I agree with much of what you say, but we differ in what we think most important. There are no quick fixes for what ails us domestically and there is no political will on either side of the aisle to take on where capitialism fails in the areas you spoke of.
Did I suggest that there were quick fixes? Obama can begin mitigating the problems. It takes a 180 degree turn in maco-economic planning to actually fix things.
I did note that I doubted Obama could do that, and I also pointed out why he wouldn't be able to do that, too.
Mostly though, the reason he won't be able to do it is because the American people have bought into the lie that FREE TRADE benefits them.
We see examples of that on this board every damend day.
People who think that laissez faire capitalism is the goal, for example, also believe FREE TRADE is a good thing. People who believe in social darwinism, belived FREE TRADE is a nature thing that serves progress. And then there's millions of Americans who work in industries that actually do benefit from FREE TRADE who are quite reasonable supporting their own rice bowls regardless of that pernicious policy's overall effect on their nation, too.
Americans have little recognition of those who "really run this nation", thus little recognition of what a real fix would even look like.
I doubt any of us can name the puppeteers pulling the strings. If we know their names, they're the puppets, not the puppeteers.
America is in for a well-deserved bumpy ride economically and Obama could possibly soothe some pain .. maybe, but a "fix" ain't happening anytime soon.
Americans don't deserve this bumpy ride. Let's not become part of the BLAME THE VICTIM team, here, okay?
From my perspective, Obama could make his greatest impact internationally, which, in my opinion, impacts us domestically. The American economy is dependent on the rest of the world and dependent on how we are percieved by the world. He has tremendous opportunity to make that impact with an anxious world that greets him with open arms .. but it is here that I think will be his greatest failing.
I'm listening...
During the primaries Obama said he wanted to bring US troops home from Iraq by the end of 2008 and he nuanced the impression that he looked more to soft power than military power. He also said he wanted to end the "mindset that took us to Iraq." His position morphed dependent on what crowd he was speaking to and what time of the political season it was. Point is some of us were paying attention .. and when he started to nuance his way towards war, some of us got off the boat.
He pulled a NiXXon on the electorate, didn't he? He started our very dovish, and then evolved into a pragmatist as the campaign progressed.
Let's see what his plan really is regarding Iraq. I think we're out in 24 months which is, in the greater scheme of things, not a completely terrible outcome.
As to the rest of his foreign policy?
It looks a lot like more of same Democratic foreign policy to me.
The world will grow less enamored with Obama, when that reality sets in.
But let's remember, shall we, that the rest of the world ALSO is being dominated by the same internationalists who dominate OUR nation.
The whole damned industrialized world, workers everywhere are getting screwed by the neo-feudalism that is really what FREE TRADE amounts to.
The EUROS are getting screwed, the OZ likely will be, too.
I think if Obama REALLY did something serious about this problem he'd be struck down by a lone gunman with another magic fucking bullet to be honest.
If Americans want to fix this AMERICAN PEOPLE have to wake up and DEMAND a fix that is meaningful.
No other people on earth still have enough power to do frighten our governement methinks.
And ironically, you want to know why that is true?
My answer will probably crack some of our gun queers up
BECAUSE WE ARE ARMED, that's why.
Yeah, that's right, Congressmen still fear the torch and pitchfork crowd, folks. As well they should, too.
The superrich realize that if the zietguiest changes in this nation, I mean if the truth really becomes part of how Americans perceive the world, then by GOD the masters' advantages won't mean jackshit because we'll tear up the social contract and rewrite it.
I don't expect that to happen, of course, but that possibility is always out there, too.
We can fix this the easy way (politically) or we can wait until even the dumbest libertarian can see that they've been duped, and then frankly I think the masterclass wins, nation states because tools of power over the people, and pretty much every other social need is left to the corporations to dole out as they see fit.
That is really THE PLAN folks. Not an offical end to nation states, but the defanging of them (in relation to big money) but keeping them in place as the smokescreen and tool to control the people.
Basically, that's some kind of feudalist society a la the third millenium.
And then?
WEll I'm just guessing here, but then I think the plan is to control the world's population to bring it down to whatever the master class thinks is truly sustainable.
If their plan works out, our grandchildren are NOT going to be able to breed unless the government allows them to.
Yeah, the people I think runs things plan in terms of centuries, not years or presidental elections.
I know this sounds like science fiction folks, but we're damned close to our robotic revolution and let's face it...if you're of the class which is superwealthy, the working class is looking more and more like an expense that the superwealthy will want to jetison as soon as the workers can be mostly replaced by machines.
