I know it's early--- hell the poor guy hasn't even been sworn in yet--but it sure looks like the O man is thinking like a certain Bubba from "Pig Suey" country.
Rham Emanuel, Daniel Tarullo,Jack Lew,Lawrence Summers,Peter Orszag....you get the picture.
And before you Obamaholics get yourselves into a tizzy, relax, this is not a bash O man post. I am just hoping that there will be some "change that we can believe in" coming really soon. Oh, and I didn't mention the biggest connection to Bubba of all; his lovely wife. Yes, if you believe Andrea Mitchell, who broke the story ("Broke" the story, that's a joke. Like she doesn't have a direct line to Hillary's people. They leaked that story to her plain and simple so that his O ness would have no choice but to give Hillary Condi's old job) Hillary will be our new Secretary of State. It is a shrewed pick on Obama's part (what better way to keep an eye on your most powerful opponent than to put her in your cabinet?), but it has its dangers as well. The State Department is not like any of the other departments under the President's control. The folks that run that bad boy can actually build a real power base of their own. Still, he could have done a lot worse than Hillary. She is smart and competent and she should be just fine representing Omerica to the rest of the world. Just watch for those snipers in Bosnia Hillary. (Field you just couldn't resist could you?)
His O ness sure seems to be going with this experience thing and with folks who know Washington. If all the leaks coming out are to be believed; we will have Tom Daschle, Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton, and Janet Napolitano all going to Washington with his O ness. Daschle has been in Washington since all those cherry blossom trees were just seeds, and his wife is a big time lobbyist. But I am letting that slide too because I actually like the guy, and like Hillary, I think he will do a fine job.
Hey, if everyone his O ness picks does a good job we all win. But if not, you will have folks like moi screaming that it didn't work because he didn't follow his change mantra, and put new fresh faces in Washington like he promised. I swear I studied at the feet of Antisthenes.
As far as the color and gender meter goes... well, so far the frat boy was better. So far. (Obama, I take it, is just getting started) The frat boy gave us Jackson, Powell, Gutierrez, and Rice to satisfy the color code. And he gave us folks like Mary Peters, Elaine Cho, and Dana Perino to satisfy the gender police. (Hell he gave us a two-fer with Condi) Problem with the frat boy's team is that they were loyal to him, and they seemed afraid to question his out of control neocon policies. As a result, he made inclusiveness seem like a bad thing. They were just window dressing to try and help cover up what was a fucked up administration. The good thing is, he made A-merry-ca realize that picking the good old boyz just because you were comfortable with them was wrong too, and it could have had some seriously fucked up consequences. Oh wait... "Brownie you're doing one heck of a job".
His O ness wants experience, and if you hear his people tell it, they want the best and the brightest. And if the best and the brightest satisfy the race and the color police, so be it. If not, hey, at least the trains will run on time. Now that's all good. But what if they don't satisfy the race and gender police and the trains don't run on time? What then?
So far his O ness seems like he is off to a good start. Word is that he will be be picking Timothy Geithner to run Treasury; and when news of the pick leaked out the Dow shot up over 500 points by the close of trading on Friday. That's all good and well, but isn't picking Geithner-- a Wall Street insider--- kind of like picking a fox to watch the hen house? That's not change is it O man? I am just saying.
Anyway, I am going to leave his O ness for now and let him make the rest of his picks. This is just field being field. Me opening up my big mouth before this cabinet even fully takes shape.
But just remember O man, the race and gender police will be watching. Eric Holder, Bill Richardson, Hillary Clinton, and......
Oh, before I forget: O man please consider Lisa Jackson for the EPA head. I know she is on your transition team, but she wants more. She is a chemical engineer, and she has a Master's Degree from Princeton. (In the spirit of true disclosure Mrs. Field has a rooting interest in that pick.) She is already the Environmental Protection Commissioner over in New Jersey, and it doesn't get anymore challenging than trying to clean up the environment over there. She would be an example of some change that we could believe in. Besides, you would get a twofer like the frat boy did with Condi. And I honestly think that she would do a better job.
So good luck with the rest of the team O man. I hope you pick the best people for the job. And I hope that all of those people look like the rest of Omerica.
56 comments:
That would be "Woo Pig Sooie!" Holder and Clinton were bad picks IMHO, but it look like he's tracking center left which sounds good to me.
szpork
"But what if they don't satisfy the race and gender police and the trains don't run on time? What then?"
Let's turn that around. What if they do satisfy the race and gender police and the trains don't run on time again?
Answer: If the trains don't run on time this time, it just don't matter about the rest.
I swear everybody needs to claim down about Obama's people that going to be in his cabinet....First all he has done what nobody has every done...He became President-Elect...
Let wait until the man is in office for at least a year and then start complaining..
This man is beyond intellegent, he is 3 steps above the rest of us..He thinks down the line.
Obama knows exactly what he is doing..
Choosing Hillary, Tom, or any other known suspect is like a game to the O man...He is lining up his teams (enemy or foe) to back him up..We was not all please when he chose Biden (but we got used to him).
