I'm confused about Obama

[LuckyTheDog]

Depending on which XM Radio station I listen to, I hear that President Obama is either corporate shill out to serve the interests of the capitalist elite, or a dangerous far-left radical who aims to turn the U.S. into a communist totalitarian state.

Somebody has to be wrong.

:hide:

[chandler2]

1. I know what you mean there, LuckyTheDog

Some of my friends and neighbors say he's sellout and some of them say he's a pinko commie, and my policy has always been
to SUPPORT my friends. But, I do know what you mean.

[NJmaverick]

2. or both of them are

[Captain Hilts]

15. BINGO. nt

[undeterred]

3. He's a victim who is being blackmailed.

Option 3.

[Laelth]

4. Take a look at what SNL says.

I thought this was pretty accurate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgRZSLuFBs8

Besides, who are you more likely to believe--the left-wing or the right-wing commentators on XM Radio?

Kill the bill.

Forcing people to buy insurance is no more the answer to a failed health care system than forcing people to buy houses is the solution to homelessness.

:dem:

-Laelth

[coti]

5. Well, who's been wrong about everything else?

And who's been consistently right?

[Ozymanithrax]

6. Obama is Governing...

Governing requires compromise, and those on the right and left never appreciate compromise.

So, to the right, Obama is the most Liberal/Progressive President ever elected, a Manchurian Candidate who will turn the U.S. over to the Soviet Union, even though the Soviet Union ceased to exist in the 80's.

To the left, by refusing to pass a truly progressive agenda of single payer, by continuing the policies of President Bush, he is a right wind Neocon corporate Shill.

Neither of those accusations are accurate, though the right wing accusations are, in my opinion, the most inaccurate. There is a certain amount of corporate shilldom in all our elected officials, but there are no socialists in any national elected office. (Even Barney Frank is more of a social Democrat.)

[Yuugal]

19. Those dead kids in Yemen

probably would agree with the left, but of course they're stone cold dead now.

[Ozymanithrax]

20. Actually, the Dead kids in Yemen would have no concept of poltical parties or right and left....

political ideology. They don't tend to teach political science there and their frame of reference is that of a repressive, religious, Islamic state involved in a religous civil war.

[boston bean]

7. WTH are you talking about far left radical who aims to turn the us into a communist

totalitarian state???

Be precise, and tell us which radio station are you listening for that drivel, Rush??

[Ozymanithrax]

21. That drivel is widly published everywhere. The accusations are part of the news...

even if the news does not accept the idea.

[CreekDog]

8. you're right, somebody has to be wrong

and guess what --both are wrong. :crazy:

:rofl:

[MadBadger]

9. It never makes much sense to me either.

[CreekDog]

10. the only people who are right call Obama a Muslin

:hide:

[Edweird]

11. I think Obama is the one that is confused.

He hasn't figured out that no matter how much he capitulates, no matter how hard he fucks his base - the (r)'s will NEVER EVER like him. EVER. It's gonna be a long 4 years.

[treestar]

12. Extremists are unhappy

The rest of the country is happy.

Extremists get the most attention because they are so out there.

[coti]

25. That's way off. Moderate liberals are unhappy. Very unhappy.

And, looking at the polls, so is the rest of the country.

[treestar]

27. What polls?

[coti]

28. The one done just a couple of days ago:

http://act.boldprogressives.org/cms/sign/natpollresults121809

It was commissioned by liberal groups, but, lemme tell ya- those are some pretty startling, yet believable, numbers. If they're not off by a WHOLE lot, the Obama Administration is making a huge, huge mistake.

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. Not so hard to understand

Obama is a corporate friendly Democrat. Essentially these Democrats differ from Republicans, in so far as they do, by showing a somewhat greater willingness to at least half heartedly monitor against the worst abuses of unchecked Capitalism and in some case support some regulatory efforts to partially mitigate the most adverse consequences of that behavior. Depending on the individual they do so either out of an acknowledgment that some minimal protections are needed against off the charts extreme corporate behavior, or they do so as a show of Public Relations to convince voters that they can trust in government to protect them while corporations continue to get 90% of their hearts desire.

Big business interests in America have always to some extent tolerated and in some cases supported Corporate friendly Democrats as a hedge against angry populist sentiments coalescing around less business friendly political figures. Both the politicians in question and Capitalist interests play both sides against the middle in this carefully choreographed political dance. This can lead to near infinite gradations of posturing. For example it would not be past forces on the right to attack a centrist Corporate friendly Democrat as an extreme left winger in order to help gain that politician some greater leftist creds, which can then actually increase his or her usefulness to them. And so on. When Corporate interests are feeling comfy enough, they expect Corporate friendly Democrats to swerve further Right, or they will throw a greater degree of their support directly behind conservative Republicans who are willing to just let them do everything that they want in the first place without questions.

[Captain Hilts]

14. Actually, they're both wrong. nt

[girl gone mad]

16. Elements of truth to both.

Our government functions under a system which can best be described as corporate communism. Corporations own everything, including most of our elected officials, and practice communist tactics to achieve their ends. They use cronyism, nepotism, bribery and intimidation to maintain their status and consolidate control.

Orwell coined the term 'oligarchic collectivism' to describe essentially the same type of power structure. A tiny group of people collectively own virtually everything. They control our resources, government, military. They have seemingly unlimited access to our tax dollars and the ability to write their own laws. It's socialism, but only for the rich and powerful.

[Marr]

17. Potato, po-tahto. Is he merging government into Wall Street or Wall Street into government?

Depends on your personal perspective. Either way, he's not what he claimed to be.

[Marr]

18. edit, because I can't seem to post correctly.

[amborin]

23. but that's not socialism

it's simply privatized profit for the big corps, and socialized debt (the masses pick up the tab for the corps' losses)

[amborin]

22. the rethugs are too stupid to know what

socialism or communism means

saw some cretin with an "Obama is a socialist" sticker on his car; what a moron!

Obama is so the opposite of a socialist, it's sickening

[laughingliberal]

24. I am what many consider of the far left (although a few years ago I was considered a mainstream

Democrat). I'm going out on a limb here to say he's not a far left radical who aims to turn the US into a communist totalitarian state.

[HughMoran]

26. Adolph Marx

;)

[Cleita]

29. No need to listen to what anyone is saying.

There's an old saying about knowing somebody by what they do and not what they say. It really simplifies things.

[SOCALS]

30. Russian political analysts believe

that Obama is a corporate shill, who was chosen to soften the image of America before the introduction of the New American Century. Also, according to Russians, Obama is used to pacify the poor masses so that they won't rebel and damage the US oligarchy system. The poor masses are tricked into thinking that their votes matter and happily keep feeding the corporate machine. These analysts believe that Obama will be thrown out of office in 2012 when America is ready for a hardcore Republican