I know a lot of Americans who tend to lean more towards a liberal perspective love President Obama, and feel that he is a wonderful president. They look at what came before, and they thank their lucky stripes that the Bush years are over.
On many levels, I can sympathize.
However, I cannot simply love President Obama, because he is not President Bush. However much I could not stand Bush's policies, and hated what he was doing to the country (essentially dismantling many of the best aspects of it, and flushing a potentially much brighter future right down the toilet), that does not, or should not, translate to systematic, support of Obama or his policies.
Similarly, it is not because Hillary Clinton supposedly gives the Democrats the best chance to win in November (and I am not even entirely certain that this is the case) that she deserves our full support, although many of those who support her seem to suggest exactly that.
The problem with American politics is that it mirrors the corporate culture that has come to control it. Namely, that the "little people," or everyday Americans, should feel thankful when someone of the two major parties that they would most closely align themselves with ideologically gains national office. If someone is conservative, then they should support Bush no matter what, and never, ever criticize anything that he is or does. Likewise, someone who is liberal should support Obama (or Hillary), and never, ever criticize anything that they are or do.
That is problematic to me, since so much of what Bush and Obama have done have been eerily similar, to the point that it smacks of continuity. Specifically, I am referring to the continued growth of corporate America and it's control over Washington, ad how everything else falls into line with this.
Case in point is this story (see link below) about Obama appointing a drug company insider to head the Food and Drug Administration. When the privileged gain greater access to more power and privilege, it is not to the benefit of the average people. In recent decades, we have seen the rich grow richer, while the rest of us have seen our real incomes and benefits fall precipitously, and it is moves like this that help ensure that this trend will not be reversed, or even slowed down, anytime soon, no matter what some politicians might say in their speeches.
With Hillary obtaining a war chest for her campaign from other powerful parties with a vested interest in obtaining certain privileges from Washington, it is also hard to see how that trend would ever be slowed down, much less reversed, as well.
That is why we need something radically different than the same old same old. I look at the Democrats running for office (or potentially running for the White House, in the case of Joe Biden), and I look at the Republicans making a run for the White House. Trump pretends to be a candidate who cannot be bought, which is another way of saying that he would be beyond corruption. But given his reputation, his untrustworthy character, and his tendency to say whatever he feels will help him obtain whatever it is that he wants, there might be no candidate out there who is as worthy as our skepticism as he is.
The rest of the Republican field who claim to have outsider status also seem quite comfortable continuing the trend of privileging the corporate culture, because all that they talk about, their constant fixation, is the evil nature of government. But the more government is weakened, the more special corporate interests are strengthened, and we now know by example where that leads.
Which brings us, once again, to Bernie Sanders. Here is a man with a record going back decades, consistently fighting for the average American, the middle class, and recognizing all of these grabs for power by privileged elites for what they really are. He has remained consistent, and the sources from which he has obtained his campaign money is not the same as all of the other candidates out there. He has gotten his money from small sources. Namely, the people themselves.
Of course there are a lot of people out there who remain skeptical. Their main line of argument is that Bernie cannot win the White House. Let us remember that they were making the same arguments not long ago about his chances against Hillary, yet look at what is happening. Many Hillary supporters are outraged that their candidate is losing, and are automatically chalking it up to sexism, as if that were the only possible reason that someone might not be particularly impressed by Hillary, or view her qualifications to be president through skeptical eyes. The fact that there is so much evidence that she is a part of the whole elitist culture, and would strongly advance that agenda that works against average Americans, seems to conveniently elude them. So yes, they claim that it is sexism that is leading to Hillary's decline, rather than her own proven track record that betrays her constant compromises towards the virus that is increased corporate control over the country. She used to be a crusader for true healthcare reform, now she is one of their prime sponsors to keep things exactly as they are. She supported the war in Iraq. Her biggest donors are the big, corporate banks, the same ones that are "too big to fail."
That is not a record that is trustworthy, or worth seeing as heroic. I would love to see a woman president someday, but just not Hillary as president. Chances are, she would be a continuation of Obama, and he himself was too close to being a continuation of Bush. Around and around we go.
To suggest that the only reason that people would not like or support Hillary is because she is a woman is as intellectually dishonest as it would be to suggest that the only reason that people would not support Bernie Sanders is because they are anti-Semitic. That line of reasoning does not logically follow in either case. You either believe in Bernie because you think he is the best vehicle for change, or you support Hillary because she allegedly provides the Democrats with the best chance of winning, and because she is not George W. Bush. No, she is not George W. Bush. But she is a Clinton, and the Clintons have come to represent the other party's answer to the Bush dynasty, and I personally wonder if either of these families really has anything left to say to real Americans about how to restore a better system of government to the people. My guess is that they do not, and certainly, they have not recently.
If you want real change, then you need to look elsewhere. Specifically, it is time to get past our prejudices of seeing the two major parties as entitled to our allegiance, and to look at our real options. Sanders only recently became an official Democrat, but he has a proven track record that most Americans should feel proud of. He will fight for Americans no matter what, and let us be frank here: that is exactly what Americans need in the White House. Not some distant day in the future, not someday, but right now. We need something different for things to change, and this is our chance. It might even be our last chance.
Let us put a stop to the circus, to the merry go round, and restore the best that our system of government has to offer us. Let us really and get behind Bernie Sanders for President!