Give it a year or two...because the way I see it...my Obama check aint mail yet and definitely want a long term investment not the instant cash.
I think one could equally take a pessimistic or optimistic interpretation.
Pessimistically, one accepts that Obama is a product of Harvard Law and (by osmosis) Univ of Chicago Law. For many of that ilk, "change" means going from a Beamer to a Lexus.
Optimistically, one recognizes that Obama is known to admire Lincoln and his model of governance. Lincoln never took one step, no matter how passionately he was wedded to it, until he felt people were ready to go along with it. And he worked tirelessly to convince them it was they who wanted it rather than he. So Obama could be doing the Lincoln thing, and taking it slowly, as Mesha said. I'm hoping so!
Mesha said.... "This man is beyond intellegent, he is 3 steps above the rest of us..He thinks down the line."
What is beyond intelligent? Omnipotence? You may want to curb your enthusiasm a little, the pitfalls are just inevitable. Obama got a bad deal from the start and I'm willing to give him four years. But I will criticize him when he's doing bad, politicians thrive on that. It's called polling.
szpork
Hi FN I'm still lurking in the fields.
I'm with Mesha if I remember correctly he promised change from the dictatorship of Bush. I think Obama is placing people who have experience to help ease the fears of many Americans but I also see him appointing new blood in his administartion.
I may not comment often but I am always lurking and enjoy the reads.
I've reserved comment on Obama's cabinet because there are a lot of people from the A-list bloggers to my fellow field dwellers who need to chill out.
I don't care if so and so said something bad about women and is automatically DQ'ed from running the Treasury. These are serious times and we need the best and the brightest at every position, period.
I'll pass judgment in four years.
The good thing about President-elect Obama tapping the Borg Queen for Sec'y of State is:
1. she will be out of the country 50% of the time
2. NY Gov. Patterson can appoint AG Andrew Cuomo to replace her
3. the Borg Queen has a Boss
4. her Boss can fire her ass
I'm trying to be positive.
"I'm trying to be positive"
I am with you Christopher. I tried to be as open minded as possible about Hillary. To me Bill is the biggest problem. The Lunatics on the right will be trailing his ass for scandals and I trust Bill will deliver. Which leaves the administration to have to sort out their mess and clean after them like they did before.
They wanted it too badly it was scary.I hope he will pull the plug on her when necessary.
I don't think Obama is as soft and spineless as the rest of the dems. He made sure Bill agreed to let the O-team vet all his future speeches before he offered Hillary the job. Even now he says she's got it but he won't make the announcement till after Txgiving. He does not fuck around, and those around him will find that out sooner or later. My epiphany came when someone asked him why he wasn't hitting back hard on McCain. He said (paraphrase) "It's better if they don't see you coming."
On Hillary being secretary and Bill Clinton reaction, it is JUST SICK and FUNNY
Oh, yeah, one more thing: Barack says:
EVERYONE CHILL THE FUCK OUT, I GOT THIS.
Hey there Field Negro!
What about The Biracial President putting a transgender on the Cabinet...now THAT would be change we can believe in!! And what about adding a lesbian who is "married"? And what about adding an openly gay politico to the cabinet?
Ummm....by the way....some think Condi was a three-fer not a two-fer...{raised brow}
You didn't mention any Native American candidates...are there NO powerful Native Americans in the entire U.S. of O who have a seasoned political career?
So far, it looks like the new Prez is paying back favors with these cabinet appointments....
Once all the favors are REPAID...then we get to see who is really CHOSEN as the best and brightest...
So stay tuned....
With Obama as the first black president, that's got to make up for several black appointments.
He can afford to be magnanimous.
I, for one, never equated Obama's mantra of change with new faces from the Washington landscape, or beyond.
To get anything done in Washington, you've got to be able to manipulate Congress, and what better way to do that than to use Congressional insiders--not lobbyists exactly, but those who have held Congressional seats of power, and perhaps got a few favors in reserve that they can call on.
Change for me has always been about:
1. Ending the Iraq war, and bringing stability to Afghanistan.
2. Restoring this country's rightful place in the world, while commanding the respect of all nations--friends and foe.
3. Reclaiming this country as the place where opportunity abounds, and the hopes and dreams of the average man can be realized.
4. Upholding our Constitution, and the rights that are guaranteed therein.
5. Providing a workable healthcare system that will support the elderly, and new families struggling to get a financial toehold without going bust because of sudden or on-going healthcare issues.
6. Restructuring our education system from the bottom up, providing this nation with an educated populace that can manage a 21st Century economy, and contribute to a workforce with increasing demands--demands requiring skilled, and competent workers that will allow this nation to compete in the global economy.
7. Narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, supporting a viable middleclass which will be the hub of this nation's strength and resilience.
8. Combating global warming by creating a green economy, an less dependence on fossil fuels.
9. Reducing, if not eliminating, this nation's dependence on oil imports, and the creation of alternative, cleaner fuels, and vehicles to run on them.
