Saturday, September 05, 2009

This Time I Really, Really, Really Won't Get Fooled Again-- Sorry It Had To Happen On Your Watch, Mr. Obama

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In 1992 the Democratic presidential primary field didn't excite me much. I thought Tom Harkin, Jerry Brown and Paul Tsongas were all ok. Basically, as long as it wasn't one of the corrupt DLC reactionaries-- Bill Clinton or Bob Kerrey-- I was ok. I was disappointed that my fellow Democrats had put me into that same ole uncomfortable position of picking the lesser of two evils-- and Clinton was certainly far lesser an evil than George H.W. Bush. I dutifully went to the polls and voted for someone I knew would be another crappy president. When the far right set about to destroy his presidency I managed to work myself up and forget how truly awful he was and see as much good in him as I could.

The far right is doing that again, quite predictably. And Obama is as crappy a vison-free, weak centrist and corporate shill as Clinton ever was. Let them tear him apart. I'm done with these assholes.

Today I spent a lot of time in my car. I could really feel why suburban commuters get angry at life and, encouraged by Hate Talk Radio, wind up consistently voting against their own families' interests. Commuting is a real hell on earth. As I sat still on the 710 Freeway from Compton I strained to listen to NPR over the din of noisy trucks belching cancer-causing black death into the air. I caught a trashy woman who sounded perfect for a KKK-woman's auxiliary group explaining why she was keeping little Johnny away from school next week when Obama plans to address the nation's children. She acknowledged that even if he won't be overtly brainwashing the children with liberalism, there would be subliminal messages. She really used that phrase. I'm positive the idea of an African-American in the White House is enough of a subliminal message to drive her insane. But screw it; he can fight his own battles. That's what he pays Rahm Emanuel to do-- the same Rahm Emanuel who Bill Clinton used to violently shove NAFTA down enough Democrats' throats so that a hated Republican bill that didn't pass under Bush, was one of Clinton's big first term "accomplishments."

Yesterday Greg Sargent pointed out that the White House polling memo seemed to go out of its way to omit the fact that Mr. Obama's constituents support a public option, even if his campaign donors don't. Between Afghanistan and his sellout on health care, all the hope for change will be dead by next week.
[V]irtually every poll cited in this memo also found strong support for the inclusion of a public plan.

* The memo cited a CBS poll from September 1st, saying it found strong support for action. What does it say on the public plan? Sixty percent support, 34% oppose.

* The memo cited a CNN poll done through August 31st, saying it found deep public dismay with the system. What does it say on the public plan? Fifty-five percent support, 41% oppose.

* The memo cited a Kaiser poll from August 11th, saying it found overwhelming support for consumer protections. What does it say on the public plan? Fifty nine percent support, 38% oppose.

Needless to say, they certainly didn't mention yesterday's Daily Kos poll, which shows strong support for the public option in every region of the country but the backward former slave-holding states of the Old Confederacy-- and there is even a plurality of support there (47 % favor, 46 oppose)! Nationally, 81% of Democrats and 57% of Independents (and 26% of Republicans) favor a public option. Isn't that bipartisan enough for Mr. Obama. Or by bipartisan does he only count crooked Inside the Beltway politicians who have accepted gigantic bribes from Insurance companies and the Medical-Industrial Complex? People don't count? Then don't count on people. And see how much leeway progressives-- inside and outside Capitol Hill-- are going to give you on your disgraceful policies in Afghanistan going forward. Let's see how much you can depend on the alliance between Republicans and Blue Dogs Rahm is working with. Wednesday will be the first day of the rest of Mr. Obama's political life.

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11 Comments:

At 10:56 AM, Anonymous Doug Kahn said...

I've been thinking, though: what happens when people find out the proposed public option won't be available until 2013, and in the meanwhile, the insurance companies can do whatever they want to? I think the prohibitions against dropping people when they get sick, and denying coverage based on preexisting conditions are also delayed for 3 years. Because we seem to be supporting something that forces 40 million financially disadvantaged people into a market with monopolistic pricing, and no relief for 3 years. I realize that you and I agree that single payer is the only logical solution to the problem, so I don't fault your principles or your thinking. But you have to admit the public option has real political drawbacks, practically speaking. Who are people going to be angry at over the next 3 years when the insurance companies screw them? What if it's the Democrats who made the deal with the insurance industry?

 
At 11:01 AM, Blogger lilybelle said...

