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October 6, 2008 at 13:30:32
How Do You Reconcile With Obama's Record and Ultimately Vote for Him on Election Day? by Kevin Gosztola Page 1 of 3 page(s) |
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Thirty days to “hope”, right? That ought to be an episode in Morgan Spurlock’s 30 Days series. We could have Spurlock go live with those who have found “hope” in this election and explore how it takes hold of one and leads one’s mind to irrationally think. What is rational anymore? Rational in the dictionary, if we consult Merriam-Webster, is “having reason or understanding.” What does it mean to have reason or understanding? Reason can be an explanation or justification for one’s thinking. Understanding can be a mental grasp or comprehension. Well, do Americans intent on voting Barack Obama mentally grasp the reality of Barack Obama’s candidacy? 
I’m not talking about do they grasp the shallow perceived reality that Americans may or may not be ready for a black president. The question of, “Is America ready for a black president?” is such a loaded question that it’s no wonder the media in all its punditry keep going back to this question.
What I am talking about is what Chris Hedges talks about in his article, “Dennis Kucinich on the Democrats’ Bailout Betrayal.” He accurately puts Obama’s record into perspective after giving Kucinich his due for all the work he did to stop the bailout:
Obama’s voting record in the Senate is in line with the corrupt Democratic mainstream, including Biden, who works on behalf of corporations and especially the credit card industry. Obama knows where power lies in the United States. It is not with the citizens, who with ratios of 100 to 1 pleaded with their representatives in Washington not to loot the national treasury to bail out Wall Street investment firms. Power lies with the corporations. These corporations, not us, pick who runs for president. You cannot be a candidate without their blessing and money. These corporations, including the Commission on Presidential Debates, a private corporation, determine who gets to speak and what issues candidates can or cannot challenge, from universal, not-for-profit, single-payer health care to Wall Street bailouts to NAFTA. If you do not follow the corporate script you become as marginal and invisible as Ralph Nader or Bob Barr or Cynthia McKinney.
Obama has always served his corporate masters. He opposed Rep. John Murtha’s call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq and supported continued funding for the war. He voted in July 2005 to reauthorize the Patriot Act. He did not support an amendment that was part of a bankruptcy bill that would have capped credit card interest rates at 30 percent. He opposed a bill that would have reformed the notorious Mining Law of 1872, which allows mineral companies to rape federal land for profit. He did not back the single-payer health care bill HR 676, sponsored by Kucinich and John Conyers. He advocates the death penalty and nuclear power. He backed the class-action “reform” bill—the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA)—that was part of a large lobbying effort by financial firms, which make up Obama’s second-biggest single bloc of donors. CAFA would effectively shut down state courts as a venue to hear most class-action lawsuits. Workers, under CAFA, would no longer have redress in many of the courts where these cases have a chance of defying powerful corporations. CAFA moves these cases into corporate-friendly federal courts dominated by Republican judges.
I’ll rephrase that. For some people, it’s difficult. I understand. You want to be part of history. You want to make change. You're tired of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and Republicans.
But, do you want to help Wall Street reign supreme for the next four years? Do you want to prolong this war in Iraq? Do you want to continue the suppression of civil liberties? Do you want to keep from the people what many Western industrial countries have---single-payer health care? Do you want to see more workers’ rights be violated and stripped away?
What makes you think that if you vote for a guy who has diametrically opposed all that progressives and liberals stand for than you will be able to push him to shift to the left? How in this country do you plan to do this?
It cannot be done.
Get rid of this notion that democracy is going to work for you. This democracy will do no such thing. This democracy is setup to work for the richest 1%.
Like George Carlin says, “It’s a big club, and you ain’t it. You and I aren’t in it.” And the recent bailout proves it.
You don’t matter. Your phone calls, your emails, your letters to the editor, your angry messages to the news networks, your spontaneous rallies and demonstrations, your signs with clever catch phrases to “defeat” the bailout, your time and energy, your hard-earned money put into opposing the bailout---None of it mattered.
