Obama is Bizarro Reagan

(Originally Posted 3/24/2009)

Do you remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine meets friends opposite of Jerry, Kramer, George, and Newman? Mainly the difference is with Jerry’s opposite, who unlike Jerry is not so finicky about cleanliness, is polite to Elaine, and is intelligent and helpful. In this bizarro episode everything appears similar to Jerry and his friends, but, it is completely and happily its opposite.

Pete Souza is the Chief Whitehouse photographer for President Barack Obama. Pete Souza also served as Chief Whitehouse photographer for none other than President Ronald Reagan. Could it be that hiring Reagan’s same Whitehouse photographer, Obama is hinting at wanting a legacy similar to Ronald Regan?

You many also recall Barack Obama during his campaign praising Ronald Reagan saying, “Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not, and a way that Bill Clinton did not,” he said, describing Reagan as appealing to a sentiment that, “We want clarity, we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing.” Seems Barack Obama has an odd fascination and adoration of President Reagan and is in fact attempting to emulate him in many ways, albeit, in opposite form. Thus, Obama is the Bizarro Reagan.
The contrasts in each similar category are clear and intriguing:

- Reagan was a staunch conservative; Obama is a radical liberal.
- Reagan was right handed; Obama is left handed.
- Regan was white; Obama is black.
- Reagan did away with the 90% tax on wealth; Obama is aiming to bring it back to life.

But, here is the big one: Reagan did indeed “change the trajectory of America” in a way that no other President has. Yet, Reagan’s purpose was to inspire Americans to achieve for the own individual sake, realizing that a collective good would follow. This was dynamic and radical for his time and has since set us up for a booming capitalist empire that we’ve relished for the last two decades. Obama too longs for this same accolade in history – this so called changing of topography in our system; however, his means is just the opposite of Reagan. Obama’s policies seek to water down individual strength and prosperity thereby creating a homogenous pool of averageness.

Obama desires this legacy of change from the left side of the isle. Only, what was good about the changes Reagan made and the imprint of entrepreneurship he left behind does not seem attainable in Obama’s bizarro version of Regan. By the end of the Bizarro Jerry episode, Elaine realized that while Jerry and friends had their bad habits, the flaws of the bizarro world were too much to bear. Americans seem to be catching on to what this bizarro administration has to offer and it isn’t looking all that good. And as for being Reaganisque, Obama isn’t even close.