Obama the snob
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By Michael Gerson
Tuesday, October 19, 2010

After a series of ineffective public messages -- leaving the political landscape dotted with dry rhetorical wells -- President Obama has hit upon a closing argument.

"Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now," he recently told a group of Democratic donors in Massachusetts, "and facts and science and argument [do] not seem to be winning the day all the time is because we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared. And the country is scared."

Let's unpack these remarks.

Obama clearly believes that his brand of politics represents "facts and science and argument." His opponents, in disturbing contrast, are using the more fearful, primitive portion of their brains. Obama views himself as the neocortical leader -- the defender, not just of the stimulus package and health-care reform but also of cognitive reasoning. His critics rely on their lizard brains -- the location of reptilian ritual and aggression. Some, presumably Democrats, rise above their evolutionary hard-wiring in times of social stress; others, sadly, do not.

Though there is plenty of competition, these are some of the most arrogant words ever uttered by an American president.

The neocortical presidency destroys the possibility of political dialogue. What could Obama possibly learn from voters who are embittered, confused and dominated by subconscious evolutionary fears? They have nothing to teach, nothing to offer to the superior mind. Instead of engaging in debate, Obama resorts to reductionism, explaining his opponents away.

It is ironic that the great defender of "science" should be in the thrall of pseudoscience. Human beings under stress are not hard-wired for stupidity, which would be a distinct evolutionary disadvantage. The calculation of risk and a preference for proven practices are the conservative contributions to the survival of the species. Whatever neuroscience may explain about political behavior, it does not mean that the fears of massive debt and intrusive government are irrational.

There have been several recent attempts to explain Obama's worldview as the result of his post-colonial father or his early socialist mentors -- Gnostic attempts to produce the hidden key that unlocks the man. The reality is simpler. In April 2008, Obama described small-town voters to wealthy donors in San Francisco: "It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them." Now, to wealthy donors in Massachusetts, opponents are "hard-wired not to always think clearly." Interpreting Obama does not require psychoanalysis or the reading of mystic Chicago runes. He is an intellectual snob.

Not that there is anything wrong with this. Some of my best friends are intellectual snobs. But they don't make very good politicians. Somehow, an aristocrat such as Franklin Roosevelt was able to convince millions of average Americans that he was firmly on their side. But the old social aristocracy could have been taught a thing or two about snobbery by the intellectual upper class -- conditioned to believe their superiority is founded not on wealth or lineage but on "facts and science and argument."

What must Democrats trying to compete in Pennsylvania or Ohio think when they hear Obama make arguments such as these? Do they realize the tremendous mistake they have made, tying their political fortunes to a leader who makes Michael Dukakis, Al Gore and John Kerry look like prairie populists in comparison?

This is not just a political problem; it is a governing challenge. There is fear out there in America -- not because of the lizard brain but because of objective economic conditions. And a reactionary populism can be disturbing when it targets minorities, immigrants and intellectuals. But intellectual disdain among elites feeds this destructive populism rather than directing or defusing it. Obama is helping to cause what he criticizes.

It is among the nobler callings of a leader to understand public fears and then place them in the context of national commitments. Yes, the American dream is fragile, but it won't be recovered by abandoning American ideals. Yes, the borders must be controlled and terrorism is a mortal threat -- but we can't give in to stereotyping and hatred.

One response to social stress doesn't help at all: telling people their fears result from primitive irrationality. Obama may think that many of his fellow citizens can't reason. But they can still vote.

michaelgerson@washpost.com

hmm,, and I kind of thought WE was a word that INCLUDED the speaker,,,interesting

The word "we" was actually meant towards the human race in this instance "we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared" then he says America is scared not we and that America is acting out of it against him........its his defense for the rationality of the US against him.......like we are unable to think for ourselves and act of fear and he knows what is right for the US against the opinion of the majority........and that is what is found in the mind of a dictator......over listening to what your people have to say........

Yes I agree his actions are those of a snob but I think there are bigger influences. He is a lawyer.

Lawyers are trained to say whatever works in court, truth need not enter into the equation at all. Obama said whatever it took to get elected.

He is still using the same technique but "fooling all of the people all of the time" is impossible. The disconnect between what he promised and what he has delivered grows greater each day. "Everything is Bush's fault" is much harder to sell with both houses under his control.

Placing him in cohorts with "science" may match his speech, but does not match his actions. I am a person of science and (along with my friends and coworkers) think he is the biggest danger to science in America.

His destruction of NASA's manned space future is reality. One only has to listen to the previous promises to see the differences in Obama now and Obama on the campaign trail.

Both snobs and lawyers think they know "what's best".

he is a left wing elitist that lives by the motto "do what I say because I'm better than you."

in all do respect snob or not i would like to see obama get reelected so glenn"the scurrious"beck can eat his words of obama even considering turning this country into something it already is "socialist"

eight years of obamaism just to see another idiot wrong?....

well who else is gonna get in office and do a better job,and second i'd vote for him again cause actually there is no other canidate i see fit,hell Bush was voted in a 2nd term to fix up his mess ups and where did that get us?

yeah... things are going so well I can understand why we should stick our thumb in the eye of a useful idiot to continue such prosperous times..

i agree...thats why obama scares me for a second term...then he has nothing to lose, like bush did...

actually Libby did benefit from Bush,thats one american who did

lots of people did, not that ever liked bush, but my brother in law made great money from bush, he owns a company that makes nuts and bolts for military purposes...

Oh you mean supposedly outting a covert agent who was already outted by major press and by duty assignments? It was no secret who she was and what she did.

seriously i lean liberal but as for the 2 parties i'm open minded and when i saw obama get elected and what he had to work with a debt which basically (aka no money to work with) i knew that as soon as a plan came out he would be sodomi"z'ed for making our debt even bigger,no **** well there was no money to work with in the first place,so really we are left with who to blame the presidents.

i think alot of it was bushes fault, but the biggest blame (IMO) goes to the greedy CEO's, big business, and corrupt politicians...

i agree but who gets the blame,our president,so no matter who you vote for it will always be the presidents fault for what goes on in our "socialist"country

the captain goes down with the ship...if the presidents aren't putting a stop to this craziness, who is to blame? obamas idea is to throw money at them... kind of like feeding the animals....

see mighty the problem with this country also is elected officials aren't really doing anything that benefits our country,everything seems to revolve around foreign affairs,so here we are going WTF and have no say so,well always remember this,it also was posted by the other "into the republic for which it stands" this my friend is why americans are confused,we are force fed to believe we are a democracy,"really" did we vote for the iraqi and vietnam war?no.cause we voted for officials to"hopefully"make the right choices,well maybe that should change,wanna speak of change let us vote what this country should do,won't happen means a revolutionary war and we could end up communist

wow no rebuttal, the truth hurts

Based on your post wouldn't you have to put some, if not all of the blame on the voters that continue to cast ballots for those in Washington that aren't doing what is in their best interest?

We have the ability as voters to get rid of the slobs every 2 years 4 years and 6 years.. When voters continually send these career politicians back to Washington election after election you have to ask yourself why..