This is bad news ... for Obama

"Thoughts like a hundred moths. Trapped in a lampshade."

That Rage Against the Machine lyric seems as good a place as any to start what is sure to be a meandering, often pointless exercise in typing. Hmmm, born of a broken man. Still, better to put these political thoughts out there, into the internet ether, than not. Will it make sense? Will it matter?



One idea that has been bouncing around my skull for the past week or so concerns the Olympics, or lack thereof. Single tear for Chicago and all that. But anyone who doubted that the games were going to Rio is an idiot, in retrospect. The only question that remains now is how "City of God" relates to the new inclusion of golf as a medal sport. Well maybe not the only question, but the number of questions that remain is not germane to much, if anything. The point in this case is how it relates to American presidential politics.

Obama critics scored cheap points following this perceived defeat. Which is fine, if you are into spite. Krugman sums it up well. It seems to me that this decision (flying to Copenhagen to campaign for his adopted hometown) was made with emotion, not logic. A rookie presidential mistake perhaps? Opening oneself up for attacks by trying to do good for country and city. It does seem half-assed, flying around the world for a couple hours to try and make up for however many years of ill-will sown by previous administrations. But that could very well be the nut of the Obama presidency thus far: Frantic, futile scrambling after years of going down the perceived wrong path. Perceived? Way to hedge your bets you spineless alarmist.



This brings us to the news of the day: Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. It is a bit surprising, even though he's first person of color to elected the top office in a Western Nation, and extended an olive branch to the world, somehow despite two wars. But he's only been in office for 9 months or so. It is natural to assume that the award is more for what Obama represents, than what he has actually accomplished. This is acceptable, symbolism. The politics of hope get votes. But it's still just a marketing gimmick. For every story about tossing lobbyists out of high-powered panels, there seems to be ten on how he's just another tool for the oligarchy, all from Matt Taibbi.

Gah. Politics. Thinking too much about it strains my lymphatic system. So I guess I'll just press publish and go look at halloween costumes.