Open Season On Obama

In The Nation on Thursday, journalist Eric Alterman calls the Obama presidency “a big disappointment” for progressives. Now folks, how this bunch ever acquired the handle “progressives” eludes us. “Retrograde” works. No matter, these far left types are upset with their once-upon-a-time cult figure. Let’s take a look.

We know now that most moderates - those who do not share the progressive agenda - yet who voted for bo, simply failed to hit the books. They took a blind shot, the easy way. It didn’t work out for them or us. Obama remains Obama. But that excuse does not apply to faculty lounge types, phony intellectuals, all the rest of the progressive bunch (who despise moderate Democrats almost as much as they do Republicans). They did indeed do their homework. Obama was the most partisan in the Senate and they knew it. He was half black. He was slick. He palled around with those who instinctively kick the US - a credential for this bunch if there ever was one - and they knew it.

So they should have liked all of that, and they did. But wait! “It’s open season on Obama, whom so many hoped would lead us out of the neoliberal wilderness,”according to progressive blogger Les Leopold. “He was a community organizer and ought to know how working people have suffered through a generation of tax breaks for the rich, Wall Street deregulation and unfair competition. When the economy crashed, he was in the perfect position to limit the unjustified pay levels on Wall Street,” but did nothing to address the progressive agenda, claims Leopold.

What did these types miss? Easy, although they can be idealists (profoundly naive, but idealists anyway) and actually believe in this stuff, BO never was and never did. He is pure Chicago-bred politician, looking out for his own interest and knowing the machine well enough to secure that end. There is no idealist there for goodness sake. He knew how to lever his blackness, and to say what he needed to say. He isn’t going to fight any of their battles now. What fools.

Robert Craven