THE LOCAL FACE OF DEFEATISM AND HOW WE OVERCAME IT

The Statist agenda has been unconditional rejected by the American people.  Concerned citizens have attended Tea Parties, spoke at town halls, and called their representatives.  And the conservative media has contributed greatly to providing information and fellowship for the American Awakening.

But like all of history’s great social political movements, this one has also transpired in the bars, restaurants, and coffee houses. 

This situation was difficult to begin with because the cultural dynamics are such that it required many of us to commit what seemed to be heresy to some of those we know.  A week before the 2008 election we angrily accosted by people who hated Sarah Palin, even though we were not talking to them.  What was even more troubling was that these were people who we knew fairly well.

We were in front of C B G B’s on Grand Avenue in St. Louis.  The “leader” of the anti-Palin congregation was a 36 year old man, a goth hair dresser and occasional DJ.  When he heard us talking amongst ourselves about voting for McCain and Palin he became irate, saying “we can’t afford more of the crap we got in the last eight years.”  

Normally we didn’t discuss anything of substance with these people, but on this evening we decided to pursue the issue.  When asked why we would vote against Obama, we immediately cited  the Fairness Doctrine, regarding this as the “Brownshirt’s Tactic”.  The gothic hairdresser responded with “Sarah Palin banned books, thats a real Brownshirt tactic.”  But he didn’t really know who the Brownshirts were.

One corrected him, asserting that Palin had never banned any books they responded, “we know it’s true, we heard it on MSNBC and read about it on The Daily Kos.”

The gothic hairdresser spoke of not being able to afford “another eight years”.  I knew him throughout the Bush Years, and his problems were not George Bush’s fault.  During the this time he:

Almost never worked more than 20 hours a week at the mall Hot Topic clothing store

Claimed to be a musician but never recorded a single song, played with a single band, or even practiced an instrument.

Was a DJ but never bought his own DJ equipment.  He borrowed a mixer from a DJ, tried to use it for the Marilyn Manson after party without paying him, and had to give it back before the gig.

Got into a “flame war” with his girlfriend and some other goth girls, and tried to get men to physically intimidate them.

Claimed  to be a music promoter and   lost every event night because he refused to market to “the college crowd”, instead choosing to hand fliers to the same fifteen people who had been going to those events since 1997. 

Was 36 and still actually lived in his parent’s basement, and discussed with his mother why some of us who worked physical jobs got sleepy before 1 am in the morning.

And as far as his actual political knowledge, it  didn’t go much farther than what Trent Reznor ate for breakfast.

We don’t deny that people with this kind of background have the right to their opinion, but it is important to see the appeal in this Obama assurance program.   What  this gothic hairdresser attributes to George Bush’s economic policies have actually been caused by his own personal economic policies.

And that’s what the Barrack Obama/Nancy Pelosi Statism Program is selling.  That they are going to punish others and reward them for their inaction.