Meet Julia

[Alan]

http://www.barackobama.com/life-of-julia

Leave it to Barack Obama to unintentionally explain to America what life is like when you’re entirely dependent on government welfare with a cartoon that is designed to simultaneously terrify women, young people and the elderly into believing Mitt Romney’s plan for America involves dropping them off at the edge of the Grand Canyon and explaining that everyone with a problem is required to jump.

Voters can ‘Take a look at how President Obama’s policies help one woman over her lifetime — and how Mitt Romney would change her story.’ It is one of the most brazenly statist pieces of campaign literature I can ever remember seeing, not to mention the implication that women are incapable of success, comfort, security and happiness without government.


Does this sort of campaigning really work?

[catherine]

I have to admit, I'm for Obama, but I do not like that slideshow at all. It panders to the "gimmes" in my opinion, and the points are pretty arguable:

For instance, I have never been to Headstart, my schools never participated in a Federal program like RaceToTheTop, I worked hard, started my own consultancy and wound up making more money than I ever thought I would--without Small Business Administration loans or Lilly Ledbetter laws. I'm female, and I'm fine, thank you. I realize that some of these programs do really help some people, but I agree that the message here is, we're doomed without all of these programs, and Obama is the only person to thank.

So, I agree, Alan, not great campaigning. Do a do-over, Obama!

[LDAHL]

I agree with catherine. This whole "Obama is life" message strikes me as a particularly creepy brand of pandering.

I've seen the term "bureaugamy" used to describe this sort of lifetime relationship with government.

[iris lily]

This blatent Nanny State ad is not only annoying, it's factually inaccurate.

This Julia contributed to FICA for 23 years at my current employer yet Obama's man at Society Security Administration, after admitting that SS has received and filed the money for 23 years, will deny benefits to me. Earlier in the week our employer's latest appeal was turned down. Thanks Prez, I can't think of a stronger reason to prove to me that Nanny G does not and never will have my best interests at heart. It's a clown show in D.C.

The first frame of this ad reminded me of a universal truth: keep you children out of the circumstances that qualify them for Headstart and it's unlikely they'll need the rest of the President's handouts.

[JaneV2.0]

That's pretty ham-handed. Maybe it works for some voters, and I understand the focus on women considering the opposition's "back to the dark ages" momentum, but it doesn't resonate much with me. I benefited from laws that made it illegal to shut women out of lucrative jobs traditionally held by men and I have a good deal of respect for President Obama, but I think they could have done a better job outlining the stark differences between his policies and the GOP's.

I don't think it's in any way shameful for citizens to expect affordable education, health care, or old age pensions--the perks of living in a civilized society--however they are realized. Although I've stood on my own two feet all my adult life, I have no desire to live in DogEatDogistan where the elites alternately throw a few crumbs to their serfs and then crush them underfoot when their needs become inconvenient.

And--like it or not--when you live in an actual country with the laws and infrastructure that implies, you're going to have a lifetime relationship with government.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Yea I haven't participated in any of these things either. However if there is any social security left by that time I will qualify. My entire work history being in the private sector (with no pensions of course) I don't think there is any ambiguity on whether I get Social Security (the ambiguity comes in in things like working at a school - where teachers have their own teachers pensions etc.).

I also don't think Julia needs that much help (say affording birth control) as a web designer (with a college degree to boot), that's just not plausible. I mean make up a story where Julia spends her life working tiny non-profits trying to save the world, then maybe the struggle becomes plausible. But a web designer, um, people go into those fields because there actually is some decent pay there.

Anyway Julia is annoying. Everything runs right on time (years of practice and design, spit and polish ...) in Julia's life doesn't it? Kids at 31 (because hey not too early or too late and of course she has them). Graduates from college right when she should, never finds herself an adult reconsidering her career path ...

[flowerseverywhere]

I don't like it. it demeans women implying they aren't smart enough to take care of themselves. What if it were Joe instead of Julia?

