Machiavelli on Obama and Romney

SR: Thanks for speaking with me again. Tell me, what do you think of our two candidates for president?

M: Why do you ask? What does my opinion matter? 

SR: You have a reputation for being manipulative, deceitful, and power hungry, so I thought it would be interesting to see what you think of these two politicians.

M: I will take your remark as a compliment, and answer this way: these two candidates are certainly my equal in political skills. I admire their ability  to change their positions and adapt to public opinion, split and divide the populace into interest groups, and then play on the feelings of each group to unite as many voters behind their side by giving a negative spin to everything the opposition says. 

SR: Would you give the edge to Romney or Obama?

M: It's hard to say, because it's impossible to know when a candidate is speaking for himself,  and when he is expressing what his advisers tell him to say. I would probably give the edge to Obama  because of his  proven ability to divide and conquer the American public.

SR: Why do you say that?

M: Look at  how skilfully Obama has undermined the Catholic bishops, using Catholics like Biden and Pelosi to speak against  the Church, and promote him as the candidate of the working class. Also, Obama's use of Catholics, especially disgruntled nuns and the Kennedy family, to give speeches against Church teaching at the Convention is masterful manipulation.  

SR: What about Romney's choice of Ryan, a Catholic, to be his running mate? Isn't Romney doing the same thing? 

M: Not exactly. It is a smart political move for Romney to have a Catholic as a vice president, since Obama has one as his vice president. But there is a difference. Ryan may turn out to actually believe Church teaching, whereas Biden is a dyed in the wool Democrat all the way, and nothing more than a cultural Catholic. Biden and Ryan may cancel each other out, because Catholics on both sides can use the one they want to justify their preference for the Democratic or Republican Platform.

SR: Hmm. I hadn't thought of that. So, do you think the Catholic vote will be the decisive factor?

M: No. It never has been, in spite of all the pronouncements and declarations of bishops. There is no reason to think Catholics will start listening to the bishops now.

SR: If the election took place today, who do you think would win?

M: I'd probably give the edge to Obama, since he has the liberal press and the media in his pocket. But the election is still far away. There are many other factors to consider. For example, the economy, the Mideast, Israel and the Palestinian problem, Afganistan, Pakistan and India, Iran and its drive for nuclear power, world-wide terrorism,  scandal and corruption here in the states or elsewhere, etc. Anything can happen anywhere, anytime, to sway pubic opinion one way or another. And it is impossible to see what that unpredictable event might be. 

SR: So we wait and see?

M:  Of course. Enjoy the entertainment. Politics continues to be the most expensive soap opera big money can provide!

Machiavelli comments on Chief Justice Roberts

 SR: What do you think of Chief Justice Roberts’ ruling?

M: First, why don’t you tell me how you feel about the ruling?

 SR: How do I feel?   Let down! Disappointed!  I was hoping for a much different outcome.

M:  Oh you poor thing, you wanted Roberts to be your savior, did you? He was to strike down the law, eliminate the problem and solve your Church-State dilemma? You had a bunch of unreal expectations, didn’t you!? Roberts is not God, you know. 

SR: I don’t expect him to be God! At least he could have acted the like so-called Conservative he is supposed to be!

M: Well, he didn't do what you wanted, did he? Instead of playing God, he played Solomon. He neatly dodged the complex problems the law creates by following his Conservative policy of judicial restraint.  He left no side a total winner, and no one a total loser.  So the struggle remains. And the question too:  which side wants to win more?  And what will the victory cost?

SR:  Well, we can’t let the law stand. I think it is a heck of a stretch to establish the law by calling it a tax.

M: Yes, this accommodation by Roberts is a stretch, maybe even a “bending over backwards”. But so what? The real question is what do you do next? How will this ruling affect the lawsuits your Church has before the court?

SR: I don’t know.  Also, with the presidential campaign going on and the economy still shaky, almost anything can happen.

M:  Right! No one knows what’s coming. That is what makes the soap opera of American Politics so amusing.  But of course, you Catholics have no cause for worry, do you?

SR: What do you mean?

M: You people believe that Jesus is the Lord of History, do you not? You believe He uses evil to accomplish good! He turns defeat into victory! Ultimately He makes sense out of all the suffering and disasters you run into in life, right?

 SR: Yes, but the way you put it is an oversimplification.

M: Not really. You believe you end up in heaven or hell, and that is all that matters. So now all you have to do is throw yourself into the fray, because even if you lose, you win.

SR: What do you mean?

 M: Perhaps your Church in America could be going through its version of the French Revolution.  I don’t mean that the clergy and nuns will be guillotined necessarily, but that the State will disestablish you, take over your schools, hospitals, and service agencies and make them into truly American institutions that give the Public what it entitled to by  the law of the land. 

SR: That would be a travesty of justice! It would be against everything the Constitution says and the rights we are guaranteed!

 M: Perhaps. But then again perhaps not, given the “evolving” way the Constitution is being read in your times.  It is quite likely that the Sovereign State will continue to expand its reach in society and eliminate the Church from Public Life. It has happened time and again in the past. You know that from history, don’t you?

SR: Yes, but what is the point of your argument? Where are you going with this?

M: It is very simple, really.  If Obama gets re-elected and Obama Care gets strictly enforced, then the Church loses what little influence and power it has in society. You believers can always say the Church’s defeat was God’s way of purifying the the institution, much as He used Israel’s enemies to grind His rebellious people into submission. 

SR:  What if Obama loses the election, and Obama Care gets struck down?

 M: Then for the time being you have “dodged the bullet”, as the expression goes. If your Church wins its lawsuits, and Romney  wins the election, then you can all breathe easy and continue on your complacent way until new crises occur. Either way, what does it matter? Win or lose,   eventually you will all be swept up in the sands of time, right?

 SR: As usual, I don’t totally agree, but don’t know exactly what to say in response. 

M:  So then,  say nothing for now. I always enjoy having the last word.