It is "our time." It is our chance to make necessary and long lasting changes that will re-shape America and restore our Constitution and democracy. It is our time to undo the decades of treachery perpetrated against the American people by politicians who have been representing everyone BUT the American people. It is our opportunity to return to the rule of law, reinstate habeas corpus, rid our government of corruption, repeal the Military Commissions Act, repeal the Patriot Act and prosecute the criminals of past administrations for their crimes not only against Americans but also against humanity. It is our time to restore faith, trust and accountability in government and all that it represents. It may be our only chance to bring back a government "...of the people, by the people and for the people."
And forgive me please for noticing the white elephant in the room but Obama is blowing that chance and instead is cementing the decades of corruption into a political way of life, codifying crime and establishing a new world order of chaos and injustice. Was this why we voted for him? Did we decide he was to be our President so that he could gloss over the sins of his predecessors? Was it our choice to inaugurate a man who would, by omission, institutionalize bribery, corruption and political high crimes?
Let's take stock of his achievements so far. In his first hundred days he has forgiven the torturers, paving the way for these crimes to continue unpunished in perpetuity, he has taken universal health care off the table, he has re-committed America to support the most vicious regime in the Middle East, he has expanded illegal eavesdropping and wiretapping in direct violation of the privacy and rights of individuals established in the Constitution, he has re-asserted the wholly unconstitutional Presidential prerogative and finally he has given away what's left of our nation's wealth to those who have been stealing it for the past two decades, virtually ensuring our children will be in poverty for many decades to come. The few things he has done that are ostensibly progressive are but a small blip on the radar compared to the damage that he has already wrought.
Sorry to deliver the bad news, but Obama is doing everything possible to ensure that this opportunity, given to him by the people, is squandered. By befriending the crooks in Wall Street, becoming chummy with war criminals, evading the responsibilities of his office to avoid inconvenient criticism, Obama is guaranteeing that the policies of the far right become ingrained into American politics for god knows how long. Our democracy has been wasted and is on life support. Continuing to deny our nation the medicine it needs is tantamount to putting the final nail in the coffin of democracy, aiding and abetting torture, crime, and corruption. Moreover, he may single-handedly usher in a period of intense fascism that could last for decades or longer.
Is this the President we elected? I don't believe so. And what can we do about it? Apparently nothing. When a purported liberal sits in the Oval Office it is far more difficult for progressives to criticize and clamor effectively for change. In fact, with Obama as President, we are virtually silenced. After all, he can afford to ignore us without concern for blowback.
As progressives wake up and realize who they have installed in the White House, I wonder how long it will take for the eventual backlash to manifest. Where is the outrage? Have we become so accustomed to treachery that we will allow this to go on unchallenged? By the end of his term, the Democratic Party could be in disarray and the neo-conservative Republicans could be back in control of Congress. Is this the progress of which we dreamed? Are we capable of making a difference? Not if this President is our representative. Considering his "accomplishments" in the first hundred days, I fear for my children what the next will bring.
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