It’s tough being a progressive these days—in an era of what could be called “The New American Confederacy,” which actively cultivates fertile ground for the black face of white supremacy to thrive.
In the Obama presidency, the world view of Dick Cheney—as formerly channeled through the Bush administration—is alive and well; albeit with a more alluring voice and face, and in spite of the fact Cheney defends Obama’s policies, while simultaneously saying Obama has “no credibility.”
Go figure.
Wars, wars, wars, and more money and power for those who already got too much money and power, coupled with unmitigated infringements on civil liberties, et all, equals little change since Bush left office, with some believing things have gotten worse.
The executive editor of Black Agenda Report, Glen Ford, says Obama is not the “lesser of two evils,” that he is actually “a more effective evil.” And with the intent of showing just how much Obama has behaved like Bush, all sorts of articles have sprung up, like this one at The Guardian and this one at PolicyMic. And as well, comprehensive fact sheets, like this one at St. Pete for Peace, are popping up everywhere speaking to the same dilemma.
Referring to Colin Powell as a “house slave,” during Bush’s tenure Harry Belafonte spoke out about this phenomenon, as has Dr. Cornel West, who deems President Obama the “black mascot of Wall Street.”
Ditto on Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas, and former Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice. And more of the same is sure to continue withObama’s new choice for National Security Advisor, Susan Rice.
In decades past, America’s black leadership—people like Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers, Bayard Rustin and Ella Baker—fought against the imperialistic white supremacy that Team Obama fights for.
From a joyous symbol of hope and change, President Obama has morphed into the equivalent of a Dick Cheney neocon. And being the smooth operator that he is, he’s actually getting away with it and damn near everything else under the sun, short of eating a basket of newborn kittens on live TV.
Progressives and peace lovers have been sorely punk’d by Trojan horse Obama. So, what’s the alternative?
Unless the G.O.P completely dissolves and reinvents itself as the 21st century party of Frederick Douglass, I really cannot see myself ever supporting their work, or lack thereof. But that’s really neither here nor there, because regardless of whatever lameness Republican right-wingers and the moronic Tea Party are up to, it ultimately has zero to do with the porous and corroded moral fiber of our leaders on the left, who in their continued support, and ramping up, of so many Bush/Cheney policies, act as if they are trying to out Republican the Republicans.
Democrats can try as they may to blame Republicans for stopping progress, and yet Republicans are not responsible for making Democrats become blood-thirsty war hawks, or failing to create living-wages and middle class jobs. Republicans are not responsible for Obama’s new push to slash Social Security, the hunger strike and force-feeding torture at Guantanamo, or NSA invasions of privacy and the erosion of civil liberties.
Yes, Republicans are known for being obstructionist, for suppressing women’s rights, and for being religious tyrants, and a whole lot of other unsavory things. The party of Ronald Reagan speaks for itself, loud and clear. Yet, if we expect to survive till the next presidential election, instead spending so much time and energy sneering at horror on the right, independents, libertarians and progressives might consider looking harder at ourselves.
First, we need to face the whole truth about President Obama, and simply see that the man has no interest in peace, and does not care for the poor, working and middle class, but does have loyalty for greedy bankers, lobbyist, corporations and war mongers. In tandem, we must simultaneously face the fact that the Democratic Party leadership, by-and-large, has been co-opted and hijacked by the very same interest that controls most Republicans.
In other words, whether left or right, Neocons and Neoliberals are essentially one and the same—a group of plutocrats in service to an oligarchy that is committed to one thing, and one thing only: the consolidation of power and wealth for themselves.
Now is not the time for the cult of personality. Obama’s presidency offers absolutely no hope for a departure from the unjust and highly dubious War on Terror, and all the other George W. Bush bullshit Obama has repackaged and resold using the same played out 1,2,3 recipe for everything.
For those who haven’t already figured it out, here’s the how it goes:
- Give a swooning high-minded speech
- Subvert democracy with no accountability
- Attack anyone who points out criminality, hypocrisy and lies
Repeat…repeat…repeat…and that pretty much sums it up.
President Obama and both major parties are out of touch with what Americans want. It’s not that complicated: a living wage, affordable education and housing, non-toxic food, air and water, a right to privacy, and an end to war.
It’s as simple as that, and doesn’t require a magic wand to make it happen. And in achieving these aims, Progressives must fully denounce Obama’s vapid Orwellian mindset and all who subscribe to it if we are ever to actually create for ourselves the change we were promised and voted for in 2008.
Austerity freaks, war hawks and other fear mongers like President Obama are missionaries of scarcity, and within said mindset are willing to do whatever they can—by any means necessary—to derail and sideline anyone who attempts to affirm an ethos of abundance and peace. But as Nobel Laureate, Mairead Maguire, wrote in her June 30th editorial at The Guardian, creating an egalitarian world of abundance and “peace is more than simply the absence of war; it is the active creation of something better.”
We have the power. The question before us is: do we have the will?
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