Barack Obama and the democratic party
The so-called ‘underemployment rate’ released on Friday rose to 16.7%. It would be interesting to know what percentage of those who do have jobs are either not making enough to make ends meet or are fearful of getting the sack. If we added them to the ‘underemployment rate’ there would be little doubt the vast majority are struggling under extremely insecure conditions.
Meanwhile we have President Barack Obama, who campaigned as a dynamic man of action and change, a 21st century Franklin Roosevelt. The utter fraud of this individual is by now clearly seen, Daily Kos true believers excepted, but the New York Times piles on yet more evidence today. Obama, it says, will begin publicly focusing on the economy next week (after returning from vacation in Martha’s Vineyard) and, from his newly decorated oval office, will “propose modest additional tax breaks, temporary and aimed at small business to promote hiring”. What an outrage! What a failure! The best this man of hope and change can offer is modest business tax breaks! His lack of leadership and conviction is causing the breakup of any semblance of a coalition. The democrats’ campaign message is reported as a “Babel of individual voices”. “Democratic leaders are imploring Mr. Obama to come off the sidelines and lead the fight.” Is it not clear as day that Obama, with his right wing cabal of Wall Street cronies, is the reincarnation of Herbert Hoover?
For those of us in Colorado, it’s just as bad on the local level. Michael Bennet is basing his senate campaign on slashing deficits and entitlements which apparently provide ‘nothing’ while congressman Jared Polis is planning on cutting social security.
Like labor unions, the democratic party apparatus has been hijacked by money and power. They both utterly fail to represent their theoretical constituents. In fact, they silently work against them.
What can we do? I don’t know. In some respects, but not all, blaming Obama is misguided. If it wasn’t Obama, it would have been someone else. The power of money in our political system puts severe limits on the range of personality types and world views that can succeed. But at least it should be crystal clear that the democratic party as an institution must be numbered among the enemy.
Comments on Inequality 
I feel your pain, as a certain former prez might have said, but if “modest additional tax breaks, temporary and aimed at small business to promote hiring” really means a payroll tax holiday, it would in fact be good policy.
I agree much more needs to be done, but I’m waiting to see the specifics of the plan before I get too outraged.
any cut in taxes for the average working person is worthy of support. anything on a ‘modest’ level, though, will do nothing for the macro economy. the times demand vision and it’s totally absent. your threshold of pain is a bit lower than mine. cheers.
Jim
Obama is not finished yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfimPc8NUp8 (the last 10 minutes are the best).
I don’t believe that Obama can be so stupid as to think that a tax cut “to promote hiring” does anything for the economy. If there is no one to buy the materials/service that the employee creates or provides, then a tax cut is nearly meaningless to the small businessman who is indeed making very little on which to pay taxes. Is that the point, then? To present something that is mostly meaningless as if it were useful? Because Obama, for all that his moral compass is broken, is not stupid.
It’s the standard top-down program.