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October 27, 2012

The Top 6 Critiques of Obama from a Progressive (Reality-Based) Perspective

By Tim Hjersted

Barack Obama has been called everything from a closet-Muslim to a foreign-born socialist. For partisan Democrats, the Right's deluge of attacks on Obama over the years might be seen as a great gift, as it has painted conservatives who echo these sentiments as laughably crazy. But ultimately this has served to shut out and marginalize legitimate, deeply meaningful and and truly damning critiques of the Obama administration.

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Barack Obama has been called everything from a gun-hating, closet-Muslim hiding socialist to a big-government loving, deficit exploding, tax increasing, class-warfare waging liberal elitist. He's been compared to Hitler and denounced for wanting to destroy capitalism and/or America. He pals around with terrorists. They say he wasn't born in America and secretly hates white people.

For partisan Democrats, the Right's deluge of attacks on Obama over the years might be seen as a great gift, as it has understandably painted conservatives who echo these sentiments as laughably crazy (or brilliant propagandists adept at appealing to the fears of their base). But for those that get their news from outside the right-wing echo chamber, the truth of these smears is well understood. Most of the critiques that we hear of Obama in the media are thus totally bunk and readily laughed at.

Tragically, this has given the mainstream debate about Obama's successes and failures a false illusion of depth. On one hand you have all the lies and myths of the Republicans representing Obama's fiercest critique, and on the other hand you have all the defenders of Obama singing his accomplishments and virtues while debunking all the myths constructed by the Right.

What this left/right positioning of the debate has accomplished is to shut out and marginalize legitimate, reality-based, deeply meaningful and truly damning critiques of the Obama presidency and his administration.

Moderates, independents, and casual progressives not tuned in to alternative media are left to wonder, "If Republicans hate him so much, and the baseless attacks from Republicans is all they have to complain about, he must be doing something right... right?"

The following 4 articles and two videos challenges this falsely constructed spectrum of opinion and offers a true (reality-based) critique of Obama. Just imagine if these perspectives were allowed to enter the mainstream debate. 

6. Daniel Ellsberg: Defeat Romney, Without Illusions about Obama
It is urgently important to prevent a Republican administration under Romney/Ryan from taking office in January 2013.The election is now just weeks away, and I want to urge those whose values are generally in line with mine -- progressives, especially activists -- to make this goal one of your priorities during this period.Romney and Obama exchange fingers in Tuesday night's debate. (Reuters)An...

One Response to Daniel Ellsberg's call for swing-state lefties to vote for Obama


5. The Obama Deception: Why Cornel West Went Ballistic
The moral philosopher Cornel West, if Barack Obama's ascent to power was a morality play, would be the voice of conscience. Rahm Emanuel, a cynical product of the Chicago political machine, would be Satan. Emanuel in the first scene of the play would dangle power, privilege, fame and money before Obama. West would warn Obama that the quality of a life is defined by its moral...


4. The Case Against Voting for Obama -- Even if you Think He's Better than Mitt Romney
Tell certain liberals and progressives that you can't bring yourself to vote for a candidate who opposes gay rights, or who doesn't believe in Darwinian evolution, and they'll nod along. Say that you'd never vote for a politician caught using the 'n'-word, even if you agreed with him on more policy issues than his opponent, and the vast majority of left-leaning Americans would understand. But...

 

3. Barack Obama VS Those Craaaazy Republicans: Is He the Lesser Evil, or the More Effective Evil?
The last refuge of Obamaphiles is that no matter how many times the First Black President double-crosses us by cutting Medicare and Medicaid, no matter how completely be betrays his voters by ignoring black unemployment, by deporting one million Latinos, by protecting the banksters responsible for the foreclosure crisis and by invading, bombing, occupying and subverting even more countries than...


2. John Pilger - Obama is a Corporate Marketing Creation (video)
Renowned author, journalist, and film maker John Pilger speaks at Socialism 2009. Filmed by Paul Hubbard at the Women's Building in San Francisco 7-4-09. Pilger offers a stinging critique of Obama and his administration's policies in his first six months of office, as well as the recent silence of the left and anti-war movement.

 

1. Lifting the Veil: Obama and the Failure of Capitalist Democracy (2011) (Documentary)

This film explores the historical role of the Democratic Party as the "graveyard of social movements", the massive influence of corporate finance in elections, the absurd disparities of wealth in the United States, the continuity and escalation of neocon policies under Obama , the insufficiency of mere voting as a path to reform, and differing conceptions of democracy itself.


My top pick for this feature - Lifting the Veil - is a significant achievement. The 114 minute film offers the most definitive critique of the Obama administration from a reality-based perspective (IE, a critique not based on propaganda and spin). It thoroughly deconstructs the hypocrisy of U.S. politics, democracy, capitalism and other aspects of the American brand.

At once disillusioning, the film inspires and offers a great message of hope in it's evocative finale and excellent choice of music. It also points to the most immediate alternative for building a new, directly democratic and liberated world within the shell of the old (workplace democracy). In a nod to Occupy Wall Street, the film exemplifies the movement's bi-partisan critique of the status quo, its deep rejection of surface-level reforms or solutions, and the deep insight that comes from waking up to the way the world really is.

Did I miss something really good? Post your suggestions and/or comments below.



Authors Website: www.filmsforaction.org

Authors Bio:
Tim Hjersted is the director of Films For Action, a non-profit group that uses the power of film to raise awareness of important social, environmental, and media related issues not covered by the mainstream news. Through our website, public film screenings and Lending Library, we're working to provide citizens with the information they need to take an active role in creating a more just, sustainable, and democratic society.

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