10. Taking the lead in the development of new technologies--technologies that will ease the burden of the world's poor, as they scratch out a living, and struggle against diseases that can be avoided, or easily cured.
Those are some of the changes that I'm looking for. If Obama can achieve just half of them (regardless of who he enlists to carry out the task), I will deem his presidency a success.
blackwomen...you are tought. But, you said what I am sure quite q few folks have been thinking aobut. ahem ahem, certain people.
Black Diaspora, I like the outline. You need to send that to O's transition people so that they can pass it along to him. Those are some great points. I love #6 and #7.
"I'll pass judgment in four years."
But R.J., can we wait for years? I am moe inclined to go with mesha and give it a year or two before I start whining. Now this is if and only if I think his O ness is f*&^&*g up. Unlike with the frat boy, I am confident that this won't be the case. I think his O ness will actually do a good job.
Jazzy, thanks for lurking. It's all good. You don't always have to comment. But when you see something that you have to get your two cents in on, please always feel free to jump in.
The definition of change is as limited as the definition of morality. I have no judgments on his cabinet yet since its too early (and honestly I couldn't even a little bit as long as the job gets done).
But my example is always regarding my time in the Army. Anyone in the military can relate to this. You can take the same group of soldiers and at one point they are alright and a few months later that same group is excellent. The only difference was their leadership. Leaders set the tone.
Amen Field
I have held back... until this weekend... when the Clinton offer was confirmed...and then accepted.
All bets are off now. Obama will take the place of Bush on my blog real soon.
I regret voting for him. He will have to start all over with me...from square one. But I knew this was in the cards... I knew I was voting for the lesser of two evils.
When I entered the voting booth... I was more motivated to vote against McCain and that crazy ass Sarah Palin.... as opposed to voting for Barack Obama.
Clinton as SOS? He couldn't have chosen a more Right-leaning Democrat (DINO) for the most important Cabinet position. Only Lieberman would have been worse. But his whole Cabinet & staff is made up of Clintonites....with the exception of just a couple so far.
And there are no Progressives in sight.... He has completely turned his back on his base... the very same people who got this chump elected.
Folks are telling me to wait...to hold my criticism... that he isn't done filling cabinet posts yet... but all of the key posts (for the issues that i'm most concerned with) have already been filled. Perhaps Defense Secretary is the remaining post that i'm watching for... but there are really no Progressives (never are) for that particular position. In fact, Obama is likely to go even farther to the Right to fill that slot. We may even see a Republican as Defense Secretary (the same thing Clinton did).
The Holder pick was a semi-decent choice...although the man's closet leads to a graveyard. Skeletons all over the place. Someone like a Patrick Fitzgerald might have been more "pragmatic"...a term that some are trying to convince me to embrace as an Obama motive (pragmatism). But i'm not accepting that Kool-Aid.
Napolitano for DHS? Limited experience running a huge organization...and limited experience in Law Enforcement matters. Half of his appointments so far have not made much sense.
This is why i'm an independent...
The W.E.B. Dubois quote that I have posted is really ringing true right now:
"The two parties have combined against us to nullify our power by a ‘gentleman's agreement' of non-recognition, no matter how we vote ... May God write us down as asses if ever again we are found putting our trust in either the Republican or the Democratic Parties."
Anyway... over the next few weeks... i'll be pivoting... setting my sights on the Snake Oil Salesman and Triangulator- in-Chief, and the Republicrats in Congress.
But that SOS post is really nuts... this has my blood boiling.
Don't expect much "change" in U.S. foreign policy...from the John Wayne approach we've had under Bush...and even Clinton before that. It will be business as usual, with just a few subtle differences. What we have is the same cast of characters...with the same script. We're just seeing a costume change.
I guess for some folks... that's all the "change" they need. But that just doesn't work for me.
Black Diaspora...
I couldn't get past your #1. "Ending the Iraq War".
You really consumed all the inventory in the Kool-Aid factory if you believed that one. Obama isn't going to end the war in 16 months... that was a lie from the beginning.
We are looking at another 3-5 years in Iraq (minimum).
And as for the remainder of your list... Obama won't be able to make good on half the domestic promises he made, because his Foreign Policy is on course to be a disaster. He will have to divert those funds to Iraq, Afghanistan, a new Arms Race and resurgent Cold War in Europe, possible moves by China against Taiwan, and a military conflict with Iran (which is more likely today than it was 2 weeks ago), and likely increased instability in North Korea (among other problems). These problems will exacerbate the ongoing financial & economic crisis... which will require even more money to be diverted to the banks. This represents several areas where funding for the Snake Oil promises will be siphoned off.
What he does with Foreign Policy will help determine how successful he will be regarding everything else. And based on what he has telegraphed on the Foreign Policy front in terms of the direction he is headed in... things aren't looking so good.
The Borg Queen is a neocon in a pantsuit.
I've always said, if the U.S. invaded Iran under the pretext that the country was developing nukes, the Borg Queen would ride atop the first American military tank that makes its way into Tehran.
