Obama and Change
Glenn Greenwald's piece in www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald really captures perfectly the sort of change that Barack Obama actually offers for his starry eyed supporters. Greenwald (one of our strategic partners in Strangebedfellows) points out that Obama has been a consistent opponent to telecom immunity. TV star Keith Olbermann also served as a leader against retroactive immunity for telecoms regarding their massive turnover of confidential records to the Administration in the wake of 9/11. Olberman-- five months ago-- described telecom immunity as "an ex post facto law which would clear the phone giants from responsibility for their systematic, aggressive and blatant collaboration with [Bush's] illegal and unjustified spying on Americans under the flimsy guise of looking for any terrorists who are stupid enough to make a collect call or send a mass email." Olbermann branded Bush as wanting to "retroactively immunize corporate criminals" and described the immunity scheme as "like the bureaucrats of the Third Reich, trying to protect the Krupp family, the industrial giants, re-writing the laws of Germany for their benefit." Strong and righteous words indeed, Greenwald points out.
But alas, now that Barack Obama supports a law that does the same thing, Olbermann's earlier words are down the memory hole. Glenn Greenwald tells how Olbermann had Jonathan Alter on his show two nights ago, and the media stars couldn't gush enough about Obama and his "strength" about the FISA bill and the centrist "compromise" sellout of the civil liberties left. There would be no more talk about "immunizing corporate criminals" from Olbermann and Alter once Obama joined in the sellout. Instead, Obama drew praise from the media voices for "standing up to the left" and "refusing to cower" to the left on the issue of FISA warrantless wiretapping. As Alter said so smoothly in his dialogue with Olbermann: ". . . it comes down to one word-- strength. . . . You look weak if you're not taking actions that seem to be securing the United States against terrorists. And you look weak if you don't fight back against your political adversaries."
Now that Obama supports the FISA bill, warrantless surveillance is magically transformed into a restoration of the Constitution and the Fourth Amendment in the eyes of Olbermann and Alter. As Glenn Greenwald says so well: "Those are the Orwellian lengths to which people like Olbermann and Alter are apparently willing to go in order to offer their blind devotion to Barack Obama."
Barack Obama and change. The candidate has completely reversed himself on telecom immunity in order to give the Bush Administration and Democrat congressional leaders everything they want in the FISA "compromise." The only "change" Obama offers is a change of his own mind.
- Rick Williams's blog
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This is a great article. Another article in today's Investment Business daily says more of less the same thing.
http://www.pimco.com/LeftNav/Featured+Market+Commentary/IO/2008/IO+July+...
will stop paying attention to the election. Obama beat Hillary. It seems to me that he will trounce on McCain. What is left of any interest?
He ran a campaign based upon almost nothing. All his followers knew was that there was going to be "change." No one pressed him with question "From what, to what?" Once he had the nomination, he started falling into place with the DC establishment, including security over individual rights, world policing, Israel at all costs, etc. He is now imperceptibly moving from a "change" candidate to a "centrist Democrat," and may actually end up being Bill Clinton. Maybe he'll even acquire a mania for doughnuts.
Tom Mullen
www.tommullen.net
www.myspace.com/skepticsongs
People are overplaying the criticism of Obama and his alleged "change." Lets face it, the arguments that Obama will not be a change do not work. We are talking about the Bush administration here. And I say this without any motives of electing a mainstream candidate. We should not do our president a disservice by pretending his reign can be so easily copied. As if the stars align on a regular basis. As if a retard, a heartless man and a torturer team up every 4 years.
One thing I found out right from the get go is that the Obama supporters will not be swayed by showing them facts and figures that prove Obama's "change" (however existent it really is) is not a change for the better. Instead, I like to turn the discussion around and simply ask them, point blank, what "changes" that he's proposing appeal to them the most.
I usually get the "It's not Bush" kind of response, to which my response is, Bush isn't running again and McCain's policy (however Bush-like it appears to be) is the policy of his own doing, furthering Constitutional violations, and warmongering - yes... but it is still McCain and not Bush.
So I reiterate the question and emphasize that I am looking for a substantive answer... something that shows they really understand who Obama is.
I get the "He cares about all people" response, followed up by national health care and social security reform rhetoric. I remind them of the failures of Social Security since its inception during the FDR administration and that NO president or congress has ever been able to enact the change necessary to replace the onus of personal retirement/financial accountability back on the people - especially with this younger generation. As far as national health care goes, I ask them how much it will cost the country to run such a fiasco, and how Obama plans to pay for it - fair questions right? "Not my problem, that's why we have a government - to figure stuff like that out". -- Yikes!
The trick is to get them thinking about why they really are supporting someone who wavers and flip-flops on political and social issues on a weekly basis without putting them on the defensive. (Does he wear a flag pin, or doesn't he? Does he support his pastor or doesn't he? Does he support the Muslim community or doesn't he? Does he support the "war on terror" or doesn't he? Does he support warrantless wiretapping or doesn't he?) Let them change their minds - especially when you can present people like Dr. Paul, who has not wavered from his political ideology since day one.
Does it work? Do they change their mind? Overtly, they say they are open to candidates other than Barry, but in the end, I think I know who they'll be pulling the lever for - but at least I did my part. When Barry lets them down, just as the Democratic-Liberal candidates before them have, at least this time they might recognize the letdown and will think better of it before the next flash-in-the-pan, political superstar shoots across their night sky.
http://blog.indecision2008.com/2008/06/25/barack-obama-vs-barack-obama-s...
just to be Prez. Let him have it - the political system that he's striving to captain is sinking faster than the tide is rising....