The health care issue is a big one, as well as social security, for people like iris Lilly, it really stinks that a situation like that could happen. But we all better brace for big cuts in SS and Medicare no matter who we worked for. All parties have not been good stewards of our money.

[creaker]

Unfortunately, we're the "pasta" phase of the election - we're going to see endless stuff thrown by both sides just to see what sticks. Whatever sticks will be expanded upon, whatever doesn't will be dropped.

I expect this one will get dropped pretty quickly.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Unfortunately, we're the "pasta" phase of the election - we're going to see endless stuff thrown by both sides just to see what sticks. Whatever sticks will be expanded upon, whatever doesn't will be dropped.

+1 long dumb down from now through November .... perhaps getting progressively dumber up to that point ...

[catherine]

Yeah, I love what Tim Ferriss has to say about all the stuff out there at election time: he advocates a low-information diet and when people ask him, how do you learn about political candidates, he says he goes to a few of the people he respects the most and asks them why they are voting for who they're voting for, and that's how he decides.

Other than that, he lets all that cr*p in the media just keep rollin' along.

[Alan]

I've seen the term "bureaugamy" used to describe this sort of lifetime relationship with government.
And the term "kultursmog" to describe those belief sets that this type of thing panders to.

[LDAHL]

And the term "kultursmog" to describe those belief sets that this type of thing panders to.

Kultursmog and misdirection are the strategies of choice for an administration desperate to keep the focus off the economy. Provoke the Catholic Church into a confrontation over forcing them to buy contraceptives and abortifacients, and call it a “war on women”. Muse on how your son might have looked like a Florida shooting victim. Push the “Buffet Rule” as an appeal to class envy. Parade around with bin Laden’s head on a rhetorical pike a year after the fact. Raise the crucial issue of how Romney transported his dog in 1983. Now this cartoon pitch for government paternalism.

If you can’t run on your record, your choices are pretty much limited to besmirching your opposition and promising future benefits that someone else will need to pay for.

[JaneV2.0]

Class envy? Really? I'm not seeing it. Most of us are perfectly happy being middle class; I know I am. I just don't like feeling like part of a beleaguered breed, what with constant attacks on unions and the "profit uber alles" antics of the job exporters.

And President Obama's record looks a lot better than his predecessor's in terms of job creation, decreasing government growth*, attention to environmental issues, easing us out of pointless wars...His grace under constant partisan fire is awe-inspiring to me; his noting of the Seals' taking down OBL was in no way the "Mission Accomplished" grandstanding that ironically kicked off another eight years of war under George W. Bush.

*http://www.politicususa.com/rachel-maddow-obama-government.html

[Lainey]

Class envy? Really? I'm not seeing it. Most of us are perfectly happy being middle class; I know I am. I just don't like feeling like part of a beleaguered breed, what with constant attacks on unions and the "profit uber alles" antics of the job exporters.

And President Obama's record looks a lot better than his predecessor's in terms of job creation, decreasing government growth*, attention to environmental issues, easing us out of pointless wars...His grace under constant partisan fire is awe-inspiring to me; his noting of the Seals' taking down OBL was in no way the "Mission Accomplished" grandstanding that ironically kicked off another eight years of war under George W. Bush.

*http://www.politicususa.com/rachel-maddow-obama-government.html

+1
also, this piece looks a little like a take off on "Joe Republican": http://blog.oregonlive.com/myoregon/2009/08/joe_republican.html#repete

[Gregg]

Just curious, is "Obama for America", who copyrighted Julia, actually associated with or part of the actual Obama campaign?

Regarding the slide show proper, I didn't find it to be particularly accurate and thought it was somewhat insulting to the intelligence of the audience.

[puglogic]

Unfortunately, we're the "pasta" phase of the election - we're going to see endless stuff thrown by both sides just to see what sticks. Whatever sticks will be expanded upon, whatever doesn't will be dropped.

I expect this one will get dropped pretty quickly.

Hoping so too. It makes me squirm. I know many people who've benefited from social programs, many who never availed themselves of (many of ) them, and many who've abused them. This kind of one size fits all dumbing-down is just ick, no matter what side of the political fence it's coming from.

