The Obama problem (original) (raw)
footpad unnerved
October 1 2009, 00:07
Via cargoweasel, a particularly unnerving suggestion of a coup against Obama. The author, one John L. Perry, claims to be discussing it only as a hypothetical ("describing what may be afoot is not to advocate it"), but fuck him and his weasel talk: it's perfectly clear where his sympathies lie. He's selling the prospect of getting Obama out at gunpoint.
Now, that's out not down: the man's not actually advocating violence. There's certainly some that would—mostly idiot nutcases, but they just go to show that in a country of millions, there's no limit to the insanity you can find.
Which brings me to my problem. By American standards, judged by the extremity of his political position, just how barking mad is this guy? From here, given only the cherry-picked snippets and samples of the news and blogs, it's pretty much impossible to tell how common any given viewpoint actually is. Does Perry speak for an opinionated few, for the masses, only for himself? It's really hard for me to know.
Which is where my American friends come in. Help me out here. What proportion of America actually thinks like this?
John L. Perry is
America's conscience and the voice of all righteous citizens. To the barricades!
definitely polarised in his opinions, but a good many solid citizens would tend to agree with him -- maybe 50%.
not speaking for the majority, but plenty of people hear what he has to say; 10% or so.
in a pretty small minority, 1% or so, but still significant.
an extremist; only a few freaks take this stuff seriously. A tenth or hundredth of a percent.
a glassy-eyed drooling freak that even the Klan couldn't stomach. One in a million.
John L. Perry should be
removed from his job at gunpoint.
If you'll allow me to position myself as a pretty average European, I think I can give a pretty average European view when I say that John L. Perry is batshit crazy and a fucking idiot to boot. Coups are what you do when democracy has died. I dunno about you, but from over here it looks like American democracy is running around in torn-open shirt and trousers, frothing at the mouth and howling at the moon. Americans still have a vote and it still counts for something. Ergo, not time for a coup, end of story. You may really loathe Obama's policies and actions but to actually depose a democratically elected government in your own country (even to replace it, oh so very smugly, with "military-trained nation-builders")? The very suggestion is so baroquely layered with stupidity, hypocrisy and folly that contemplating it leaves me literally breathless.
Then I start wondering what the Iraqis would think, and at that point I can only start to snigger with an edge of hysteria.
Anyway. Set my mind at rest, I beseech you. Reassure me that Americans find such people crazy too. Whaddya say?