[Marxism] Doug Henwood on Obama

["Charles Brown" <charlesb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Doug: " Well no, but millions of people are experiencing some sort 
of misplaced enthusiasm, and they're almost certain to be disappointed. "

^^^
CB:
 Projecting and channeling

For months,  Doug and others have been projecting their own "radical" wishes 
into the minds of Obama's supporters ( especially socalled naive young 
supporters); and projecting "radical change" into Obama's "change" slogan.  Not 
just projecting, Doug and others seem to be channeling  the monopoly media on 
this, as the monopoly media characterizes Obama as an "ultra-liberal", which is 
their terminology for "radical". 

 But there is no reason to think that the millions supporting Obama think like 
Doug. And then when Obama talks as a centrist, like he always has,  Doug and 
those like him attack Obama for "moving to the right" , for moving away from 
the place Doug had projected Obama to be. But Obama was always in the center 
from the start . "change" Obama has talked about has been change from Bush, 
which is not inherently a radical change at all  (Ask everybody on this list)

So, according to Doug, Obama's supporters have "misplaced" enthusiasm, because 
he isn't what Doug's false version of what is in Obama's supporters' minds. And 
, so, of course, his supporters will be "disappointed" when Obama isn't a 
radical as President.... Not.  

Doug's ongoing positions over the years aren't that radical , anyway. So, he's 
holding Obama to a higher standard than he holds himself to . He postures as 
more radical than he is to attack Obama from the "left".  

 
Doug: "And how the excitation of voters can translate into a movement, 

^^^^^
CB: "Movement" ? Last I heard , Doug was against socalled activistism, which is 
his derogatory term for the activism that would constitute a political movement.

So, these radical positions are truly "wishes" in the sense that they are to 
remain in theory, and not carried out in action, action, action.

^^^^^

when its 
object could well become chief executive of the bourgeoisie, is never 
revealed. But hell, I'd love to get excited about a movement - could we 
have one?

^^^^^
CB:  Doug and others have been talking this stuff for months
Neither Obama nor his supporters ever claimed he is a saint. he often says he 
makes mistakes. Nor has he claimed to be a radical , but rather clearly claimed 
to be a political _centrist_. It is ultra-leftists who projected âradical 
changeâ into the âchangeâ slogan. Obama never said âradical changeâ. 
Nor did he claim to be a saivor from everything. This whole line that Obama is 
a radical ( âultra-liberalâ), perfect savior was cooked up by the bourgeois 
media and mindlessly picked up by ultra-leftists, who ânaivelyâ projected 
their own wishes onto him, and then started attacking him for not living up to 
their projection.





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