Thomas Frank: Obama, Get Your Class War On!

Good article, along the lines of what I was saying earlier but more articulate and constructive. Basically, Obama and the Democrats pandering to the right wing, especially with this "post-partisan" excuse, not only doesn't help working Americans but even allows some of the most outrageous friends of big business and laissez-faire capitalism paint themselves as populists and get away with it!  Republicans never pander leftward while Democrats post-LBJ consistently capitulate to the right.  Why? They consistently remain highly organized and principled reactionaries and its time to start swinging back, remaining true to our progressive principles, and not letting Obama get away with his rightward pandering. 

 

I'm still voting for him because I believe he does represent a positive change in attitude with the American people, has it in him (we've seen it in major speeches) to effectively and articulately analyze and challenge racism and neoliberalism, and as corny as it sounds, the first African-American president is significant considering that in the whole history of this country there have only been 5 black senators (Obama being one of them) and I don't want to be on the wrong side of history. But this doesn't mean when he's elected everything will change, we need a strong ground movement that keeps a torch to Washington's ass and ushers in an era of far-reaching reform.  Lincoln would have been nothing without the tireless work of the Abolitionists, FDR's New Deal would have been impossible without the New Deal coalition with the CIO and CP, and the Civil Rights Act would have never passed without Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.  Hell, even take Obama's words for it - change comes to Washington, not from it.  

Like Lincoln, FDR, and Johnson,  I believe Obama could be a candidate most receptive to this change and usher in a new era of needed government activism.  But for every powerful progressive speech he has made, there are five more Wall St. lobbyists and conservative pollsters at his side telling him to "play it safe".  Will he take the middle road or make history? Time will tell, but I can guarantee that nothing will change without a principled, popular, groundswell of a movement that holds Obama accountable and maybe will even embolden him to really fight the entrenched interests of Washington and Wall St.  Anyways, I totally digressed, really read Thomas Frank's article right below this.

Fighting Back, From the Bottom Up

Posted using ShareThis

In Solidarity,

-Steve

"Bipartisan" Gridlock

I swear to god if I hear the words "non-partisan" or "bipartisan" again I'm going to murder myself.  I know that there are a lot more important issues to be written about currently, but I just have to rant about this to get back into my blogging groove.  How in the hell are these such popular buzzwords in such crucial times and why would anyone just be begging for more democratic paralysis and capitulation to right wing rule?  Now I would consider myself too progressive to be called a Democrat, but the prospect of Democratic control of both houses of congress and our first African-American president excites me.  What isn't exciting is when they continue to bend over backwards to please these right wing assholes even when they are in the minority in both houses and have a terribly unpopular president out of the white house in just a few months.  

As of recently, Obama and Biden have stepped up the rhetoric against McCain, but why are they still using terms like "bipartisan".  In the past thirty years in American politics that equals Democrats giving up and moving to the right on an issue or bill.  If Obama wins the election his party will control two branches of the government at a time of great crisis in this country.  Imagine what would have happened in 1932 if FDR pandered to the right or "saw both sides of the spectrum," there'd be no hundred days, no New Deal and Americans would have sunk even deeper into depression with no hope of climbing out.  There's a right wing and a left wing for a reason: they represent opposing interests and opposing political viewpoints and platforms.  There's nothing wrong with that.  It's exciting, it's needed, it's a powerful objective to rally behind.  

The radical, pro-corporate, de-regulatory platform of the Republican party that has dominated Washington since the 1970's is what got us into this mess (this is not to excuse the two Democratic presidents within this period who did nothing to stand up to Republican congresses and followed their lead instead).  The American people should be out in the streets demanding the heads of these Fat Cat Wall Street speculators and their cronies in Washington, and at the very least, supporting the opposing party's first exciting candidate since the 60's.  I say there should be a voter rebellion and would gladly welcome every Republican congressman/senator up for re-election being purged, McCain getting his ass handed to him, and every Supreme Court justice dying in Obama's first term and having him stack it with partisan-left judges.  That would get rid of the gridlock and there'd be a wave of government activism that this country has not seen in too many years and has so sorely needed.  There's nothing wrong with action or with standing up and telling those who lead us into this disaster that they are wrong.