The Borg Queen is an angry woman and she sees the world in terms of them and us. No wonder she dissed President-elect Obama in the primaries over his commitment to using diplomacy over military might.
Ultimately, I think the Borg Queen could be very dangerous. Obama will need to keep her on a short leash, or her appointment to Sec'y of State could be disastrous.
Keep your enemies close. Same thing applies to Lieberman.
Unfortunately, change is going to have to take a back seat to just fixing the train wreck that Bush Cheney have created. This includes the economy. You want the best most experienced people you can find for this difficult task.
Obama got where he is today because he knows how to put together a strong team of the best and the brightest. Cut the guy some slack and don't second guess and arm chair quarterback his every move. I have an odd notion that he knows exactly what he is doing and what he is doing is what is going to be best for the country.
We are looking at another 3-5 years in Iraq
This is probably the same time table for Afghanistan, or perhaps even longer. Hopefully Obama was just blustering about Pakistan becuase that is country we really don't want to get involved in; the Pakistani ISI has been in bed with the Taliban since the civil war in the 1990's and they will have to be dealt with. We could be looking at a lot more war to come.
Dudes:
Have some Faith in him...we elected him..the least we can do is trust him and his decisions...what I like is that he will not be afraid to make the decisions , using his judgment, (and NOT that of Bloggers, much less race/color police) to lead the country the way he believes is best. ...'nuff said.
This 3 year deal was finished before this administration ended. They had been trying to negotiate for a 10 year presence. The Iraq military expects to rearm with US gifts. That is why they made this deal now. It really put the president elect in a bind as far as Iraq. Troops can be pulled out in 16 months, but the support would have to continue.
AI, why don't you say what you REALY think? LOL! I love your passion fam. But I think I drank a little more of the Kool Aide than you did (My wife is an Obamaholic, I think she put something in my food), so I am going to cut his O ness some more slack. And as someone above stated; we need to just fix this train wreck first before we do anything else. (Thank you frat boy)
Yes, Hillary as SOS is an interesting pick. But I disagree with you and Chris. I don't think Hillary is an ideologue. I think all of her motivations are political. So I think she will learn to triangulate just enough on the world stage to do a decent job.
classical one, I say at least another ten years in Afghanistan (Remember the Russians?). And Iraq is looking like another three or four. I guess the fix was in all along.
Oh well, at least we are not losing two or three soldiers a day anymore. (Not yet at least)
Good post, field. I'm concerned about all the old Washington/Clinton hands. Yes, it's good to get some of that experience, but we really need some more new ideas, too. I'll go with the Lisa Jackson pick, though.
I also feel a bit disappointed in Hillary as SOS. Yeah, I think she'll do well enough there - I agree with you, field. But I really think Obama should have held her in place to be his first pick for the Supreme Court - because I'm pretty sure he'll get at least one, if not more, and I think she'd be a better Justice than either senator or SOS. Besides, on the Court she'd be both neutralized as Obama's opponent, and a (semi)permanent thorn in the side of the far right.
Almost everyone of these blogs are proof you people drank the kool-aid!!!
You talk trash about “the hill” for the last several months and then when your “all knowing” boy makes it to the big time what does he do …….HE CALLS IN BILL’S PEOPLE!!!!
Too funny I love this…..
Field, I hear you. I had the same reaction after Holder and the reconciliation with Lieberman (ugh!) came one right after the other. My antennae are up and waving in the wind.
That said, I think we've got to keep in mind that Obama will enter office in the middle of a full-blown economic crisis. It will dominate everything. I can't remember a time as scary as this. I think the country has already gone over the cliff, and the question will now be how far we fall and how many bones get broken.
As much as it irritates me at a certain level to see so many of the same characters, it looks like Obama is assembling an experienced group of people who will be able to put practical ideas into motion quickly. We're going to need that more than just about anything else, so I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
One think I definitely want to see happen is for the Clintons to get their shit together NOW. Events are moving rapidly and the news cannot continue to be all-Clintons, all the time. (In her defense, a whole lot of it is created by the media -- but not all of it. So, Bill 'n Hill, move your asses because there are things to do.)
As for Michael Brown of FEMA, the mere mention of the man makes my blood run colder than a Siberian river in January. He is one of the very worst this country has ever had to offer. No forgiveness for Brownie. Not ever.
Good points Field. His list of advisors were scarey which included Madeleine Albright of all folks. You remember this Heartless Hoochie saying without blinking an eye to a 60 minutes camera that if it took starving all the children in Iraq in order for the US government to get its way, then so be it. I am paraprhasing of course but you get the point.
The rubber is going to start hitting the road Brother Field and we are going to be in for more business as usual.
I like the WEB Dubois quote recited
by the Angry Independent. It still holds true today as when Malcolm X said years later when he said he wouldn't support Republicans or Democrats because they both have sold us out.
I think some folks have gotten so wrapped up in the idea of what us church folks would call "cheap" grace that is hoping for something without any substantive reason for that hope.
