As
Obama's Administration
Takes Shape: Where Are
Progressives For Obama?
By Jerry D. Rose
06 November,
2008
Countercurrents.org
I believe the case can be made
that a major if not decisive role in the electoral victory of Barack
Obama was played by people whose views are broadly progressive in
nature. Straws in the wind suggestive of this include the strong showing
of Obama in states like Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington, with
Massachusetts refusing to scuttle its state income tax and lightening
penalties for possession of small amounts of marihuana, Michigan legalizing
medical marihuana and Washington physician-assisted sucides. In these
states at least, as probably in most others, many people taking progressive
stances on these issues obviously voted for Obama.
Therein, of course, lies the central mystery of this mysterious election.
Progressives gave no serious support for genuine liberals among presidential
candidates like Kucinich, Gravel or even Edwards, falling again into
the quadrennial trap of believing that, if they wanted any improvement
toward progressivism, it would have to come through their support
of a centrist Democrat who was perceived to have a reasonable chance
to win against a Republican nominee who would likely provide a continuation
of the regressive policies of the Bush administration. So once again
it was "anything but Bush" even though Bush disappeared
from the campaign in anything except the (probably) highly effective
image in an Obama commercial of Bush and McCain in the rear view mirror
of Obama's car as he drove into the hopeful future. The novel element
in this year's round of lesser-evilism thinking was that many progressives
convinced themselves that Obama really was progressive at heart, that
he was simply feigning centrist views in order to get elected, that
once in office he would revert to his true liberal colors and usher
in the era of change that their own hearts so greatly desired. But,
we were told by a group calling themselves Progressives for Obama,
he would be able to make this switch in office only if progressives
acted as critics of Obama from the left, holding his feet to the fire
of liberal principles.
I am not going to recap here all the reasons that not-for-Obama progressives
like many others including me have been saying that this feet to the
fire agenda isn't going to work, that any influence of any interest
group on an office holder comes at that pre-election period when candidates
are bidding for that group's electoral support. Groups that are taken
for granted for their support are like black Americans, who have so
reliably supported Democratic candidates that officeholders of that
party feel they can safely ignore any black demands because there
is no threat of withholding of their votes if their demands are not
met.
Rather than furthering this argument, I am just going to challenge
all progressive supporters of Obama: "Prove it!" Go ahead
and celebrate for a short interval if you must, but when the party
is over realize that a man is about to go into the office as President
with your vote who has persistently and consistently taken public
stances the opposite of those in which you believe, in many areas
of both domestic and foreign policy. And then remember your pre-election
reassurances to wavering progressives that we will be able to exert
significant influence in pushing him toward policies congenial with
our views. You might start by looking very critically and reacting
very publicly as the names of people whom Obama might appoint to his
Administration and whose names will be so floated, as they always
are. If he proposes to nominate rabidly pro-Israeli Dennis Ross as
his Secretary of State or Under-Secretary for Middle Eastern Affairs,
what will you say? If he proposes to keep Bushniks like Henry Paulsen
or Robert Gates to continue the sellout to Wall Street or the advance
of U.S. imperialism, what will you say? If Chicago school of economics
figures like Alan Greenspan and Robert Rubin are to be economic advisers
of his Administration, what will you say? I hope you don't say: "well,
I really don't like these choices, but we'll wait and see how they
perform and then criticize them if need be." If you do, you're
pushing the point of accountability of public officials into the future
as you have done for Obama. The next President will then be able to
do exactly as the last one has done: say that the people approve of
the disastrous policies by the mandate they gave him with their votes.
If Presidents and other public officials are going to operate with
that mandate-mentality, what fuel are you going to find to ignite
the fire to which you hope to hold their feet? I am challenging you
to get your fire going immediately (and people of my third-party mentality
will throw in a few twigs), because once Obama's Administration is
locked in place by his choice of aides, he'll be able to put up his
feet and avoid our fire.
As I finished writing this article, news arrived that Obama has made
his first appointment: that of Rahm Emanuel, congressman from Illinois
and former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
(DCCC) as his Chief of Staff; although Emanuel is reportedly undecided
about accepting the appointment. Less than a day into the "transition,"
one has to wonder if the public, egged on by an adoring media, has
its attention distracted by its celebratory mood so that this proposed
appointment will not be criticized. Where are the excited "action"
demands of progressive internet media, yelling at me that I should
write a letter demanding that Obama re-consider the appointment of
the man most frequently cited in connection with public disappointment
in results of another celebrated election, that of 2006 when the House
passed from Republican to Democratic control? As funds-dispenser for
the DCCC Emanuel supported almost entirely yellow dog (conservative)
Democrats, setting up the disappointment in seeing little change in
Congress with the Democrats in control: especially in the area of
intention to withdraw from the Iraqi war.
If Progressives
for Obama are asleep at the wheel in this very first of Obama's proposed
appointments, that can we look for in future actions of people from
the left?
Jerry D. Rose lives in Gainesville Florida and operates
the website The Sun State Activist and the weblog Principled Progressive.
He may be contacted at [email protected].
