Subscribe to Breaking NewsRuby-Sachs: Obama abandons change?
Today, the Obama administration officially announced the foreign policy team for the next four years.
Not surprisingly, many of the appointments are former Clintonites (including Hillary), and stand to the right of Obama on the political spectrum. This includes the maintenance of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense – a post he stated a year ago he would likely not continue under a Democratic President. It also includes Susan Rice, former assistant to Madeleine Albright.
For those of us who bought into the Obama change mantra, the “team of Washington insiders” (according to David Brooks, conservative columnist for the New York Times) isn’t very reassuring.
How can we believe that U.S. policies abroad will be different this time when everyone in charge of decision-making is more hawkish than the President America voted for?
Part of the reason many liberals criticized Hillary Clinton was because she voted for the war in Iraq. Robert Gates led the surge in Iraq. Susan Rice was key in the decision not to intervene in Rwanda in 1994.
Things don’t look so good for change in America.
Still, Gates made noise this summer about investigating military use of private contractors and has publicly endorsed diplomatic means when military intervention seems futile. Clinton stated time and time again that her vote on Iraq was a mistake and Rice insists she learned from her inaction in 1994.
Perhaps the most reassuring fact is that Obama is emphasizing experience rather than policy allegiance when questioned about his choices. Those who are loathe to abandon their enthusiasm for this administration can only hope that centrist players are being used to push through a progressive agenda.
Naysayer for sure. Did we not hear Obama say that “the buck stops with me”? And, surely, we are bright enough to realize that his team has never worked as a team before. Lord knows that if he populated his team with newbies everyone would be crying that the team had no experience. Give the guy a break, have patience, and see where this goes before we start complaining.
Obama,,, he isn’t even in office yet the damage done by his election is already beyond imagination. I am a Progressive, this means I believe in progress not waiting and waiting and waiting for things to get done. I left the Democratic Party in 2004 in complete disgust. That year I vowed, after voting for John Kerry, that I would never throw away my vote for a candidate who doesn’t support marriage equality and doesn’t represent REAL change and progress. In 2004, I did the supposedly honorable thing and voted for Kerry, solely because George Bush was abysmally evil. But in 2008, while Republicans shockingly moved away from the failed policies of Bush, Democrats on the other hand moved closer to them. Stonewall Democrats, who supposedly are gay people representing our issues and agenda to the Democratic Party also swore in 2004 that they would NOT endorse a candidate who didn’t support marriage equality. As we all know Stonewall Democrats were endorsing every candidate who didn’t support marriage equality and doing little to nothing for the ones who did. Stonewall Democrats are trying to shove their party’s agenda on gay Americans and have a shotgun wedding of gay Americans to the Democratic Party, while the Democratic Party has little to no interest in advancing our issues. So in 2008, gay “leaders” from the alphabet soup groups, HRC, GLAAD, NGLTF etc all sold out our issues for promises of a slightly better administration than Bush’s. Obama didn’t even promise us the sun, moon and stars, he sold us half the moon 1/3 the sun and a star at best. Yet despite these meager promises, which are FAR FAR FAR from what we want and deserve he has absolutely no intention to immediately deliver.
We’re going through a troop shortage, we need linguists(like myself, I speak French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Afrikaans, Italian, Hebrew, Arabic and Czech). Yet despite promises, Obama doesn’t intend to do a damn thing about the ban on gays in the military until after he has 90% of Americans and congress behind him. This is a f*cking cop out.
In this economy, where people are losing their homes, life savings and the government(including Obama) is bailing out the very parasitic banks that put us in the situation. Obama acts like he’s a New Dealer yet he’s not even doing a fraction of what Roosevelt did. He is following Clintonista policies of a kinder gentler a*s f*ck of the American worker and consumer. AND, when the economy falters, it’s often gay and lesbian people who get fired first, but we should wait wait wait wait wait and wait some more before congress passes ENDA, so we can feel slightly more secure in our jobs.
Gay and lesbian people have been fighting for more than a decade for marriage equality. Yet despite overwhelming opposition, and many set backs, we continue to forge ahead. While we had a legitimate enemy in the White House, we won the right to marry in Massachusetts, Connecticut and in California(albeit for only a short period). Here comes Obama, who wants to be all things to all people, yet every time he is asked his position on marriage equality he makes it VERY clear that he OPPOSES marriage equality and that he believes marriage is between one man and one woman. In California, where we had the GOP Governor, several GOP mayors and most educated people on our side. Despite all this, it was Obama’s voice saying “I believe marriage is between one man and one woman” that was being sent to a million black voters. Obama’s voice and his opposition to marriage equality was used to get ignorant black voters to vote for Prop 8. Obama knew he needed gay voters to win California, so he played both sides, but don’t be fooled, Obama is as tribal and crooked as any old boy network. If he had to choose between his (black) people and gays and lesbians, he’d choose black people any day.
