The Hoax Meme: One That Works For Me

I have just read that  Clint Eastwood has said “President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”

I have believed almost the same thing for quite some time, although “hoax” might be a too-strong description for my doubts in the past.

In terms of timing, my doubt was evident even before the reports in the last year or two of his poor college records and his suspicious move from Occidental to his rare appearance record at Columbia, or the description of his being the president of the Harvard Law Review and only having written one “narrow” article.

I based my appraisal on the few short years he was a Senator and the oft times he voted ‘present’. My initial criticism was muted only because I knew so little about him. But now I have come to realize, HOW COULD SOMEONE know a man with such an inexperienced past?

During the time he was running for election the focus was on the missteps of Sarah Palin; her inexperience was the focus. The press ate it up and then slathered the remains of the meal all over themselves. They were - they ARE - never sated by unbalanced abuse.

As for Obama, there was a precious short period of vetting; a surprising few important questions.

How could someone like this rise so high in such a short time? It is like some sort of farce starring Peter Sellers as Chauncey the Gardener in the movie “Being There”. In this movie a few short quips seemed to endow Chauncey with worldly vision and the slow speech patterns of a man to whom we should all listen.

Barack Obama is a wonderful speaker. But even more magical are his minders. His coaches. His support network. Loyal to a fault, they are. Few seem able to point out a flaws in his actions: the press, the Democratic party, Hollywood, various leaders of minorities, and even the throngs of comedians that cannot, WILL not, lay a finger on him.

The support is … too perfect. Something has got to give.

This is what seems to happen with most hoaxes.