Nonstopdrivel
15 years ago

Liberals Begin to Bail on Obama

The Awful Truth 

By RALPH NADER

Those long-hoping, long-enduring members of the liberal intelligentsia are starting to break away from the least-worst mindset that muted their criticisms of Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign.

They still believe that the President is far better than his Republican counterpart would have been. Some still believe that sometime, somewhere, Obama will show his liberal stripes. But they no longer believe they should stay loyally silent in the face of the escalating war in Afghanistan, the near collapse of key provisions in the health insurance legislation, the likely anemic financial regulation bill, or the obeisance to the bailed out Wall Street gamblers. Remember this Administration more easily embraces bonuses for fat cats than adequate investment in public jobs.

Of all the loyalists, among the first to stray was Bob Herbert, columnist for The New York Times. He wondered about his friends telling him that Obamatreats their causes and them as if they have nowhere to go. Then there was the stalwart Obamaist, the brainy Gary Wills, who broke with Obama over Afghanistan in a stern essay of admonition.

If you read the biweekly compilation of progressive and liberal columnists and pundits in the Progressive Populist, one of my favorite publications, the velvet verbal gloves are coming off.

Jim Hightower writes that Obama is sinking us into Absurdistan. He bewails: Ihad hoped Obama might be a more forceful leader who would reject the same old interventionist mindset of those who profit from permanent war. But his newly announced Afghan policy shows he is not that leader.

Wonder where good ol Jim got that impressioncertainly not from anything Obama said or did not say in 2008. But hope dims the memory of the awful truth which is that Obama signed on to the Wall Street and military-industrial complex from the get-go. He got their message and is going after their campaign contributions and advisors big time!

Norman Solomon, expressed his sharp deviation from his long-time admiration of the politician from Chicago. He writes: President Obama accepted the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize while deliveringto the world as it isa pro-war speech. The context instantly turned the speechs insights into flackery for more war. Strong words indeed!

Arianna Huffington has broken in installments. But her disillusionment is expanding. She writes: Obama isnt distancing himself from the Left with his decision to escalate this deepening disaster [in Afghanistan]. Hes distancing himself from the national interests of the country.

John R. MacArthur, publisher of Harpers Magazine, was never an Obama fan and has been upset with what he calls the liberal adoration of Obama. In a piece for the Providence Journal, he cites some writers still loyal to Obama, such as Frank Rich of The New York Times, Hendrick Hertzberg of The New Yorker, and Tom Hayden, who are showing mild discomfort in the midst of retained hope over Obamas coming months. They have not yet cut their ties to the masterspeaker of Hope and Change.

Gary Wills has crossed his Rubicon, calling Obamas Afghanistan escalation a betrayal. Wills is a scholar of both the Presidency and of political oratory (his small book on Lincolns Gettysburg address is a classic interpretation). So he uses words carefully, to wit: If we had wanted Bushs wars, and contractors, and corruption, we could have voted for John McCain. At least we would have seen our foe facing us, not felt him at our back, as now we do.

Rest assured the liberal-progressive commentariat has another two years to engage in challenge and chagrin. For in 2012, silence will mute their criticisms as the stark choices of the two-party tyranny come into view and incarcerate their minds into the least-worst voting syndrome (just as they have done in recent Presidential election years).

It is hard to accord them any moral breaking point under such self-imposed censorship. Not much leverage in that approach, is there?

Ralph Nader is the author of Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!, a novel.



I'm sitting over in the corner chuckling to myself, because I saw this happening long before Obama was elected. I remain firmly convinced, however, that he is by far the less dangerous alternative of the two candidates. I would not have wanted to live in McCain's vision of America.
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Cheesey
15 years ago
Like i said.....he said all the "right" things the liberals wanted to hear. Now he's not always doing their bidding, so they are bailing on him.
So i guess neither side wants him.
He's still way to liberal for me.
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Nonstopdrivel
15 years ago
Actually, Alan, he's a consummate moderate and therefore displeasing to everyone.

As Jesus once said: "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." -- Revelation 3:16

I blame both sides. If this country would ever gather up enough courage to break the hegemony of the two-party system, we could have real representational government again. But both sides vote for the lesser of two evils and wonder why the end up with, well, evil.
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IronMan
15 years ago


I blame both sides. If this country would ever gather up enough courage to break the hegemony of the two-party system, we could have real representational government again. But both sides vote for the lesser of two evils and wonder why the end up with, well, evil.

"Nonstopdrivel" wrote:


+1
Wade
  • Wade
  • Veteran Member
15 years ago
Ah, but it's an inherent weakness of the idea of "representive" government.

That were both Madison's and Tocqueville's point. Majoritarianism, in any form, brings with it a special propensity toward tyranny: because, now that we've got rid of the nonsense about "divine right of kings," majorities have a moral authority that dictators and monarchs cannot have.

The two party hegemony is merely a particularly disgusting symptom of that underlying flaw.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
Cheesey
15 years ago

Actually, Alan, he's a consummate moderate and therefore displeasing to everyone.

As Jesus once said: "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." -- Revelation 3:16

I blame both sides. If this country would ever gather up enough courage to break the hegemony of the two-party system, we could have real representational government again. But both sides vote for the lesser of two evils and wonder why the end up with, well, evil.

"Nonstopdrivel" wrote:


Good point.
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Pack93z
15 years ago


I blame both sides. If this country would ever gather up enough courage to break the hegemony of the two-party system, we could have real representational government again. But both sides vote for the lesser of two evils and wonder why the end up with, well, evil.

"IronMan" wrote:


+1

"Nonstopdrivel" wrote:



It is getting close to the time that we citizens take this country back from the happy bullshit in Washington... until we common folks break that lobbyist bullshit that has corrupted the founding fathers intended for this great country..

It truly is time to get back to the basic roots of the foundation of this country and stop trying to pretend that we are on the right track. Until then there will be a division from the haves, the wanna haves and the leaches in this country.
"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"
Cheesey
15 years ago
It won't change.
Why? Because we can never get enough people to "jump ship" from their political parties. As long as they hold onto them, we will never break out of the governmental BS.
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zombieslayer
15 years ago
I've left parties a long time ago.

Bush sucked. I didn't think it was possible but Obama sucks even more. Nader made a perfect point about how Obama embraces the military industrial complex and would rather bailout gamblers on Wall Street (and the fat cats get bonuses) than develop real jobs.

As big as the debt Bush gave us, Obama's is now worse. Liberals - I told you so. Conservatives - you should have chosen Ron Paul over McCain, so you too need to repent.

I said it before and I'll say it again - today's Americans, all of them of voting age, deserve to end up in the worst possible retirement homes with their kids hating them. Myself included as I wasn't loud enough.

This may surprise you but I actually voted for Nader over Clinton & Dole in '96. I've seen him speak and although we seriously disagree on some issues, I respect Nader. He's got more brains than just about anyone in politics right now.
My man Donald Driver
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(thanks to Pack93z for the pic)
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