The ‘Facebook’ Phenomenon

As a conservative thinker, I often have people ask me if I’m a fan of Bush. I find this question puzzling. It’s as if they are asking me if I’m a fan of the music group Bush. I have many of their songs on my iPod, so I say yes. Some snort back that they hate Bush. After realizing they’re referring to the President, I ask why. Hate is a pretty powerful term. Do they know him personally? How could you form such a strong opinion of a man without firsthand knowledge?

To me, this is the wrong question to ask. Politicians aren’t supposed to have ‘fans’ per se. Politicians aren’t bands with Facebook pages where you click ‘Become a Fan’. They are elected to represent us. Our government is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Politicians should be judged on their character, leadership, and policies. I absolutely believe Barack Obama was the wrong choice for America . However, I do so on the merits, his (empty) speeches, and his (questionable) past. I will refuse to try to take down a presidency like so many on the left tried, and many ways succeeded, with President Bush. There’s often a debate in college football on if a coach is bigger than the program. In politics, the president will never be bigger than the Nation.

I’m concerned about this ‘Facebook’ phenomenon’s effect on government. There’s a long held American view that government should be viewed with skepticism. Politicians should be treated the same way. Barack Obama’s team did an amazing job of organizing millions of people to raise money and spread his message. Obama for President and related Facebook pages had some of the highest number of ‘fans’ on the website. However, at what point does ‘Becoming a Fan’ cross over into oligarchy? Obsessive Obama supporters crossed this bridge many moons ago. Witness the bumper stickers of Obama ‘fans.’ Many feature a silhouette style picture of Obama posing as if he’s saying ‘follow me to the holy land.’ This disgusts me.