Clarence B. Jones is scholar in residence at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. On top of that, he's black and a progressive. And he is now admitting that its time that progressives start the process of finding a primary challenger to take on Obama in the lead up to 2012. As readers know, I lost all confidence in Obama - who I now typically refer to as the Liar-in-Chief - over numerous issues, and not just LGBT equality issues. It began when he surrendered toe public option in health care reform before the measure was even out of the box and it's been downhill from there. The DADT debacle and the failure to see even the remotest movement on the passage of ENDA and/or the repeal of DOMA have been icing on the cake. Obama has basically abandoned those who elected him and seems to somehow believe that by kissing the GOP's ass he's helping his re-election efforts. Or maybe he believes that with a far right GOP opponent such as - God help us - Sarah Palin, progressives will vote for him in 2012 no matter how much he betrays his campaign promises. Worse yet, I suspect that after January, 2011, we will see only more and more give aways to the far right. Here are highlights from Jones' column at Huffington Post:*
Can't tell you how it happened. All I know, it just happened. Been thinking and reading a lot about President Barack Obama. Lots of news commentaries about his alleged lack of leadership on this or that issue. About his disappointing the Gay and Lesbian and Transgender Community on his election pledge to end the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in the armed services. And his disappointment by the anti-war coalition, who supported him because of his opposition to the war in Iraq, only to find that he has escalated the US's involvement in Afghanistan. Now, after the midterm election victories of the Republicans, he seems willing to compromise on his pledge to end tax breaks for the rich.
*
In previous blogs, I have tried to contribute to a constructive analysis and dialogue about Obama's presidential leadership. Several readers accused me of being an "apologist" for Obama.
*
[C]heck out the video clips of the panorama of faces that assembled in Grant Park in Chicago after the election results confirmed his victory. Check out the million + people who came to Washington to witness his Inauguration. It is not easy to consider challenging the first African-American to be elected as President of the United States. But, regrettably, I believe that the time has come to do this.
*
It is time for Progressives to stop "whining" and arguing among themselves about whether President Obama will or will not do this or that. Obama is no different than any other President, nominated by his national party. He was elected with the hard work and 24/7 commitment of persons who believed and enlisted in his campaign for "Hope" and "Change."
*
You don't have to be a rocket scientist nor have a PhD in political science and sociology to see clearly that Obama has abandoned much of the base that elected him. He has done this because he no longer respects, fears or believes those persons who elected him have any alternative, but to accept what he does, whether they like it or not.
*
It is time for those persons who constituted the "Movement" that enabled Senator Barack Obama to be elected to "break their silence"; to indicate that they no longer will sit on their hands, and only let off verbal steam and ineffective sound and fury, and "hope" for the best.
*
The pursuit of the war in Afghanistan in support of a certifiably corrupt Afghan government and the apparent willingness to retreat from his campaign commitment of no further tax cuts for the rich, his equivocal and foot dragging leadership to end DADT, his TARP for Wall Street, but, equivocal insufficient attention to the unemployment and housing foreclosures of Main Street, suggest that the template of the 1968 challenge to the reelection of President Lyndon Johnson now must be thoughtfully considered for Obama in 2012.
1 comment:
I have every intention of voting against Obama in the 2012 presidential primary, but as part of the "children's crusade" (before I could vote), I am mindful that the bottom line result was the presidency of Richard Nixon and the continuation of the war we were opposing. At the time, I could not stomach Hubert Humphrey, but now know he would have been far less harmful than Nixon. I also supported the primary challenge to Jimmy Carter by Edward Kennedy, that was followed by the election of Ronald Reagan. More recently, the Nader supporters gave us George W. Bush, whom they claimed was no worse than Al Gore...
Post a Comment