Obama and his chief advisors were quite aware that the progressive base would feel betrayed and angry at this sell-out to the forces of rapacious American capitalism, but felt the left eventually would support their awful bill because they had little choice. At least, after 100 years of trying, the principle of health-care-as-a-right finally would be inside the tent of political respectability. More reforms would be possible later. So, yes, progressives (led by Dennis Kucinich) wound up voting for the bill, rather than joining with the regressive Republicans to kill the first decent chance of getting at least an incremental foot-in-the-door on health care.
Even though Obama, at the urging of the heath-care mega-corporations, postponed implementing key sections of the act until after the 2012 election, he may well have pissed off enough voters on the left and middle (the right was already a lost cause) to guarantee that he will be a one-term president.
Short-term gain for long-term pain. The usual political calculation: I'll take the goodies now, and hope I can finagle something later to fool the sheople into supporting me then. Obama & Co. may have grossly miscalculated the rising level of anger and frustration coming not just from the extreme far-right teapartiers but from his own outraged base.
OBAMA AND THE COVER-UP
Obama is quite aware that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, and their underlings, committed serious crimes: breaking both federal laws against torture and warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens, and international laws against starting aggressive wars and carrying out torture. But the Obama Administration refuses to prosecute CheneyBush and has come to their defense in court. In so doing, Obama could be seen as being guilty of furthering a cover-up, which is itself a felony.
Why would the President behave in such a fashion? Several possibiities present themselvles:
1. That some kind of deal was struck with the outgoing leaders by the incoming leader. Some kind of quid pro quo, although about what precisely is not known.
2. That Obama does not want to have a court case create a precedent that could tie his hands when it comes to surveillance, warfare, torture. Indeed, Obama seems to be comfortable continuing many of the most egregious, despicable policies of the CheneyBush Administration when it comes to "national security," such as keeping open the possibility of rendering terror suspects to other countries notorious for their brutal interrogation methods. His Administration defends the concept of "state secrets," the indefinite confinement of terror suspects charged with no crimes, and with maintaining the government's power to violate civil liberties at will when it comes to eavesdropping and the right of privacy.
3. That Obama is having a hard enough time getting anything through Congress, especially facing a thoroughy hostile Republican opposition, and thus wants to not stir up old animosities and issues. He says he wants the country to "move forward," not spend time and energy "looking backward."
4. Supposedly, the impeachment of Bill Clinton was partial payback for driving Nixon out of office. Obama might well believe that pattern of tit-for-tat destruction of a president has to be broken. In short, no examination of the crimes of Bush and Cheney.
To my mind, scenario #2 seems most operative here. Once a president is given, or (as in the case with the previous administration) grabs, more and more power into his own hands, at the expense of upsetting the traditional "balance of power" between the Executive and Legislative branches, those larger parameters rarely shrink. If you build it, they will come and want to operate on the same expansive playing field.
Obama may be thinking long-range here: If you permit the country to try and perhaps to convict a former president, the precedent is established that presidents from now on are fair game at the least, for impeachment for their alleged crimes. Ergo, Obama will not permit delving into whatever crimes may have been committed by Bush and Cheney.
POSITIVE TIPPING POINTS?
These are just three possible negative tipping-point events (and their ramifications) that are not receiving the attention they deserve.
But there are also positive events worth taking a look at. It's possible nothing much will come of them, that they're really not tipping points, but since positive events for liberals have been few and far between, they are worth at least noting, to see what possible meaning we can take from them.
FIGHTING BACK, AT LAST
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