Click the player below to here our song about Obama's capitulation "It Wasn't the Thing That I Bought". Lyrics below the blog.
I was 8 years old when Michael Dukakis popped out of a tank looking like a Jack-in-the-Box with a strapped on yarmulke and don't remember any of it, but when it gets brought up every other day it's usually in the context of poor theatrics and costume design, and if only they hadn't put the stupid helmet on him he might've had a chance (I'm completely ignoring the fact that he took a principled stand on the death penalty in a tactless manner because it makes my point about Obama making an unprincipled concession on the death penalty sufficiently weaker.) I don't think the helmet was the problem, though the chinstrap really sucked. Bad.
The problem is that in a quest to impress the three people who drive lifted trucks who might vote Democratic, you'll inevitably end up looking as ridiculous as you should look trying to achieve that end. As long as Obama is racing to make sure we know that he thinks executin' isn't just for murderers, warantless wiretapping isn't that important, and that Wes Clark's completely accurate statements should be rejected, it's not a question of if his helmet-in-a-tank moment will come, but when?
Electoral strategy aside, what about that capitulation, strictly as a matter of principle? Should those of us who really do feel let down by all this be speaking up? I have to fall on the side of yes, and that's why wrote and recorded our song for this week, "It Isn't the Thing That I Bought".
Obama's campaign was a new campaign where he literally asked us to donate and "own a piece of this campaign". If you are going to do that, you're going to end up with shareholders, and some of those shareholders are going to say "this isn't the company we bought stock in. Mr. Chairman, we support you, but c'mon... enough of this nonsense."
It Isn't the Thing That I Bought
At the outset I'd like to make it clear
Whether it's right or wrong, it happens to be a bad idea
They try this every time, and I can't figure why
'cause the thugs they're trying to impress
aren't impressed and neither am I
and how dare anyone suggest
that if you own a paltry stake, you've got a right to protest
My check is small, but it isn't blank
Raising a voice is not breaking rank
So take us straight into '88 with cameras helmets and tanks
'Cause I own a piece of something
that isn't the thing that I bought
And don't tell me, that it's nothing
I won't be convinced that it is, cause it's not
So the least I'm asking, is fight for the things that you fought
'Cause I own a piece of something that isn't the thing that I bought
Because there's not abandonment implied
In a little bit of criticism from the people on your side
'Cause there's a million tiny stumps, working from the bottom up
Concessions in July will bring on more when November comes
'Cause I own a piece of something
that isn't the thing that I bought
And don't tell me, that it's nothing
I won't be convinced that it is, cause it's not
So the least I'm asking, is fight for the things that you fought
'Cause I own a piece of something that isn't the thing that I bought
Max and the Marginalized are a band and a blog. They do a song every week on the Huffington Post, all 40 of which are available for download here. Add them on Facebook.
Full US Tour in July and August - tour dates are here.
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he wants us all to email him with our support so that he can lead the charge against the Republicans posing as Democrats, including Obama............
HE IS OUR ONLY CHANCE......PLEASE EMAIL HIM WITH YOUR SUPPORT.
Now you think he's cozying up with Rush Limbaugh? You might want to let Rush Limbaugh in on that, because all I hear from the golden EIB microphone is 24/7 Obama bashing.
Like it or not, Obama has not betrayed his principals. In the real world, your presidential choices are limited to two individuals. Change, more often than not, starts with a whimper, not a bang. It can be achieved incrementally and individually. Although that may frustrate some, it is a significant departure from the depressing state of today's politics. For many Americans, Obama is a radical departure from the conservative drumbeat they have known. Once these individuals begin to let go of their irrational fears and pat ideologies, the influence of the ruling elite will begin to ebb. Conservative politics will steadily lose its powerful grip on American thought.
Over time, Obama will become increasingly more progressive, as greater numbers of voters place their trust in him. He is an accomplished organizer, motivator, delegator and visionary. You've come this far. Give him his opportunity! Wasting your vote in protest on marginal candidates (fine individuals, many), or drawing lines in the sand in symbolic defiance, is not going to help you, your loved ones, or this nation.
Are you aware that Obama is not a shoe-in? Are you aware that Hillary is considering/planning to place her name on the ballot at the convention? We can still get the real progressive deal, guys. Write to your state delegates and tell them to vote for Hillary.
He is politician. His is not a "new" kind of politics, it's the same old thing.
So maybe you think Hillary is the same old thing? OK. I'd rather have someone who's been around the block 35 times and has a former president as a husband than an inexperienced guy who we really don't know.
What will he do as president?
We really don't know now, do we? We don't know how many more of his initial ideas he will change, change, change. I would feel MUCH more secure with the Clintons in the White House. Our economy would improve drastically just like Bill did it when he was Prez. And when the WTC was bombed the first time, he actually made sure the idiots were caught.
