Yes We Can! Long Island 2012A day or so ago I shared personal experiences suggesting a long-awaited positive and progressive sense of optimism. Happily, yesterday’s election and primaries lend credibility to my sense that there is a positive trend in support of an issues-driven, progressive agenda.
The message of hope and change was largely responsible for the election of Barack Obama. People were happy, indeed giddy with optimism, about coming change. Whether it was about Lily Ledbetter (relatively small, excuse me) or Health Care Reform (big), Obama’s presidency has been all about change–and, unfortunately, resistance to change. But ‘change’ was characterized as engaging and positive.
An election victory in Pennsylvania (Critz) and important primaries in PA (Sestak) and Arkansas (Halter) bode well for the mid-term elections. However, the demand for change now rides on a platform of anger and negativity.
In each case, election or primary, the key was turnout. People voted. People expressed their concern. And, it appears, that change is coming. A good sign for progressives. Even in Kentucky, progressives come out ahead in the long term because a wingnut libertarian is pushing the Republican Party further to the right. Each primary was a plus for progressives.
Halter is a thoughtful and strong candidate, pushing conservative Dem Lincoln to a head-to-head run-off that, I think, favors Halter; payback for her vote against health care reform (and her progressive position on finance reform is a wolf in lamb’s clothing). Critz is a competent guy, winning in a very conservative region; does this negate some of the concerns derivative of recent conservative victories? Specter cast his Supreme Court votes for extremely conservative justices. Good riddance. Rand Paul prevailed against the guy strongly backed by Mitch McConnell and Dick Cheney (heh, heh); for the moment, I thank him. Paul will lose in the general election given his too frequent statement of off-the-wall positions.
At least for the coming weeks, there will be fewer tailing heads spreading word that the Republicans will make significant advances in Congress.
So as I said yesterday, a breath of fresh air is emerging and circulating. . . Malaise and fatigue have permeated the air for too long. Progressives need to start feeling good and show renewed energy.
Perhaps we can. Feelin’ good. Yes We Can! Yes We Will!
Fair enough, Ben. Considering I came in here and rained on the parade a little bit, I appreciate the moderation of your response. I've simply got a very different view, and it probably serves very little purpose to try to impose it here. I believe in many of the same causes you probably do – avoidance of unnecessary war, fair treatment of the poor, equal opportunity for all, living in harmony with nature – it's just that I've got a very different idea about how to get there. I'm from the Thomas Paine school that believes "government that governs the least, governs best." Simply put, I prefer voluntarism to violence, as much as possible.
But even if we consider that big government could potentially be a force for good (and I don't think on balance it ever has been), I think you guys are pinning your hopes on a false prophet. If the company we keep means anything – forget the Marxist bit players like Van Jones – in the key positions, this guy has surrounded himself with war mongers and crony capitalists. Obama is remarkably eloquent and charismatic, but actions speak louder than words – or so I thought. I'm continually amazed people can reconcile this so easily. Look at what he's doing! I guess Bush lowered the bar right down to the ground!
But anyway, I'm sure we'll just have to agree to disagree. I appreciate your tolerance, and I'll try to refrain from further harassment. I wish you well.
Greg
You are more than welcome to continue to post your views. I appreciate you listening to what I have to say and hopefully spending a few moments thinking about it. If you responded with a profanity ridden rant, than yes, your IP would be banned and we could only be able to reminisce on that time in late May when you posted a rant on Yes We Can! Long Island's website.
Well back to the issues, Thomas Paine was correct, but that was a long time ago. The world has grown more complex and intertwined that many of his ideas cannot be used literally these days. They can, however, be used as the basis of principals and ideas.
Charisma can be used to exploit, but also used to bring people together. I don't think Pres Obama graduated Harvard Law solely on his charisma. He has been president for 16 months. You cannot expect him to change the world in 16 months. Those who are "war mongers" and "crony capitalists" might be some of the most knowledgeable people in the world on those topics, and if Obama is able to direct the final decision, what is so wrong about using those "evil-doers" experience to further Pres Obama's goal.
