Glenn Greenwald has the details of Obama having cut an ad supporting the reelection of John Barrow in Georgia despite the fact that it is difficult to distinguish Barrow from a Bush supporting Republican and that his Democratic primary challenger has policy positions which match the stated positions of the Obama campaign.
I have to say that this is incredibly frustrating. Why are Democrats so determined to shoot themselves in the foot? You would have thought that Obama would have learned his lesson: he previously endorsed Joe Lieberman over his Democratic primary challenger Ned Lamont and now Obama is going to be rewarded for that choice by having Lieberman speak at the Republican National Convention about how Obama is a Marxist extremist and what not.
The last campaign of Barrow was truly sickening. He was running ads talking about how opposed to the "death tax" he is. How many of his constituents are actually effected by the estate tax? Given that "the wealthiest 0.27% of Americans are the only ones who pay estate taxes" I'm guessing not many. Barrow supports an endless trillion dollar war in Iraq but the richest of the rich Americans need to be able to maker sure their grandkids can inherit a Renoir or a second yacht tax free? And who is going to make up that revenue difference? Barrow's constituents.
Shame on Obama for supporting Barrow.
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5 comments:
I am not surprised at all. Obama has been and probably always will be a centris limp spined Democrat. Nader, makes some appropriate criticisms of Obama on yesterday's Democracy Now!
It is tragic that viable candidates like Obama can't be truth tellers, and truth tellers like Nader can't be viable.
As for economic policy, don't expect too much of a progessive agenda from Obama judging from his economic advisors. See the linked article. However, there is a glimmer of Keynesian hope in the last paragraph.
http://www.alternet.org/election08/88093/
I don't expect that much from Obama ... I'm not looking for a silver bullet or anything. My hope for the presidential race was for someone who wouldn't continue to shred the Constitution and start more endless wars.
I think the real battle is at the Congressional level where we need to get enough reformers elected to where we turn American back into meritocratic democracy rather than a plutocracy.
I also think Glenn got it just right when he wrote:
"Obama is a politician and, like all people, is plagued by significant imperfections. He has largely entrenched himself in, and is dependent upon, the power structure he says he wants to undermine. Uncritical devotion to political leaders, including him, is destructive. Obama needs pressure, criticism, checks, and real scrutiny just like anyone else in power in order to keep him accountable, responsive, and faithful to the principles he claims are the ones driving him."
I am very much in agreement. I have always had Obama pegged as the mainstream centrist Democrat that he is. There is much in him to criticize. However, it is also important to note that we will be in a far better position to pressure him to go in at least a slightly more progressive direction.
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