Once upon a time, all the animals in the barnyard got together to elect a leader.  After much debate and many nominations, they settled on Bobo the Parrot.  Bobo stayed mostly at the farmhouse, so he wasn't really a farm animal, but he was a good speaker, even if his words weren't really his own.
    As soon as he was elected, Bobo started hawking snake oil.
    "Snake oil!  Snake oil!" he squawked.  "Everyone buy my snake oil!"
    "Why should we buy your snake oil?" asked the Horse.
    "It will volumize your mane," said Bobo.
    "Neigh to that," said the Horse.
    "Why would I want your snake oil?" asked the Pig.
    "It will take the curl right out of that tail," said Bobo.
    "I like my tail curly," said the Pig.
    "What will your snake oil do for me?" asked the Duck.
    "It will make your feathers smooth and shiny," said Bobo.  "Just look at me!"
    "Hmm.  Yes, I am," said the Duck, and waddled away.
    "Well, why would I want your snake oil?" asked the Goat.
    "Hey, it'll get rid of that scruffy beard," said Bobo.  "Wouldn't that be great?"
    The Goat gave him a pitying look and stalked away.
    "What possible use would I have for that stuff?" asked the Dog.
    "It will dry up that drool in a matter of weeks!" said Bobo.
    "I like my drool," said the Dog.  "Anyway, what does selling snake oil have to do with your position as Leader of the Animals?"
    "The Snakes want me to sell it," explained Bobo.  "They pay me more than you guys do, so what do you expect?"
    But no one was buying.

    Then the Coyotes came.  They broke into the chicken coops.  They ransacked the barn.  They killed and ate the animals they could and terrorized the ones they couldn't.  They wrecked the animals' dwelling places and ate their food.  They made a mess of everything.
    The denizens of the barnyard came to their leader in a panic.
    "Bobo!  Bobo!" they cried.  "What shall we do?"
    Bobo had no idea, so he asked the Snakes.
    "Coyotes aren't so tough," hissed the Snakes.
    "Coyotes aren't so tough!" said Bobo.
    "Just tell them to cooperate and throw up a united front," said the Snakes.
    "Cooperate and throw up a united front!" said Bobo.
    "The bigger animals can protect the smaller ones," continued the Snakes.
    "The bigger animals can protect the smaller ones!" said Bobo.
    "Anyway, this is our little gold mine," said the Snakes.
    "Anyway, this is our ... uh ... homeland!" concluded Bobo.
    "Uh, ok," said the Animals.  "That sounds like a good idea."
    "Then sell that snake oil!" urged the Snakes.  "What do you think we pay you for?"

    So, the animals got together and repelled the Coyotes the next time they came.
    "Hooray for Bobo!" cheered the animals.  "What a wonderful leader he is!"
    "Ok," said Bobo, "gather 'round and buy my snake oil!"
    Many of the Animals queued right up.
    "We have to support our leader," they said.
    But some hesitated.
    "Isn't this the stuff that was supposed to straighten out my tail?" asked the Pig.
    "This war with the Coyotes is not over!" proclaimed Bobo.  "It could go on for years!"
    "But what does that have to do with your snake oil?" persisted the Pig.  "What we want is safety."
    "The snake oil will make you safe!" claimed Bobo.
    "And we want food to eat," added the Cow.
    "The snake oil will give you food!" squawked Bobo.
    "And we want decent places to live," said the Horse.
    "The snake oil will give you good places to live!" declared Bobo.
    "Well," said the Pig, "I'm not convinced.  How come this stuff was worthless before the Coyotes, but does all these great things after the Coyotes?"
     "This is Anti-Livestock talk!" gasped Bobo.  "Do I hear a traitor among us?"
    All of the animals turned toward the Pig with withering disapproval.
    "Traitor!  Traitor!" they muttered and cast him menacing looks.  Some took a step or two in his direction.
    "Now, let's get our snake oil," they said.  The Pig was first in line.

Seems like every lame-brained corporate give-away that couldn't get out of committee 4 months ago is suddenly framed in terms of "anti-terrorism," "energy independence," or "helping the workers."  And the loyal opposition can't roll over fast enough.