Sounds good, even plausible. Except, after so many
good speeches during his campaign for president,
Barrack Obama did not stop the war, close gitmo,
restore “the rule of law” and freedom from gov surveillance, prosecute the individuals whose ponsi
schemes and gambling with client funds drove our (and
the world’s) economy into a ditch, fund health care
reforms, or allow courts to modify evictions (and
save millions of Americans from homelessness, or even
at the very least, start a jobs program.

If he would have just pushed, we would have gotten
some progressive action. But by taking them off the
table beforehand he started debate already far-right
of the “center” he claims to work toward. His
timidity guaranteed continuation of the worst of the
Bush presidency.

FiftyGigs, January 27 at 1:44 pm:

‘The political strategy of this is beyond the comprehension of so-called “progressives”.

The paradox is that “progressives” are stuck in the era of Karl Marx. ...’

I am mystified by this remark.  The era of Karl Marx would have to be from about 1840, when his earliest published works were written, to 1883, when he died.  While the term ‘Whig’ is indeed redolent of this era, the concerns of the America of that age, and its dominant philosophical issues, seem far from the thoughts and words of those who presently call themselves ‘progressives’.  It’s an odd way to describe the period anyway, because Marx himself and the Marxists in general had little influence on it, and they have almost as little to do with contemporary self-styled progressives, who are by and large moderate social democrats who have no intention of seriously troubling the social and economic order of the country, but are interested only getting its ruling class to be nicer though gentle persuasion.  I wonder if there’s an explanation.

Fifty gigs if i wanted a neo-con Republican I would
vote for a globalist outsourcing environment and labor
destroying, war mongering neo-con Republican. You are
right though that we live in a one party state which
means democracy that implies choices in political
representation is dead. :(

Obushlers horrible record continued:

9. Obama’s crushing of government whistleblowers of
U.S. War crimes and other government malfesance like
wikileaks:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/17/wikileaks_whist
leblowers

10. Assassination orders against American Citizens
overseas:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/201
0/04/07/assassinations

11. Support for expanding Bush’s Unconsitutional
surveillance of American citizens:

http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-
keating/internet/obama-aims-to-wiretap-skype-
facebook-blackberry-the-e…

12. Health insurance reform that is a giveway of a
trillion taxpayer dollars to the big insurance
companies that broke the system in the first place
with no price caps:

http://static1.firedoglake.com/1/files/2010/03/mythfa
ctshcr-2.pdf

13. FBI raids on antiwar activists:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100928/ap_on_re_us/us_fb
i_raid_terrorism

14. Vastly expanded TSA mandate that violates the 4th
amendment.

http://www.refinery29.com/stick-it-to-tsa-body-scans-
with-these-shirts-containing-a-hidden-message.php

15. Cave on fighting for progressive tax cut

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/dec2010/taxe-
d08.shtml

16. Make illegal indefinite detention of prisoners of
wars peranent after lying about closing down
Guantanamo:

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/12/22-5

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/12/22-7

17. Cave on net neutrality after promising to fight
for it:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/12/22-0

See also:

http://stpeteforpeace.org/obama.html

http://ia700107.us.archive.org/21/items/PaulStreet-
TheEmpiresNewClothesTalkAtEncuentro58252010/Stre

What a bunch of apologist spin, Obummer is nothing
but Bush term III:

Obama as bad as Bush the documented record:

1. The escalated wars even compared to overt war
criminal Bush?

http://www.alternet.org/world/144449/obama_far_outdoes_bush_
in_e…

2. The continuation of the abrogation of Habeas
Corpus just like Bush?

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/04/11
/bagram

3. The continuation of military tribunals just like
Bush:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/...

4. The continuation of rendition to countries that
torture just like Bush:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/11/target-of-obama-
era-ren…

5. The continuation of a prison camp that tortures in
gross violation of the Geneva conventions just like
Bush:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,650324,00.h
tml

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/51564

6. Continuation of of Bush’s TARP program to transfer
money from the poor and middle class to unaccountable
banksters rather than helping the mainly African
American victims of sub prime loans?

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Economy/story?
id=6626721&page=1

http://www.detroitnaacp.org/civilrights/predatory.asp

7. The appointment of industry insiders in the
industry that supported Obama in the Campaign shades
of Cheney and Halliburton:

http://www.helium.com/items/1813307-goldman-sachs-ties-to-
the-ob…

8. Obama’s support for “clean coal,” nuclear power
and the first offshore oil drilling in 20 years which
was only halted with a moratorium after the
disastrous Gulf oil spill:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/obama-defends-clean-
coal…

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/16/obama.nuclear.power/i
ndex…

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/science/earth/01energy.htm
l

All politicians are not bloviating hypocritical obfuscators. But that 99% of them sure give the rest a bad name.

” It may never be clear if American business is co-opting Obama, or if Obama is co-opting business.”

That’s not a paradox - it is a plain operative principle. Obama is in no way distinct from Big Business - he is their page and ambassador.

Great speech,

But how to implement those nuanced policies with a stand-pat GOP?  Not happening.

