The Danger Of Overestimating An Opponent--Even George Soros
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Thanks to Glenn Beck more than to anyone else (and yes, Glenn, I do thank you), We the People--at least on the right wingnut wack job side of the political spectrum--are becoming at least somewhat aware of the danger presented by billionaire George Soros and his various Machievellian manipulations around the globe. Overall, that awareness is a good thing. Mr. Soros does definitely appear to be a formidable opponent to the Constitution of the United States of America, national sovereignty, individualism in general, Israel, the stability (if any) of the U.S. dollar, and much, much more.
But.
While it's a well known fact that underestimating your opponent as a very foolish (and sometimes all too easy) thing to do, it's often just as important not to overestimate your opponent. Let's take a look at how that principle applies to the Sore Subject of Soros.
1. The Wizard of Oz. That is probably Frank Baum's greatest single contribution to the collective wisdom of the human race, pointing out that when we look behind the curtain, the boogey man is frequently nothing but a little dude pulling levers.
George Soros is just that: A little dude pulling levers. His power vanishes like morning fog under a blazing sun when people pull aside the veil of illusion he casts through his influence of the media. It's all smoke and mirrors.
Not to say that illusion cannot be deadly. Of course it can. It's simply that illusion contains no substance and that knowledge is power. Spread the word = draw back the curtain = bye-bye Georgie Boy. POOF!
2. The Civil War. Years later, George Armstrong Custer would meet his demise at the Battle of the Greasy Grass because of seriously underestimating the Sioux, Arapaho, and Cheyenne people gathered at the Little Big Horn.
But during the Civil War, countless lives were lost (in my opinion; others may disagree) from General George McClellan's cautious (cowardly?) refusal to go on the offensive. Had he done so with vigor and determination, the war might have ended much sooner than it did, and with far fewer casualties. The McLellan saddle was named after him, but to me, he's mostly a reminder that overestimating an enemy--even the legendary Robert E. Lee--can be a cardinal sin in the art of war.
And George Soros is no Robert E. Lee.
3. The Revolutionary War. In 1776, there's little doubt that any number of Tories--those opposing the rebels and opting to remain under the rule of Great Britain--drastically overestimated the Continental Army's opponent. The British Lion's vast numbers of proud redcoats were simply unbeatable, right?
As history later recorded...not exactly.
These examples (and countless more) underscore a bedrock truth: You can't always trust your lying eyes. Yes, that train roaring down the tracks is indeed monstrous enough to squash you like a bug if you stand between the rails...yet a slight alteration to even one of those same rails will derail the juggernaut in a split second. And yes, the SO PROZAC group (Soros-Obama plus PROgressives, Zombies, and Anti-Conservatives) will make the 2012 election campain season by far the dirtiest, most smear-filled umpteen months in living memory.
Yet to overestimate this coalition is to hand it a weapon it does not deserve. If We the People can be intimidated, overawed, brought to a defeatist outlook, then--and only then--are we truly doomed as a nation.
True, the war between individual liberty and governmental control of our lives will never be over. The struggle began with the birth of man; it will not cease as long a single planet in the Universe continues to turn. Yet be of good cheer. In the final analysis, This Too Shall Pass. No matter the number of strings he may pull at the moment, George Soros is one man, one very thin-skinned Hungarian Leo in his eighties. The election results in November 2010 must have shocked him severely; next year's replacement of Obama as President will rattle his cage even harder. Admittedly, there is one man who should fear him greatly...and that is the man in George's own mirror.
At least, I know I wouldn't want to be the silvered reflection of George Soros!
To Glenn Beck, George Soros is "Spooky Dude". To George Soros, nothing is spookier than an American voter he cannot hornswoggle.
Remember in November 2012. Hornswoggling time is over.
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Thanks,David.
