The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

COMMENTARY

Jonah Goldberg: ‘Obama Era’ never was — and now it’s nearly over

By Jonah Goldberg 4:56 PM Friday, November 6, 2009

It’s all so terribly sad.

To listen to liberals and the White House spin election results, you’d think all was well with the world. Barack Obama is still personally popular! The evil right-wing extremists lost in New York’s 23rd congressional district and a Democrat (who was arguably more conservative than the Republican nominee) won.

Virginia was always a red state (no matter what we all said about it turning blue with Obama’s victory), and the election hinged on local issues.

Defeated New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was personally unpopular (let’s all forget that the White House tried to turn the race into a referendum on Obama’s agenda).

In short, the White House spin is: “There’s nothing to see here, folks. All is well.”

By now, those interested in such things have already heard the rebuttal to these desperate talking points.

In fact, what is sad is not the spin war. This happens after every election. The partisans and pundits race for election results like kids charging a broken piqata, claiming convenient facts like candy and shouting “mine!” It’s always unseemly.

No, what’s sad is how far Obama defenders have had to move the goalposts just to keep up their morale.

They might be right that the elections don’t mean all that much for Obama and the Democrats. I very much doubt it, but even having the argument represents an enormous defeat for self-styled progressives.

Almost exactly a year ago, liberals insisted that Obama was going to be FDR 2.0 and that this was the dawn of a new progressive era. Filmmaker Spike Lee declared that we will henceforth measure time B.O. (“before Obama”) and A.O. (“after Obama”).

Newsweek became so obsessed with Obama as a reincarnation of both FDR and Lincoln — and also the sexiest man alive — it’s a wonder the Secret Service didn’t issue a restraining order.

Nearly a year later, Newsweek’s Nov. 2 cover story is a “survival guide” for liberals who seem on the verge of self-immolation given their disappointment with Obama.

If Obama is the new FDR, it might be instructive to look at the elections in 1933, one year after Roosevelt was elected.

Obviously, the comparison isn’t perfect, but many of the imperfections illuminate why the “Obama revolution” was always phony.

The driving political issue that year was the repeal of Prohibition.

Indeed, historians often overplay the popularity of FDR’s economic program in 1932 and underplay the importance of his vow to let Americans have a beer.

Regardless, the people agreed with the White House on both fronts, and supporters of repeal and the New Deal rallied to the polls. In Virginia, Democrats won a massive across-the-board landslide, outpolling the GOP 3-1.

Meanwhile, the most watched race in the country was for New York City mayor. It was a complicated three-way contest. Republican Fiorello LaGuardia beat the White House’s preferred candidate, Joseph V. McKee, a veteran of machine politics in New York, and the Tammany Hall Democrat John O’Brien. The key thing to remember is that while the White House’s man lost, the progressives’ man won.

LaGuardia was in every way a New Dealer who shared FDR’s agenda.

This week, Democrats insist Obama is still popular. Maybe so.

But Obamaism is on the ropes. Congress is racing to pass health care reform because Nancy Pelosi and Co. know it is losing popularity, and they fear — rightly — that moderate Democrats will jump ship.

They also now know, thanks to Corzine’s defeat, that Obama’s personal popularity is not transferable.

Obama still seems to believe that the equivalent issues to Prohibition and the New Deal are health care reform and cap-and-trade. Every day that looks more and more absurd.

The truth is that Obama’s signature issue in 2008 was also repeal — repeal of George W. Bush. He achieved that on Election Day.

And now he is left looking for a mandate he never really had.

He may still be a successful president, but the “new era” is now over, before it even began.

Jonah Goldberg is a syndicated columnist. E-mail address: JonahsColumn@aol.com.

Share this article

ADD COMMENT

Comments feed

Hmmmm...wonder why Obama received more campaign contributions from Wall St than McCain? 8 of the top ten richest Congressmen/Senators are Dems and 27 of top 50. FYI, Kerry is the richest and Pelosi is 17th. Seems like the Dems are in pretty tall "plutocrat" cotton.

TRS
12:23 AM, 11/10/2009

REPORT ABUSE

The gop in both the house and senate consists of a bunch of money-grubbing plutocrats who prey on their constituencies' ugliest prejudices.

And here comes Philman again, talking about how Obama--who just bailed out Wall St. capitalists to the tune of $700 billion--is a socialist. Wake up!

drunken orangetree
4:41 PM, 11/9/2009

REPORT ABUSE

I can't wait until the far right takes over and then the Boehner's of the world can finish what they started in 2000. Are we forgetting that Enron, WorldComm and yes even Madoff happened during (deregulation) The Bush Era? Ken lay and Bush were golfing buddies. There needs to be a major change and more than two propaganda heavy parties. The 2 party system spells DOOM and RUINATION for our once proud nation.

Haha
2:37 PM, 11/9/2009

REPORT ABUSE

The fact that Obama does have an agenda that is far left of 90% of American's, and is communist & Socialist . the more people that learn this the better, we need to foward all the evidence we have to all our friends & family, and let them decide next election,last monday another Obama Czar stepped down, once her radical plan for the Internet was exposed.lets keep up the good work.

Philman
6:32 AM, 11/9/2009

REPORT ABUSE

ITS SAD TO SEE HOW SOME PEOPLE WILL GO TO DISCREDIT SOMEONE.I WONDER IF IN THE SAME POSITION THEY WOULD DO BETTER[I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT]

KEMONEILWE
4:32 AM, 11/9/2009

REPORT ABUSE

There are 4 additional comments

SHOW ALL

We welcome your comments. Please remember this is a public forum and behave appropriately. Your comments must conform to our visitor's agreement.