Best thing the speech can do is start tarring the GOP and forcing them to “own” the negative effects on the nation that their policies forced through.

Yeah, let ‘em defend subsidies for oil companies that we pay for.

But unless Obama and the Dims keep the harangue up on a 4 or 5 bullet points, it will get nowhere and the GOP will take the Senate and WH in 2012.

Naturally, the Dims will be expected to be spineless and give long, boring laundry lists of their “achievements” and policy aims that nobody listens to.

To keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result is insanity.

For a well paid reporter to have missed this point is reason enough to stop listening to him as well.

—-

Isn’t it the job of well paid reporters to serve as stenographers to power? I think that E.J. Dionne has earned every penny.

Is an economically muscular China the new bug-a-boo? Used to march us in one direction domestically the way that the threat of nuclear annihilation from the Soviets kept us under our school desks and paying to build fortress-world USA?

I quote the author; “.. without smart and active government, China will leave us in the dust.’

What exactly does that mean? .. by many popular measures and tests right now and for decades we’re No.1. There’s lots of very nice places on earth that we’ve been ‘dusting’ for quite some time.. The citizens of these downtrodden nations live and die without showing any particular signs of the tragedy of not being No.1.. or even No.2, 3 or whatever. In fact many of these second and third rate countries boast a standard of living that is enviable.. especially for the average working person.

So when economists and politicians warn us of slipping from the top spot and tell us to dig in, accept lower wages and benefits and workplace conditions.. abandon plans and actions to preserve our air and water.. and to generally rally to whatever measures our leaders propose.. that’s about their concerns for business profits.

Personally, I’d be ok with being No.2 or even No.3.. and especially if it meant an end to the 24HR hustle Americans are forced to run and boom and bust economic cycles.. a renewed focus on clean water, breathable air.. and most especially an end to crisis politics and policies.

Adios.

The political strategy of this is beyond the comprehension of so-called “progressives”.

The paradox is that “progressives” are stuck in the era of Karl Marx. Conservatives have cleaned their clocks so thoroughly that all this so-called “movement” can manage is a weak plea that somebody else revolt.

We the progressives will need to demand the legislation we want. To this end:

My message of hope for Liberals and Progressives in America. http://www.hoflink.com/~dbaer/speech1-22-2011.wmv

Sign this petition at http://WWW.DEMOCRATZ.ORG if you want to get congress to enact a $10 an hour minimum wage, The Employee Free Choice act, a real prescription drug benefit for Medicare in part B, an End to 2 expensive wars, a single payer government health insurance plan, Tier 5 unemployment benefits extension and the women’s freedom of choice act into law. Post this message on facebook groups, pages and profiles. Thank you.

Protest the companies that give money to conservatives in both parties. These companies fund conservatives and allow conservatives to inflict punishment on the less fortunate so let us hold those companies accountable by boycotting them until we get the legislation we want.

After you sign this petition Join the the facebook page at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sign-this-petition-for-progressive-legislation-at-wwwdemocratzorg/181036078591739

“This Obama is all about balance”

This Obama is the same old Obama and not worth listening to.  For a well paid reporter to have missed this point is reason enough to stop listening to him as well.

Dennis Miller mentioned during his standup that he once asked his son about the
debt, and how his son felt in knowing that his generation would inherit today’s
mess.  The son replied, “I’ll just pass it on to my children.”

Forget the debt.  Like AIG and the evil empires of banks, the US is too big to fail.

The economy is not what will bring our country down.  It will be scientific illiteracy
that does it, especially in light of China’s enormous push forward in terms of
research and technological investment.  (And the rampant religious irrationality
that exists throughout Congress won’t help, either.)

Fundamental understanding in science and technology will be what swings the
pendulum of global power: not the ever-fluctuating, pyramid-scheme economy.

Congrats, Mr. Dionne…who would’ve dreamed that one person could pack so much baloney into a single column?

For example, your “Paradox” No. 1. Of course BHO will be pushing progressive policies now that they have no chance of passage. Firing up the base with hot air over issues you really don’t care about is not paradoxical. It’s just typical crass political manipulation to get re-elected.

“Paradox” No. 2 isn’t a paradox. It’s just gibberish. I mean, seriously, the freakin’ Whigs?? Besides, things turned out great for that party, didn’t they.

“Paradox” No. 3 is also a joke. Closing the oil companies’ tax loopholes sounds great in a speech, but will just be portrayed by Repubs as a tax increase which discourages exploration and modernization. And even if, by some chance, it passes, then the subsequent spike in gas prices can be blamed on the Dems. Great way to pick a fight! If this were the context of a comprehensive war against taxpayer-funded corporate welfare, then it might have some validity. But Mr. Prez would never walk that walk.

“Paradox” No. 4 is just silly. Who gives a rip who’s co-opting whom? The middle and lower classes continue to get the sh*t end of the stick, and neither BHO nor his corporate buddies are lifting a finger to change it.

And that’s just the first part of your article. Jeez Louise.