I suspect that I am one of many who voted for Obama in 2008 and now find myself not even listening to his speeches anymore. Why? Because, I've come to the point where I believe little if anything that the man has to say. We've heard the pretty words so many times only to see them followed up by no action at all or any almost immediate capitulation to GOP demagogues. Do I want the haters and political whores of the GOP to prevail? Not at all. It's just that it's too painful to listen to Obama and know that his words mean nothing. At least nothing of significance. And because of this reality, I believe that
Obama's going to have a Hell of a time motivating many 2008 supporters to go to the polls and pull the lever for him in 2012. Perhaps a Rick Perry or Michele
Bachmann as the GOP candidate would push folks to hold their nose and vote for Obama. If the GOP candidate is not someone truly scary, then all bets are off. An article in the
Rolling Stone looks at this frustration in the context of job creation. Here are some highlights:
I was in an airport in Florida yesterday and was forced into a terrible, Sophie's Choice-type choice. . . . . it was either sit underneath a full-volume broadcast of our fearless president bellowing out his latest hollow promises, or the hellish alternative: retreat to gates full of screaming five year-old children, all of them jacked up on sugar and bawling their eyes out because it was the end of Labor Day weekend and their cruel parents were dragging them home from Disneyworld.
I ended up choosing the screaming children.
Obama hasn't been a total disaster on labor. Most notably, he stepped up in the Wisconsin mess and at least took sides in that debate, calling the push to end collective bargaining rights an "assault" on unions.
But I remember following Obama on the campaign trail and hearing all sorts of promises before union-heavy crowds. He said he would raise the minimum wage every year; he said he would fight free-trade agreements. He also talked about repealing the Bush tax cuts and ending tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas.
It's not just that he hasn't done those things. The more important thing is that the people he's surrounded himself with are not labor people, but stooges from Wall Street. Barack Obama has as his chief of staff a former top-ranking executive from one of the most grossly corrupt mega-companies on earth, JP Morgan Chase.
Listening to Obama talk about jobs and shared prosperity yesterday reminded me that we are back in campaign mode and Barack Obama has started doing again what he does best – play the part of a progressive. He's good at it. It sounds like he has a natural affinity for union workers and ordinary people when he makes these speeches. But his policies are crafted by representatives of corporate/financial America, who happen to entirely make up his inner circle.
I just don't believe this guy anymore, and it's become almost painful to listen to him.
I suspect that I am one of many who voted for Obama in 2008 and now find myself not even listening to his speeches anymore. Why? Because, I've come to the point where I believe little if anything that the man has to say. We've heard the pretty words so many times only to see them followed up by no action at all or any almost immediate capitulation to GOP demagogues. Do I want the haters and political whores of the GOP to prevail? Not at all. It's just that it's too painful to listen to Obama and know that his words mean nothing. At least nothing of significance. And because of this reality, I believe that Obama's going to have a Hell of a time motivating many 2008 supporters to go to the polls and pull the lever for him in 2012. Perhaps a Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann as the GOP candidate would push folks to hold their nose and vote for Obama. If the GOP candidate is not someone truly scary, then all bets are off. An article in the Rolling Stone looks at this frustration in the context of job creation. Here are some highlights:
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3 comments:
Would be curious on your take of the NYT magazine article by Jonathan Chait of the New Republic :what the Left Doesn't.... Sept 4
Jonathan Chait makes some good points. However, I continue to believe that things could have been quite different in a positive, progressive way if Obama had acted as a leader rather than a follower-in-chief.
"Leading from behind" has NOT been a successful strategy and he continues to allow the GOP to frame the debate. Reacting instead of leading is NOT what the country needs.
I agree that what I yearn for is an out front leader, but I wonder if maybe FDR was able to do what he did was because the country had fallen so low during the GD, that no one could continue to argue otherwise (although it was still not a cake walk). My 25yr son argues that Obama is letting the right keep drifting further to the looney right and to debate at this time would be a waste and a distraction. ie debating ideas that shouldn't even be on the radar. It is the big money talking here and driving this along with the mantra that government is bad. I still fear the tipping point, but then we on the center/left expected that things would really change after 30 yrs by one person, I think we let him down in many ways. We left DC after the election. Other factors, such as the Dems after all are not a solid block, many are Repubs in disguise, emotional responses even by the more educated responding to economic fear. Add to this mix that the MSM continues to frame stuff by comparing outlandish statements without challenge as if that is all needs to do to report. I also believe that we are witnessing the visceral distrust of the other and that the voice of reason is being drowned out by the shrill voices of those that are living in the past (including the monied) no matter how loud the President speaks. So I have to go with my son and Hope that he does have a plan, that he some how understands that indirect confrontation is a better method than a head to head at this point. Those of us on the left always talk about giving the peaceful way out but we like others find it hard to give it a try as we fear that by doing so will let the others win. In the end we all lose.
thanks for "listening" no need to post this.
PS good luck with the house etc, partner and I enjoy reading your blog
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