Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Who's Right? Obama or the 'Base'?

By Robert Parry
December 8, 2010

When President Barack Obama lashed out at the liberal base of the Democratic Party – condemning many on the Left as “sanctimonious” purists – he underscored how profoundly his actions have alienated some of his past supporters and how little he understands why.

Read on.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Consortiumblog,

Is it really impossible for you to face the fact that Obama is not too quick to "capitulate," but that he is doing exactly as he wishes? That he is merely the "progressive" face of the Corporate Machine Party put on for the Election Show?

I voted for him; probably my last vote before the expected collapse, but I KNEW in my bones he was a fraud. How? Because he never once raised the issue of the flagrant disregard for the rule of law under the Bush administration, executive order abuse, or made any pledge to rolling back the powers usurped as "unitary executive". Not a single mention. To me, that ought to have been HUGE in his campaign, if he was the Real McCoy.

I think progressives have some hard reality to face.

Anonymous said...

The article states: "Obama is also correct when he says many progressives are unrealistic about what can be achieved when the Right has a huge megaphone to the American people’s ear and the Left has done little to match it."

So who's responsibility is it to remedy that? Could not a Democratic president be reasonably expected to take at least partial responsibility? How about extension of the fairness doctrine, for example?

To mhirzel: my first hint that Obama was simply "blowing smoke" was his vote, about 4 months before his 2008 victory, to extend immunity to telecomm companies who abetted Bush in his court-determined 30-count violation of wiretapping laws.

Obama had been publicly against immunity ... up until the bill appeared for vote and then presaged his fraudulence that has been magnified over and over again since.

The wire-tapping decision (pdf download)
news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/nsa/aclunsa81706opn.pdf

John Puma

Anonymous said...

If it matters, that link needs a
"opn.pdf" added at the end

news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/nsa/aclunsa81706opn.pdf

John Puma

Anonymous said...

Good point, John! Yes, I had forgotten that, but sure noticed at the time.....

The Skeptical Cynic said...

I suspect that a great many Americans at some point in their lives, been the victim of the infamous "bait and switch" by some unscrupulous bastard.

However,in the past nearly two years, (Damn!Is that all it has been? When one suffers from a hemorrhoid the size of a farking Volkswagen, such as the giant pain in the ass that Obama has become or perhaps always been, the agony seems like an eternity, doesn't it? - Sorry for the digression.)IMHO, never have so Progressives been so screwed over in so many instances by one person than those Progressives that have been "buggered" the Obama who has become Bugger in Chief, di bugger gli tutti Bugger...

America's real Progressives have been victimization by the the most long-term-damaging,contemptibly, hypocritical, lizard brained low life, "bait and switch" back stabber, since Judas "The Nose" Iscariot sold out to Herod the Hutt.

I mean this all in a nice way, of course, you understand. I would not want anyone to misconstrue that I am in any way bitter toward Obama or that I might could recognize more honesty and integrity coming from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On second thought...
that's distinct possibility.



















then i digress

Anonymous said...

Oh, my, yes! Me, too. I mean the whole bleeding lot of thugs pulling all our strings should f**k off in the nicest way possible.

Unknown said...

Great piece that perfectly captured
my disappointment with his and other alleged Democrats continued
spinelessness on too many issues.
Suffering millions, hostage to a minority, demanding continued tax cuts for the extremely rich one percent.
War Crimes is the other imperative if we're ever to regain some moral ground. Holder and Durham have show nothing as yet.

Not sure if there is a story here, but there should be: The Justice Department, and hope and change!
I assumed an immediate an overnight house cleaning of DOJ, as is usual with US Attorneys at least, when a new Administration begins.
But given the influence of Carl Rove and his ilk, filling too many other positions with the "loyal Bushies" you've heard of, at DOJ,
I had hoped for a through review and change of personnel.
The main question, perhaps the worst example: Why is Leura Canary still US Attorney in Alabama?
She and her husband's roles as Rove friends or proteges, in the Siegelman trial and Alabama politics generally, would seem to warrant her replacement.
After nearly two years,Why not?
Thanks.
Charles King
contributor and fan

Unknown said...

Great piece that perfectly captured
my disappointment with his and other alleged Democrats continued
spinelessness on too many issues.
Suffering millions,hostage to a minority, demanding continued tax cuts for the extremely rich one percent. How obviously wrong this is.
War Crimes is the other imperative if we're ever to regain some moral ground. Holder and Durham have shown nothing as yet.

Not sure if there is a story here, but there should be: The Justice Department, and hope and change!
I assumed an immediate and overnight house cleaning of DOJ, as is usual with US Attorneys at least, when a new Administration begins.
But given the influence of Carl Rove and his ilk, filling too many other positions with the "loyal Bushies" you've heard of, at DOJ,
I had hoped for a thorough review and change of personnel.
The main question, perhaps the worst example: Why is Leura Canary still US Attorney in Alabama?
She and her husband's roles as Rove friends or proteges, in the Siegelman trial and Alabama politics generally, would seem to warrant her replacement.
After nearly two years,Why not?
Thanks.
Charles King
contributor and fan
Sorry for prior typos.

JonnyJames said...

It is disturbing that so many so-called progressives are still clinging to the myth that we live in some sort of democracy.

The winner-takes-all sham produces two parties. Those parties have been bought and paid for by the Corporate/Bankster Mafia. The world's most expensive and sophisticated corporate media show and propaganda system gives the thin illusion that we the people have a choice.

Mr. Parry it seems is still in the denial phase.

As the late Howard Zinn, for just one example, said and wrote so many times: social progress and change comes from the bottom up. The vast majority must resist, rebel and refuse to participate in the corrupt charade and DEMAND change.

Sycophantically re-hashing the status-quo and expecting the Ruling Classes to undermine their interests is not only irrational, it clearly does not work.

mnvil said...

Now that Obama has in effect dismissed the left's "sanctimonius purists", it's fairly to assume that the "shellacking" has worked his way so much that he can now position himself as a center-right man where he feels confortably free and happy to cave-in at every turn to the republicans right wing agenda.

So, progressives start work now time is of the essence.

rosemerry said...

If Obama has more spine than a jellyfish, and is not a shill for the élite, why can he not do what "W" did 700 times, and use executive orders to put into place even a few decent laws to help the American people who voted for him?
Now we have the irony of vilification of China for reacting against ajailed dissident getting the Nobel peace prize, while Laureate Obama does his best to emulate the lack of freedom for which China is constantly blamed.