Brother Obama did not run as an independent and he did not promise any radical changes though he may make some but they will be granted comfortably within the system.
And I get the enthusiasm of the Obama fans who like things as they are or are also fans of what the US government does in the world and at home, who just want a better face put on the injustices, exploitation, and outright gansterism (read Iraq, Afghanistan and dropping missles in Pakistan counts too)
Nothing is gained in human history by pretending that something is what it is not. As I always tell young people, "watch the feet, not the lips."
Well, there's another Clintonista who might be even better for EPA, if the O can convince him to get back into politics: Al Gore!
Regarding Clinton for SOS... well, we'll see how that develops, but consider that we're getting Bill for free as a matching "good cop". And much as we want to patch up our relations with other countries, we also don't want to look too wussy.
There's no question the Borg Queen is a neocon and an ideologue.
Consider:
1. she opposed the international treaty to ban land mines and voted against the Feinstein-Leahy amendment restricting U.S. exports of cluster bombs to countries that use them against civilian-populated areas.
2. She opposed restrictions on U.S. arms transfers and police training to governments that engage in gross and systematic human rights abuses, such as Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Israel, Pakistan, Cameroon and Chad, to name only a few.
3. She insisted upon continuing unconditional funding for the Iraq war and has called for dramatic increases in Bush’s already bloated military budget.
4. She challenged the credibility of Amnesty International and other human rights groups that criticize policies of the United States and its allies.
5. She's one of the Senate’s most outspoken critics of the United Nations, even serving as the featured speaker at rallies outside U.N. headquarters in July 2004.
6. She voted to authorize the U.S. invasion of Iraq despite its being a clear violation of the U.N. Charter and in July 2004 falsely accused the United Nations of not taking a stand against terrorism when it has opposed U.S. policy.
7. She was one of the most prominent critics of the International Court of Justice for its landmark 2004 advisory ruling that the Fourth Geneva Conventions on the Laws of War is legally binding on all signatory nations.
8. She condemned the United Nations’ judicial arm for challenging the legality of Israel’s separation barrier in the occupied West Bank and sponsored a Senate resolution “urging no further action by the United Nations to delay or prevent the construction of the security fence.”
9. She's shown little regard for the danger from proliferation of nuclear weapons, not only opposing the enforcement of U.N. Security Council resolutions challenging Pakistan, Israel and India’s nuclear weapons programs but supporting the delivery of nuclear-capable missiles and jet fighters to these countries.
10. She voted to suspend important restrictions on U.S. nuclear cooperation with countries that violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
11. She insists that the prospect of Iran’s developing nuclear weapons “must be unacceptable to the entire world,” since challenging the nuclear monopoly of the United States and its allies in the region would somehow “shake the foundation of global security to its very core.”
12. She accused the Bush administration of not taking the threat of a nuclear Iran seriously enough, criticized the administration for allowing European nations to take the lead in pursuing a diplomatic solution and insisted that the United States should make it clear that military options were still being actively considered.
13. She insists that the United States should maintain the right to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear countries.
14. She was an outspoken supporter of Israel’s massive military assault on the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, which took the lives of over 1,000 civilians -- 500 of whom were children under the age of 12.
15. She justified it by claiming it would “send a message to Hamas, Hezbollah, to the Syrians [and] to the Iranians” because they opposed the United States and Israel’s commitment to “life and freedom.”
16. She's continued to cite a right-wing group’s 1999 report claiming the Palestinian Authority was publishing anti-Semitic textbooks. Like President Bush, she is more prone to believe ideologically driven propaganda than independent investigative reporting or scholarly research.
17. She ignores substantial evidence that Iraq had already rid itself of its chemical and biological weapons and no longer had a nuclear program.
18. She justified her calls for a U.S. invasion of Iraq on the grounds that “if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.” Even after it was discovered that Iraq no longer had “weapons of mass destruction.”
If her voting record, policy positions and beliefs don't qualify her as a neocon and an ideologue, then I'm a conservative -- not!
Field--more heartbreak is coming. Change means exchanging one group of Bigshots and Cronies for another, perhaps. But Obamaholics will accuse you of blasphemy as soon as look at you for just raising this possibility. Look at what happened to Jimi Izrael when he posted a mere satire (OK he ain't as artful as Twain or Mencken but he's all we got) of Michelle Obama's mamma as First Mother in law.
This excuse that Clinton's Administration was the only Democratic training ground available is nonsense. Who says people have to come from this sector? You trying to tell me that there aren't capable, intelligent, innovative folks--even famous folks--outside of the old Clinton training ground? JFK, to whom Barack's compared, eschewed a whole load of Democrat functionaries and brought legions of new talent to DC at the top levels. I just don't see this stewing here with this new Administration with only a few exceptions--including marshalling low level staff.
And don't think the GOP isn't a tad happy that Bill will be around as gadfly, and God knows what kind of business dealings overseas this fool has kept even from Hillary.
This is a drive-by posting...all of you silly little Obamaholics betta duck!
