"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Obama-Samia

At a rare moment in history when the backwards-gazing, morally bankrupt social antiquarians of the Right are rocking on their heels ready to topple over, at a time when we have a President who is so profligate, reckless, and ignorant that the Bubbas of America would seriously consider a Black man for the White House, we have a candidate who has chosen to stick with the playbook of propping up the the losing policies that the rest of America is ready to knock over.

Whether it is school privatization by charter, open discrimination through "faith-based" religious welfare programs of dubious legal standing, or telecom immunity for illegal spying on citizens, Obama appears to have stepped in to make sure these losing propositions remain on the front burner. One can only guess that the geniuses who are advising him would like to turn him into that rarest of commodities, a black Republican who can win by making McCain's campaign unnecessary.

This is certainly not what so many of us hoped for (remember that word?) when we saw Obama talk about change, audacity, standing up, democratic principles, fairness, equity, the Constitution, and all the other forgotten values that once formed the ideological core of the other party.

What Obama has managed to do since the primary is to prove that he doesn't cower like the Democrats of old, mildly trying to maintain some integrity by deflection and glad-handing. Rather, he bravely proclaims as his own what the most of America is ready put in File 13. If this rightward maneuvering continues, it will surely lead enough of those who were inspired for awhile during the primaries to stay home, thus making a contest out of what was sure to be a blowout.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with you. But I'll jump to take a chance on Obama before letting McCain have another four years to complete GW's wholesale destruction of the US.

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  2. Obama is the slickest politician in generations -- surpassing both Reagan and JFK. He has perfected the art of seeming to be all things to all people. However, democracy is about appearance, not substance, and few people will miss this opportunity to put a black in the White House, since it will be seen as a great advancement in American diversity and equality. Like Bill Clinton, Obama was the chosen candidate of the insiders -- and thus put in front of the world at the Democratic Convention in 2004. McCain was given the nomination as a sure loser -- just as John Kerry was given the nomination as a sure loser in 2004. We can expect the puppetmasters to stay in power, although the puppet will change.

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