I caucused for, donated to and voted for the guy. I really, really wanted him to win the Democratic nomination instead of Hillary. I was so afraid that Hillary would be a right-of-Nixon, triangulating, corporate serving dupe for the powerful, and that we (the People) would get screwed.
Well guess what? We got screwed. By Obama.
Would I rather have had John McCain and Moose Maven? Fuck no! But I wanted what was being sold by Obamacorp (TM) - change. The only change we have gotten is that a Democratic president is selling us down the corporate river instead of a Republican.
And look, if you want to tell me that Obama got health care reform passed, even though not perfect, and that no Republican would have, and probably not Clinton either - I hear you. If you tell me that Obama has had an ambitious agenda, and that he has not shied from tackling tough issues: economic stimulus, financial reform, health care, energy, and two wars - I hear you. Two wars, and a kettle of shit, not of his making - man, I hear you. Tough times call for tough and smart leaders. Obama has never been accused of not being smart.
But...(yes, you knew it was coming)...he is politically smart. Or, thinks he is. Maybe too smart for his own good. He triangulates like a Clinton on meth. In fact, he moves to the right before the opposition can even react to his proposals. This leaves only the far right as negotiation room. This is not smart for a progressive agenda. So, either Obama is dumb, or he is happy to have his agenda move way, way to the right. Just like I feared Clinton would.
Health care? Let the pharmaceutical companies and the hospital conglomerates write the bill. Financial reform? Rely on Republican Geithner to give all our money away to the largest banks. Energy? Nuclear power and offshore drilling. These are Obama's positions on the three biggest domestic policy issues. And of course we are still in two wars, one winding down (maybe) and one being escalated. And...if Kagen is confirmed, our Supreme Court will be arguably more conservative than when Bush was in power. And and...he is, absolutely, trying to take away our Social Security and Medicare (through the "deficit commission) - the conservative wet dream that even Bush couldn't make reality.
So, everything's negotiable, everyone cows to corporate sponsors, deals are made in secret as he says 'hey, we do everything in the open.' Obama is acting like he is still a Senator - senators being the most corrupt, on average, politicians we have in America. And this is what I think Hillary may have done better - acted like a president.
Remember when , during the health care debate, several Democratic senators told Obama that they would join a Republican filibuster if their corporate clients were not assuaged. (In all fairness, they didn't put it that way.) Two examples were Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. Obama basically caved in to these two senators, who were threatening him from within his own party! Senators make these kind of deals, Presidents kick a senator's ass if threatened from within his own party.
I don't like Hillary. But I wonder, if in Obama's position (though I doubt she would have went for health care reform) wouldn't have told Lincoln to shut her fucking mouth and get in line, now, if she doesn't want to be replaced. I seriously doubt she would have let Nelson hold women's reproductive rights hostage. I also think that maybe, just maybe, the treasury department would have been staffed by Democratic leaning appointees, and that just maybe they wouldn't have given all of our money to Goldman Sachs.
In a Clinton administration, Rahm Emanuel may still be the president's chief of staff. But I dare to believe that a President Hillary could have stood up to Rahm, and not be lead by the nose by him, as Obama appears to be. And I don't know if Hillary would have treated labor any better than Obama, but as a Democrat, she could hardly treat it worse than Obama has.
Why am I so down on Obama? Because I have seen the underside of his bus too many times. As one who supported him through that hard-fought primary - I was probably wrong. It looks like we couldn't have done any worse than Obama, and that Hillary might have made a decent president. I still know lots of people who love him, but I also know an increasing amount of Democrats, especially union members, who are thoroughly disenchanted, and claim they won't vote for him in 2012.
I think we fucked up. Can we have our votes back? Can we try a President Hillary?
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