I have to go with the Angry Indy and Du Bois on this one...and I stopped by here frequently during the primary and presidential runs to bring home this point: OBAMA IS NOT AN AGENT OF CHANGE...BUT MORE OF THE SAME! I'm sorry ya'll but this brotha is not going to deliver on his grandiose promises.
You folks fail to overstand that we are nothin' more than sheep for the two-headed, ONE PARTY system of the ruling class. When are we going to realize that there is NO DIFFERENCE between the two parties.
I know Field's tryin to be diplomatic and objective...but me I don't give a shit about being that way...Brotha Obama was and is nothing more than a pacifier for a nation who's political psyche (and pocketbook) been raped and pillaged by the right/left gatekeepers of the one party system.
Can't you folks recognize that he was CHOSEN at the 2004 convention for that purpose...the ruling class in this country have already made slaves of us and our great-grandchildren...to the tune of trillions of dollars in debt and taxes...so of course, they needed a good front man to divert us from those facts for a few years. Everybody's so caught up in the "black-man as president" historical shit...and failed to see that there were alternatives...real candidates that represented REAL CHANGE. Until we start truly recognizing our inherit right to liberty and force our system to work for us...change will NEVER happen.
Throughout the campaign all I heard was disparaging or disconnected remarks about how third party candidates never have chance...and that voting for them is a "wasted" vote...but I don't buy that bullshit. I voted for Cynthia McKinney because she is a TRUE PATRIOT and actually stood up for things that represent what I believe...liberty, justice and speaking truth to power.
Obama puts on a good front...but I knew that he would be nothing more than a "player" in the bigger picture to keep things just as they are...his vote on FISA...his embracing AIPAC the DAY AFTER winning the nomination...his tacks to the right on the war, bailout...even up to his current cabinet neo-con/Clintonian choices...and ya'll folks still can't see the writing on the goddamn wall.
"It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. Capitalism used to be like an eagle, but now it's more like a vulture. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody's blood whether they were strong or not. But now it has become more cowardly, like the vulture, and it can only suck the blood of the helpless. It's only a matter of time in my opinion before it will collapse completely." - Malcolm X
Shit...even the mullahs of Al Queda recognize the O'man ain't nothing but another house negro.
By the way Field: the Redskins maybe be bizarre and inconsistent but the Ravens showed that it indeed ain't just Andy Reid. Look man, Numero Cinco must go. Fresh start. It's not a color thing. He'd be labeled a sad sack if he were white.
JFK brought us Robert McNamara.
Well it's not like anyone expected the imperialist dragon would be in any real danger of being declawed or defanged. We can only hope for a slowing of the bleeding of the peasantry over the next four years. To be honest, I only voted for the man because of Michelle and the symbolically uplifting images of regular Black folks finally being up top o' the heap.
Back in February, before the primaries were over I wrote this:
This presidential election of 2008, still being decided, has often been spoken of in terms of history. Even more so, it has been constantly spoken of, by virtually all the candidates as a watershed for "change". In actuality, barring a miracle, the only historical change that there may be...maybe... someone other than a white male elected President of the United States this year. This change, important yet ultimately superficial, in these days of greatly diminished expectations, is cause for rapturous awe, and a strange mix of delirious optimism and great anxiety. We have given up on a fair system. We have long given up on even a slightly less bloodthirsty imperialism (which we are actually supposed to be proud of!) All we have to hope for is a symbolic victory, one that gaurantees no substantive change in policy in terms of what really matters.
I will not downplay the power of the symbolism. The United States, with something other than a white male as president, will look a lot different. It will even feel a lot different. Alas, I fear it won't actually be much different.
On Presidential Role Models
Touche on McNamara, but at least he was a "new" face. The other part--JFK got killed. I refuse to believe that McNamara would have been so unbridled and utterly clueless that you could fight a corporate war in the jungle had JFK lived and Bobby been in close proximity.
PS Field, I'm waiting for you to come to my blog and defend this slow motion trainwreck that is the Egg-hills...
I think we need a little perspective. Obama's gotta do what Obama's gotta do and we've gonna deal with that like everything else. A contained Hillary is better than one free to wreck havoc. She's not the most qualified candidate but who said life was fair? Personally I can't stand the Clintons because they are just as self-serving and disinterested in the needs of the majority of Black people as your average Republican. They just duped a lot of us into believing that until this year.
If Hillary had been the nominee and McCain had deployed Palin with a bit more finese we'd be talking about doing battle against the Rethugs for another 4-8 years.
Of course we can DO something else like storm the barricades French Revolution style. Of course someone's gotta be willing to get shot in the process.
We still have to get through the end of the Bush reign of terror and his last acts of vengeance against the 'let them eat cake' crowd (most of us) before he departs.
I agree that we should evaluate the incoming administration but part of this fervor for doing it now came because people were asleep at the wheel before. Let's not overcompensate.
I will weigh in on all of this AFTER January 20th. Til then, this is all just mental masturbation.