Well, no, that’s not entirely true. Actually, for 228 members of the House of Representatives your anger and outrage mattered. Why it mattered is unclear, but let’s presume they themselves were opposed to the bailout or they feared what you, the voter, would do if they didn’t oppose it.
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I can't reconcile it
Excellent, Kevin. When I see an article by you, I always read it immediately. You are wise beyond your years. If I hadn't already decided to vote for Ralph Nader, I surely would have been convinced with what you have written here. by Catlover (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 85 comments) on Monday, Oct 6, 2008 at 2:02:57 PM  (0+)
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Reply: Yet I didn't explicitly say vote Nader here
Although that is what I will be doing. I didn't want to direct the conversation towards a dead end. So, I would like to hear from people about how they are "holding their nose" and voting. What allows a person to do such a thing? So, for people like Rob Kall, who get really angry at Democrats when they do the opposite of Republicans and support a bailout for Wall Street, how do people do it? by Kevin Gosztola (302 articles, 146 quicklinks, 81 diaries, 1082 comments [77 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Oct 6, 2008 at 3:24:58 PM (0+)
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Reply: Those who fail to learn the lessons of history...
Rather than wise beyond your years, Kevin, at 2500+ words you are only verbose beyond the modest requirements of your ideas. by Jim Stinson (14 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 76 comments) on Monday, Oct 6, 2008 at 4:59:06 PM (0+)
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Reply: Of Nazis and Stalinists and Mr. Jim Stinson
Democracy could work...maybe. But, the democracy we hae set up cannot unless we make systemic changes. Why hide if it won't work? That's no way to deal with the problem. I wouldn't dare hide. I prefer to meet what will chronically not work and challenge people to shift or alter it so that it will work. Nader? Really? I'm sorry, really? This argument perpetuated by liberals and progressives is the same kind of argument Republicans are making about Obama "palling around with terrorists" or Bill Ayers. You know what siphoned off votes? The location of Pat Buchanan's name on the ballot in Florida siphoned off votes. Two hundred thousand Democrats who voted for Bush instead of Gore siphoned off votes. (See the SF Chronicle Nov 9, 2000) Database Technologies, Inc. by purging the voter roll in Florida of 94,000 voters siphoned of votes. All governments are to some extent corrupt, evil, self-perpetuating, and elitist. So? That doesn't make it okay. All bailouts of Wall Street are destined to plunge us into greater economic woes. So does that mean we should accept it and let it be? That's realist hokum that I'm not subscribing to, Mr. Stinson. And you can put the exclamation point on your argument by claiming that I think our government is the Third Reich or Stalin's USSR but I said nothing like that, which means you are making inferences out of thin air. Those who fail to learn the lessons of history ARE doomed to repeat it. And the Democrats, like in 2004, are repeating history once again. This time I fear it will have greater repercussions. by Kevin Gosztola (302 articles, 146 quicklinks, 81 diaries, 1082 comments [77 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Oct 6, 2008 at 5:36:57 PM (0+)
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Standing ovation!
