Posted on 11/01/2009 11:56:07 PM PST by Rummyfan
Valerie Jarrett announced the other day that were going to speak truth to power.
Whos Valerie Jarrett? Shes Senior Advisor to the President of the United States ie, the leader of the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. You would think the most powerful man in the most powerful nation would find a hard job finding anyone on the planet to speak truth to power to. But I suppose if youre as eager to do so as his Senior Advisor, theres always somebody out there: The Supreme Leader of Iran. The Prime Minister of Belgium. The Deputy Tourism Minister of the Solomon Islands. But no. The Senior Advisor has selected targets closer to home: I think that what the administration has said very clearly is that were going to speak truth to power. When we saw all of the distortions in the course of the summer, when people were coming down to town hall meetings and putting up signs that were scaring seniors to death
Ah, right. People putting up signs. Cant have that, can we? The most powerful woman in the inner circle of the most powerful man on earth has decided to speak truth to powerful people standing in the street with handwritten placards saying THIS GRANMA ISNT SHOVEL READY. Was it only a week ago that I wrote about this Administrations peculiar need for domestic enemies?
The Senior Advisor seems to have forgotten that she is the power. Admittedly, this is a recurring lapse on the part of the Administration. There was Barack Obama only the other day blaming everything on the President no, no, silly, not him, the other fellow, the Designated Fall Guy who stepped down as head of state in January to accept the new constitutional position of Blame Czar. Musing on problems in Afghanistan, Obama blamed the long years of drift under his predecessor. The new President okay, newish President has been Drifter-in-Chief for almost a year but hes too busy speaking truth to the former power to get on top of the situation. It could be a while yet. In his more self-regarding moments, such as his speech to the UN, he gives the strong impression that the long years of drift began in 1776.
Rocco Landesman, head honcho at the National Endowment for the Arts, seems closer to the reality of the situation. In his keynote address to the 2009 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference, Landesman hailed Obama as the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar. He didnt mean a powerful writer as in a compelling voice, gripping narrative, vivid characterization, command of language, etc. He meant a powerful writer as in Caesar was king of the world, and now Obama is. He came, he saw, he stimulated: If you accept the premise, and I do, that the United States is the most powerful country in the world, then Barack Obama is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar. That has to be good for American artists.
I suppose so. He could invade somewhere and force the natives to accept degrading roles in NEA-funded performance art. He could take out the Iranian nuclear program by carpet-bombing it with unreadable literary novels. That is, if you accept the premise that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. Rocco Landesman may, but its not clear, from his actions (or inactions) in Eastern Europe, Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere, that the President does. But, even so, it seems an odd pitch to American artists. Rocco Landesman, Speaking Goof to Power, isnt the first Obama groupie to enjoy the kinky frisson of groveling obsequiousness, but hes set an impressive new standard in public revelation thereof. Roccos aunt, Fran Landesman, is the great lyricist of Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most as well as The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men. But surely there are few sadder middle-aged men than her nephew prostrating himself before his master as the most literate global colossus in two millennia.
Meanwhile, Larry David is now doing televised NEA exhibits on his HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. Christians are said to be angry at him because of an episode in which, after he accidentally sprays his urine on a picture of Jesus, his assistant mistakes the droplets for tears and calls in her mother to witness the miracle of Christ weeping. Ha-ha! Oh, those brave transgressive artists! Of course, Christians arent angry in the sense that two US residents arrested last week are. The pair one an American citizen, the other Canadian were so angry about the Mohammed cartoons published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that they hatched a plot to kill the artist and his editor. As many commentators pointed out, Mr Davids splashy stunt is a dreary provocation: Its easy to be provocative with people who cant be provoked. If he were to start urinating in a more Mecca-ly direction, hed find an entirely more motivated crowd waiting for him at the stage door.
But I liked the point made by the Anchoress, a writer at the magazine First Things: Putting Mohammed et al aside, if Larry David had a yen to urinate hither and yon, wouldnt it have been braver to have done it to the religious icon du jour? Thats to say, Barack Obama. And then maybe Ashton Kutcher could have marveled at how even Obamas image was empathizing tearily with all 687 million Americans without health insurance. Or, alternatively, dribbling warm champagne from his Norwegian Nobel banquet toast. Cmon, Larry. Sure, you might not have a career afterward, but, unlike any Islamo-provocations, youre not gonna get killed. Just fired, and probably damned as a racist. But at least you wouldnt be a simpering suck-up to power like Rocco Landesman and the other creeps.
At some point the Caesar cult has to manifest itself in an achievement I mean a real achievement, not merely some dud prize handed out by Norwegian lefties. Afghanistan is his now: Notwithstanding years of drift, whether it winds up as victory or defeat or is his call. Its Obamas war. Its Obamas economy. The stimulus bill is his stimulus, and for $787 billion it created 30,000 new jobs (according to the government) or (according to the Associated Press) 25,000. Either way, you do the math. Its Obamas unemployment rate, Obamas dollar, Obamas debt. Pace Valerie Jarrett, the truth is you are the power. And those on the receiving end of it are going to be speaking a lot louder in the months ahead.
Ping!
BTTT
She is also nothing more than a corrupt Chicago slum-mistress, which Mr Steyn should know. Whatever this corrupt trollop has to say is nothing I would wish to hear, particularly after having siad, "Barak Obama is ready to rule on day one." Ms. Jarrett, whther or not you, and your principal are ready to "rule" or not is largely immaterial. What *is* material, however, is my complete unwillingness to be ruled by the likes of you, or your principal, Mr. Oh-bummer.
Any attempt by either of you to "rule" me will be met by the appropriate response, and atttempting to utilize force, fear, and intimidation *will* result in force being met with force, your intimidation being rammed right back down your throats, and a thourough education, first-hand, in the true meaning of the word "fear". Try this, at your own personal peril...
the infowarrior
Zer0, Jarrett, Jesse et.al. have been accustomed to compiant guilt ridden liberals. Their claim to prominence was the victim/race card. This suited them well. They were never challenged on their beliefs or actions and excused for gross ineptitude.
These ignorant fools don’t realize they have exhausted our goodwill. Zer0 can no longer be the reactionary a destroyer
of the status quo. He is incapable of being anything but a nihlist and the deconstructor of society with no positive vision or future.
for this country.
Valerie Jarrett is scum!
She’s not only a communist but a slum lord who exploits her own black people.
Totally disgusting.
60's hippie-speak...
Some of them will never become adults...
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