I've been waiting for your opinion on Obama's picks.
For me, I am sending Tavis Smiley a note of apology. I am the most dissapointed by the House Negro AG appointment. States and local law enforcement will continue business as usual around this country with the feds continuing to look the other way.
I truley feel like I've been cheated on. LOL
Anon 4:11PM. You are obviously no fan of his O ness. But like Jod said, let's give him a chance. He deserves that much. I am not thrilled with his picks so far, but they are his picks, let's see what he does with them.
Christopher, you lay out some good points. You know your "borg queen".:) I guess if you put it that way....
Christopher, I am trying to put that massacre in B More today out of my mind. But WTF? Andy Reid must have lost his mind benching "5".
David, I don't think Gore wants to be in anyones administration. I think he likes his life just the way it is.
@The Angry Independent:
Black Diaspora...
I couldn't get past your #1. "Ending the Iraq War".
You really consumed all the inventory in the Kool-Aid factory if you believed that one. Obama isn't going to end the war in 16 months... that was a lie from the beginning.
My bad, A.I., I should have consulted your crystal ball before constructing my list.
It won't happen again.
Yo Field, Anon 4:11...and you're absolutely right, I'm no fan of the O'man...but I'm no playa-hater either. Sure, the O'man has made the historic leap to become the first "black" man to occupy the "White (man's) House", but as previously stated...let's not get caught up in the cult of personality just because this brotha is the new figurehead of A-merry-ka...let's keep it real, this shit is more symbolic than substance.
Anyone here with any semblance of intellectual honesty and street-wise foresight can see that the real overseers (see "ruling class"...you know that 1% of the population that OWNS us) of this nation will not allow things to "change" all that much...(see debt...bailout...corporate welfare...increase taxation, etc., etc.)
And let's keep it real ya'll...they ALL drink from the same corporate waste pond...and quiet as kept, so does his O'ness.
Folks do your research...I ain't talkin about that right-wing propaganda shit about his O'ness being a muslim-terrorist plant or any whacked-out shit like that...I'm talking about his REAL CONNECTIONS...not that Ayers-Wright sleight-of-hand stuff...I'm talking about his REAL CONNECTIONS.
O'man ain't nothing but neo-con lite...a puppet of the same group of elites that are committed to continue greed and global conquest.
I hate to be that niggro to get drunk at the "change" party and piss in the brotha's presidential pool...but is this nigga talkin about bringing real justice? Will there be criminal indictments re: the present administration's clear and factual deceit and LIES that deaths of millions of Iraqis and over 4000 Americans? Will he reinstate habeas corpus and strike all of those PATRIOT ACT laws...that he voted to uphold via FISA vote? Will he truly bring those kids home in Iraq or will he just use them as cannon fodder in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
lemme get my drunk ass outta here!
talldarkanddeep
Look at it this way...President McClain and Vice President Palin.....
We all did the right thing...because the chose above will have definitely been disturbing....
Obama can choose anybody at this point...
If you all have any question...look at Palin video at Turkey farm last week.
Go President Obama...I got your back. Forget the rest.
Like President Elect O man said we have one President at a time..All the shit most of you are talking is directed at the wrong Preident.
and tell Travis that...
I have no problems with Obama's selections thus far. I also never assumed that "change" would refer only to personnel. I think change means that our government will be more responsive to We The People, rather than to the Corporatocracy. I think we have to remember that we are coming out of eight long years in which the President did everything *except* make the decisions. Whoever was running things--Cheney, Rove, Rice, some shadow government we may never know about--it was never George W. Being President was "hard work" for him. Too hard, in fact. After about his third vacation that first year, it became painfully obvious that he was NOT in charge. We have to remember that that is not the way it's supposed to be. I think that with the Obama administration, we will once again have a President who IS The Decider. His staff and Cabinet will be answering to him, and not the other way around. There will be no shadow governments anymore.
p.s. None of these appointments is a hack or a crony, and that's a change. And, as I understand it, Mr. Geithner is a government employee, not a Wall Streeter in the sense of Henry Paulson.
"Bubba from pig suey country?"
yaaaaaawn. . .
I know a lot of "bubbas" in "pig suey" country who busted their asses for months trying to make a miracle happen and a bunch of "bubbas" in "pig suey" country like Ohio who busted their asses for months and DID make a miracle happen.
In recent news, Obama is looking at 2 black women to run the FCC.
http://www.afro.com/tabid/456/itemid/2161/Obama-May-Pick-First-Black-Woman-to-Head-FCC.aspx
President-Elect Barack Obama is said to be considering appointing the first Black woman to chair the Federal Communications Commission, according to Broadcast Engineering. The two Black women mentioned are Julia Johnson, a Florida consultant who heads Video Access Alliance, an advocacy and advisory group for independent, emerging and minority networks and Internet content providers; and Mignon Clyburn, a member of the Public Service Commission of South Carolina who is a former newspaper publisher and the daughter of House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.
Sounds like we might get some change to believe in after all.
