From Doug Henwood posting on the LBO-Talk listserv.
Obama has plenty of substance. He’s a very smart guy and a skilled politician. But his brains are all in service of the rehabilitation
of U.S. capital and imperial power. Many of his followers have
convinced themselves otherwise.
I favor Obama, expect he’ll become president, and agree with Henwood. Let’s not have any illusions here. Obama will be a reformer and will presumably try to rein in the appalling grotesqueries of the past eight years. But this will be to make the current system “kinder and gentler”, to rehabilitate the shattered image of the US, and not to make structural changes or question capitalism.
But still, hey, let’s end the sanctioned tortures by the US and reverse the current erosion of liberties. Then we can move on other things, and on other issues. First things first. Having a rational human as president will be a first step in the right direction.