At least there has been a shift back to Obama leading but the margin is still far too thin for where it should be.  Unfortunately, I believe the reason for this is the "culture war" politics that the Republican Party, Evangelical Churches, and Media mouthpieces have been so effective at propagating.  There's absolutely no other reason this race should be this close.  How else could such an obviously terrible choice of a Vice President as Sarah Palin actually activate such a mass of people and pull the Republican back into this race?  Poking fun at big cities and community organizers are coded racist signals sent to whites in small towns, the south, and the suburbs who fear diversity.  And they went for it.  Poor and working whites who have suffered daily at the hands of the ultra-right economic policies of the past eight years of Bush have absolutely nothing to gain by voting in the same party for four more years.  This should be as clear as day to them, yet the polls are still close and they still choose to cling to their racism and fundamentalism while they drown.  I hope my cynicism is proven wrong, but the polls being this close in these times is just outrageous.  The American people themselves need to continue to organize and pressure our government for more far reaching change and if Obama wants to win, he should take his cue from the people, be emboldened by it, and drive these points home.  He seems to have been going in the right direction recently and I hope he steps it up even further and stops pandering with weak "bipartisan" rhetoric.

In Solidarity,

-Steve

Office Season Finale

I haven't had enough discussion about "Goodbye, Toby" the fourteenth, and final, episode of the fourth Office season, but from what I gather it seems to be a controversial issue. So I thought I'd put my two cents in.

I thought it was fucking great. I know we were all really excited for Jim to propose to Pam, but that was just another surprise among many. The best part had to be how most of the characters broke out of their shells and behaved differently than normal. Angela was dethroned from her authoritarian reign of the Party Planning Committee while Phyllis, who typically gets pushed around by Angela, takes over and becomes empowered in the process and organizes an amazing party for that asshole, Toby Flenderson. Phyllis knocking Angela's shit off her desk as a response to Angela shredding needed information was a definitely hilarious highlight.

Let's see, there was shell breaking all over the place. Dwight was told by Michael to stop being such a mindless sycophant and to have thoughts of his own and Dwight, being such a mindless sycophant in response, follows Michael's orders and begins to think for himself and disagree with Michael. Asshole Toby, who is so obsessed with Pam that he needs to get a picture with her before he leaves, raises his voice for the very first time, pleading for a camera. This is precisely why Toby is such a wiener. The only reason he finally started standing up for himself was his petty jealousy of Jim's relationship with Pam. So after getting all this needless shit from Michael over the years, he turns on Jim instead, by moving on his girl and becoming a corporate stooge and reporting him to Ryan. Jim has been nothing but nice to Toby! Anyways, it will be weird around the office without him but honestly, I won't miss him much.

Jim Halpert is one of my all-time favorite tv characters and seeing him stand up for himself and stick it to Ryan was amazing. Add that the list of his qualities. Also, him and Pam are just so cute and awesome together. Seeing Pam so happy and Jim being so supportive of her going to graphic design school (something Roy never did) warmed my heart. The one real disappointment of the episode, while funny, was Andy's ridiculous proposal to Angela which interrupts Jim's would-be sweet, romantic, and just perfect proposal to Pam. Pam's heartbreak was, well.... heartbreaking. I really think they should have gone through with the proposal, I can't think of a better situation for it, but atleast we have something to look forward to next season, right? Plus, it sets up the very interesting twist of Andy and Angela's engagement, that is bound to fail, as we saw in the scandalous last scene of Angela getting railed by Dwight in her cubicle!

Alright I've gone on too long so I'll just lump the highlights together. First, how evil is Jan? Artificially inseminating herself while she dated Michael because she was so paranoid her child would carry some of his traits? Honestly, an affair with her ex-personal assistant/rocker, Hunter, would have been nicer than this insulting, eugenics-inspired move. Michael finally found a woman (Holly) that not only could tolerate his antics, but is even responsive to them. It was disappointing to see Michael give in an attempt to be involved in Jan's pregnancy. He needs to get over her and get with Holly! I'm pretty sure this will develop in the next season. It was also awesome to see Ryan's, coc-snorting, corporate fraud committing ass fall from grace and get arrested. Jim's humiliating voicemail, rubbing it in, was icing on the cake. Finally, Dwight convincing Holly that Kevin was retarded, Dwight, Mose and Meredith putting a raccoon in Holly's car, Michael dancing with glee in anticipation of Toby's permanent departure to Costa Rica, Jim's phone-switch prank on Dwight, Creed not remembering what he did on the job and a bunch of other stuff were fucking hilarious. "Goodbye, Toby" was an amazing end to the season.

Anyways, I know this episode is contested and feel free to respond to this in my comments and make this a lively debate!

tell your friends,
-Steve

Holy Shit

I made a blog! I figured I might want to enter the blogosphere and write more - I heard some suckas get paid for this shit.  I doubt I will but hopefully some folks will read it.  Anyways, I'm just testing this thing out right now but there will be blogs soon! possible topics include:  Batman, Barack Obama, hating on college, missing my girlfriend, the Office Season finale, living with Matticus Moogs and other things.  I swear I will get to it forthcoming audience! I must now go create you by whoring this on myspace!

in solidarity,
-Steve