Obama, The Dem Establishment, & the Politics of Denial

Obama, The Dem Establishment, & the Politics of Denial

“Sometimes I wonder whether I was 10 or 20 years too early,” Obama said.

How Trump’s Election Shook Obama: ‘What if We Were Wrong?’ – NY Times

"It is an ironic fact that the president who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his soaring disarmament rhetoric is the same president who has laid out $1 trillion plan to modernize every aspect of the U.S. nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years," said Matthew Bunn…

PolitiFact Sheet: Military spending under Obama and Congress 

By J.M. Hamilton (6-10-2018)

It’s summertime.  Life is brief & must be enjoyed, so let’s keep this one short & to the point.

Quick quiz.  Since 1980, Reagan forward, which US President is responsible for the following:

Ø During his presidency was an ardent defender of free trade, globalism, and the resulting offshoring of US labor by US multinationals?

Ø Expanded the US’ never ending wars to include Syria, Libya, returned to Iraq, and perpetuated the war in Afghanistan?

Ø Adopted neoliberal economic policies (aka laissez faire), while M&A and industry consolidation continued and grew under his watch?

Ø Bailed out the Wall St. banks w/ TRILLIONS, after the 2008 financial collapse, w/ a host of fiscal - and via the Fed - monetary policies & programs (w/ zero strings attached, or caveats & conditions that could have mitigated the impact of the crisis upon homeowners and the American public during the Great Recession).  In short, this POTUS bailed out the banks & left the American people on their own.

Ø Like any good Republican, the national debt spiraled out of control under his watch (in fairness, he inherited a mess, but did not take advantage of the catastrophe).

Ø Expanded the Police & Surveillance state under his administration.  Cuddled up w/ the private sector ministers of the Surveillance State: Silicon Valley, Wall St. Banks, MIC contractors, and Private Equity firms.

Ø Chewed whistleblowers in two, persecuted the honest, while letting multimillionaire/billionaire Wall St. thugs walk (after destroying the national economy).

Ø Exported a record number of illegal immigrants back to their home country.

Ø This POTUS was very late to the dance on gay marriage acceptance.

Ø Extrajudicial killings and a drone campaign expanded & thrived under this POTUS’ watch.

Ø Adopted a right-wing medical program, from the Heritage Foundation, attempting to provide privatized medical care for the uninsured, w/out reining in healthcare monopolies, cartels, and specials interests (which predictably, resulted in failure, via spiraling healthcare premiums).

Is JMH being provocative?  I sure hope so… that’s one of my goals in writing this bimonthly piece. 

Damn!  This President sounds positively right-wing. 

Could it be Reagan… No, military grade drones weren’t available yet (at least as presently used), and he was intelligent enough to avoid engaging US military forces in perennial war.

Could it be… let’s see, Bush I (HW)?  No, the former CIA Director was far smarter than his son.  He, actually, had respect for US troops, and pulled the nation out of the first Gulf War, after a quick & decisive victory. (By the way, the words "quick" and "decisive" are no longer in the DOD's lexicon.)

Speaking of which, how about Bush II?  No again.  Bush (W) had a soft spot for illegals (and inexpensive labor), and wanted a general amnesty.  Moreover, some members of the Bush family intermarried, and come from Hispanic patrimony.

Well who could this POTUS be… who is this uber Republican?  Perhaps, after repeal of the 22nd Amendment, this individual could replace POTUS Trump, if he goes down in flames?

Well the Republican is none other than POTUS Obama:  Super-Hawk, Neoliberal, Globalist, and proud sponsor of the US Police/Surveillance State (who just happened to send a record number of illegal immigrants - & presumably some refugees – back to the malaise, South of the border), et al.

My point in writing this piece is twofold.

One, we do, indeed, live in a one party state.

And two, the Democratic establishment still lives in denial. 

The Dem establishment will do anything, point to any shiny object –--- including, but not limited to, Saudi & Russian interference in the 2016 election (which does need to be investigated to conclusion), & the criminal enterprise that has become the Republican Party (which, yes, it’s true, is the party of lackeys) –--- to distract the public from the fact that their GOP-Lite, Clintonista, & Dem establishment policies (US Chamber policies!) failed a great many Americans.

The Dem establishment still lives in denial.  Hence, no hard push for campaign finance reform.  Hence, the very recent rollback of bank rules & regulations, voted for by Senate Dems.  And no, or very few, Dems pushing back against Mr. Trump’s expanded war in Syria, and his administration’s loving embrace and support for Middle East despots (because the Dems - & the US foreign policy establishment - have been supporting these very same dictatorships & policies for decades).

Instead of taking a hard look at themselves & seeking out real reforms… the Dem establishment trots out many of the same old tired tropes: Whites are misogynist & racist, and you know, Obama was our first black President.

Yes indeed, some whites are misogynist & racist, and some whites also voted for Obama & Trump.  This is what happens when people become desperate, despondent, and lose all Hope. 

They either die or become radical.

And yes, it’s also true, our first black Republican POTUS did nearly everything the banks, the US Chamber, multinationals, the MIC, and the monopolies asked for… very much to the detriment of the US economy, labor market, sound fiscal policy, and tax base. (Take a look at the man’s speaking engagements, post-presidency.)

All of this is to say, dear readers, is that JMH would be a hypocrite if I did not acknowledge our country has a significant problem w/ homophobia, misogyny, and racism.  

But JMH, and apparently a great many Dems, would also be in denial if we didn’t acknowledge the role Democratic establishment policies played in their nationwide sweep out of: state legislatures, governors' mansions, the US Congress, and most recently, the White House.

It’s time for the Dem establishment to stop living in denial; it’s time for the Dem establishment to begin supporting real democratic, economic, & foreign policy reforms. 

And, in particular, listen carefully, and adopt the Sanders/Warren wing of the party.  Locking out third party candidates from Democratic primaries, crushing grassroots campaigns, and continuing to rule - via a swamp-down approach - is a sure recipe for disaster. 

Sanders/Warren are the party's future, not the US Chamber.

It’s time to give the people a real choice, if our two party political system is to last.  The GOP establishment is a proven failure (hence, Trump)…   so why – unless instructed by the billionaire class/the donor class – would the Dem establishment continue GOP policies?

No wonder the United States has one of the West’s lowest voter participation rates. 

Who benefits from that? 

POTUS Obama didn’t arrive two decades too early.  It’s just that his administration held in place policies that were two decades too old.

Copyright JM Hamilton Publishing 2018