Barack Obama is Harry Potter. How original. And how quickly he gets to the point: “[Obama], too, finds himself involuntarily necklaced with the title of Chosen One. The expectations of an impatient, ever darkening world sit on his slender shoulders too.”
I’ll get back to that. Just let it sink in for a paragraph or two.
Joe Biden is Ron Weasley. Again, what a shock. Because Biden is so overtly foolish and loose-lipped, he has become the media punching bag for the administration, leaving Obama to look wise and calming in the path of hurricane Joe. It is also a great underestimation of Ron. His purpose extends beyond the role of best friend and comic relief, and to put him on a level of clumsy uselessness that every political pundit sees in Biden is quite an insult.
Hermione is Rahm Emmanuel. “Hands down.” Please forgive me if that conclusion isn’t plain as day to me, but this one is one hell of a stretch, even if I was buying this whole experiment. Considering that Thompson cites how Emmanuel “relishes a good fight and has made salty language and combative tactics his stock and trade,” he, first of all, doesn’t understand Hermione, and second, begins to blatantly reveal some serious wishful thinking in these comparisons. It’s a bit off-putting and awkward that people would so deeply romanticize modern day politicians and their role in society, especially to the degree of prevalence seen in this administration. I don’t remember Republicans conjuring up similarities of the Bush administration to the Fellowship of the Ring or the Justice League, but if they did, it would be just as strange.
Slender. Shoulders.
The role of Severus Snape goes to Joe Lieberman. Or Arlen Spector. Or Hillary Clinton. I would have to go with Thompson’s first choice simple out of pity. After all, he was overlooked as John McCain’s VP because he didn’t have “nicer legs.” Classy.
On that note, my absolute favorite would have to be the casting of Sarah Palin in the role of Bellatrix Lestrange. And not because I get a thrill up my leg by defending Palin over and over and over again from the same argument. It seems that anyone who is anti-Palin will go to great lengths to associate her with the wrong side of the tracks. Bellatrix Lestrange, for those who don’t know, was sentenced to life in wizard prison after brutally torturing two members of magical law enforcement and parents of a beloved character in the novels. She is insanely and unwaveringly devoted the Dark Lord Voldemort and has happily killed many of her own relatives as a result of this allegiance. Really, folks? Many things can be said about Sarah Palin from both sides, good and bad, but evil? For moose, maybe. It would be easier to ignore and brush off these observations as nothing more than entertaining fluff, as politically one-sided as it is, if the allegory was at all precise.
Finally, as if we weren’t already fully aware that there is a shortage of creativity and insight from the left, Dick Cheney has once again been cast as the Dark Lord Voldemort. Thompson tries to redeem himself by admitting that he is not alone in making that association, but it’s too little too late (as was his claim that Republicans can also play this game. Nope. Still creepy). He mentions Cheney’s “enthusiasm for secrecy,” something that can not only be attributed to almost every benevolent character in the novels, but is also, ironically, a trait that Voldemort rarely displayed. He, in fact, had a taste for flair and the symbol for his group, the Death Eaters, would frequently be brandished in the sky whenever the members were summoned. Either this writer wasn’t paying attention or he knew his readers wouldn’t think too much about it. Also, Thompson compares Voldemort’s deeds to Cheney’s “secret plan to assassinate or capture top leaders of al Qaeda.” Meaning…al Qaeda are the good guys? Good call.
What I am sure started this line of thinking was the original declaration that Barack Obama is the equivalent of Harry Potter in this warped piece of fan fiction. The need to elevate Obama to this level of heroism is not new, nor is my need to refute the idea. But after revisiting Potter’s story of fighting evil forces when viewing the latest film last night, I have to ask: Considering
Obama’s lack of action against the chaos and mayhem in Iran, his insistence in the reinstatement of Honduran wannabe dictator Zelaya, and the overall lack of opposition from the tools in the press, the Congress, and most people within reach of a microphone…
What exactly is Obama doing to combat evil forces in this world?
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