The results are in for Burke's Joystick first official poll! If you recall, the poll question was: If Barack Obama was a character from a video game, which character would he be? The choices were:
Pac Man
Capt. John Soap MacTavish from Call of Duty
John Henry Eden from Fallout 3
Jim Raynor from Starcraft
Kane from Command and Conquer
Gordon Freeman from Half-life
Arcturus Mengsk from Starcraft
Commander Shepard from Mass Effect
Vladimir Makarov from Call of Duty
The people have spoken! The result: Arcturus Mengsk from Starcraft!
This is a wise choice. Truth is, the political rhetoric of Arcturus Mengsk, versus the latter reality, are quite similar to what we have experienced from Barack Obama.
If you recall, Mengsk rose to power by leading the insurrection against the corrupt Confederacy, a situation not all that dissimilar to how Obama led a "hope and change" revolt against a Washington establishment that had produced lackluster results during President Bush's second term, something made all the worse by the economic meltdown in October of 2008. It was on this wave of dissatisfaction that Obama succeeded in beating the lackluster and often befuddled John McCain for the White House by promising a bright future built on "fundamentally transforming the United States of America".
Unfortunately for his followers, once Mengsk overthrew the corrupt Confederacy, he proceeded to become "the new boss - the same as the old boss". After crowning himself Emperor of the Terran Dominion, he proceeded to rule with an iron fist just as the old Confederacy had done, and began to turn on his former allies, such as the famous outlaw Jim Raynor, who was shocked and disillusioned by Mengsk's lust for total power. As Michael Liberty wrote in Starcraft: Liberty's Crusade:
"Arcturus Mengsk....A living example of the ends justifying the means. The assassin of the Confederacy of Man. The hero of the blasted world of Korhal IV. King of the universe. A savage barbarian who never let anything or anyone get in his way. And yet, he is charming, erudite and intelligent. When you're in his presence you feel that he's really listening to you, that your opinions matter, that you're someone important if you agree with him. It's amazing. I have often wondered if men like Mengsk don't carry around their own reality-warping bubbles, and all who fall in are suddenly transported to another dimension where the hellish things he says and does suddenly make sense. At least, that's the effect he always had on me."
With the obvious exception to the "savage barbarian" reference, it certainly does seem to apply to Obama, especially the part about those who are "transported to another dimension where the hellish things he says and does suddenly make sense." "Hellish" might be a bit too strong in Obama's case, but remember stuff like this?
Hmm, I wonder where those acolytes are now. A bit disillusioned from what I hear, as is always the case when one gets involved with a cult of personality. Men are anything but angels, after all.
So, yeah, Arcturus Mengsk was a good choice!
The next poll is up: same question, but about Romney this time. Which video game character does he most resemble? This time around, though, I added an extra choice: Belethor from Skyrim. Why? The previously listed characters were all largely men of action, something that doesn't really apply to Mitt Romney. Romney is more of a man of inaction, a sort of milquetoast figure that is such a typical representation of establishment "go along to get along" Republicans. This is the real reason why Romney is failing to connect with voters. Americans want to vote FOR something, not AGAINST someone. Unfortunately, establishment types never seem to understand this as John McCain demonstrated with his failed "vote for me, I'm not him" strategy from 2008. If nothing else, Obama can't be faulted for lacking a grand vision for America, as twisted as that vision may be. So, with that in mind, I needed to add another choice that encompassed a forgettable if useful shopkeeper type of personality. Belethor fit the bill nicely.
Vote today!
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