Madness: the friction between ideological will and stubborn reality

In response to Bob Woodward Calls Out Sequester “Madness”:

I have a similar feeling about the “madness” of King Barack.  I’ve referred to him as “mad” before, but it’s not gibbering lunacy (well, okay, I think I used that phrase once.)  It’s a deliberate effort to move reality into alignment with his will.  Obama thinks that if he concentrates on his “Republicans caused the sequester and want to kill you all so their friends will get rich” narrative hard enough, it will become reality.

You could argue that’s what politics often consists of, at the height of its ambitions.  It’s the “art of the possible.”  The masters of that art learn how to redefine what is possible.  They look crazy to the rest of us because we still think dissent is practical.  It can remain possible for a long time after it ceases to be practical.  The Overton Window is moved by people who aren’t afraid of looking a bit crazy while they’re dragging it.