Obama Derangement Syndrome

Since the election I've read a number of conservatives posting on-line about how those on the Right need to take a chill pill and stop being so mean to Barack Obama. The general consensus seems to be that many who are vocally opposed to Obama are being completely unreasonable and are either suffering from, or on the verge of contracting, Obama Derangement Syndrome. The argument seems to be that you can't possibly continue to point out Obama's history and his stated policies because he's about to be President. He won the election and voila! he's turned over a new page.

Relax, they say, stop being such Barack-bigots. Let's just be nice because criticising Obama just makes you look like those morons on the Left who spent the past eight years making jokes and conspiracy theories up about George Bush, Dick Cheney and the rest of the administration.

Well, I for one am totally and utterly in favour of polite and reasoned discourse. It's been a pleasure here to occasionally engage in just that with those who disagree with me. In fact, I welcome it. However, and here's where I have a problem with these commentators, there is a difference between an unwillingness to forgive Obama his flaws and ODS. Personally I hold the view that he is a man of low character and I will not apologise for that- it's not deranged or unreasoned to come to that conclusion. Simply holding a job in the White House does not change a man's nature or his past. I do, or course, wish the best for America- whether a Democrat, Republican or Independent is at the helm.

Anyway, the latest of these "stop criticising Obama in case you go crazy" pieces is at Pajamas Media. Here's the comment I left-

I agree that ODS must be avoided but it’s not to early to start protesting an Obama administration and the plans he has for it. There’s plenty of evidence to use for this, including his own bill the “Global Poverty Act” which will tie US taxation to UN demands- and it’s projected to cost billions of dollars.

Not to mention the policies he’s stipulated he intended to carry out- among them a permanent “Assault Weapons” Ban.

Then there’s the incredible secrecy surrounding his transition team-
“There are some people who have been with us from the beginning who are clearly political liabilities or who won’t be able to qualify for a job, say, because they can’t get a security clearance,” says another aide, who was unaware of the unique Obama transition project’s tax status.

There’s no need to resort to the “ChimpyHitlerHalliburton” nonsense of the Left when we can- perfectly reasonably- be outraged by Obama’s long association with a man who declared war on America and who discussed the genocide of 25 million Americans.

I’ve read a lot of posts lately warning conservatives not to submit to ODS, some even going to far as to declare Obama- who has lied, cheated (his campaign donations) and involved himself with racists (Wright) and terrorists (Ayers and PLO-spokesman Khalidi)- a good and decent man. I personally disagree. He may be President-Elect but that does not, in my eyes, wipe clean the slate of his past.

The big difference between conservatives and liberals is that the latter camp have not only ridiculed and insulted the President for the past eight years, they have done the same to their country. Conservatives recognise the difference between the man holding the office and their nation. See all the stories about liberals, for the first time, flying the Stars and Stripes. Furthermore, we’ve heard endless stories and rants about Bush’s intention to establish re-education camps, install a Christian theocracy, etc, etc, etc. That would be the derangement part- it’s an unfounded, paranoid hatred of Bush.

On the other hand, the criticism on the right regarding Obama is, from what I’ve seen on blogs, based entirely on his avowed intentions and his factually established history. We don’t need to imagine an Obama presidency weakening the Constitution because he has stated in public that he intends to promote judges to the Supreme Court who will rule not on the Constitution but on their own, personal sense of fairness.

If the right does start to get a little deranged, I’m sure that there will be a good number of blogs- just like this one- who will point out that fact. Until that starts to happen however I’d appreciate it if some members of the conservative blogosphere stopped yelling at people (who thus far have couched their opposition to Obama in terms of his own plans for America rather than “that guy’s a jerk”) and accusing them of being unreasonable crazies.

I should also have pointed out that while conservatives are- and will- be opposed to the policies of an Obama Presidency, they will not lose faith in their country. Those afflicted with BDS, on the other hand, had no problems in attacking their own nation. They thought nothing of disparaging the troops at war (no conservative will do the same no matter how unpopular a war Obama sends them on) or of openly praising the enemies of America (see any of Zombie's photo reports for evidence of that.