Many liberals and progressives bemoan what Obama and Democratic Party does. They think the Democratic Party still stands for what it did in the 60’s; for the poor, the working class, minorities, social justice. But it doesn’t and hasn’t for years. Those who run the Democratic Party abandoned all that decades ago. That’s why they don’t fight for what progressives think they should. They aren’t progressives or liberals and are basically contemptuous or ignore of such views.
Look, LBJ had huge flaws but he wanted the Voting Rights Act passed and he twisted arms to do it. After it finally passed he said, “There goes the South for a generation.” I can’t imagine any ranking Democrat today taking such a bold move, unless of course it was to support the banksters and big business against the interests of the rest of us.
Many progressive Democrats are confused. They think Obama is somehow one of them who tragically went astray. He’s not. Neither was Bill Clinton, who owns direct responsibility for our financial collapse and recession because he presided over and encouraged the repeal of Glass-Stegall, the decades-old law that had limited the power of banks. Once the law was repealed, the insane speculation and plunder began.
My Scottish expat friend and fellow podcaster Steve Hynd says “Bush was America’s Thatcher, Obama is America’s Tony Blair.” Blair was no liberal and neither is Obama. Reform is not possible within the Democratic Party. Other alternatives must be explored.