Re: [Pen-l] Dying of Consumption

["Jim Devine" <jdevine03@xxxxxxxxx>]

raghu wrote:
> More proof that Obama is fundamentally sympathetic to a progressive way of
> thinking. If only progressives can be bothered to try and convince him..

In Chicago, where I'm from originally, people learned very quickly to
ignore what politicians _said_ and to pay attention to what they
_did_. It doesn't really matter what Obama is "fundamentally
sympathetic to" if he can't form coalitions to get behind them to
counteract the forces that are against them. Pres. Clinton I, for
example, wanted to have gays play an open role in the military, but
that was squashed when the military establishment squawked. The road
to hell is paved with good intentions...

It's hard to imagine Pres. Obama instituting

- end of the Iraq war when he's appointing H. Clinton as the Secretary
of State and keeping Robert Gates as Secretary of War (oops, I mean
"Defense").

- [universal] health care [insurance] if he's gotten so much money
from the very rich and the opposition from the powerful insurance
companies has just begun. (It's a bit sad that "universal health care
insurance" has already started being watered down to "health care.")

(Actually, some sort of universal health care system makes sense from
a capitalist class perspective, but usually the particularistic and
short-term interests dominate. That seems to be the law when it comes
to US health care, even when then-powerful companies such as the "Big
Three" auto companies were in favor of universal health care (in order
to cut their costs).)

- end of Bush tax cuts when Obama seems to be leaning to simply
letting them expire. With folks such as Paul Volcker in positions of
influence, it's possible that they'll be renewed!

As for government infrastructural investment, even though it's likely
to happen (and is a good idea), the devil is in the implementation.
The  US government used massive subsidies to the railroad companies to
build infrastructure, including that going through Native American
lands. The city government of Chicago built expressways that destroyed
established Black neighborhoods. And of course, Hitler sponsored the
building of the autobahns.

I don't see a real mass movement existing at this point that would
pressure Obama to shift to the left to counteract the main rip-tide
which is pulling him to the right. (Adulation for Obama is not the
same as a mass movement than can pressure him.) Of course, as I've
said before, Obama's government is likely to involve a much more sane,
intelligent, and honest version of neoliberalism than the Bush II
administration. Most of the capitalist establishment (and its
representatives such as George Soros) has been pissed at how crazy,
incompetent, and venial the latter has been.
-- 
Jim Devine /  "Nobody told me there'd be days like these / Strange
days indeed -- most peculiar, mama." -- JL.
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