On the Road Again

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The Golden Obambi is back on the road again hawking his  ambrosial pablum in favour of Democratic candidates in the upcoming mid-terms.  We tuned in briefly (very) and were hardly surprised to hear the same'ol, same 'ol treacle that was standard barf from the golden one.

"You need to vote because our democracy depends on it.

"...politics of hope versus politics of fear..."

"...there's nothing we can't solve if we don't come together..." 

"...saving the natural beauty of California..."

It was never long before Obambi intoned his Great Doxology,

"... pull ourselves closer to our founding ideals, that all of us are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, the ideals that say every child should have opportunity and every man and woman in this country who’s willing to work hard should be able to find a job and support a family and pursue their small peace of the American dream ...."

YAWN..... as we have noted before, this thriller is about as novel and thrilling as pulling a rabbit out of the hat; and yet, each time the audience gasps and applauds as if they have never heard such fluffy words before.

To be fair, this time the Great One added a coda which stood as confessed acknowledgement of the "leftward pull" within the Demorat Party,

"...  ideals that say we have a collective responsibility to care for the sick and the and we have a responsibility to conserve the amazing bounty, the natural resources of this country and of this planet for future generations..."

Ah... the dread "C" word.  Odd how our "founding" ideals never included "collective responsibility" before.  But who are we to complain if our revised founding ideals finally are catching up to those of Bismarck or Rerum Novarum.  We are always pleased to see a little socialism creeping into the S.O.S of American public discourse or the pablum of Obama' hortatory.

But don't believe he believes it.  The next intonation gave the game away,

"...we don't have a permanent elite in this country"

CLUNK

We don't? ????? ?????   !!!!! ???? !!!!!

!

What Obambi evidently means is that, because he got into the elite, the elite as such is not permanent.  This is simply the fallacy of composition -- which assumes that what is true of the part is true of the whole.  Used this way, the fallacy of composition is one of the Chief Canards of Capitalism.
 
It is true that the upper ranks of this country, the four to one percent, periodically refresh their ranks with new members.  Obama was not born to the elite and neither were either of the Clintons.  But the fact that the elite refreshes itself with new blood presupposes the existence of a permanent elite to be refreshed.  Duh.

Ferdinand Braudel (Civilization and Capitalism) postulates that the two percent have always assumed new members when its ranks were impoverished or depleted only to close again when the two percent mark was again reached.  This was certainly the case in Britain which, since the 16th century routinely refreshed its aristocracy in a process that might be called "upward nobility."  But would the Great Obambi tell us that England has "no permanent elite."

It is too laughable for laughing.

What Obambi is doing is what capitalist apologists have always done:  pointing to the exception to disprove the rule.   The working class is not exploited because... why... look at Joe, here! He makes $36.00 an hour plus bennies."  The fact that 37% of seniors are trying to survive on cat food is just an anomaly.  The system is basically good.  Amazing Grace!  Those cat-food eating seniors must have done something wrong.  After all God helps those who help themselves... to what's on your plate.

I've always wondered if Obama is really as stupid as he pretends to be.  Capitalism presupposes a permanent elite.  That is the whole point.  Put another way, there is a difference between

"we don't have permanent elites..."

and

"we don't have a permanent elite."

The first talks about individuals.  The second talks about a class.  Obama drops "class" and mentions only "elite" hoping to equivocate onto the issue of individual elites within the (unmentioned) class.

If one assumes Obama is not stupid, then he must necessarily be a scumbag. 

So yes... in using the c-word, the Great Obambi gave a passing nod to the "leftward" pull within the Demorat Party; but, in the very next breath he intones the primary bullshit of neo-liberal capitalism, denial that there is a permanent class whose idea of "collective" is limited to itself.  

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Oh yes, by way of postcript.  As for Obama's concept of fighting climate change, this is what he said upon the sigining of the Paris Accords

"... the agreement, we’ll only get to part of where we need to go.  But make no mistake, this agreement will help delay or avoid some of the worst consequences of climate change.

"saving the natural beauty of California"

Uh huh... burn, burn, burn.  And what are the forseeable "worst consequences" which may possibly be partially avoided?  And after answering that question ask yourself if the merely worser consequences which we have not remotely experienced yet are biologically tolerable for you and your loved ones.

No.. I don't think Obambi is stupid. Subservient, yes.  Gutless, yes. A nouveau elite? Yes.  Stupid?  No. 
 

© WCG