Yes, Hillary and Bill. 18 million votes. Superdelegates ruined everything.
One word---Reelection.
I thought he was going to lay out a vision based on shared American ideals - our love for democracy, honoring the Constitution, helping your neighbor, working together to mend the social contract shredded by bush. I did not expect him to latch onto a ridiculous inane bush policy to court an evangelical minority! Nor did I expect to him look the other way when a law was passed that helped to undercut the 4th amendment. How have either of these things been a bridge for anything?
Why not take the faith based absurdity as an opportunity to educate the public about the separation of church and state; and to start a larger national discourse about poverty? Give me a visionary view of how you will address poverty. Don't give me some warmed over version of the policies of the worst president in modern history!
Really, is this the best he can do?!
On FISA, what the hell happened to this guy???? And now "Faith Based Aggenda" in the white house. . . . Religion BELONGS IN CHURCH, NOT IN THE FREAKING GOVERNMENT. I am extremely religious but I see this as more damn FANNY KISSING, just a different group.
ENOUGH ALAREADY!
If Obama keeps this up . . . . HE WILL FANNY KISS HIMSELF RIGHT OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE!
I DO NOT TRUST THIS MAN.
As far as asskissing the Clintons ..... isn't it obvious he is asskissing EVERYONE now?
I'm tired of the threats about the GOP because Obama is embracing Bush/Cheney ideals and principles. FISA is not expiring, there is no reason for this compromise other than Obama agrees with the Protect America Act. I'm tired of Democrats like Pelosi, Reid, Hoyer and Conyers. Tired of watching people I voted for, like HRC and WFC, sell America out.
Instead, let's elect McCain.
I am against the death penalty, but if you are going to have one, then yeah, let's put child-rapists at the top of that list. Neither President Obama nor the United States Congress can eliminate the death penalty, only our state officials can do that. So let's elect McCain because we are angry at Obama for something he can't do anything about anyway.
Obama wants his party to finally stop telling all Americans with strong religious beliefs that they are racists and wackos and dangerous and should be marginalized. But no, let's keep telling them that and force them to help elect McCain. (Some of them are racists and wackos and dangerous, but so are some liberals and progressives, so shouid we marginalize all of them, too?)
NAFTA has hurt thousands of Americans and helped thousands of others. Eliminating NAFTA cannot undo the hurt, but will then hurt the thousands it has helped. President Obama can look at the details of NAFTA and renegotiate the hurtful provisions. But let's elect McCain, who will not change a single line In NAFTA.
The list goes on.
You feel hurt and betrayed by Obama? By all means, vote for Nader, McCain or not at all.
Excuse me, but having oral sex with an intern was a punishable act but killing thousands of innocent American soldiers and Iraqis isn't? Lying to the American people about weapons of mass destruction isn't??? The Republicans punished the Democratic President for lying about sex ..... but the Democrats won't punish the Republican President for lying about the reasons to go to war???
Be real. We missed the boat by believing Obama over Hillary ... and now he's changing his story anyway. Now what?
They are, and they should. Well not marginalized, but educated at the least. If we had a decent education system in this country, there would be a lot less of these people running around (see statistics on EU countries with excellent educational systems vs. the % of their populations that consider themselves religious if you don't believe me... education goes up, strong religious beliefs go down, in almost every case).
Yep, I will vote for Nader. Thanks.
Good lord. Sometimes i think democrats will never when the white house again. The hell with the FISA court and telecom companies. Hilary would have voted the same way. As someone who is liberal let me say liberals can be very tiresome and narrow sighted even more so than conservatives. I mean seriously you can deal with the secret prisons, illegal ware and us torturing people, but you are drawing the line on immunity for phone companies. The country is tanking badly, probably a couple of SC justices will be up and this how you act. Mccain is still in this race for one reason only. Democrats are too stupid to win elections.
Longer this war goes on, the more money we have to borrow from china, which means less our money will be worth. But go ahead and vote for the 100 year war guy. 95 to go. Conservative paint Obama as the most liberal guy in congress and yet that is still not liberal enough for you. If we as liberals are so smart why do we lose so many elections?
I completely divested myself of Obama stock (and Democrap party stock) as soon as the FISA Constitutional Capitulation Junta Bill passed in the House.
I am voting Green or Libertarian in the Fall, up and down the ticket. No more supporting the Corporate Junta - and Obama has his head buried deep in the corporate ass at this point.
Do what you want, which you will anyway, but YOU will own the results, not me, and I will fight, tooth and nail, against the growing dictatorship. Just wait for the caging and silencing of the protesters to come in Denver for the Democrapic National Convention. You will all be quietly and passively placed inside chicken wire cages and forced to behave like good corporate citizens...and you will.
Good luck with that.
Good luck with that.
OBAMA '08