[Gardenarian]

Yuck. I'll be voting for Obama, but I find that cartoon patronizing and annoying.

You know, I really wish I had another choice. So tired of politics as usual. The world is stretched thin; we need radical change now.

[Gregg]

This kind of one size fits all dumbing-down is just ick, no matter what side of the political fence it's coming from.

I agree with that, but the real "ewww" factor for me is the unending flow of attachment to, if not absolute dependence on, government programs... from cradle to grave. The cartoon mentions no family save for her son, no friends or social networks, no community. Nothing beyond how the state will take care of her at every turn. If I was a Republican strategist that last thing I would ever do is let this one die. It is absolutely custom made for pointing out exactly what some on the right believe is Barack Obama's vision for the future. When you consider the source it's just bizarre.

"Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves." Eric Arthur Blair

[LDAHL]

I agree with that, but the real "ewww" factor for me is the unending flow of attachment to, if not absolute dependence on, government programs... from cradle to grave. The cartoon mentions no family save for her son, no friends or social networks, no community. Nothing beyond how the state will take care of her at every turn. If I was a Republican strategist that last thing I would ever do is let this one die. It is absolutely custom made for pointing out exactly what some on the right believe is Barack Obama's vision for the future. When you consider the source it's just bizarre.

"Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves." Eric Arthur Blair

I think this administration would prefer the culture wars arena to a debate over the economy.

[ApatheticNoMore]

What I found interesting was how narrow it all is. The focus on education was purely "getting Julia a good career". I mean ok this is the real world, the ability to train for jobs, etc. *IS* important in the world as it is. But really, that's all? The focus on education wasn't even preparing young people for the @#$# storm that is coming for them and the world they will inherit. Because oh boy have we got troubles .... you JUST MIGHT want some educated people for that ... um I'm just saying ...

Now as for whatever Obama may mean by education - federal involvement in education - I don't actually favor it particularly, it has risks. But it's just astounding whole social questions can be reduced to "what's in it for me?" The entire view of something with social benefits is reduced to that ....

[ApatheticNoMore]

The cartoon mentions no family save for her son, no friends or social networks, no community. Nothing beyond how the state will take care of her at every turn.

Well it is plenty realistic then. Ok Julia might be married, plenty of people are :). And she may have social networks (on Facebook? haha) etc.. There's dozens of sociologist documenting the decline of community and friendships and so on but we don't have to posit that Julia is a total loner (although it seems more and more common - that or cacooning - people's priorities are all wrong!).

But no, how it is realistic is not that, but rather in that not many people have the type of community they can call on to do what unemployment insurance does in periods of job loss, or Social Security does in old age. You are free to argue that such a society should exist (for unemployment it's probably doable, Social Security is a hard one - really hard to replicate what the government does there), and hey such additional protections from job loss would only empower workers more :), but to argue that it is what many workers face now ... um no it's not. And unemployed workers now use those unemployment checks for basic living expenses.

[Alan]

But it's just astounding whole social questions can be reduced to "what's in it for me?" The entire view of something with social benefits is reduced to that ....

Bread and Circuses. It's been a political magic elixir for eons.

"… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses" ~ Juvenal, Satire X

[morris_rl]

Bread and Circuses. It's been a political magic elixir for eons.

"… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses" ~ Juvenal, Satire X


Ah, the classics, you gotta love 'em...

;)

"The budget should be balanced,
the treasury should be refilled,
public debt should be reduced,
and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed
lest Rome become bankrupt.
People must again learn to work,
instead of living on public assistance."

Cicero, 55 BC


Egads!! Roman Republican Cicero sounds like a contemporary American Republican. Oh, the humanity...

I wonder what Cicero's take on "Julia" would have been?

:laff:


Best,


Rodger

[LDAHL]

I wonder what Cicero's take on "Julia" would have been?



"O tempora o mores!"

[Gregg]

The times we're living in, aye?