Checked Awesome and Up my border protector friend. Well done and SO FLIPPING RIGHT ON THE MARK ! AS they say somewhere back in the 80's, DUDE YOU ARE DA MAN ! I honestly wish I could add something productive, but there is not much left to be said.
America do be careful though, this dude is dangerous. He is the Hungarian, Jewish version of the deceased Rev. Jim Jones with a large bank account.
Time to go to work my cowboy friend. CALL me....There has been some very serious progress made on the war front, and you should love it.....
Again, thanks and well done Sir. Ken
Soros is evil incarnate and not to be under estimated. He's the man behind the Obama curtain.
The Frog
Ghost, I have lately been concerned about Soros and his impact upon this country through dubious sources. We are underdogs and as you point out, never underestimate us. And certainly don't overestimate the opposition. Creating a smokescreen of illusion is what makes people think there is great power when there is little. It just may be one little man pulling the strings.
Ken & Frog: True, we would be wise not to underestimate George Soros. But overestimating him could be just as dangerous, especially if it led to the defeatist belief he and his agenda could not be beaten.
Ken: Will try to catch up on calls in a couple of days (or so). Got some personal scrambling to do for a wee bit--medical appointment for Pam, figuring out our water supply (or lack of same, actually), etc.
Dexter: Exactly.
Great hub of truth, Sorros is Like Obama, America can survive stepping in dung and trying to sling it off their foot, and begin curing the problems. We witnessed the turn around begin this past election. The MSM is using scare tactics and railing Americans with them, that's all Sorros is and we can get past it! voted up!
Thanks, Dusty. Does my heart good to know you see this one the same way I do. Kind of figured you might.
Hi Ghost,
I tend to agree with your thesis. Soros himself has limited power over anything, other than bribing governments not to prosecute him for what he does. Now what he does can in fact be detrimental. For example, buying hard assets, selling them en masse to create a price collapse, and then make a big profit by betting against them (say, via put options). This kind of market manipulation would normally land you in jail. But with friends in the right places, paid for with campaign contribitions, donations to groups that support the existing power structure, etc., you can get a walk. You can also get subsidies and tax loopholes for your investments. The latter is hardly fair, but it's nothing that should make us scared.
In the end, Soros is not an idealogue. He's simply a businessman who makes money by buying exemptions from the rules the rest of us have to play by.
The greatest danger is not in what Soros does to make money. The greatest danger he poses is that only those evil enough to accept his "money-for-exemptions" deal are the very people who will hurt us the most at the top, because such people are evil by nature, And the Soros money can help them get elected. Once atop the the ladder, these evil leaders will do far more harm on their own than harm caused by any specific request from Soros, because they are so power hungry they would accept any "deal" (grant illegal favors for money) to squash the political competition. In other words, any person who would accept the Soros quid-pro-quo would have to be a criminal to begin with. And a criminal at the top of the heap will be a tyrant.
Stu
Stu: Granted. The flip side of that coin, though, is that we've ALWAYS criminals either at the top of the heap or working toward getting there. In every society, from the beginning of Time, fast forward ad nauseum.
AND those criminals have always done everything possible to convince those "beneath" them that resistance is useless.
It's only when we agree with that premise that we are lost.
Ghost,
Exactly correct. This is why citizen activism is so important. Probably half of the Obama agenda was blocked in the 111th Congress due to citizen letters and petitions to Congress. By putting reelection fear into the legislature, we slowed the Obama machine down. And now we have a GOP House. Admittedly, most of them are RINO's, and won't reverse the Obama damage, but at least they'll try to block additional damage.
Sadly, the Senate is another story. GOP's plus Democratic "Blue Dogs" have a majority, but they don't chair the important committees. So the Senate will continue to be an Obama lacky at least until 2012. Thus, citizen activism needs to be especially heavy on the Senate.
Stu
Stu: What you said.
David Warren Level 2 Commenter 12 months ago
Hey Ghost, Great hub. Well thought out concise information. LOL on the SO PROZAC group. Voted up.