Then came the scary part. Asked whether the press should give Obama more scrutiny, he said: "I think we have to question the numbers … the amount of money that's been printed and the size of the deficits and the addition to the debt, and that's pretty scary. These are huge numbers. We're going to have a debt by the end of the first term that's equal to our entire economy. Think about that. That has to be paid off … (with) tremendous costs to the taxpayer. … It's scary."
The long quote is helpful to illustrate that Matthews fully appreciates -- intellectually -- the danger to America's solvency that Obama's policies represent. Despite that, he added this non sequitur: "I love my country, and he talks about my country … in a way that inspires me, and he thrilled me. I'm very proud of that. … I mean it. … I hope it continues."
So Matthews is scared that Obama is spending the country he says he loves into bankruptcy but hopes he keeps talking in a way that inspires him. Can this be explained rationally?
Of course not. But that's the point. Cultish attraction destroys logic, reason and sound judgment.
Nor can rational thought explain the serial applauses from Obama's American Medical Association audience as he told them he is going to place the square peg of socialized medicine into the round hole of improving quality and decreasing costs -- all without diminishing patient choice or physician authority.
Then consider the American Jewish community, which still overwhelmingly supports Obama despite his egregious displays of disrespect toward Israel, its history, its moral position and its fundamental right to national defense. And there are large segments of the Christian community -- Catholic and evangelical -- that either lie to themselves about Obama's depraved, militant position in supporting even partial-birth abortion or compartmentalize it into artificial irrelevance.
And how about rank-and-file Democrats who consider themselves fiscally conservative? Partisan loyalties notwithstanding, how can they sit by idly as they watch Obama's spending horror show unfold? How can they delude themselves into believing this obscene and insane spending -- guaranteed to financially, and maybe politically, enslave our children -- can ever be justified?
At some point, the spell will dissipate. The question is whether that will happen in time to prevent irreversible damage to this nation.