(Posted on http://nehama.newsvine.com/ Fri Apr 17, 2009)
I will admit I was not a 'die hard' Obama fan. Until the last minute I wavered between Barack Obama and Ralph Nader, and donated equally to both campaigns (boohoo me). But it was always apparent that Obama is a centrist Democrat, and a political realist. On the other hand, there was something appealing about his clarity of thought, and expression, about his demeanor that at once conveyed the confidence of a seasoned politician combined with honesty, principles, and a conscience, rarely seen in mainstream politics any more.
So now Barack Obama is president, and it is a new day - no doubt. Lets face it, anything after George W would have been an improvement, even McCain-Palin (well, maybe Palin not so much). But seriously, policies are changing, and for the better. Not all of them, not all at once. But there's an obvious commitment to the environment, to workers rights, to civil rights, to government transparency. All good.
So what's the problem?
First, Obama is now President (I said that). Then can he still be a community leader? Are 'Yes we can' activists a grassroots organization, or astroturf ? What does it mean that Organizing for America activist are walking around "selling" the President's healthcare reform – which polls show that the majority of us don't want.
Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't Organizing for America be organizing communities to pressure the White House and Congress to do what we elected them to do – single payer system, like in ALL other developed countries.
When Obama says that transitioning to single payer is not realistic, is he telling us to to be his Minute Wo/Men? Or is he telling us to go out there and make it real?
Second, some outrage has been voiced around Obama announcing that the perpetrators of torture will not be prosecuted (someone stop the extradition of John Demjanjuk!). But someone needs to be prosecuted. The line in the sand needs to be drawn - that is why we ousted the Republicans, that is what was meant by "change we can believe in".
Third, why are only the crackpots on the Right having protest Tea Parties? Why aren't the left, the center, workers, labor unions, out there saying that - with all due respect to the complexity of toxic assets, our homes, our jobs, are not toxic. That We the Tax Payers need to be bailed out.
Why aren't WE out there saying that the priorities are reversed. That jobs can be created directly through government investment, and not via banks lending the money (maybe), to someone else who (maybe) will hire workers, (maybe) with benefits.
And anyway - if the government opened a few banks, or just used a few of those banks taken over by the FDIC, to start lending money at Fed interest rates, wouldn't that generate competition and force the intransigent, bailed out, banks to lend money?
The principle of 'No Taxation Without Representation' should actually inspire the Left. We pay our taxes, and believe that we should, and yet somehow forget to demand adequate representation.
Are we being co-opted?
So now Barack Obama is president, and it is a new day - no doubt. Lets face it, anything after George W would have been an improvement, even McCain-Palin (well, maybe Palin not so much). But seriously, policies are changing, and for the better. Not all of them, not all at once. But there's an obvious commitment to the environment, to workers rights, to civil rights, to government transparency. All good.
So what's the problem?
First, Obama is now President (I said that). Then can he still be a community leader? Are 'Yes we can' activists a grassroots organization, or astroturf ? What does it mean that Organizing for America activist are walking around "selling" the President's healthcare reform – which polls show that the majority of us don't want.
Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't Organizing for America be organizing communities to pressure the White House and Congress to do what we elected them to do – single payer system, like in ALL other developed countries.
When Obama says that transitioning to single payer is not realistic, is he telling us to to be his Minute Wo/Men? Or is he telling us to go out there and make it real?
Second, some outrage has been voiced around Obama announcing that the perpetrators of torture will not be prosecuted (someone stop the extradition of John Demjanjuk!). But someone needs to be prosecuted. The line in the sand needs to be drawn - that is why we ousted the Republicans, that is what was meant by "change we can believe in".
Third, why are only the crackpots on the Right having protest Tea Parties? Why aren't the left, the center, workers, labor unions, out there saying that - with all due respect to the complexity of toxic assets, our homes, our jobs, are not toxic. That We the Tax Payers need to be bailed out.
Why aren't WE out there saying that the priorities are reversed. That jobs can be created directly through government investment, and not via banks lending the money (maybe), to someone else who (maybe) will hire workers, (maybe) with benefits.
And anyway - if the government opened a few banks, or just used a few of those banks taken over by the FDIC, to start lending money at Fed interest rates, wouldn't that generate competition and force the intransigent, bailed out, banks to lend money?
The principle of 'No Taxation Without Representation' should actually inspire the Left. We pay our taxes, and believe that we should, and yet somehow forget to demand adequate representation.
Are we being co-opted?
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