Also, Barack Hussein Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ. This church openly supports marriage equality both as a sacrament within the church and as a civil contract in society. Yet despite his OWN church’s support for marriage equality, Obama often uses his religion as justification for opposing marriage equality. Why is that? If his own church supports marriage equality, then his religion is NOT opposed to it, unless he really isn’t UCC. Whether Obama is a Muslim or not isn’t the point, but he presented himself as something different, someone who would bring change, someone who would make things happen. But just like the facade provided by the UCC, Obama carried the banner of progressivism, making most white progressives and liberals believe he was the long awaited liberal messiah. Obama hasn’t even gotten into office, yet even now, during his honey moon period, where the media literally worships him, the people who put him into power are now having cold feet. Too late!!! White progressives wanted to proove to themselves that they really weren’t racist, so they lowered their standards. Gay voters, who have been so abused, so lied to, so stabbed in the back too often, were misled by the self appointed gay “leadership” into voting for a candidate who opposes our rights. So many people actually believed Obama supported “gay marriage” and that was why they voted for him. They were convinced that Obama secretly supported marriage equality and would implement it the first day in office. Those that didn’t believe this trusted the HRC, the Stonewall Dems and the NGLTF to not endorse a candidate who didn’t support marriage equality. Gay and lesbian voters, like myself, who didn’t support Obama, were lambasted, insulted and even slandered as racists by Obama supporters.
So as far as I am concerned, Obama is a complete failure, especially when it comes to gay issues and real progress. He isn’t even in office, yet his well documented opposition to our rights was instrumental in erasing more than 1,100 rights in California.
On election night, I suspended my cynicism for one brief moment, I listened to his acceptance speech and actually had tears in my eyes. It felt surreal, almost like political emotion porn not too different from watching the West Wing dreaming of a real president. I wanted to believe, it felt like an emotional altar call, when a new convert would come up to the altar and profess his new faith. “Yes we can, yes we can” rang out again and again, like a revival of all those things we Americans should believe in. I so wanted to give into that call, I wanted to suspend my skepticism and believe, embrace all this hope and change. I watched Jesse Jackson, John Lewis and others cry tears of joy and I felt their joy and suffering. I tried to put my issues aside for one night, believing that I am so small and America is so great. Yet despite all this, all this emotion, I couldn’t embrace this new faith of irrational optimism and blind belief in Obama. As the election results came in, we witnessed a political landslide for the Democrats. Yet California, Prop 8…….. Obama instrumental in its passage. It seemed so hard to believe, yet even in California the forces of evil had no problem convincing enough people that we weren’t worthy of the most basic human right. I couldn’t share in the victory celebrations of Obama, while gay and lesbian people in a state I have never been to, just had their inalienable fundamental rights ripped away from them. Yet for weeks now, Obama has NOT condemned the passage of Prop 8, he has not called for its repeal.
Let me make it clear, I would gladly sacrifice my life if only I could be wrong about Obama. But I have little to no doubt that Obama will be NOTHING but just a slightly less hateful enemy to our community. He will play politics with our lives, and we’ll have millions of gay “leaders” convince us that it’s progress. Over the next 4 years, even more countries, other than our own, will join the club of those giving us marriage equality. He might sign an ENDA, but it will be so watered down, that discrimination against us, especially in red states is rarely if ever sanctioned. But despite all this, despite my own cynicism, I would gladly give up all that I have to be wrong. If Barack Obama was even half the leader he and others have made him out to be, I would stand in front of a bullet for him, if he would champion our cause. I want to be wrong, I want to be proven wrong, but since election day I have only seen mounting proof that Obama is not the change that was promised.
There is a real arrogance to the far Left. In fact, it bears an uncanny resemblance to the far Right, with its near-religious requirement that everyone hew to their agenda.
The bottom line is that Obama is not the President of the Left, he’s the President of The United States. He is not pursuing a Progressive agenda (nor did he ever claim he was), he’s pursuing an American agenda.
Many of you who have posted here just amaze me. You claim he’s no “change”. Where have you been for the last eight years? If you can’t already see a change even while the administrations are in transition, then you’ve been blinded by your own arrogance.
