Is President Obama a modern day Caligula? Well,
certain striking similarities abound that make the comparison eye-opening.
Caligula was the Roman Emperor from 37 to 41 AD when he was murdered the
Praetorain Guard, ending his infamous reign. This dictator has gone down in
history as one of the worst Roman emperors that ever held the position. Through
his financial excess, out-of-touch domestic policies and seemingly erratic
behavior he is the embodiment of a poor leader.
Ironically, despite his record, the people of Rome
loved him during his day. Instead of cheering his assassination they sought out
his killers and brought them to justice. It seems almost counterintuitive but
history does not lie- on the contrary, it tends to repeat itself.
You may ask why such a notorious dictator was so
loved during his day. Well, when you look at what’s going on today you will
understand. Caligula was one of the first politicians in recorded history to
use class warfare. Like Obama, he denounced the rich and successful of his
country and frequently made an example out of them to increase his popularity. He
excessively taxed them, imposed charges similar to our modern day capital
gains, and took their inheritance. Not only did he believe extorting from the
rich would help the economy but he also believed that it would bolster his
popularity among the Roman people. Well, he was certainly wrong on the first
point but was correct on the second.
Is what Caligula did any different from the Buffet
tax? Financially, this tax would have done nothing to help the economy or
reduce the national debt. However, the only thing it could accomplish would be
to punish the successful and have Obama gain favor among the American people.
Caligula was also remembered for his excessive
spending. Caligula's payments
for support, generosity and extravagance had exhausted the state's treasury and
began bankrupting the country. Unfortunately, this is exactly what we see
today. With the vast expansion of government, increase in spending and a 16
trillion dollar debt Obama has done the same thing to the United States as
Caligula did to Rome. However, instead of just exhausting our treasury, he has
put our country into a financial whole. Plus,
like Caligula, we see Obama’s excesses. From his wife’s trip to Spain to his
own over-the-top inauguration he is the modern day Caligula.
Lastly, Caligula
was considered mad for promoting his own horse to the position of consul. This
was the highest elected political office in Rome, second only to the emperor. Well,
when we look at some of those Obama has appointed to high ranking governmental positions
the similarities become obvious. Van Jones, Al Armendariz and Eric Holder are just a few of his winners. To be honest, I’d rather see
him appoint a horse instead of many of the people he has surrounded himself
with.
Unfortunately, the
similarity between Obama and Caligula is clear. Caligula only had 4 years in
office. Let’s do the same to Obama and vote for Romney this November!