Who do we blame for Obama?

My comment in the Telegram to:

Woes Create questions about Obama's vision, SECOND-TERM GOALS MIRED IN CONFLICT 

By Peter Baker THE NEW YORK TIMES

http://www.telegram.com/article/20130516/NEWS/105169833

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Praetorian wrote:

"The real people to blame here are the people that voted for him..."

Seriously, what choice were we given?  Mr. "I Don't Care about the 47%," that clueless voice of the exclusive country clubs?

I detest Barack for not holding the bankers accountable for ditching the economy and his ongoing giveaways of trillions to the banks; for his outrageous health care swindle; his failure to acknowledge the massive unemployment problem or push an adequate response; and now his blatant tilt toward private and for-profit charter schools, a betrayal of the many teachers who worked for his election.  

I detest his use of Al Qaida terrorists to destroy Libya and now Syria - the context for Benghazi - and his use of drones to wage wars of terror from the skies; for his many assaults on our constitutional rights, including failure to shut down Guantanamo and claiming and exercising the right to detain indefinitely or even kill Americans anywhere without a trial or public hearing; and his unprecedented war on whistle-blowers - which fits with the AP phone-logs incident!

Most of all I detest his using the language of the left, talking like a cross between King and the Second Coming with a necessary touch of Clint, even as he pursues these awful policies, covered up by a mastery of throwing the game and making it look like the other side's foul.

But seriously, why blame each other? What choice did we really have?

In the 2008 elections the two candidates who clearly, overwhelmingly expressed the views of the people on the deepest issues, left and right, were Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul. Now *that* would have been a race! But despite well-organized campaigns and enthusiastic supporters, their voices were silenced.  The media delivered the verdict of the big donors: they're spoilers, they're kooks, they have no chance. Unworthy of air time.

And so we never got that choice. 

Change, when it comes, will have to come from outside the system.

War reauthorization vote

Comment on Truthout.org:

In a defining moment in US history, 32 brave Democrats voted against the war reauthorization act. The "progressives" who defected - lamentably under Barney Frank's leadership - don't get it. The dollar, now hurtling toward disaster, is issued by a private consortium of the biggest bankers, which was given an outrageous private monopoly over the issuing of money. Our elected representatives have no control over them, and they have no loyalty to us. Like it or not, we, the people and our representatives, can't save their dollar. The IMF, which has never been a friend to working people anywhere, can't save it. We must not sacrifice our core interests and convictions on its alter. Make good note of who the 32 are - and their brave leaders Barbara Lee, Jim McGovern and of course Dennis Kucinich. These are the ones who are clear about whose side they're on, the ones still standing after all the threats and blandishments, the shell games and payoffs. These are the ones we have to defend, with all our might.