I truly wish the world as was simple as it was in the days of Thomas Paine. We could have honest discussions about the rights of man, race, economics, without degrading into a stupid shouting match between idiot #1 and idiot #1, as we see nightly on the television. The truth is Obama is by far the best President our nation will elect in the short term, and even if he isn't doing everything you would wish he does, he is far better than any other candidate the GOP would put up for the office.
He could use your support, but even if that is too much for you to give, a healthy discussion of these issues can enlighten others about the different perspectives of those on the left of the political seesaw.
Thanks for posting again!
How sad. It seems government has grown so far out of control, that the few people who still respect the constitution and who simply advocate the much more modest government the founders originally envisioned, are now commonly regarded as "wing-nuts." American imperialism, the failed war on drugs, the prison industrial complex, and an unaccountable monopoly banking cartel, licensed by the state, are now so widely accepted that any opposition to them is seen as "off-the-wall." Instead, empty "yes-we-can" slogans are swallowed hook, line, and sinker, and a minor tweaking of the state/corporate plutocracy is breathlessly hailed as "all about change."
Yes, there's change, all right. But it's hardly the kind of change progressives should be lauding. American empire – the trillion dollar "defense" policy – not only continues unabated, but Bush's frightening privatization of the wars continues to expand robustly under the Obama administration (at least 20 to 25% increases, already). Even as troop levels are being drawn down in Iraq, they are being replaced by far more expensive private contractors. The Nobel Peace Prize recipient continues to expand the war in Afghanistan, and is now lobbing unmanned drones into Pakistan, too. The Patriot Act is more secure than ever, and even the assassination of American citizens living abroad, who are deemed to be terrorists, is now officially condoned. Nice change.
Crony capitalism has never been happier. The unconscionable looting of the American taxpayer on behalf of some of the richest people on earth, begun under Bush/ Paulson, has expanded ever more robustly under Obama and the blatant tax cheater, Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner. Even as most Americans and small businesses face the worst credit crunch since the Great Depression, the rent-seeking big banks who helped put Obama in office have been raking in obscene record setting profits off the backs of struggling Americans. And lest anyone think the worst is over, on Christmas eve, when no one was looking, Geithner quietly raised the bailout limit on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from an already shocking $400 billion, to – UNLIMITED. Hold on to your hats!
But in reality, Obama is much less about change than he is about desperately clinging to the old system. Rather than adjust to reality, politicians everywhere are struggling to re-inflate the unsustainable bubble that burst in 2008. The solution to too much debt is … more debt, of course. It worked in 2000. Why not again? We can simply borrow our way back to prosperity – or so they think. But unlike the post WWII boom when we actually did grow our way out of debt, we no longer live in a world of rapidly growing population accommodated by abundant cheap oil and resources. Even if we could somehow continue to meet the interest on our debts, which no longer seems mathematically possible without very substantial inflation, essentially, we are foolishly pegging our future to an economic system entirely dependent on rampant consumerism and perpetual growth, without considering the finite carrying capacity and resource limitations of a spherical planet – a conundrum the environmental left seems blissfully unaware of. Certainly, if we continue on this course, I don't expect it to end well.
So as I see it, except that he continues to inject even more of the state into the state capitalist system we've already had for decades – which is how corporations got to be huge and unaccountable, and how banks became disastrously "too big to fail," in the first place – like any other president who stands a chance of getting elected in today's environment, Obama is all about the status quo. That's all.
Cheers
Greg
I guess one man can see the world as falling apart and complains about it, and another sees it as falling apart, but also sees some positives and tries to focus and work for those positives…. I am not saying you are wrong in everything you wrote, infact, I agree with much of it, but if you compare it with the previous 8 years, I would much rather have President Obama leading our nation. Pres Obama is not an angel sent here to fix the worlds problems… that can only happen if the people begin to standup and pay attention to their government, but for the time being, I think I speak for many who are happy with our President, despite what you discussed in your rant.