Does Obama Catch Too? Or Just Roll Over?
>
Blue America has raised about $2,000,000 for progressive candidates and issues. We helped elect some great candidates and a few who turned into real stinkers. One, Chris Carney, we even asked to return the money he got from us under false pretenses. There's no chance we would ever ask President Obama for our money back we gave his campaign. That's because we didn't give one cent to his campaign, having carefully studied his Senate voting record. You see, as we warned all during the campaign, despite Fox/Limbaugh spin that Obama was the most liberal member of the Senate, he was actually the 46th most liberal member-- not quite as liberal as Joe Lieberman but a smidge more liberal than reactionary goon Mark Pryor. Look at this chart from Progressive Punch:
So I can't even say "I want my money back" and I would never say "I want my vote back," because all he ever was (to me) was a relatively cool symbol and... much better than McCain. Well, maybe not that much better. But somewhat better. I certainly voted for him knowing full well what we were getting. So I can't say I'm disappointed in all the compromising with Republicans over everything; it's really what comes natural to him. If you thought he would pursue charges against Bush or any of the criminal elements around him... well, he didn't mean that much change. Basically he was talking about small change. Incremental, imperceptible small little teeny weeny changes here and there gradually sometimes maybe... if he can find 80 votes for it.
My friend Danny Fields, a perceptive observer of the political scene for many decades, thinks Obama is more than role playing in the way he plays out The Prince. I want to believe the same. But at this point it will have to be proven to me-- with a big red bow around it. Why is he giving a reactionary like Judd Gregg an important and consequential Cabinet position and not even getting a Democratic replacement senator out of it. Danny is certain that Boehner hasn't read The Prince and that he has the IQ of a bean, unless he managed to stumble across a Classic Comics version. Anyway, maybe Obama just wants a real break with liberals. I think so. Well, good luck to him when they do to him what they did to the last Democrat who played footsy with them. Or maybe Danny is right.
Labels: Change, Elizabeth Hager, Judd Gregg, New Hampshire, post-partisanship, The Prince
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 7:00 PM
5 comments
|
Reddit
5 Comments:
I hear you...
Living in a state as red as GA, I see little worry for the GOP - they're holding onto their basest elements.
But since this seems to be the week for photochopped images of various joker politicians, I wasted 10 minutes on GA's own GOP Joker.
I understand what you're saying, but I think you're being a little too hard on Obama.
Look at all the trouble he's getting from scumpublicans, even though he's giving them almost everything they ask for. (That was Bill Clinton's mistake, too.) If Obama were to move any farther left, they'd eat him alive, and you know perfectly well that the damned jellyfish who call themselves Congressional Democrats will NOT cover his back. If Obama moved left, he'd be ON HIS OWN.
The time has come for us to stop concentrating on the White House and to put effort into reforming Congress. The first order of business has to be to EVICT THE PHONY DEMOCRATS! They are so incredibly damaging to the country, it's almost impossible to imagine. A close second is to get rid of the worst of the republicans.
Significant progress in this area will be very, very difficult with far-right-wingers saturating the airwaves. Seriously, corporate-whore wingers - from the Conservative News Network to Limbaugh, Savage, Hannity, Coulter, et al. - completely dominate broadcasting. In areas of the country away from large cities, their airwave saturation approaches 100%. Somehow, whether through the return of the Fairness Doctrine, limits on ownership, or other methods, this situation must be brought to an end.
I'm not ready to blame Obama yet. In my opinion, he's doing as much as he is able to, under the circumstances.
me, I'm also not ready to be that accommodating of some of Obama's choices. It's coming off as more of the same old beltway crap - particularly in the financial realm. I'm not jumping up and down yet - probably because compared to BushCo, I can breath somewhat easier - but this is the death of 1000 cuts; a slow, methodical gutting by degrees. Both the Media and K-Street should be castrated, and I don't care if they are Republicans or Democrats, just do the damned job and quit hyping it up. Of course, orchestrated party politics makes this impossible - if you don't play their game you're shoved out of the boat whether by gerrymandering or hysterical media attacks.
And you are right about Congress. A lot of progress has been made there, but I'm impatient to recoup what has been squandered over the past 8 - 16+ years. We've been painted into a corner and there is no easy way out - yet no one wants to admit that we're just about hosed.
When he chose Emanuel, it was like a sinking stone. Sorry. If he will not stand for what he campaigned on, then he is no use to the country. The country is full of hurting people who wanted to believe what he said. We fought our natures to be cynical to at least hope for real change.
Post a Comment
<< Home