The idea that President Obama’s supporters trust him precisely because they believe that he frequently misrepresents his own beliefs is becoming more widespread. My friend Bob Cunningham was one of the first to explicate this phenomenon. Yesterday he sent us these thoughts:
It has long been noticed that Obama’s slipperiness had been accepted by the left during the Hope-and-Change campaign when He took positions, for example and notably, NAFTA and foreign trade generally, on both sides of an issue. They were willing to cut Him slack in most cases precisely because they just assumed that, of course!!…He was lying….to someone…about the issue. Since each side could reasonably assume this — the unions that when He made free-trade noises when He assured Canada (and then lied about THAT!) that He wasn’t protectionist, and the rational liberals when He pandered to the unions on NAFTA in Ohio, for example — they could all support Him thinking He was lying….but to the other side!….”Don’t worry….we can trust Him because He’s lying” was, in effect, left-wing Hope.
This has been particularly noticeable with the gay marriage issue….Carrie Prejean being exactly right when noting that her position is identical to that of His Oneness. But Obama gets a pass, of course, from the homosexual activists because they just assume He is lying!!!…to the conservative blacks, for example, 70% against gay marriage in California….
Today Frank Rich in the New York Times comes as close as I’ve seen actually to acknowledge openly the “we trust Him because He’s lying” view:
…Obama’s opposition to same-sex marriage is now giving cover to every hard-core opponent of gay rights, from the Miss USA contestant Carrie Prejean to the former Washington mayor Marion Barry, each of whom can claim with nominal justification to share the president’s views.
In reality, they don’t. Obama has long been, as he says, a fierce advocate for gay equality. The Windy City Times has reported that he initially endorsed legalizing same-sex marriage when running for the Illinois State Senate in 1996.”
In reality, Obama is always, always lying….to somebody….and often it IS the left…Sistah Souljah-ing them on renditions, Guantanamo, wiretapping, etc…..but where are they to go?
“Trust me: I’m lying!” I don’t know, somehow it doesn’t sound like a tactic that will work over the long run.
UPDATE: A commenter on another post draws this analogy:
Many years ago, a friend of mine owned a bar in Alaska. Above the bar was a sign: “We cheat the other guy and pass the savings to you.” This encapsulates the Obama profile!
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.