Whither Our New President, and Us?

On the surface, at least, it would seem that President-Elect Barack Obama is shaping his new administration in a restrained, even-handed way, and leaving the barricades for others to man (read about it here). That would be politically prudent--as well as good for the country--since the closeness of his victory margin suggests that it was people closer to the "middle," not on the far left fringe, who made the difference in this election.

But it was the far left fringe, together with fawning, left-biased media and academic establishments, that propelled an obscure state legislator to the heights of demi-godhood from which he seized the Democratic Presidential nomination, as if by right. And it was a core of "progressive" billionaires and career social activists who bankrolled, planned, and directed for him the army of grassroots zealots and the political/funding/media machine that overpowered the opposition in the general election (not, perhaps, that that rather feeble opposition didn't deserve to be overpowered).

These aren't the sort of people who are put off easily; they're already getting impatient (read about it here and here), and they mean to collect on the debt Obama owes them. Here is some of what's on their invoice: passage of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would overrule many state-level restrictions on access to abortion; a shift from Bush-supported abstinence-only sex education to comprehensive programs that include teaching about contraception; federal recognition of same-sex partnerships; a hate-crimes bill that would cover offenses motivated by "anti-gay bias;" gays serving openly in the military; and voting rights for more ex-convicts. This in addition to such things as a quick withdrawl from Iraq, aggressive global warming initiatives, amnesty and more services for illegal immigrants, an end to secrecy in union organizing votes, and even moves toward world government. Regardless of what Obama himself may be aiming for, the people pushing this program are clearly intent on using his electoral victory to replace traditional American values and institutions with something far different, and entirely contrary, to what was bequeathed to us by our forefathers.

Obama's moderate cabinet selections may be a genuine attempt to build consensus with the center and right, or it may be a means to co-opt opponents and deflect attention from the pursuit of a more radical agenda (read about it here). Although the election was over a month ago and he won it, dwelling on these questions isn't just idle speculation or sour grapes. The country's (and civilization's) future is just as much at stake today as it was then, and without an effective political opposition, we may be helpless to prevent a radical transformation of our world. This is why the current struggle for the Republican Party's future is so important (a post on this coming soon).