Progressives for Criminals

[phloem]

Still no one sees fit on this bulletin "bored" to discuss the qualifications of Jill Stein or Rocky Anderson, yet many of you call yourselves progressives. I guess I missed the re-definition of "progressive." Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief continues to wage war against America and the rest of the world:

https://www.counterpunch.org/2012/03...r-black-youth/

Go ahead, fall all over yourselves justifying the re-election of the Obamination, and count yourselves among those willing the world to its premature demise.

[Hotspring 44]

Still no one sees fit on this bulletin "bored" to discuss the qualifications of Jill Stein or Rocky Anderson, yet many of you call yourselves progressives. I guess I missed the re-definition of "progressive." Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief continues to wage war against America and the rest of the world:

https://www.counterpunch.org/2012/03...r-black-youth/

Okay, I read it lost of well stated and accurate points in the article.

I understand the following sentiments that the author of article expressed:

"This is a slick politician whose entire career (from Harvard Law to the present) has been about making deals with dominant white, capitalist, and imperial power elites. He has thrown his fellow minority Harvard Law students, a progressive black Illinois state senator (Alice Palmer), his (allegedly beloved) white grandmother, his former (supposedly beloved) preacher (Jeremiah Wright), the single payer health insurance movement, the labor movement, the peace movement, the civil rights movement (and the broader struggle against racial inequality), the environmental movement, the Wall Street reform movement, the campaign finance reform movement, the civil liberties community, the Palestinians, and many others under the bus in the pursuit of two terms in the White House and (he dreams) a space on Mount Rushmore."

I even share most of them; to some extent.
When the 2008 election was over I was asked by a friend of mine what I thought of the election and Barrack himself as a “black person” being elected as president of the USA, I simply said: 1- He is a “politician”, plane and simple. 2- The “color thing”?... ... well, it makes no difference to me what “color” a persons (or politician’s) skin is. What matters to me is, 1- what they say they are going to (or would) do and what they actually do when given the real opportunity to accomplish what they said they would do.

I don't know why but so many people seem to confuse, what a president can do as compared to what an Emperor would be able to do.

The way this Democratic Republic is set up, there is the House of Representatives, congress, judiciary, and the presidency all of which have to coexist with making changes under a very specific set of rules and constitutional constraints which sometimes gets bandied about and ends in the judiciary, then going (back) to get reconstituted between the house and congress anyway, which then may require the signing of a president or a super majority (75% minimum in the case of a constitutional amendment) in Congress to override a veto (60%) minimum after that, for example.

Whether any of us like it or even approve of it or not; the fact is that politicians always have to play the "game" to some extent one way or the other.

One question I would ask:
Is Barack Obama making any gains (progressive gains {?}) by playing the “game” or is he just aiding and abetting the entrenchment of the elite at the detriment of everybody else?
My answer at this point in time is that under the circumstances, making those gains that “progressives” really want to have been made by now, have had an extreme amount of hard-core blockades so to speak, thrown in the way by those in power that don't want to see any of those so-called ‘progressive/ist’ changes.

As a citizen, I think of the politicians as a “tool” for the people. Sometimes the tool is a blunt instrument, sometimes it's a scalpel most of the times it's something in-between, and certainly no politician has ever in my lifetime to my knowledge been a "saint".

I think too many people expected Barack Obama to be some kind of a Savior... ... well I think NOT!

Anyway, I went on a big long rant and chopped out most of what I wrote when I re-read the following from the article that pretty much points towards the gist of the situation:

“Along the way, Obama has unwittingly given the world a rich tutorial on who really rules America behind the charade of “democracy” – the nation’s “unelected dictatorship of money.”...

That So-called "unwitting" could be turned into a good and informative thing so we could truly make decisions that would cause the change most of us think should happen.
Anyway how do we know that it is really so "unwitting"?... ... May be it's a "secret strategy" (?) to show the naked Emperor... ...Probably not.

Go ahead, fall all over yourselves justifying the re-election of the Obamination, and count yourselves among those willing the world to its premature demise.

As far as the presidential election in 2012, is concerned, what do you suggest is a realistic, doable alternative?

Obviously not voting is not a realistic, doable alternative that would cause the desired result.

There is no viable third party candidate that progressives would seriously consider voting for at this point in time; nor do I think there will be by November either.

Or are you suggesting to vote for one of the Republican candidates that's going to be elected in the Republican primary?

Or are you saying we are doomed?
___________________________

["Mad" Miles]

Phloem,

Long ago I stopped investing much political time and energy here. Cause it seems to me most positions expressed here are fixed and there is very little discussion based on an interest in inquiry and adjusting ones own opinions (I'm a mite guilty of this myself, but I always try to keep room for new and interesting ideas. And I never claim to be absolutely "right".)

Most of my political efforts are expressed (and received) through email lists, dedicated to political organizing and information sharing, and the daily ferment on the dominant social networking site. What you see me doing here is my version of triage. Only when greatly provoked and thinking I have something unique to offer, will I reply.

"Say something once, why say it again?! Psycho Killer, que'est que c'est? Fa, fa, fa, fa, Fa, fa, fa, fa, fa, fa..."

I think the one political arena in which Waccoville shines, is the local and immediate, in that regard, it rivals many other venues.

With regard to the presidential race, Vote Green Party of the U.S.A.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.jillstein.org/

https://www.gp.org