That was long journey to post this message..whew!! lot's of good reading tho..but um..Can we wait until Obama actually sits his skinny black ass down in the chair???!!! lol..chill people! lol
sharon from ct said: "I have no problems with Obama's selections thus far. I also never assumed that "change" would refer only to personnel. I think change means that our government will be more responsive to We The People, rather than to the Corporatocracy. I think we have to remember that we are coming out of eight long years in which the President did everything *except* make the decisions. Whoever was running things--Cheney, Rove, Rice, some shadow government we may never know about--it was never George W. Being President was "hard work" for him. Too hard, in fact. After about his third vacation that first year, it became painfully obvious that he was NOT in charge. We have to remember that that is not the way it's supposed to be. I think that with the Obama administration, we will once again have a President who IS The Decider. His staff and Cabinet will be answering to him, and not the other way around. There will be no shadow governments anymore."
The entire cadre that the O'man has picked so far reads like a retread of past Bush/Clinton/Bush II administrations. Rahm Emmanuel...John Podesta...Larry Summers...his protege' and Bush appointee Tim Geithner...David Axelrod...Robert Reich...Hillary Clinton...and you can believe her her deal was brokered right after the primary...Eric Schmidt...advice from Paul Volcker...the man who was responsible for 25% interest rates while he chaired the Fed Reserve?
So you think an Obama-led government will be more responsive to our needs with many of the very people who aided and abetted the problems which led to wars and the 700 billion dollar welfare check to their corporate friends?
Insofar as the secret government...that's remains in full effect.
Have you heard anything about his plan to repeal the Patriot Act? What about other presidential directives and orders that impugn our privacy or liberties?
Yeah...I thought as much.
I know it bothers some here that all of us black folks (I voted for Cynthia McKinney too) ain't on the Obama-love train but I reckon by June, most folks will snap out of it to realize that they were screwed either way. I, for one, am happy it wasn’t McInsane and Painlin...I would have surely left the county...just listening to that woman speak was unbearable...and McCain...just more of the same archaic right-wing ideologies.
Obama represents the "new" left/right-wing moderate, can-we-all-get-along false "new deal" rehashed, American-dream paradigm. which just happens to be the same old corporate greed paradigm that appeals to the elite on both sides of the political fence. Please note the absence of leaders of labor groups, small business associations, congressional black caucus representation, or retirees groups like AARP – there is not even a token face representing any of these groups, all of which
have a vital interest in economic policy. It doesn't take an oracle to read the writing on the wall.
Yes people, change and unity are great campaign slogans, but if that’s all you’re basing your love for him upon, you will be sorely disappointed as his positions and promises are full of very large holes. This is no FDR New Deal...just more of the same corporate greed and political chicanery.
@ George M
Willie Nelson also has illegitimate children...and um....what about that Clinton fella??
Pleeeeease let us not pretend that Chelsea is an only child!! Cut it out!
What solrac2002 said: Obama showed us during the two years of the campaign that he can respond in the short term, but keep to the long view. Once he is actually in office, we'll see what happens. In the meantime, the man has promised to close that national shame that is the Guantanamo prison camp. That is change! He has said his government will not condone the use of torture. That is change! He has gone public with a plan to invest significant resources in our national infrastructure and job creation. Change, folks! He is not going to do what Carter and Clinton did, and try to set up a government of outsiders who will be blocked at every turn by the Washington insiders. A mix of competent folks with considerable experience in getting things done (like Biden who authored the Violence Against Women Act and managed to get it through Congress and get it reapproved) and some folks who have already been appointed to important staff positions who have a track record of getting things done, makes me think that he has had plenty of time and good advice about how to implement his plans. We elected someone who can articulate a vision as a leader, but who is also a pragmatist. I say, let's see what happens before we jump ship in the name of purity. This is not about symbolism, it is about effective action. Slow and steady wins the race.
anaoymous, Obama has *already* been more responsive to We The People in the 20 days since the election, than the Bush administration has been for the last 8 years. As for privacy and liberty, the Obama team has tens, maybe hundreds, of people combing through all the presidential directives and signing statements right now. I don't think they'd be expending that kind of effort if he weren't serious about nullifying the worst of them. As for the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, he can't singlehandedly repeal it, but he sure can insist that the new Congress send him an amended Act that does not violate 9 of the 10 articles of the Bill of Rights.
Can we please wait for the guy to be sworn in before all you anonymouses out there start calling for his impeachment?
Y'all, he picked the competent folks out of the grab-bag that was the Clinton Administration.
I may not think too highly of Clinton's ability to govern (not legislate), but her ONLY job at Foggy Bottom will be "Keeping things tamped down."
This shitstorm is hitting the fan in a hurry, and things will be worse before they will be better. Obama's got bigger things to deal with than the rest of the world.
So thank you Mrs. Co President Hillary. Keep the world offa our back, we gotta get our own house in order firstest.
One of the main people I'm praying that he gives a job to is Senator Kerry, because he was one that introduced him to the public's eye in 2004.
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