Fred Siegel’s The Revolt Against the Masses

“Obama and Alexrod’s 2008 campaign talk of post-partisanship obscured the candidate’s hyper-partisanship and lack of achievement. Obama’s policy positions were those of an old-time liberal, but his policy style seemed new. He is the first postmodern presidential candidate: Narratives intended to establish his racial and political authenticity entirely replaced accomplishments. Obama had little to show by way of legislation in either the Illinois legislature or the U.S. Senate, but he had a romance to sell that depicted him as the culmination of liberal reform. The story worked well enough.” ─ The Revolt Against the Masses, copyright © 2013 by Fred Siegel, Encounter Books, Page 198.

“Devoid of new ideas, hampered by an incapacity to rethink liberalism’s past failures, Obama’s campaign was fuelled by kitsch imagery exemplified by graffiti artist Shepherd Fairey’s plagiarized HOPE poster, with its evocation of Obama’s Che Guevera-like aura. The Czech writer Milan Kundera explained how kitsch works: “Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession. The first tear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass!” The Obama version went like this: How nice it is to have an articulate, well-educated African American run for president! And how nice it is to know that by supporting Obama we are supporting all those virtuous folks who want to break with our racist past! Robert Bourne, recall, wanted to “think emotions” and “feel ideas.” In his person, Obama offered just such a conflation to his liberal devotees. By thinking well of Obama, his supporters were able to feel good about themselves.” ─ The Revolt Against the Masses, copyright © 2013 by Fred Siegel, Encounter Books, Page 199.