Originally Posted by
Ben
Obama has been worse, with respect to civil liberties, than Bush.
I think we get, or become, deluded with respect to politicians. A friend of mine thought Bill Clinton was cool. Ya know, focusing on the person, not the policies. I find that frightening.
Same with Bush. He was essentially sold to the electorate as, well, someone you can have a beer with. Ya know, too, a guy that cares about his cattle. A nice man, a family man....
So, politicians are sold to the public like brands of toothpaste. Obama was sold to us as a brand. Ya know, he's hip, he's cool, he's got a winning smile.
Obama is now in campaign mode. So, he has to do this. He's selling his brand again. (It's like when you see an ad on the TV for a car. Ya know, they focus on how smooth the car is. It's fast; it's sleek.
But what they don't mention in the ad is that driving contributes to higher prices at the pump, it adds to congestion and air pollution. They purposely leave out those facts.
What companies do is work to undercut markets. In order for a market system to work, well, you need informed consumers making rational choices. Otherwise a market system won't work.
And with respect to politics, well, that's precisely what the political establishment want. What they want is uninformed voters -- yes!, uninformed voters -- making irrational choices. Hence Obama, hence Bush....
So, Obama is sold to us like a car commercial....
