Democrat walkabout

The Democratic Party is desperately looking for leadership and may be ready to mimic the rite of passage of the indigenous people of Australia by crossing the threshold of their ideological safe space and embarking on a intellectual 'walkabout' in search of their identity...and a new leader. This was to be expected. Every loser walks this walk to some degree. In 2012, the Republicans did an autopsy on themselves, hoping to find the root cause of their death at the polls.

Things will be different for the Democrats. At the vanguard of their walkabout will be our old friend, Barack Obama, who will be guiding their journey with the help of  "Organizing for Action," a non-profit and non-partisan (really?) 501(c)4 that advocates for the agenda of guess who? Yes, Barack Obama. It's the follow-on organization to his "Organizing for America," and it is building an army of community organizers. Their manifesto? In their own words, "With more than 250 local chapters around the country, OFA volunteers are building this organization from the ground up, community by community, one conversation at a time—whether that’s on a front porch or on Facebook. We’re committed to finding and training the next generation of great progressive organizers, because at the end of the day, we aren’t the first to fight for progressive change, and we won’t be the last." 

OFA was the next natural step for Mr. O who is also a very able community organizing strategist. Set up in 2013, OFA was pre-ordained to be the Progressive movement's new messenger. Why? Because Mr. Obama needed a post-2016 election platform to continue preaching his sermons to us as President emeritus, sermons about his wonderfulness and how critical it is for America to continue on the path towards a utopian socialist state. Thinking that he would have a ready-made ally in the new President (Hillary Clinton), Mr. Obama was confident that he could shoehorn his way back into the media spotlight with President HRC's help and begin to rake in mega donations to his cause. He didn't count on the anti-Christ winning the election, however. So while this has made him change his approach, it will not deter him from his mission to make America, Progressive.

The principal tactic of OFA is simple...resistance. After all, isn't it resistance that won our independence from the British; that gave the Negro his freedom? Isn't it resistance that helped shorten the Vietnam War? And, perhaps, most important of all, won't it be resistance that will thwart the dangerous policies of the Trump Administration that are designed to bring America back into the orbit of antiquated American values and save the country from an unhealthy attachment to that outdated document, the Constitution? (Italics are my own.)

I believe, that someplace in the back of his mind, Mr. Obama was actually hoping that Hillary Clinton would lose the election so that he alone could be the Democratic Party's standard bearer in the fight to slay the conservative dragon living on Pennsylvania Avenue. After all, much is at stake for him: a possible repeal of his signature healthcare legislation, an acceleration of deportations at the border, the loss of Federal funds for 'Sanctuary Cities,' the reversal of his beloved LGBT policies, and the list goes on. Hillary Rodham Clinton proved herself incapable of mobilizing the necessary forces to take this fight to Trump. So, borrowing heroics from the 'Lord of the Rings,' Mr. Obama is preparing to answer the people's call for help and strap on his magical sword of oratory and assault the malevolent Trumpian forces of occupation.

This kind of epic, good versus evil battle is tailor-made for an ex-President like Barack Obama whose legacy is under attack and who thinks of himself in Olympian terms. And while he may be starting out his journey to save Middle Earth as Frodo, he will quickly morph into Aragon with the help of his loyal followers. They will see to that and so will the rest of his Party when they regain their senses after their walkabout. Like the penitent man, the Democratic Party will slowly raise its head as one, gaze into the shining countenance of Mr. Obama, and embrace him as their moral compass and their William Wallace. Like the Romans at Masada and the Persians at Thermopylae, the Obamaites intend to vanquish the opposition by the sheer force of their numbers.

Counting on the support of all the angry Democrat voters, disaffected college students, the 'sisterhood' and the LGBT and minority communities, the new Progressive Obama Coalition will coalesce around OFA and '44' and use Indivisible's "Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda" to overthrow the illegitimate ruler of the United States.

America, prepare yourself, for we are in for a very long, dark and stormy night of protests. The impending coup attempt from the Left may take awhile to reach critical mass, but Mr. Obama can wait. The only thing competing for his time is writing his memoirs (a reported $60 million book deal for his wife and himself). Not bad for a community organizer that suffered under the ignominious yoke of eight years of luxury in the White House.

Stephan Helgesen is a retired U.S. diplomat, now author and political strategist. He has written over 600 articles and six books on politics, economics and social trends. He can be reached at stephan@stephanhelgesen.com