Bursting the Obama Bubble
Thursday, April 23, 2009 2:29 PM
It used to be Dutch tulips. More recently it was the Dot-Com bubble, and more recently still, of course, there was the housing bubble. They all burst, leaving financial disaster in their wake. Another bubble is looming on the horizon, which I call the #Obubble: the Obama bubble. What all of these bubbles share in common is a fanatical belief that a financial boom will never end, coupled with a greed-driven desire to cash in on the boom.
The Obubble may be different from the others in that it is focused on a political celebrity rather than a market commodity, but the effect is the same. As Wikipedia describes the bubble phenomenon: "bubbles continue as long as the fools can find greater fools to pay up for the overvalued asset. The bubbles will end only when the greater fool becomes the greatest fool who pays the top price for the overvalued asset and can no longer find another buyer."
Today's Obubble fanatics, of course, are buying into the Obama mystique due to promises of hope, change, an alternative to the hated George W. Bush, the first "Black" president in history, and Obama's celebrity aura. Make no mistake, however, they are in it for the cash, just as the Dutch tulip investors in 1637 expected to make a killing. Obubble fools expect a much vaunted "middle class tax cut," a coming huge financial boom spurred by the so-called "Recovery and Reinvestment Act" (aka #porkulus), "green energy," a golden age of peace and love where there will be all butter and no guns, and other promised goodies. Obubble fools don't want to think about hidden taxes from environmental restrictions including "cap and trade" on carbon dioxide emissions, "trickle down" taxes from all of the "rich" who are being taxed to the hilt by the Obamacrats, massive unemployment, and even a possible terrorist attack on US soil as a "peace dividend." Obubble fools prefer to salivate over all of that pie that's up in that sky-blue big O logo.
The Obama bubble is going to burst. It's not a question of if, but when. In my view, the sooner it bursts, the less damage will be done, so whatever can be done to make it burst is a good thing. There is subtle polling evidence that the burst may be coming soon. A recent poll showed that the percentage of respondents who strongly agreed and strongly disagreed with approval of Obama is in the 30% - 40% range, and very close.
However, I have two serious concerns about the bursting of the Obama bubble. The first is that a risk of political chaos because I do not believe that the Republican Party is ready to pick up the pieces. There are some solid Republicans who would be ready, and to advocate what I call the Three C's. The GOP, however, is still overloaded with opportunists and Obama Lite celebrity chasers who do not have what it takes to put the nation back together again.
My second concern is the mental health of the Democrats. One characteristic of Democrats, including many of my friends and relatives, is a fierce tribal loyalty (to their party) — a loyalty so fierce it would probably embarrass village elders in remote Afghan mountain hamlets. Some of these tribal Democrats would never abandon their party but instead drift aimlessly towards another kind of political chaos. Perhaps there are Blue Dogs who could reunite them, but it's anybody's guess. The Obama bubble has not burst yet because in large measure, Democrats who worship the Moonbat Messiah from Mombasa have no other place to go. Pelosi? Reid? Hillary? Not the same as The One. Obama fans are very far out on a very shaky limb and they are already hearing the wood crack.
The bottom line: until the Obama bubble bursts, we are in for a bumpy ride, but after the Obama bubble bursts, our bumpy ride will not be over for quite sometime. Meanwhile, Obama can enjoy his pop-star status until we all hear the big POP!