While I voted for Obama in the primary, I expected to him to be an establishment politician. I expected him to be similar to Clinton. And I've still been disappointed. My fear at the time of the primary was that people believed the pixie dust post-partisan crap. Well, it seems only the permanent political class believes that crap. I also worried that when disappointment set in, many would shun politics and voting, especially those who had voted for the first time. I think that will be the case.

Obama will manage to craft a bill that makes the situation worse.

Huzzah!

 
At 11:07 AM, Anonymous Casual Observer said...

"The far right is doing that again, quite predictably. And Obama is as crappy a vison-free, weak centrist and corporate shill as Clinton ever was. Let them tear him apart. I'm done with these assholes."

I regret to say I agree. And you can't say people didn't see it coming. But even with that bit of forsight, this has been as pathetic display as I can recall. I agree. Obama is on his own from here out.

 
At 1:38 PM, Blogger W. Hackwhacker said...

I keep thinking, despite the historical futility of third parties, if it will make sense in the near future to stop being the "Progressive wing of the Democratic Party" and just become the Progressive Party. Vermont has an active Progressive Party. Worth pursuing?

 
At 1:50 PM, Blogger DownWithTyranny said...

Or maybe a non-corporate Democrat will step up and primary Obama. I just heard that John Gray, the mayor of Greenland, Arkansas, is running against Blanche Lincoln on the Green Party ticket. Last year a Green candidate took 20% there running against corporate shill Mark Pryor,

 
At 2:33 PM, Blogger Bruce said...

Well said, Howie! My sentiments exactly. No Mas. Zero tolerance from now on. I will vote for 4th and 5th party candidates if necessary. The Democrats think we have no other choice but to vote for their continued sell outs. Not so. In the future, I will only vote for the candidates I can relate to. None of them will be Republicans or Democrats who act like Republicans. I have been busy letting my so-called representatives and the sell out in chief know that. My conscience will be clear. The truth, ugly as it is, has set me free. May Rahm rot in hell.

 
At 4:00 PM, Anonymous Susie from Philly said...

"The bottom line, said the source, is that the president would have to “move to the center” on the issue eventually, “and it’s not a bad thing to have liberals screaming at him.” That development will help sell the deal to Americans and 'convince them it’s a good, moderate deal, if liberals are mad.'"

No, Rahm, we won’t be screaming. In fact, we’ll be very, very quiet. All you’ll hear is the Zen sound of a few million activists sitting on their hands for the next four years.

No more checks, no more phone banking, no more letters or calls of support. You’re on your own now, pal. Ask your “moderate” friends for their help.

Oh, and good luck with that!

P.S. I've started calling Rahm by his real title: Mr. President.

 
At 5:27 PM, Anonymous Balakirev said...

I am amazed that the federal Democrats have this selective amnesia about what happens every time they fuck over their newly energized, progressive base. They don't have to look back too far, after all, to see this. Do you think it's that, given a choice between losing their corporate dollars and being forced into the minority, they'd simply rather keep the perks and the soft money, and drop back for 4-8-12 more years?

I've been saying this for a long time, but we really need a good party with a solid progressive platform run by tech-savvy people and sponsoring intelligent communicators. Nothing less will do. I told my wife we'd simply given up King Stork for King Log again, but that's not the case: we've just got Stork, Jr in charge. We need to organize and get moving.

 
At 10:50 PM, Blogger Bruce said...

The Democrats have become the Republicans. That is Rahm's way. At the same time, the Republicans have become a total lunatic fringe, nutball party. We are left with not even a moderate party, let alone a progressive one. Obama never was a Progressive. That was clear when he didn't support impeachment and when he brought Rahm into the White House. Obama was a bait and switch sellout. The only way to get a new party is to stop voting for the candidates of the old one. If they want our support and votes, they will have to change their ways or die. Screw 'em.

 
At 11:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree more. I didn't expect much from a law professor who sold out on the FISA bill that granted the telecoms retroactive immunity, but it's been much worse than I expected. I had thought that they would throw us a bone every once in a while, but instead the pope of hope thinks he can feed us condensed shit shaped like a bone and we'll gnaw on that.

Z

 
At 9:58 PM, Blogger doublewide said...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nothing will change until we get campaign finance reform through. That's what we really should be focusing on. All the righteous fire in our li'l progressive bellies is just a fart in a windstorm when confronting special interest funding. Remove the profit incentive and everything ratchets into place.

 

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