Recovered history: Obama reality check
Sam Smith
The Progressive Review (Undernews), February 2012
http://prorevnews.blogspot.com/2012/02/recovered-history-obama-reality-check.html
In the coming months there will be a great deal of nonsense written and spoken about Barack Obama, so we thought it might be useful to recover some the real Obama for whom a majority voted - but knew hardly at all - in the 2008 election. This, from a piece we posted at the time, lists known Obama positions before and during the campaign that progressives might have some problems with.
More evidence that in our presidential elections, we don't elect leaders, we choose battlefields.
BUSH CRIMEShttp://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34929
OBAMA ADVISOR WARNS AGAINST HOLDING THOSE IN POWER LIABLE FOR CRIMINAL ACTS
Aggressively opposed impeachment action against Bush
BUSINESS INTERESTS
Cass Sunstein, a constitutional adviser to Obama, told Jeffrey Rosen of the NY Times: "I would be stunned to find an anti-business [Supreme Court] appointee from either [Clinton or Obama]. There's not a strong interest on the part of Obama or Clinton in demonizing business, and you wouldn't expect to see that in their Supreme Court nominees."
Wrote that conservatives and Bill Clinton were right to destroy social welfare,
Supported making it harder to file class action suits in state courts
Voted for a business-friendly "tort reform" bill
Voted against a 30% interest rate cap on credit cards
Had the most number of foreign lobbyist contributors in the primaries
Is even more popular with Pentagon contractors than McCain
Was most popular of the candidates with K Street lobbyists
In 2003, right wing Democratic Leadership Council named Obama as one of its "100 to Watch." After he was criticized in the black media, Obama disassociated himself with the DLC. But his major economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, is also chief economist of the conservative organization. Writes Doug Henwood, "Goolsbee has written gushingly about Milton Friedman and denounced the idea of a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures."
Doug Henwood, Left Business Observer: "Top hedge fund honcho Paul Tudor Jones threw a fundraiser for him at his Greenwich house last spring, 'The whole of Greenwich is backing Obama,' one source said of the posh headquarters of the hedge fund industry. They like him because they're socially liberal, up to a point, and probably eager for a little less war, and think he's the man to do their work. They're also confident he wouldn't undertake any renovations to the distribution of wealth."
CITIES
Has no meaningful urban policy
CIVIL LIBERTIES
Supports the war on drugs
Supports the crack-cocaine sentence disparity
Supports Real ID
Supports the PATRIOT Act
Supports the death penalty
Opposes lowering the drinking age to 18
Refused to take a position on the anti-constitutional Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
CONSERVATIVES
Went to Connecticut to support Joe Lieberman in the primary against Ned Lamont
Paul Street, Z Mag - Obama has lent his support to the aptly named Hamilton Project, formed by corporate-neoliberal Citigroup chair Robert Rubin and other Wall Street Democrats to counter populist rebellion against corporatist tendencies within the Democratic Party. . . Obama was recently hailed as a Hamiltonian believer in limited government and free trade by Republican New York Times columnist David Brooks, who praises Obama for having "a mentality formed by globalization, not the SDS." . . .
CUBA
In 2004 Obama favored ending the Cuban embargo. He now says he won't end it. He would, however, immediately allow "unlimited family travel and remittances to the island."
DRUGS
Supports failed war on drugs
Endorsed US involvement in the failed drug war in Colombia: "When I am President, we will continue the Andean Counter-Drug Program, and update it to meet evolving challenges."
ECOLOGY
Voted for a nuclear energy bill that included money for bunker buster bombs and full funding for Yucca Mountain.
Comes in at 48th in the ranking of senators by the League of Conservation Voters
Supports federally funded ethanol and is unusually close to the ethanol industry.
EDUCATION
Obama has promised to double funding for private charter schools, part of a national effort to undermine public education.
Supports the No Child Left Behind Act while expressing reservations about its emphasis on testing.
FAIRNESS DOCTRINE
Opposes reintroduction of the fairness doctrine for radio and television.
