This November 2010, I'm voting for Barack Obama
Yes, you've heard it right!
On Tuesday, November 2, 2010, I'm going to vote for Barack Obama even though he's not a candidate. Here's my small endorsement for him even though he's not running.
I'm going to vote for his politics and principles, which I believe have been major, positive departures from eight fascist years of Bush, Cheney and Rove, and eight neoliberal years of Clinton. I know Clinton is campaigning for centrist-Dem candidates (Boeing's Patty Murray and anti-immigrant Heath "Tancredo" Shuler included), and drawing big crowds. Good for him. But my vote is for Obama and not for Clinton.
Am I happy that Obama is still continuing the brutal Afghanistan war, and seeking help from Washington insiders and Wall Street operatives to resolve the disastrous economic crisis? No. I wish he'd completely moved away from them. When I worked for his victory in November, 2008, I voted for a peace candidate. When I campaigned hard for him, I did it to support his pro-working-people, futuristic politics. That's why I chose Obama and not Hillary. To me, Obama was future, and Hillary was past. Obama was progressive, and Hillary was status quo.
I know Obama's handicaps. But I'm still supporting him because I've seen things happening in these two years that I haven't seen in twenty five years -- since 1985 -- when I came to America waking up to the nightmare of Ronald Reagan. The nightmare continued. When Obama became the president, in spite of my deep reservation for the deeply-entrenched Republocrat system, I knew that I was able to breathe freely, for the first time ever, when nobody was going to choke me anymore.
I wrote and spoke in various forums about the urgency to build solidarity across the working-class spectrum -- the sane and moderate majority I call the Second Circle. After decades of working at the grassroots level, first with the right and then with the left, I've moved away from the divisive left-right boxed politics, because I believe that the divide is artificial and destructive for the ordinary working people and families. There are many more overlaps than differences across the working class. I shunned the far right. I shunned the far left. And I shunned the iron-walled, elite center.
In my opinion, Bush-Cheney-Rove-Rumsfeld-Sarah Palin-Glenn Beck-Tea Party is a dark, Jim Crow force that our young generation -- black, white and brown -- has rejected once and for all. In my opinion, the Clintons and their centrist cronies are symbols of an inaccessible, elite status quo that our young generation has decided not to return to. Even the Clinton remnants we've seen damaging the progressive, pro-ordinary-people Obama agenda have been bad enough; I'm glad Obama is slowly but surely doing away with them. With strong support from labor unions, grassroots constituencies and young people that made an impossible Obama presidency possible, in the coming years, a re-charged Obama administration will be able to do much more to get America moving -- up and not down, forward and not backward.
I'm sure of it.
Let's quickly highlight some of the measures Barack Obama has accomplished, against all odds. They are (1) overturning of Bush-era limits of accessibility on federal documents; (2) ending of Bush-era practice of circumventing established FDA rules for political reasons; (3) announcing intentions to close Guantanamo prison camp; (4) negotiating deal with Swiss Bank to permit U.S. government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals; (5) beginning of phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; (6) authorizing the U.S. auto industry rescue plan; (7) authorizing the housing rescue plan and new FHA residential housing guarantees; (8) authorizing $787 billion economic stimulus package with one-third in tax cuts for working-class families; (9) authorizing the Cash for Clunkers program removing polluting cars; (10) extending unemployment benefits for millions of workers; (11) instituting enforcements for equal pay for women; and of course, (12) signing a historic health care reform bill.
And that's only a small, partial list.
Obviously, corporate media have not been truthful to tell the story clearly and candidly. They won't do it because of their vested interest in crony capitalism; moreover, American big media survive on Nielsen ratings that in turn thrive on keeping people fearful, and on edge -- whether it's war, terrorism, bird flu, stimulus package, or health care. Remember just two years ago, when we all knew McCain-Palin was a lost ticket, yet CNN, etc. kept turning in close poll predictions? And we're not even talking about the Foxy, Rushy filth.
We don't need big media to tell us the truth. We have our own knowledge. We have our own analysis. We may have lack of money and power, but we have no lack of intelligence and experience.
This November 2, 2010, I'm going to use some of that knowledge and insight. I ask you to make up your mind, come out and do the same. Too much is at stake -- for us and our children.
Support Obama. Endorse a pro-people politics. Reject profit and profiteers. Embrace the future. Reject the past.
###
Yes, you've heard it right!