Obama Nominating a Drug Company Insider to Head the FDA: This is Unconscionable — September 23, 2015
http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/09/23/obama-nominating-a-drug-company-insider-to-head-the-fda-this-is-unconscionable/
On many levels, I can sympathize.
However, I cannot simply love President Obama, because he is not President Bush. However much I could not stand Bush's policies, and hated what he was doing to the country (essentially dismantling many of the best aspects of it, and flushing a potentially much brighter future right down the toilet), that does not, or should not, translate to systematic, support of Obama or his policies.
Similarly, it is not because Hillary Clinton supposedly gives the Democrats the best chance to win in November (and I am not even entirely certain that this is the case) that she deserves our full support, although many of those who support her seem to suggest exactly that.
The problem with American politics is that it mirrors the corporate culture that has come to control it. Namely, that the "little people," or everyday Americans, should feel thankful when someone of the two major parties that they would most closely align themselves with ideologically gains national office. If someone is conservative, then they should support Bush no matter what, and never, ever criticize anything that he is or does. Likewise, someone who is liberal should support Obama (or Hillary), and never, ever criticize anything that they are or do.
That is problematic to me, since so much of what Bush and Obama have done have been eerily similar, to the point that it smacks of continuity. Specifically, I am referring to the continued growth of corporate America and it's control over Washington, ad how everything else falls into line with this.
Case in point is this story (see link below) about Obama appointing a drug company insider to head the Food and Drug Administration. When the privileged gain greater access to more power and privilege, it is not to the benefit of the average people. In recent decades, we have seen the rich grow richer, while the rest of us have seen our real incomes and benefits fall precipitously, and it is moves like this that help ensure that this trend will not be reversed, or even slowed down, anytime soon, no matter what some politicians might say in their speeches.
With Hillary obtaining a war chest for her campaign from other powerful parties with a vested interest in obtaining certain privileges from Washington, it is also hard to see how that trend would ever be slowed down, much less reversed, as well.
That is why we need something radically different than the same old same old. I look at the Democrats running for office (or potentially running for the White House, in the case of Joe Biden), and I look at the Republicans making a run for the White House. Trump pretends to be a candidate who cannot be bought, which is another way of saying that he would be beyond corruption. But given his reputation, his untrustworthy character, and his tendency to say whatever he feels will help him obtain whatever it is that he wants, there might be no candidate out there who is as worthy as our skepticism as he is.
The rest of the Republican field who claim to have outsider status also seem quite comfortable continuing the trend of privileging the corporate culture, because all that they talk about, their constant fixation, is the evil nature of government. But the more government is weakened, the more special corporate interests are strengthened, and we now know by example where that leads.
Which brings us, once again, to Bernie Sanders. Here is a man with a record going back decades, consistently fighting for the average American, the middle class, and recognizing all of these grabs for power by privileged elites for what they really are. He has remained consistent, and the sources from which he has obtained his campaign money is not the same as all of the other candidates out there. He has gotten his money from small sources. Namely, the people themselves.
Of course there are a lot of people out there who remain skeptical. Their main line of argument is that Bernie cannot win the White House. Let us remember that they were making the same arguments not long ago about his chances against Hillary, yet look at what is happening. Many Hillary supporters are outraged that their candidate is losing, and are automatically chalking it up to sexism, as if that were the only possible reason that someone might not be particularly impressed by Hillary, or view her qualifications to be president through skeptical eyes. The fact that there is so much evidence that she is a part of the whole elitist culture, and would strongly advance that agenda that works against average Americans, seems to conveniently elude them. So yes, they claim that it is sexism that is leading to Hillary's decline, rather than her own proven track record that betrays her constant compromises towards the virus that is increased corporate control over the country. She used to be a crusader for true healthcare reform, now she is one of their prime sponsors to keep things exactly as they are. She supported the war in Iraq. Her biggest donors are the big, corporate banks, the same ones that are "too big to fail."
That is not a record that is trustworthy, or worth seeing as heroic. I would love to see a woman president someday, but just not Hillary as president. Chances are, she would be a continuation of Obama, and he himself was too close to being a continuation of Bush. Around and around we go.
To suggest that the only reason that people would not like or support Hillary is because she is a woman is as intellectually dishonest as it would be to suggest that the only reason that people would not support Bernie Sanders is because they are anti-Semitic. That line of reasoning does not logically follow in either case. You either believe in Bernie because you think he is the best vehicle for change, or you support Hillary because she allegedly provides the Democrats with the best chance of winning, and because she is not George W. Bush. No, she is not George W. Bush. But she is a Clinton, and the Clintons have come to represent the other party's answer to the Bush dynasty, and I personally wonder if either of these families really has anything left to say to real Americans about how to restore a better system of government to the people. My guess is that they do not, and certainly, they have not recently.
If you want real change, then you need to look elsewhere. Specifically, it is time to get past our prejudices of seeing the two major parties as entitled to our allegiance, and to look at our real options. Sanders only recently became an official Democrat, but he has a proven track record that most Americans should feel proud of. He will fight for Americans no matter what, and let us be frank here: that is exactly what Americans need in the White House. Not some distant day in the future, not someday, but right now. We need something different for things to change, and this is our chance. It might even be our last chance.
Let us put a stop to the circus, to the merry go round, and restore the best that our system of government has to offer us. Let us really and get behind Bernie Sanders for President!
Obama Nominating a Drug Company Insider to Head the FDA: This is Unconscionable — September 23, 2015
http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/09/23/obama-nominating-a-drug-company-insider-to-head-the-fda-this-is-unconscionable/
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