Send Us Hatemail ! mailbag@conservativecave.com
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Tom Rinaldo The Left Needs to Support Obama Now While Obama may be far from a perfect progressive on numerous issues, he has already taken some stands on important issues that cause the Right to go bonzo ballistic. Important and significant stands I might add, like stating global warming is a crisis that America must seriously deal with, while backing some serious efforts to confront it, including finally steering the U.S toward renewable energy for our near horizon energy future (no more "drill baby drill"). Like admitting to the world that the U.S. did engage in the use of torture and repudiating it, while rebooting the justice Department with a goal to preserve and protect the U.S. Constitution. Like restoring humility and stressing cooperation in our foreign policy, as a more effective means to pursue valid national interests than the neocon cowboy mentality of the last 8 years. Plus asserting that those who can afford to pay more should bear more of the burden as we seek to restore economic health for the entire American nation, while passing a budget that finally paid some heed to the needs of the working and middle classes after a decade of progressive retreat. And of course fighting for the most significant advance toward universal health care in America since medicare was established, countering conservative hysteria to demand that any health care reform enacted must include a meaningful public option.Can I find any fault with Obama's major initiatives from a Leftist perspective? Hell yeah. But for the most part he's doing better than I had any realistic reason to hope for in America as we find it today. Obama campaigned as moderately progressive at best. But more so than most politicians fortunate enough to get themselves elected, Obama is actually trying to deliver on most of the direct campaign promises he made. But actually none of that is really the key point, not when you look at the bigger picture. The Right wing has launched a do or die battle to discredit not only Barack Obama, but any and all policies that dare so much as lean toward progressive values. In attempting to destroy Obama's current health care proposals, they are trying to set back the clock on the full spectrum of progressive ideals. When a modest compromise proposal like including a public option in health care reform alongside a host of private insurance players is condemned as full blown socialism, the battle lines have been drawn. If the Right wins this battle hereafter everything even mildly progressive will be tarred as radical socialism, with socialism replacing Marxism as the right wing sponsored boogie man of the decade. Hereafter anything even mildly progressive will be smeared as big government trying to control our lives and reward the undeserving over those who (it will be claimed) made this country great in the first place. The Right isn't really fighting now against Obama's health care reforms. They are fighting to abort any chance of real change in America for the next 8 years (minimally). It's a high stakes gamble but it is the bet they have chosen to make and this game is being played for keeps. Only one side will emerge triumphant. This is a turning point, and now is the time for all good progressives to come to the aid of our President. The agenda we save might be our own.http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8540907&mesg_id=8540907
