Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Obama’s had a pretty bad few days. All of the bad things you could have said about him were likely said over the last two weeks. Paul Rahe pretty much summed it all. The president’s a void.
Nature abhors a vacuum.
Now what?
I was assigned to DC was when I was in the Jesuits. The president of the school to which I was assigned took the time to welcome me, a kind gesture for a lowly pawn like me. We sat down for a face to face meeting in his office. He treated me as a fellow Jesuit. He leaned forward and, barely above a whisper, said something I’ve (obviously) never forgotten:
Washington is the most powerful city in the world. In real terms, this city is the most powerful city that has ever existed. You’ve read novels about kings and kingdoms, courts and intrigue? That’s what happens with power, and now you’re sitting in the heart of the most powerful city in history. KC, the mother’s club at this school can be more political than half the countries on earth. The teachers’ lounge is a wizard’s lodge. They live it. They breathe it. This city brings it out of them. Never forget that the District of Columbia started as a swamp.
Obama has left the most powerful city in the world with a void at its center. We conservatives always thought he was an illusion, but at least he had the illusion of leadership for some. Now, even that illusion is gone. He’s been revealed to be utterly a vacuum of leadership. Nature abhors a vacuum.
Either something will replace that power soon, or more frighteningly, something already has and we’re just not aware of it.
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Jan '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Great story and quote about DC that you shared. I find myself begining to mistrust even those politicians, journalists and think tankers that are conservative ('on our side') when they've lived there over 12 years or so.
The culture, the desire to be near power - makes me suspicious of everyone that wants to be part of it.
Edited on Aug 8, 2011 at 9:15pmNov '10
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Not hardly! He is a powerful destroyer of wealth.
Aug '10
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Very well said, KC.
Obama is not a cause but a symptom of spiritual vacuum. He and his Ruling Class minions worldwide are a black hole, sucking everything into itself. It's the Wrath of God in action, come to awaken us to the truth that this world is a stage, and we are but poor players. The play is filled with moral choices designed to test us. The stakes could not be higher.
Apocalypse is a Greek word that means "a parting of the veil".
Feb '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
"desire to be near power"...the desire to be *near* power, to share in its glory and perhaps to influence it but without accountability....this can be much more unwholesome than the direct seeking of power for oneself, in an almost pornographic way.
Mar '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
I've got to ask for an additional hint as to the identity of the school.
Oct '10
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Somewhere right now, there is a Napoleon ready to step on to the stage.
Jan '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Ha! But I'd rather not. Even though the president has since passed on, the school is still there.
Jun '10
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Thanks for the story, KC. It does put things into perspective. We are just watching a Byzantine court drama unfold before us.
Kowaliczko Tom: ...
I find myself begining to mistrust even those politicians, journalists and think tankers that are conservative ('on our side') when they've lived there over 12 years or so.
The culture, the desire to be near power - makes me suspicious of everyone that wants to be part of it.
Too right. How can someone guard against this pernicious, corrosive atmosphere? Jesse Helms seems to have done it. How many others, I wonder?
Victor Davis Hanson thinks that the vacuous are tottering. I hope he is right. I'm ready for the revolution.
Mar '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
I understand completely, KC. Actually, I believe there's only one school that conforms to your description, but metaphysical certitude would require knowing what the precise meaning of "assigned to DC" is.
KC Mulville
Ha! But I'd rather not. Even though the president has since passed on, the school is still there. · Aug 9 at 6:48am
May '10
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
A hair-raising story. Thanks.
Perhaps we've always been a little naive about our country's politics. However, one factoid tends to undermine this bleak picture. What other Empire has a record of so few political assassinations? (Answer: the British Empire--of which we are merely an extension, culturally speaking.)
Think how few presidents have been assassinated, and never once by a successor or even high office-holder. The Roman Empire could certainly never make that boast.
I hesitate even to mention assassination, out of a fear of jinxing our excellent record. Nevertheless, we've got it to be thankful for.
Mar '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
The best-case scenario is that Reagan fills the Obama vacuum.
I'd be happy with Bachmann or Perry, given that Mr Ryan appears unready.
The worst case is 4 more years of Mr Obama. Mr Ryan - why are you not running?
Mar '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Sorry for the double post - I blame Ricochet.
Edited on Aug 9, 2011 at 12:15pmRe: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
In the short run, John Boehner might try to fill the vacuum by bringing up once again Cut, Cap, and Balance. I realize that the bill is insufficient, but it is much more of a start than the bill recently passed. What the Republicans should be demonstrating is that they can fill the vacuum and that what they are proposing is sensible and manageable. Boehner is, I think, well-suited to the task I suggest for him. He is modest in manner and moderate in tone. Any number of attempts have been made to demonize him, but it does not work. Paul Ryan is a good second in this endeavor. They should put forward a proposal to get the downgrade reversed and exude sweet reasonableness.
In the long run, we need a standard-bearer. I would like to know more about Rick Perry than I do.
Jan '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Interesting.That prompts a few ideas.
Obviously, Congress is a different beast than the executive ... and if a really strong president comes along in 2012, he'll eclipse anything that happens in the interim ... but for the next year and a half, Congress has a chance to make some serious progress as an institution.
Paul Ryan may not want to be president right now, but maybe he'll settle for being the de facto leader of the country.
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
I strongly suspect you're talking about my alma mater. (Given there's about a 50/50 chance…)
Apr '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
I think Obama is doing more leading than you see on the surface. He has appointed countless czars and increased regulations every chance he gets. All the while, his uses the rhetoric of a centrist to keep people off the scent. The worm has been turning almost from day one and I think the media are starting to become comfortable exposing him and his administration. Once the far-left becomes ticked off enough at him, he's in serious trouble, and I think we have reached that moment.
This is good news for the GOP in 2012, but bad news for the country as I think things are about to get worse in terms of layoffs, unemployment, foreclosures, etc.
Apr '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
It's important to point out that Obama didn't become a void overnight; he's always been one. His political career has not been driven by the force of his personality. Rather he's been an appealing face for a political agenda.
I've long gotten the sense that he was a convenient vessel for senior members of theSenate to simultaneously drive the Clintons out of the party, and make the White House subservient to Congress.
Apr '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Jul '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
I've been reading this a lot lately, and I hope it's true, but I'm doubtful. Where is the left going to go? They're not going to vote for the republican, and I think it very unlikely that when push comes to shove they'll stay home on election day. Besides, if he loses the left he'll be able to turn to the independent voters who will decide the next election and say, "see, I'm not a radical like them, I'm a moderate like you."
Mar '11
Re: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
Paul—as the House has already passed Cut, Cap, and Balance and sent it to the Senate, what purpose would it serve to pass it again, anymore than passing the Ryan budget a second time? On those measures the House has done what it can do in a bicameral system. Bill Kristol suggests the House pass the series of specific cuts to which the Speaker, the White House, and perhaps the Senate leadership (I'm not sure) agreed in the talks with the Vice President, and that seems like a more promising strategy to me. Would position Republicans as the party with ideas for attacking our fiscal problems and the courage to propose them. Let Democrats be the "Party of No" going into 2012!