FOREIGN POLICY
OBAMA WILLING TO BOMB IRAN http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1005286.html
AND INVADE PAKISTAN http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/52633.html
OBAMA AGAIN SAYS ISRAEL GETS JERUSALEM http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/07/200872315256480899.html
Favors expanding the war in Afghanistan
Supports Israeli aggression and apartheid. Obama has deserted previous support for two-state solution to Mid East situation. Refuses to negotiate with Hamas.
GAY
Opposes gay marriage
HEALTH
Opposes single payer healthcare
Supported restricting damage awards in medical malpractices suits
Favors healthcare individual mandates that would help insurance companies and banks but not citizens
Received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006
LOBBYING
Obama's top aide, David Axelrod works for a PR firm serving major corporate interests
MERCENARIES
According to US News & World Report, Obama was overheard saying "Blackwater is getting a bad rap."
MINORITIES
Wouldn't have photo taken with San Francisco mayor because he was afraid it would seem that he supported gay marriage
NATIONAL SERVICE
Favors a national service plan that appears to be in sync with one being promoted by a new coalition that would make national service mandatory by 2020, and with a bill for such mandatory national service introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel.
"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." - Barack Obama, 2 July, 2008, Colorado Springs, CO
NUCLEAR POWER
REUTERS Sen. Barack Obama.has issued supportive statements about nuclear power . . . Though nuclear energy is key to meeting U.S. climate concerns, the issue of disposing of nuclear waste from U.S. plants and solving nuclear proliferation concerns are also paramount, Obama's campaign said on its website.
OIL
Obama dropped his opposition to drilling for offshore oil to supporting a major program of offshore drilling.
PROGRESSIVES
Dissed Nader for daring to run for president again
Called the late Paul Wellstone "something of a gadfly"
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING
OBAMA THROWS PUBLIC FINANCING UNDER THE BUS
SOCIAL SECURITY
Said "everything is on the table" with Social Security early in campaign. In May 2008 he indicated opposition to privatizing Social Security, raising the minumum age, or reduce cost of living increases.
WIRETAPPING
OBAMA SUPPORTS AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL SEARCHEShttp://prorev.com/2008/06/obama-supports-amnesty-for-illegal.html
Sam Smith
The Progressive Review (Undernews), February 2012
http://prorevnews.blogspot.com/2012/02/recovered-history-obama-reality-check.html
In the coming months there will be a great deal of nonsense written and spoken about Barack Obama, so we thought it might be useful to recover some the real Obama for whom a majority voted - but knew hardly at all - in the 2008 election. This, from a piece we posted at the time, lists known Obama positions before and during the campaign that progressives might have some problems with.
More evidence that in our presidential elections, we don't elect leaders, we choose battlefields.
BUSH CRIMEShttp://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34929
OBAMA ADVISOR WARNS AGAINST HOLDING THOSE IN POWER LIABLE FOR CRIMINAL ACTS
Aggressively opposed impeachment action against Bush
BUSINESS INTERESTS
Cass Sunstein, a constitutional adviser to Obama, told Jeffrey Rosen of the NY Times: "I would be stunned to find an anti-business [Supreme Court] appointee from either [Clinton or Obama]. There's not a strong interest on the part of Obama or Clinton in demonizing business, and you wouldn't expect to see that in their Supreme Court nominees."
Wrote that conservatives and Bill Clinton were right to destroy social welfare,
Supported making it harder to file class action suits in state courts
Voted for a business-friendly "tort reform" bill
Voted against a 30% interest rate cap on credit cards
Had the most number of foreign lobbyist contributors in the primaries
Is even more popular with Pentagon contractors than McCain
Was most popular of the candidates with K Street lobbyists
In 2003, right wing Democratic Leadership Council named Obama as one of its "100 to Watch." After he was criticized in the black media, Obama disassociated himself with the DLC. But his major economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, is also chief economist of the conservative organization. Writes Doug Henwood, "Goolsbee has written gushingly about Milton Friedman and denounced the idea of a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures."
Doug Henwood, Left Business Observer: "Top hedge fund honcho Paul Tudor Jones threw a fundraiser for him at his Greenwich house last spring, 'The whole of Greenwich is backing Obama,' one source said of the posh headquarters of the hedge fund industry. They like him because they're socially liberal, up to a point, and probably eager for a little less war, and think he's the man to do their work. They're also confident he wouldn't undertake any renovations to the distribution of wealth."