I couldn't agree more with this article. And what makes matters even worse is that's there's absolutely no pretense anymore as to where Obama stands, and hasn't been since he first cinched the nomination. Yet Obamabots, like abused spouses, keep going back to get beaten gain and again still professing their love for a man that continues to show total disrespect for them. Obama could have voted against this bill for symbolic reasons if for nothing else, knowing it was going to pass whether he voted for it or not. but he didn't. Which leaves me to my next suspicion. Being he has stabbed so many of his supporters in the back time and time again I'm wondering if this isn't a contrived plan to drive people to a third-party candidate and therefore giving McCain of even a bigger edge to pull-off a win. I was reading comments in my local rag after this vote and a great deal of them were saying they were simply feed-up with Obama and that this vote was the last straw. Of course I'm all for voting for a 3rd party candidate, but as fragmented as that field is it would only be worth doing so if we could get behind one candidate, because if we could do that we might actually pull of an upset of monumental proportions, that is if we could get past the rigged e-voting machines. But this articles observations of those that still worship this fraud of a man are spot on. I wouldn't vote for this charlatan if you put a gun to my head and it's only a testament to how well our psych-ops propaganda machine has worked. We're in for some horrible times. When this economy collapses we're going to be looking like Mad Mack on the streets of this country and it's coming fast and furious, and these poor deluded Obamabots will be the first to lose what's left of their minds. by Mr M (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 2845 comments [654 recommended, 27 rejected]) on Monday, Oct 6, 2008 at 3:31:21 PM (0+)
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Same stuff as eight years ago, nothing new here
Eight years from now you and those like you will be saying the same thing with nothing to show for it, AGAIN. I remember the friends of mine who voted Green in 2000 talking about how their vote would be the beginning of this massive Green movement that would build a huge party and be able to make a serious challenge in 4 years for the congress and eight years for the Presidency. Of course, the Greens are in worse shape now then they were 8 years ago. Third party candidates are in worse shape now then they were 8 years ago. The top three third party candidates are together polling less than three percent. By the way, those friends of mine who voted Green in 2000? This year, they are all voting Obama, as are Michael Moore, Susan Sarandon, and most of the other high profile Nader/Green supporters. They are all lamenting the silly rhetoric they used to spout that Democrats are the same as Republicans. George W. Bush and viewing him against Al Gore proved how untrue that statement is. Almost all progressives I know are now praising Al Gore, so obviously, claiming in 2000 that he was the same as Bush was one of the most vicious political lies I have ever seen. If Obama loses, you will see a repeat of history. 4-6 years from now, Progressives will be praising him and saying what a great guy he is, and McCain and Palin will be busy governing to the right of where Bush is now. Some of you will NEVER learn. by Steven Leser (255 articles, 58 quicklinks, 38 diaries, 2147 comments [63 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008 at 6:57:19 AM (0+)
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Reply: I don't see the lesson
But I get that you think Ralph Nader gave us Bush and kept Gore from the White House. by Kevin Gosztola (302 articles, 146 quicklinks, 81 diaries, 1082 comments [77 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008 at 8:09:09 AM (0+)
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sure I can, Kevin
It's not much, but a vote for Obama will be a vote against Palin, who would assume the position of "anointed one", as Nixon did. Voting against McCain prods the next reckless fool who would try such a stunt. I don't know where you were in Eisenhower's time. It was an eight-year media blitz about The Anointed One, on every page and news channel we had, Every Day, every page, every channel! A free, on-the-house political makeover. Worked so well even Nixon believed the crap. You know the rest. Not a decent reason to cast a vote, but the only arrow in the quiver. The same tycoons relish the chance to do it again with Palin and if they do, you'll really be up against an elephant-size headache. Keeping that critter out of sight is your job. Yes, the tycoons included Obama in the primaries. One can only speculate on their reasons. One might be that he's in their pocket for reasons you describe. Another; that there was no way he could win. Hillary/Bill were the ticket. Kucinich, effectively gagged. They blew it. They also lost control of the Republican primary voters, who chose an outcast. So you see Kevin, the voters aren't behaving. Everybody knows it, assuming of course that Obama realizes it. Politics, you know? Not the kind of justification you wanted, but it's the best I've got. Trip-up the damned tycoons then knee 'em in the jewels. Maybe Obama..... by vthom (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 49 comments) on Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008 at 11:59:35 PM (0+)
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wow
If you did mention Nader you would have been dismissed completely. It's amazing how honest criticism of Obama is usually countered with venom. I don't know if people are frustrated because they know Obama is not perfect and think they have nowhere to go, or they are just plain bigoted. In any case, it gives Obama a free pass and progressives lose. Many intelligent people feel cornered and are hoping that they can pressure Obama once elected. I think this article makes some great points. Good job. by Alex Gekas (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments) on Monday, Oct 13, 2008 at 1:46:10 PM (0+)
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