On Tuesday, November 2, 2010, I'm going to vote for Barack Obama even though he's not a candidate. Here's my small endorsement for him even though he's not running.
I'm going to vote for his politics and principles, which I believe have been major, positive departures from eight fascist years of Bush, Cheney and Rove, and eight neoliberal years of Clinton. I know Clinton is campaigning for centrist-Dem candidates (Boeing's Patty Murray and anti-immigrant Heath "Tancredo" Shuler included), and drawing big crowds. Good for him. But my vote is for Obama and not for Clinton.
Am I happy that Obama is still continuing the brutal Afghanistan war, and seeking help from Washington insiders and Wall Street operatives to resolve the disastrous economic crisis? No. I wish he'd completely moved away from them. When I worked for his victory in November, 2008, I voted for a peace candidate. When I campaigned hard for him, I did it to support his pro-working-people, futuristic politics. That's why I chose Obama and not Hillary. To me, Obama was future, and Hillary was past. Obama was progressive, and Hillary was status quo.
I know Obama's handicaps. But I'm still supporting him because I've seen things happening in these two years that I haven't seen in twenty five years -- since 1985 -- when I came to America waking up to the nightmare of Ronald Reagan. The nightmare continued. When Obama became the president, in spite of my deep reservation for the deeply-entrenched Republocrat system, I knew that I was able to breathe freely, for the first time ever, when nobody was going to choke me anymore.
I wrote and spoke in various forums about the urgency to build solidarity across the working-class spectrum -- the sane and moderate majority I call the Second Circle. After decades of working at the grassroots level, first with the right and then with the left, I've moved away from the divisive left-right boxed politics, because I believe that the divide is artificial and destructive for the ordinary working people and families. There are many more overlaps than differences across the working class. I shunned the far right. I shunned the far left. And I shunned the iron-walled, elite center.
In my opinion, Bush-Cheney-Rove-Rumsfeld-Sarah Palin-Glenn Beck-Tea Party is a dark, Jim Crow force that our young generation -- black, white and brown -- has rejected once and for all. In my opinion, the Clintons and their centrist cronies are symbols of an inaccessible, elite status quo that our young generation has decided not to return to. Even the Clinton remnants we've seen damaging the progressive, pro-ordinary-people Obama agenda have been bad enough; I'm glad Obama is slowly but surely doing away with them. With strong support from labor unions, grassroots constituencies and young people that made an impossible Obama presidency possible, in the coming years, a re-charged Obama administration will be able to do much more to get America moving -- up and not down, forward and not backward.
I'm sure of it.
Let's quickly highlight some of the measures Barack Obama has accomplished, against all odds. They are (1) overturning of Bush-era limits of accessibility on federal documents; (2) ending of Bush-era practice of circumventing established FDA rules for political reasons; (3) announcing intentions to close Guantanamo prison camp; (4) negotiating deal with Swiss Bank to permit U.S. government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals; (5) beginning of phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; (6) authorizing the U.S. auto industry rescue plan; (7) authorizing the housing rescue plan and new FHA residential housing guarantees; (8) authorizing $787 billion economic stimulus package with one-third in tax cuts for working-class families; (9) authorizing the Cash for Clunkers program removing polluting cars; (10) extending unemployment benefits for millions of workers; (11) instituting enforcements for equal pay for women; and of course, (12) signing a historic health care reform bill.
And that's only a small, partial list.
Obviously, corporate media have not been truthful to tell the story clearly and candidly. They won't do it because of their vested interest in crony capitalism; moreover, American big media survive on Nielsen ratings that in turn thrive on keeping people fearful, and on edge -- whether it's war, terrorism, bird flu, stimulus package, or health care. Remember just two years ago, when we all knew McCain-Palin was a lost ticket, yet CNN, etc. kept turning in close poll predictions? And we're not even talking about the Foxy, Rushy filth.
We don't need big media to tell us the truth. We have our own knowledge. We have our own analysis. We may have lack of money and power, but we have no lack of intelligence and experience.
This November 2, 2010, I'm going to use some of that knowledge and insight. I ask you to make up your mind, come out and do the same. Too much is at stake -- for us and our children.
Support Obama. Endorse a pro-people politics. Reject profit and profiteers. Embrace the future. Reject the past.
###
Courtesy: Obama accomplishment list from IBEW Local 3's newsletter Union World, October 22, 2010. Graph from Pew Center, 2009.
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