I saw this cartoon at American Thinker last week, and thought it fit the situation perfectly. We as a country have just elected another guy who ran as something he is not and has no intention of being. Barack Obama is likely as far left as anyone in Washington, DC, yet he ran not as a leftist, but a centrist. Why? Because he knows he wouldn’t stand a chance of getting elected if he didn’t hide who he really was or what he really wanted for this country.
Actually, the entire ordeal is very reminiscent of 1992, when William Jefferson Clinton became the first President elected without receiving a majority of the votes cast. Clinton’s ride to the White House was marked by claims that he was “a new Democrat”, vowing to work with both sides of Congress to do what’s right for the country. In those days I was admittedly pretty naive politically, and I took him at his word. His word proved to be worth little, as he demonstrated in the coming two years, taking the side of the Democrats and demonizing the Republicans at every turn, especially during the 1994 election cycle. It was then that I more closely examined what I believed was right in the world of politics and compared it against the platforms of both parties; I changed my registration to Republican that year, and haven’t looked back.
Obama isn’t as politically savvy as Clinton, and despite his handlers’ best efforts, managed to show some cracks in his centrist veneer during the campaign, revealing his true ideological identity to be way, way to the left. Of course, that didn’t get much attention in the mainstream press… It would’ve made him look bad, and that’s the last thing they wanted.
Now that he’s won the election, we’re likely to see his true colors. His pick for Chief of Staff is Rahm Emanuel; not exactly known for “reaching across the aisle” unless it’s an attempt to smack a right-winger upside the head. Jon Podesta is working as co-chairman of the transition team; he’s got about as much in common with Congressional Republicans as Obama. If those two are a sign of things to come… Well, it’s only going to get interestinger still.
But still, as a Christian I’m called to pray for those in authority; that’s especially important when I think they’re up to no good. God can work untold miracles even in and through people who are far from him.
