Van Jones (resigned), Yosi Sargeant (demoted), Valerie Jarrett (under attack), and President Obama's administrative department czars (intense scrutiny): They've all caught heat because they were deemed too Left or too liberal. And when they did, the White House did not utter a peep of protest.
The House and Senate snatched a big chunk of funding from ACORN and the Census Bureau dumped it as a contract agency in census information gathering. ACORN was, of course, one of Obama's staunchest grass roots voter energizers and a big recipient of Obama campaign money. ACORN, with its muddle-headed, lax administrative controls and its playing fast and loose with the rules, gave conservatives its head on a platter. When it did, the White House was mute. ACORN was a political embarrassment, and thus expendable.
Anyone who's in the Obama administration that has even the remotest left or too liberal present or past ties is now dead center in the cross hairs of conservatives. If they resign under conservative duress it's just as likely there won't be a peep of protest from the White House about them going either.
Obama hasn't ducked for cover only in the face of the attack on his liberal appointees and allies. There are also the issues. Obama agreed to extend the most odious of Bush abuses in the Patriot Act, strongly hinted that more troops and massive ramp up in funding are on the way to Afghanistan, and insisted that even after the presumed troop withdrawal from Iraq in 2010, the administration will maintain a "security" presence in the country.
Obama announced there'll be no public funds for abortions, smacked down former president Jimmy Carter who rightly branded attacks on Obama as racist, soft-pedaled the racism and xenophobia that fueled the so-called taxpayer march, and blew off the Congressional Progressive Caucus when it begged for a meeting with him to try and stiffen his spine on the public option.
The White House's mute silence when its friends are forcibly shoved out the White House door, and the soft shoeing on the issues, is not merely a political recalibration. It's a direct reaction to the GOP counterinsurgency against Obama. The Right isn't just dominating the political debate. It has driven Obama -- not to the center; he was never really anywhere else politically -- but to the right of center on some issues.
The first sign that Obama could be pushed to the right came during the election. When Republican rival John McCain, Sarah Palin, the Fox News Network, and the gaggle of hard right talk radio hosts hammered Obama as a tax and spend, big government, pro-minority pandering Democrat, he quickly moderated and even shifted his position to the right on everything from abortion to FISA. The aim was not to give conservatives any more ammunition to attack him as a wacky liberal or worse, a radical.
At times he and McCain sounded more like political Siamese Twins on the issues of expansion of stem-cell research, immigration, faith-based social services, expanded government wiretapping, building more nuclear power plants, global warming, fair trade, and the death penalty. The similarity between the two was even more glaring when Obama edged closer to McCain on his plans on health care and taxes and the Iraq War.
The borderline and blatant racist signs, posters, and chants heard and seen at the taxpayer march as well as the race tinged blasts that pulse through the right side blogs and websites. The furious smack down of Obama for his off-the-cuff defense of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates.
And the wild, race baiting antics of protesters at the health care town halls have taken a toll. An early September 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center found a drop in his approval rating among white independents, middle aged voters, and white women. These were crucial voting demographics to Obama. He bested McCain among them during the campaign. The slippage in white support has made Obama even more gun shy about taking a political position that will further stoke conservative anger against him.
The GOP has shown that it can play the race card, whip up a populist revolt to a fever pitch, and hog the airwaves with some of the most outrageous slurs, lies and slanders against Obama's political agenda and him. The attacks have worked and they have forced Obama to walk an even tighter tightrope. He could well toss more friends under the bus, and his positions on key issues that at one time endeared him to liberals and progressives could go under the bus with them.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book, How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge (Middle Passage Press) will be released in January, 2010.
Why in God's name the administration persists in thinking that there can be any GAIN in shifting again and again to the RIGHT makes no sense at all to me.
Between doctrinaire conservatives, mindless "dittoheads" and the like, as well as plain old stone racists (Yes, Virginia there ARE plain old stone racists aplenty, even in 2009!!) one thing is VERY clear:
These people will never, never, support him,....not EVER......even if he adopts the Strom Thurmond/George Wallace platform.......these folks will remain actively committed to his failure.
Witness the recent fa
Regarding a potential change in monetary system, back in March, Timothy Geithner said the administration was "open" to a discussion on a global currency. The United Nations is now calling for a new global currency:
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/09/07/united-nations-calls-for-new-world-currency/
It is inconceivable to me that it a lack of political courage. It cannot be true for the simple reason that NO ONE EVER has caved in on everything from a lack of courage! He would have stood for something - at least one thing if he had lost his 'nerve' even if it was to just prove he was some.
No this seems to go to a different place. Obama, like the Great disappointment - Clinton, seems to have used the Democratic party and the progressive and moderate members of the citizenry to improve his position with Corporate America. He has confirmed his ties to the Military-Industrial Complex and promised continued wars. He's ducked meaninful change of the SEC and Corporate "finance" into the graveyard of any proposal - a comitee! Obama has also given everything wanted by the banks to them with only an ocasional peep of protest. Only the insurance industry is still a point of contention and I'd be happy to listen to anyone who sees a glimmer of hope for a progressive and positive stance by Obama on the Insurance industry.
These are the facts we face now. We must start working to carry the message forward ourselves. Our knights in shining armor seem to all be co opted!
*Supported Bush era funding appropriations to keep the Iraq war going long after the war was exposed as a fraud on the American taxpayer.
*Vigorously opposed any investigation/impeachment of the serial war crimes/Constitutional violations of the Bush/Cheney cabal
*Voted for the reauthorization of the Patriot Act to retroactively justify illegal wire tapping of the Bush administration violating our guaranteed 4th amendment privacy rights. Now the government has unlimited wire tapping, snooping, and data mining of innocent citizens corraling corporations such as ChoicePoint to supply private information about your personhood without your consent.
Ralph has stood up in June 2008 and called for the impeachment/immediate resignation of the Bush/Cheney administration.
Ralph called for the abolition of NAFTA/CAFTA/WTO which are secret undemocratic trade arrangements that lower world labor standards, increase pollution and steal jobs from American workers.
Ralph called for the end of the Iraq War and withdrawal from Afghanistan and prosecution of the private profiteers long before it was PC
Ralph wants full Single Payer Medicare for All healthcare to replace the corrupt racket of health insurance companies.
Ralph said: "No bailouts for Wall Street Crook!" and has called for an investigation and regulation of the industry as it has looted trillions from pensioners, shareholders while paying their hedge fund managers billions in compensation for failure and robbery.
http://nader.org/
Progressives have not been applying much pressure to counter the far right.
The Right has been engaging in outrageous tactics and has fallen off the charts to provide a landscape that allows the Dems to actually use right wing ideas while appearing Left of the republican make-believe-we're-crazy- agenda.
It's a ridiculous theater of fake acting, over acting and a patently obvious script.
"I can't go right I can't go left"
If he continues to pander to Republicans I would not be surprised to see someone challenge him in the 2012 primary. Right now, I would support that challenger ... any Democratic candidate but wimpy Obama.
He promised change. He hasn't, absolutely has not, delivered change.
Ralph also:
called for the end of Iraq/Afghanistan wars for years when it was unpopular
called for the abolition of NAFTA/CAFTA/WTO
supports Single Payer Medicare for All
was instrumental in creating the Freedom of Information Act
opposed the bailouts of Wall Street and GM which prop up corrupt Crony Capitalism
was instrumental in the Clean Air and Clean Water Act, seatbelts and air bags.
ON THE MOON:)
NOT FAR FROM NEIL ARMSTRONG'S FOOTSTEPS....