Unable to contain his lust for self-dramatics, Andrew Sullivan begins the rendering of garments and gnashing of teeth a day early:
Democrats can stop hoping at this point.
I can see no alternative scenario but a huge - staggeringly huge - victory for the FNC/RNC machine tomorrow. They crafted a strategy of total oppositionism to anything Obama proposed a year ago. Remember they gave him zero votes on even the stimulus in his first weeks. They saw health insurance reform as Obama's Waterloo, and, thanks in part to the dithering Democrats, they beat him on that hill. They have successfully channeled all the rage at the massive debt and recession the president inherited on Obama after just one year. If they can do that already, against the massive evidence against them, they have the power to wield populism to destroy any attempt by government to address any actual problems.
This is a nihilist moment, built from a nihilist strategy in order to regain power ... to do nothing but wage war against enemies at home and abroad.
Again with the nihilist nihilism? Did you get a book of Latin vocab for Hanukkah? Seriously; You just got done saying The Bad Men were using populism to destroy Bambi's ability to govern. Come on, Andrew, make up your mind. What's left of it, that is.
(Minor question: What the fuck is "oppositionism"?)
Andrew's wailing continues:
What comes next will be a real test for Obama. I suspect serious health insurance reform is over for yet another generation.
Even if Coakley wins - and my guess is she'll lose by a double digit margin - the bill is dead. The most Obama can hope for is a minimalist alternative that simply mandates that insurance companies accept people with pre-existing conditions and are barred from ejecting patients when they feel like it. That's all he can get now - and even that will be a stretch. The uninsured will even probably vote Republican next time in protest at Obama's failure! That's how blind the rage is.
You know, I never knew there were that many blind, raging Republicans in Massachusettes. Where the fuck did Teddy hide 'em all? Ah, well... The things you miss living in Ohio...
Then comes some intellectual rigor:
Ditto any attempt to grapple with climate change. In fact, any legislative moves with this Democratic party and this Republican party are close to hopeless. The Democrats are a clapped out, gut-free lobbyist machine. The Republicans are insane. The system is therefore paralyzed beyond repair.
The Republicans are insane (Sullivan should talk). Democrats are corporate whores. The system is paralyzed beyond repair. Only The One is pure. Only He can save us...
(cue theme to Love Story)
Praise be to Obama The Pure, Our Saviour.
(end theme to Love Story)
And then, after the wailing, and the rending, and the gnashing, comes the melancholy:
Yes, I'm gloomy. Not because I was so wedded to this bill, although I think it's a decent enough start. But because if America cannot grapple with its deep and real problems after electing a new president with two majorities, then America's problems are too great for Americans to tackle.
Actually, if the president in question pulled his head out of his ass and presented solutions to all these deep and real problems that were palatable to a simple majority of voters, chances are a few of those deep and real problems would get tackled. Solved, even!
And finally, the hissy, complete with platitudinous faux profundity...
And so one suspects that this is a profound moment in the now accelerating decline of this country. And one of the major parties is ecstatic about it.
Christ, this sort of writing could embarrass Roger Kimball. And this sort of thinking? Well, I'm not sure even Amanda Marcotte could buy into it. Like I said, I hope The Atlantic is making boatloads off this shit...
A nihilist who puts on a populist's demagogic mask, seems an apt description of Sullivan himself. As usual Sullivan is writing about himself.
The stuff about degeneration and problems too great for anyone to fix (though he's still hoping The Once can save him (note--Obama for Andrew is Andrew), or at the very least extend his visa) is also mark-on Sullivan solipsism. I don't think he realizes anymore what he is doing, a tendency having become the core of his being, and now too far gone in mind and body to realize his idiocy and if not stop it, at least, reasonably temper it.
The Palin fixation also makes sense if viewed in this light. SHE, and especially HER very fertile uterus, i.e her health, plus her values and abilities, are for Andrew the most delightful and easy to battle anti-Andrew: trying to end her is the flip-side of trying to continue Sullivan. A project he is isn't winning, and like any thorough nihilist during the end game, 'tis not a pretty sight to witness.
Indeed "this is a profound moment in (his) now accelerating decline" and it is easy to understand how Andrew can think "major parties are ecstatic about his/Barry's/America's decline (note: "America" for Andrew is Andrew. Or "America" for Andrew is the anti-Andrew depending on who is President and how much of his term is left)".
"Ecstatic"--again Andrew elevating Andrew by creating a super-natural, anti-rational, a terrifying and powerful anti-Andrew/Barack force that only he/Barry can/must fight.
Posted by: arisugawa | January 19, 2010 at 12:04 AM
Sully learned everything he knows about nihilism from The Big Lebowski.
Posted by: ThomasD | January 19, 2010 at 12:38 PM
"...clapped out, gut-free ..." "...insane" "paralyzed beyond repair"
Surely these rational and intellectually rigorous emanations are accurate, and say NOTHING, nothing at all, about their author.
Projection, anyone?
Posted by: David | January 19, 2010 at 01:04 PM
"Remember they gave him zero votes on even the stimulus in his first weeks."
You know, I don't remember zero votes from Republicans on the stimulus... and neither does anyone else with a half-decent memory.
But if your memory is failing, I'll help you with links.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29179041/
"The Senate approved the measure 60-38 with three GOP moderates providing crucial support..."
Whoops, Sullivan's memory? Or a historical news post from Feb 14 2009, who to trust? Weird, that research didn't seem very difficult, I guess I'm better at Google than Sullivan (and those other people who post as him after steeping in his brain juices).
That or remembering differently (and not assuming I was 100% correct in all things) I did a half a minute of research before spouting off. One or the other.
Posted by: Ertdfg | January 19, 2010 at 03:38 PM
"oppositionism", n.
A major political party in Nueroticania. Oppositionists are often found crawling out from under your bed, or hiding just out of the corner of your vision. Oppositionists are known primarily for stealing infants from cribs and plotting global warming.
See "cognitive dissonance"
Posted by: just passin by | January 19, 2010 at 04:19 PM
Yep.
Aside from sheer damned wussiness (resulting in a runaway movement wide love affair with loserdom), the other main characteristic of Leftardism is projection.
Whether complaining or praising, it's all about Andrew, baybee!
Posted by: Randy Rager | January 19, 2010 at 04:27 PM
"it's all about Andrew, baybee!"
This, sir, is the TRVTH, yea and verily . . . I think of Andy as a practicing Solipsist.
Posted by: David | January 19, 2010 at 05:23 PM