CITIES
Has no meaningful urban policy
CIVIL LIBERTIES
Supports the war on drugs
Supports the crack-cocaine sentence disparity
Supports Real ID
Supports the PATRIOT Act
Supports the death penalty
Opposes lowering the drinking age to 18
Refused to take a position on the anti-constitutional Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
CONSERVATIVES
Went to Connecticut to support Joe Lieberman in the primary against Ned Lamont
Paul Street, Z Mag - Obama has lent his support to the aptly named Hamilton Project, formed by corporate-neoliberal Citigroup chair Robert Rubin and other Wall Street Democrats to counter populist rebellion against corporatist tendencies within the Democratic Party. . . Obama was recently hailed as a Hamiltonian believer in limited government and free trade by Republican New York Times columnist David Brooks, who praises Obama for having "a mentality formed by globalization, not the SDS." . . .
CUBA
In 2004 Obama favored ending the Cuban embargo. He now says he won't end it. He would, however, immediately allow "unlimited family travel and remittances to the island."
DRUGS
Supports failed war on drugs
Endorsed US involvement in the failed drug war in Colombia: "When I am President, we will continue the Andean Counter-Drug Program, and update it to meet evolving challenges."
ECOLOGY
Voted for a nuclear energy bill that included money for bunker buster bombs and full funding for Yucca Mountain.
Comes in at 48th in the ranking of senators by the League of Conservation Voters
Supports federally funded ethanol and is unusually close to the ethanol industry.
EDUCATION
Obama has promised to double funding for private charter schools, part of a national effort to undermine public education.
Supports the No Child Left Behind Act while expressing reservations about its emphasis on testing.
FAIRNESS DOCTRINE
Opposes reintroduction of the fairness doctrine for radio and television.
FOREIGN POLICY
OBAMA WILLING TO BOMB IRAN http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1005286.html
AND INVADE PAKISTAN http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/52633.html
OBAMA AGAIN SAYS ISRAEL GETS JERUSALEM http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/07/200872315256480899.html
Favors expanding the war in Afghanistan
Supports Israeli aggression and apartheid. Obama has deserted previous support for two-state solution to Mid East situation. Refuses to negotiate with Hamas.
GAY
Opposes gay marriage
HEALTH
Opposes single payer healthcare
Supported restricting damage awards in medical malpractices suits
Favors healthcare individual mandates that would help insurance companies and banks but not citizens
Received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006
LOBBYING
Obama's top aide, David Axelrod works for a PR firm serving major corporate interests
MERCENARIES
According to US News & World Report, Obama was overheard saying "Blackwater is getting a bad rap."
MINORITIES
Wouldn't have photo taken with San Francisco mayor because he was afraid it would seem that he supported gay marriage
NATIONAL SERVICE
Favors a national service plan that appears to be in sync with one being promoted by a new coalition that would make national service mandatory by 2020, and with a bill for such mandatory national service introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel.
"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." - Barack Obama, 2 July, 2008, Colorado Springs, CO
NUCLEAR POWER
REUTERS Sen. Barack Obama.has issued supportive statements about nuclear power . . . Though nuclear energy is key to meeting U.S. climate concerns, the issue of disposing of nuclear waste from U.S. plants and solving nuclear proliferation concerns are also paramount, Obama's campaign said on its website.
OIL
Obama dropped his opposition to drilling for offshore oil to supporting a major program of offshore drilling.
PROGRESSIVES
Dissed Nader for daring to run for president again
Called the late Paul Wellstone "something of a gadfly"
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING
OBAMA THROWS PUBLIC FINANCING UNDER THE BUS
SOCIAL SECURITY
Said "everything is on the table" with Social Security early in campaign. In May 2008 he indicated opposition to privatizing Social Security, raising the minumum age, or reduce cost of living increases.
WIRETAPPING
OBAMA SUPPORTS AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL SEARCHEShttp://prorev.com/2008/06/obama-supports-amnesty-for-illegal.html
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