Has the President Been Reading the ‘Silver Circle’ Script?

Barack Obama’s signature bill, the deceptively-named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is beginning to crumble, as even some Democrats now worry that the legislation will have disastrous consequences. The rule changes on insurance companies have already driven health insurance prices through the roof. Implementation of the employer mandate has been delayed until after the midterm elections, leaving lower income workers on their own to deal with the individual mandate, which remains in place. Virtually no one understands how the law will work, and most individuals will be affected by the mandate as soon as January of 2014.

In a speech to Democrats, President Obama channeled Silver Circle villain Victor Brandt while trying to convince his own party that it was a good idea to pass a near-2000 page bill that radically reshapes the US health care system, written by insurance company lobbyists, without reading it first. Said President Obama to those who would blindly support his bill, “You’re on the right side of history.” Those who have already seen Silver Circle online or at one of our -->screening events --> may have felt a little deja vu after hearing of the President’s speech, as it was eerily similar to comments made in the movie by Silver Circle‘s villain, Federal Reserve Chairman Victor Brandt, in a discussion with one of the film’s protagonists, Jay Nelson.

The Parallels

In Silver Circle’s alternate universe, Federal Reserve Chairman Victor Brandt at one point attempts to convince Department of Housing Stability investigator Jay Nelson that government must limit the freedoms of citizens in order to provide safety and security. Suggesting that the ends will justify the means, Brandt tries to soften Nelson’s skepticism by asking, “Are you on the right side of history, Jay?”

This sinister moment is eerily similar in many ways to the President’s speech to Democrats. Now that many of the President’s party faithful are facing re-election challenges due to ObamaCare’s sloppy implementation, Obama is stumping hard to try and prevent legislators from de-funding and delaying the bill. In an effort to dissuade the fears of Dems who now have buyer’s remorse over ObamaCare, the President appealed also to an ends-justify-the-means argument and said, “You’re on the right side of history.”

The Power of Deceptive Rhetoric

Power-mad elites are the cartoon characters of history. Warlords and tyrants are sometimes remembered positively by historians simply because they led nations during times of great crisis, even though they often created the crises themselves. For example, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is revered by historians after causing a Great Depression, luring Japan to attack the United States, thus further escalating a World War, and tossing American presidential tradition out the window by refusing to quit after two terms, opting instead to continue taking the presidency for himself for life, even as his health deteriorated. Calvin Coolidge’s peaceful Roaring ’20s aren’t as exciting to historians, despite the fact that his policies created prosperity.

Throughout history, ends-justify-the-means arguments have been used almost exclusively to argue for tyranny. Such appeals to an alleged collective greater good betray extraordinary hubris on the part of statists. To suggest that one can predict the future defies common sense and demonstrates arrogance. In the case of the President’s speech, it’s clear that he wants his signature bill to remain in place, primarily because it will be viewed as a part of his legacy, even though it isn’t working and will cause serious harm, particularly to lower income workers, independent contractors, and other individuals who won’t have access to subsidies but will be required to buy their own health insurance plans at inflated rates.

Tyranny is never justified by outcomes. Human freedom must and will prevail. In truth, the forces of liberty will emerge on the right side of history, especially once this health care bill tanks and further disrupts the already choking economy.

Silver Circle is showing now on Video on Demand platforms! Check it out on our watch online page and find out about local theater showings of the film and other special events on our  -->event page -->.