Brain Lemon

Anyone spending any amount of time in right-leaning political circles recently, especially in the past few months, has surely encountered the very vocal, outspoken group of people known as "birthers."  This movement, for those who don't know, believes that somehow Barack Obama was not technically born in the US, and thus is unable to serve as President.  This is mainly alleged due to the difficulty experienced in obtaining his birth certificate.  Because of this anomaly, some have suggested that in fact Obama is not an American but rather a Kenyan or some other nationality.

First of all, I want to preface this by saying I understand the motivation behind the movement; surely Obama is proving to be a destructive force and I understand the desire to stop him somehow.  I also would say that for the most part, I otherwise agree with "birthers" on many things, and I generally view them as largely comrades.  But I simply am very troubled by this growing movement for several reasons.

The first reason is that when it comes down to it, it is basically a conspiracy theory.  In order for the alleged deception to take place, many people would have to be involved.  It bears disturbing similarity to such liberal theories as 9/11 being an inside job, or Bush stealing one or both elections.  In all of these cases, the successful implementation of the suggested crime is a very complex matter with all manner of moving parts, and many people in the mix.  They would each require hundreds or thousands of people to be "in on it" and lie repeatedly.  In the case of the birth certificate, it would have required planning going back decades, enough so that false birth announcements were placed in Hawaiian papers.  In addition, even if Obama were not born in Hawaii, he would almost certainly be an American citizen anyway as his mother is from Kansas. 

The second, and perhaps most important, reason is that is makes the conservatives that put the theory forth look foolish and wastes time.  By alleging such a wild cover up, and ignoring the vast amounts of evidence to the contrary, birthers look desperate and silly.  It also takes away from the real work of opposing Obama in the only way that matters, politically and ideologically.  Every second that is spent on the non-existent chance that he would be disqualified and removed from office could be spent countering his arguments, working for conservative candidates, and convincing others.  In the end, the simple fact is this – he's NOT going to be removed, at least not this way.  Instead focus on ways he CAN be removed or opposed, by replacing liberals in Congress, and by trying to raise good candidates to run for office at all levels.

My conclusion is this: conservatives spent years making fun of liberals who were still caught up the idea that Bush "stole" the 2000 election.  Let's not give liberals years of amusement making fun of conservatives who hold on to this "birther" movement.  Look at the evidence, keep a clear head, and please jettison this idea before it reduces conservative opposition to a joke.  Obama's not going away, and we'd best spend our time making sure he can do as little damage as possible.

After a well-run campaign and fawning press coverage, Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States.  Now that he has been in office for six months, I can honestly say that even with all I knew and feared from him, he has thoroughly impressed me.  I never imagined he would be so radical, so brazen, so crafty in his ways.  In short, I never dreamt, even in my wildest dreams, that we would be where we are now.  I've compiled a list of things I simply cannot believe have come to pass.

• I never dreamt that we would have a President who so deeply dislikes American history and tradition, who so completely rejects the Constitution.
• I never dreamt that we would have a President who would forcefully take over major companies, openly break contracts, and attempt to run the auto industry.
• I never dreamt that we would have a President so completely in bed with giant corporations and unions, so hostile towards entrepreneurship and small business.
• I never dreamt we would have a Congress and President who would have such great disrepect for us as to not even read bills before passing and signing them.
• I never dreamt we could have federal spending levels that blow away anything previous and create massive deficits, all while we are mocked with meaningless token cuts.
• I never dreamt we would be on the verge of literally taking over the entire health care system, without so much as a debate, based on a wide array of lies and deceptions.
• I never dreamt we would have a government so intolerant of free speech as to label political opponents and veterans merely expressing opinions as dangerous extremists.
• I never dreamt that during terrible economic times, our leaders would actually consider willingly hamstringing the economy with taxes on just about everything.
• I never dreamt we would have leaders who feel the need to constantly apologize for America everywhere they go, blaming us for everything from the economy to global warming.
• I never dreamt that my future would be in jeopardy due to power-hungry, corrupt politicians.
• I never dreamt that I might actually live to see the great decline of America, and possibly its dissolution, or at very least a radical transformation.
• I never dreamt that I would seriously consider living somewhere other than the US if a freer place emerged.

And most importantly…

• I never dreamt that I, a 26-year-old single male, would have to fight so hard just to maintain a decent country for my future family.

But yet these are the times in which we live – the times of Barack Obama.  Be aware, my friends – these are the years that will define America's future identity.  I may have never dreamt we'd be in such a state, but I'm damn well not going to sit idly by and let these nightmares come to fruition.

When Sarah Palin first entered the national scene last fall, people like me (often referred to as the "Republican base," though I dislike that term) were very excited.  Here we had a nice surprise for a change – a genuine conservative, a true reformer who was willing to take on her own party.  And more importantly, the closest thing we had in the world of politics to a regular person.  Her story was inspiring, her authenticity refreshing, her family and appearance fresh and attractive.  In short, someone who could energize a base very disappointed in the selection of McCain, and feeling as if we had no one running for us in the race.

As time went on and the media attacks intensified, it only hardened our resolve and strengthened our love for Sarah.  That's right, "Sarah" – she became someone we felt comfortable referring to by just her first name, and not in a mocking way.  But did we ever look beyond the superficial?  Did we actually look into her views on, say, Iran or North Korea?  We knew she was pro-life in the most literal and true way possible, having kept her son even with a birth defect.  We knew she had a deep love for the military, as shown by her intense pride for her son choosing to serve.  And we knew she could give a good speech, raise a good crowd, and piss off all the right people.  But did we actually know what her positions would be on health care, taxes, or most importantly, the economy?  I don't think so.

In the end, as the election ended and the dust cleared, we were left with an unrestrained, unfettered Sarah Palin, no longer tied to the "progressive light" McCain ticket.  This was exciting in a way – now she could speak her mind and serve as a popular and effective governor.  The future seemed promising for her, if she could brush up on her policy knowledge, learn to express her views clearly, and continue to reform Alaska.  The media would continue to demolish her, and her fans would  continue to love her.  All she had to do was do her job well, prove herself as a serious leader, and earn her way to mainstream respect.

Now she's thrown much of that away, and we're left to figure out why she did it, and what it means for her future.  The simple fact is, that at this point, Sarah Palin is not a serious figure.  She has shown no ability to lead, to serve, or to present herself as a legitimate political player.  While some of these things may endear her to fans, they mark her as unfit for higher duty.  If she resigned because of attacks, she can't take the fire.  If she did it for some perceived personal benefit, she is just as self-centered and ambitious as any politician.  If she did it for her family, that is all well and good, but if that is the case, can she please just settle down and stop exposing them to attack?

In my opinion, then, I think that any chance Palin had of being a legitimate leader is, at best, on hold.  She has the talent and the fan base to continue as an influential figure.  But in truth I think her views make her little more than a socially conservative populist.  Her demeanor is erratic and unpredictable.  As governor she has proven to now be unreliable.  As a political fighter she is fierce on the attack, but unable to defend her positions with any great clarity.  She is now basically a joke in most people's eyes, and this is largely her fault.  One cannot imagine her taking on a politician of Obama's caliber.  But who knows in politics, right?