AAK
Oops. Meant to say “Foreign policy team” not “policy team”.
Raise your hand if you’ve heard a zillion times some variation of the following: All ideas(parties,philosiphies,etc) will have a seat at the table. THIS is the change that Obama campaigned on.
So far, it appears that moderates and the right wing are getting seats. Where are the voices of the left though? Who is the voice of the left in Obama’s policy team? Who in his economic team?
I get the feeling that we will get some voices at the table. Secretary of Bucket-carriers and Secretary of Mops and Brooms. Thanks for the change Obama.
I am pleased to see that many of the replies are positive. Obama cannot do everything at once. Gee Whiz! He’s not even in office yet.
He has gathered a stunning array of people to help him make intelligent decisions.
I was hopeful when I voted for him and I continue to be hopeful… and encouraged by what I am seeing thus far.
As a country, I think we are in for change and I will do my best to remain positive.
CHANGE has come to “American” govt, as
Obama spoke of. It’ starts w/ himself being
elected President-Elect of the U.S.
Now, i’m proud he nominated such an outstanding, powerhouse team of individuals whom can carry out his policies “effectively”. As a voter, i see nothing wrong w/ what hes done. And yes, please, pleae ppl allow the man to get into office first. Keep the blame and distress where it belongs, and that’s on the current administration whom got us into this mess. Obama “now” has the sticky task of getting us out. And we all know “not” everyone is going to be satisfied w/ whomever he appoints. Like if he would’ve appointed ppl we had never heard of, then we would’ve taken issue w/ that to, right! Omg…just let the man do his “job” and hopefully he’ll do it well, god knows he can only go up from here…via what G.W. Bush has gotten us into
you just don’t get it !!!!
What annoys me about this whole thing is that every time I hear/read a story about Obama now is that he’s failing basically. First off; let the guy get in office! jeesh. Secound, his campaign was for common sense government. CHANGING the tone of government from one of scoring points for you political agenda to just having good government that treats people fairly. And if you don’t believe THAT is a change, then you’ve been asleep for at least 8 years.
after mocking hillary for her alleged lack of experience (the pot calling the kettle.. am i allowed to say ?)black, barack puts her in charge of foreign affairs. after railing about ‘bush’s war’ he keeps bush’s sec. of defense. he’s backed off of DADT and the list goes on and on. apparently, the ‘change’ he kept talking about was changing his mind about everything as soon as he was elected.. and thanks for the votes, suckers !!
” So what if it becomes the Clinton III cabinet? We can use some of that 1990s style peace and prosperity right about now.”
The revival of bait and switch acts like DOMA and Don’t ask, is most reassuring for those longing for the 1990s. I just want all those outside the US borders, particularly those in places like Canada , Spain and other nations where they are treated as full citizens by their governments to come live here and share with the rest of us the joy of being treated as an inferior citizens in this marvelous III Clinton style government of Obama. I love how Sachs finishes her post comforting the Obama followers with the hope mantra. In the end that’s all they have left.
Even if he were a pacifist, he is soon to be the President and Commander in chief of a nation at war. They will still be fighting in Iraq for awhile I presume. Running for President is probably different than being president. It could take a different set of skills.
What is most remarkable about Obama’s picks are that he seems to be picking people from across the political spectrum who are well qualified for the job. That’s certainly a big change from the past eight years of Bush cronyism.
Obama, a little-known freshman senator in 2004 and a long-shot presidential candidate in 2006, ran one of the most effective presidential campaigns in history because he put the right people in the right places and created a well-organized, cohesive organization. I am trusting him to do the same as President.
Obama cannot abandon change when he’s never legitimately stood for it in the first place.
Anyone who actually thought he’d bring “real change” is a gullible fool.
Look, anyone who thought Arianna Huffington and Markos Moulitsas would have a role in this administration was projecting their own foolish hopes onto Obama. He was never the sort of left-wing politician everyone else made him out to be. Obama has explicitly rejected pacifism as a philosophy on numerous ocassions. He praised the Supreme Court decision saying individuals have the right to own guns. He’s for some domestic oil drilling. He’s extremely religious in an uncomfortably overt way. And he voted for FISA for crying out loud. We aren’t talking about Noam Chomsky here.
His selection of advisors reflect his middle-of-the-road Third Way values. I don’t think they’re necessarily “bad” picks either. So what if it becomes the Clinton III cabinet? We can use some of that 1990s style peace and prosperity right about now.