Obama would shout back “I love you back,”. I don’t think this happened to often if at all to Mitt Romney. The bottom line being that what motivated the Obama majority on Election Day is about who makes my life and my family’s life better. Obama legitimatized dependency and entitlements, making it OK to get something for nothing. No guilt, no Protestant work ethic, giving his supporters not what they need, but what they want. This is why Obama won, the majority of voters trusted and believed in him to do exactly that, more so than in Romney.
Romney was known as a moderate, a successful father, husband, businessman, and governor. He seemed like a nice guy, modest yet determined, always decent, yet the Obama campaign succeeded in making Romney seem like a menace, the enemy of the middle class, the one who will pull the plug on free lunches. Obama successfully defined Romney in the minds of the majority of Americans as a selfish unrepentant Capitalist, and the mud stuck. The idea that success is a function of perseverance, sacrifice, and education, as represented by Romney became a liability. Obama knows his constituency, you know, the “demographic changes”, and he knows that they don’t want to be held personally accountable for their situation. Making Romney the embodiment of all that is wrong in the Capitalist system works much better on Election Day than rejecting the entitlement movement.
Let’s not forget the weather, Katrina was famously politicized by the Democratic Party and the enlisted Media to beat George Bush into mince meat politically. Yet, with the arrival of hurricane Sandy, leaving millions with no heat or electricity, looters roaming neighborhoods still without power, no gas at the stations, followed by a mediocre response by the Federal agency responsible for mass disasters, yet Obama is projected as the great savior, the shining black knight on a white horse. Romney could do no right, the weather being only a timely and convenient occurrence used to strengthen Obama’s standing on the eve of elections. Obama could have been held accountable in the same manner that President Bush was, but then again, why waste an opportunity to help Obama. Former President Bill Clinton saw the potential of Sandy as win. “Getting off the campaign trail, putting aside politics, working with the Republican governor of New Jersey, the independent mayor of New York City, and the Democratic governors of New York and Connecticut,” said Clinton, in a joint appearance with Obama. “It was a stunning example of how ‘we’re all in this together’ is a way better philosophy than ” you’re on your own.'” Case closed.
Romney’s message to the voting public was not undone by the weather. Romney often exhibited moral courage in sharing his belief that the growing inclination towards dependency and entitlements rather than self initiative and making it on your own is America’s greatest challenge. The results of the election show us that American society has opted for a free lunch. May God help us.
Ron Jager (www.ronjager.com), a 25-year veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, serving as a field mental health officer. Prior to retiring in 2005, served as the Commander of the Central Psychiatric Military Clinic for Reserve Soldiers at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring from active duty, he has been providing consultancy services to NGO’s implementing Psycho trauma and Psycho education programs to communities throughout Israel. Today, Ron serves as the Strategic Advisor to the Shomron Liaison Office. To contact: medconf@netvision.net.il
You may be a “a 25-year veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, serving as a field mental health officer. Prior to retiring in 2005, served as the Commander of the Central Psychiatric Military Clinic for Reserve Soldiers at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring from active duty, he has been providing consultancy services to NGO’s implementing Psycho trauma and Psycho education programs to communities throughout Israel. Today, Ron serves as the Strategic Advisor to the Shomron Liaison Office. ” and in Israel, you may think you are a successful whatever you do. But as an American, who happens to have children living in Israel, and one who has watched the Political charades for more than a year, you seem to have little recognition of reality.
just 2 points to demonstrate just how faulty your memory is or your level of bias qwhen you write.
Katrina was a disaster and the governments reaction under Bush and his friend brownie who was the head of FEMA at that time was appalling to non-existent. Bush even had the tiimerity to tell Mr. Brown that he did a great job at a press conference.
Obama on the other hand was there and the reaction from FEMA qwas almost instantaneous and huge. I live on Long Island and am absolutely amazed at how quickly this administration helped organize a huge recovery effort for the massive amount of people who have been adversely affected by these 2 storms.
I am there and I see what is happening and although it is true what the media is announcing about how slowly some utilities appear to be progressing, it is not because the US government has not been there, is there and will continue to be there.
You may think that the re-election of Obama is horrific for America but you are there and we are here.You here from your biased cohorts and we see , withour own eyes what is happening.
While I am on the platform , you are in Israel and see the Palastinean problem one way and we are in the US and see it perhaps a different way but it does seem to many of us, here in the US, that constantly enlarging the settlements in the West Bank and expecting the Palestinians to even think about sitting at a peace negotiation table is certainly a good definition of insanity.
You are the Mental Health expert, do you think it is so?
Forget,
Why did the FEMA office on Staten Island close because of weather if they are doing such a great job? It was due to weather that people needed their help!
I also remember Katrina. I remember the head of the Nat. Hurricane Center in Miami begging the people of N Orleans to evacuate 24 hrs before the storm hit. Most of the people who stayed chose to stay. They waited for big brother to come do for them what they should have done for themselves.
I also remember the fires in Texas last year. FEMA turned down requests for disaster help for thousands of fires and interferred in state efforts to fight fires. Hundreds of homes were lost. That was under Obama’s watch, not Bush’s.
Your faith in the government being there for you is really pathetic. Now that the election is over, we’ll see how much the president “loves you back.”
And by the way, as for your comment about the land for peace issue in Israel, why don’t you Long Islanders give the land back to the Native Americans who where there thousands of years before you got there?
Remembers