The Republicans had one goal and one goal
only: destroying his presidency in order to regain their political
power, and all the perk$ that go with that power.
If, in their desire to overturn all the social advances of the New
Deal and Great Society, our current Great Depression gets worse, if
millions more lose their jobs, if the government goes bankrupt, well,
that is just the "collateral damage" the country will have to bear in
the name of Freedom.
Mirroring Cheney-Bush Policies
But once in the White House, he continued many of the worst policies begun by his predecessor in amassing presidential power unchecked by Congress or the courts. For example, he has assumed the right, with no checks on his authority, to order the assassinations of Americans suspected of alliances with terrorists.
And he has enlarged, rather than
diminished, U.S. operations in Afghanistan, and found a way to
authorize "extraordinary renditions" to other countries especially
skilled in torturing prisoners.
Obama can rightfully point to a good many solid initiatives that a
President McCain never would have pushed for, but, overall, Obama has
come across as pretty much a conventional Washington Beltway
politician, consistently siding with corporate agendas, jettisoning his
campaign attitude and promises far too quickly along the way.
No wonder his base is only partially in the Democrats' corner for this election. So many of the Obama stalwarts in 2008 -- students, African-Americans, progressives -- have abandoned him because they feel he abandoned them, early and often.
One can hope that a galvanized Get-Out-the-Vote campaign by the Democrats will be able to salvage some key races and keep the most egregiously lunatic candidates from moving into the Senate and House.
But even if the Dems manage to extract
some good news in this midterm election, it seems clear that the shift
in momentum and power-relationship does not bode well for American
society in the next decade.
In short, unless some electoral GOTV miracle occurs on Nov. 2, I will
anticipate getting more letters from you two as America continues to
wallow in its despair, social spasms, energized political flailings.
In the interim, one can expect that revolutionary attitudes and forces will be building strength against politics-as-usual in America. While some of that is devoutly to be wished, we'll all be going on a wild roller-coaster ride. Buckle up. As Tiny Tim might have said: "God help us everyone!"
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