What causes Obama-derangement? Ellison’s “Invisible Man” and Baldwin’s “Go Tell It on the Mountain” offer explanations.
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Tag Archives: Barack Obama
Why Obama Hatred? Ask Ellison, Baldwin
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Class, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Invisible Man, James Baldwin, politics, racism, Ralph Ellison | Comments closed
Has Obama Been a Naïve Wealtheow?
Pundits debates whether Obama has been naive in his dealings with opponents. The same question can be asked of Queen Wealtheow in “Beowulf.”
Presidents as Points of Projection
Mitt Romney may appear to lack a core, but so did Chance in Jerzy Kosinski’s novel “Being There.” And even Barack Obama is different things to different people.
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Being There, Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger, Jerzy Kosinski, Mitt Romney, politics, Presidential politics | Comments closed
Democrats Refuse a Deal You Can’t Refuse
The Congressional Supercommittee failed to arrive at a plan to lower the deficit because the Republicans approached negotiations offering (like Michael Corleone) “not even the fee for the gaming license, which they’d appreciate if Democrats would put up personally.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Deficit, Godfather II, Life of Brian, Supercommittee | Comments closed
Mitt Romney, an American Podsnap
Charles Dickens has a character who resembles Mitt Romney when he states that he believes in American exceptionalism while Barack Obama doesn’t: John Podsnap in “Our Mutual Friend.”
Austen Teaches Moral Compromise 101
The example of Edmund Bertram in Jane Austen’s “Mansfield Park” helps us understand the less-than-ideal choices our leaders sometimes make as they negotiate a compromised world.
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, moral reasoning, politics | Comments closed
Life Is So Short, Fall in Love, Dear Maiden
Akira Kurosaw’s magnificent film “Ikiru” reminds us, among other things, that when we give our lives to the betterment of our communities, we redeem our lives.
American Politics as Lord of the Flies
Recent Republican political tactics against Barack Obama have me thinking of the battle in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged GOP, Lord of the Flies, politics, William Golding | Comments closed
The Cost of Poverty: “Unnatural Cruelties”
As the Census Bureau reports the highest number of poor people since it has been publishing figures, it’s worth turning to George Bernard Shaw’s “Major Barbara,” which reveals the true cost of poverty.
Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged George Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara, politics, poverty, recession | Comments closed