The triumph of a 'charismatic demogogue'

By Tom Quiner

Turn the clock back six years.
I just finished reading an essay written by the always compelling Mark R. Levin which appeared in the National Review Online on October 25th, 2008. The title: “The Obama Temptation.”
Mr. Levin  described the then-upcoming first presidential election for Barack Obama like this:

“but I sense what’s occurring in this election is a recklessness and abandonment of rationality that has preceded the voluntary surrender of liberty and security in other places.”

Did he nail it or what? Whether it is health insurance or the HSA Mandate; the pending abolition of the coal industry or NSA overreach; IRS attacks on conservative groups or the disintegration of the war on terror, we the people have surrendered shocking amounts of liberty and security in six mere years.
Mr. Levin correctly warned of the danger of voting for a cult like figure:

“There is a cult-like atmosphere around Barack Obama, which his campaign has carefully and successfully fabricated, which concerns me. The messiah complex. Fainting audience members at rallies. Special Obama flags and an Obama presidential seal. A graphic with the portrayal of the globe and Obama’s name on it, which adorns everything from Obama’s plane to his street literature. Young school children singing songs praising Obama. Teenagers wearing camouflage outfits and marching in military order chanting Obama’s name and the professions he is going to open to them. An Obama world tour, culminating in a speech in Berlin where Obama proclaims we are all citizens of the world. I dare say, this is ominous stuff.”

He pointed out how dangerous it was for the media to be so in the bag for a candidate. Their double standard was transparent:

“And, of course, while experience is crucial in assessing Sarah Palin’s qualifications for vice president, no such standard is applied to Obama’s qualifications for president. (No longer is it acceptable to minimize the work of a community organizer.) Charles Gibson and Katie Couric sought to humiliate Palin. They would never and have never tried such an approach with Obama.”

Finally, Levin characterizes Obama as a charismatic demagogue:

“But beyond the elites and the media, my greatest concern is whether this election will show a majority of the voters susceptible to the appeal of a charismatic demagogue. This may seem a harsh term to some, and no doubt will to Obama supporters, but it is a perfectly appropriate characterization. Obama’s entire campaign is built on class warfare and human envy. The “change” he peddles is not new. We’ve seen it before. It is change that diminishes individual liberty for the soft authoritarianism of socialism.”

It is worth reading the entire essay by Mark Levin, which you can find at the National Review Online.
The country elected the “charismatic demagogue” twice.
The fruit of his administration is just as Levin predicted: diminished individual liberty and a more authoritarian, adversarial State.
What a triumph for the Left.
 
 
 
 

6 Comments

  1. Tom Maly on June 23, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    It’s almost like Mark Levin warrants prophetic status! ;o(



    • quinersdiner on June 23, 2014 at 3:36 pm

      He nailed it on Obama, that’s for sure.



  2. xPraetorius on June 23, 2014 at 8:47 pm

    Well said, by Mr. Levin!
    Again, and again, and again, and again again, we find out that it was ever so much more important to elect a good President — of any color — than it ever was to elect a black one.
    Eternal truths don’t change because of the color of one’s skin.
    Best,
    — x



    • quinersdiner on June 23, 2014 at 8:50 pm

      Great to hear from you. Thanks!



  3. abcinsc on June 24, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    The damage will be felt around the world for decades.