"Isn't It Time For Change We Can All Believe In?"

I don’t know about most folks, but the more we get into this election cycle the more I am convinced that common decency has no place in this contest. It is whatever the traffic will bear. Whoever can garner the most money and tell the biggest lies seems to fare better in the polls. Make no mistake about it; it is the goal of big money, big business and the Republican Party to convert our democracy into a two-class society as quickly and as completely as possible. Their goal is two-tiered; those who have the most vs. those who have the least. No amount of lying, unadulterated bull crap and impugning the integrity of their opponents will change that inescapable fact. When and if they win this next election, you can bet we will bear witness to the most ruthless destruction of this democracy and the working class that one could possibly imagine. Regardless of the campaign rhetoric, there will not be one modicum of mercy for those who find themselves at or near the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. Hard times? We haven’t seen anything yet.

So as not to belabor this too much, let me briefly list a few of the issues that have managed to get my hackles up.

1. Despite the efforts of the news media to burnish his image, at the end of his last term in office, Bill Clinton joined forces with Phil Gramm, Robert Rubin, Alan Greenspan, Larry Summers, and other august members of the “club” to deregulate financial industries, kill Glass-Steagall and open the flood gates to the predators of Wall Street. Clearly, that set the stage for the crash of 2007 – 2008. Bill Clinton should own up to that and take responsibility. Time and money doesn’t change things. He is what he is.

2. Barack Obama had hardly found his way to the nearest restroom in the White House, when he began his wholesale importation of every sullied and questionable player that ever served in Bill Clinton’s Administration. I am still not sure whether they were brought in to teach the fledgling President on how the “big boys” successfully played the game or whether they were there to ensure continuity from the Clinton Administration to the Obama Administration. Either way, I regard that as a strategic error in good judgment.

3. The adoration and love-fest notwithstanding, Barack Obama wasted little time before he began his wholesale shredding of practically every campaign promise he made.

a. Not one single banker on Wall Street has been indicted for his role in the collapse of the financial markets. In the depths of the biggest recession since the Great Depression, he recently and publicly extolled the virtues of J.P. Morgan Chase and its CEO, Jaime Dimon. Whose side is this guy on?

b. Not one mortgage company official has been indicted for his role in the collapse of the housing market, a major piece of the economic Titanic that is still listing to starboard.

c. No effort has been made to level the playing field with China on trade and currency manipulation. All one need do is to compare the state of their infrastructure to ours.

d. He sold out the American working class, contrary to his promise to right the wrongs inherent in free-trade agreements negotiated and supported by the Clinton Administration.

e. Much to the detriment of American workers, he has expanded trade agreements and has undercut American business by acquiescing to foreign interests at the peril of our own economy.

f. He failed to even make a weak attempt to honor his commitment to a single-payer option for healthcare insurance.

g. He failed to honor his commitment that would have required drug companies to negotiate with the government on the cost of prescription drugs.

h. He failed to show anything but token support for environmental programs and safeguards.

i. He failed to hold British Petroleum to account for the disastrous rupture of their deepwater well in the Gulf of Mexico. If one were so naïve as to believe what is being peddled, you would think the Gulf was our modern-day Shangri-La of milk and honey.

j. He has shrouded the Executive Branch in far too much secrecy, extending its cover to issues surrounding Guantanamo Bay, whistleblowers, etc. His rhetoric on the merits of and advocacy for “transparency” rings hollow.

k. His penchant for “secret” or “private” meetings with adversaries acting contrary to the best interests of the American people raise serious questions as to whose side he is on.

l. His token support for minority interests leads one to believe that he really isn’t solidly behind those efforts.

This could go on ad nauseam, but I believe the point has been made. To say that he is disingenuous is, at best, an understatement.

His penchant for compromise and capitulation to the opposition belies any notion of sincerity in his oratorical ability and casts a shadow on his leadership skills. President Obama may be a “facilitator,” but he is no leader. That requires steadfast determination and the courage to act with resolve on behalf of the American people, rather than selling them down the river for political expediency and personal gain. At the end of the day, he is just one of the boys imbibing in the largesse from special interests to the detriment of the average American. Any serious examination of his position on issues would pose a challenge to any serious student of politics as to his real loyalties and his party of choice.

I think it is time for every good and decent American, and every dedicated Democrat to rethink what his professed accomplishments have really gotten us. Where is the strength of his commitment to the average person who has been so badly put upon by his Administration? He may feign his sincerity for their plight and their pain, but deeds speak louder than words. An anxious nation still waits, with faint hope, that there is still a chance for “Change We Can Believe In.”

Frankly, I am not so sure the “Old Boys’ Club” comprised of the fat cats who have held high office in Washington is actually working for the American people. Who represents those who have been unemployed for years and harbor faint hope that things will, indeed, get better? Who is representing those who are members of labor unions and have been stripped of their authority and rightful place at the bargaining table? Who is representing all the students who are suffering under a burden of debt thought to be unthinkable in recent history? Who is representing all the state and municipal governments who are struggling to provide vital community services and repair crumbling infrastructures? Who is standing with the “Occupy Wall Street” movement and their valiant efforts to restore some fairness and justice to our economic system?

Given the trend in the polls and the imminent threat that exists to the very foundations of our democracy, I think the time has come to “think outside the box,” and wean ourselves from the male mystique that surrounds the Oval Office. Barack Obama is clearly a failure and he should, in the name of party unity and what is best for this country, gracefully bow out and make room for America’s first woman as our next President.

The first that comes to mind is Hillary Clinton. She proved herself a very able challenger for President in the Democratic Primary against Barack Obama. I believe she has handled the adversities in her personal life and those in her public life with strength and resolve. I, also, believe she has the ability to unite the many disenfranchised factions that are looking for strong leadership from the White House. My only concerns, and they are valid concerns, is the extent to which she has been influenced and shaped by her husband’s politics, allegiances and ambitions.

Elizabeth Warren has demonstrated her ability while she tenaciously served as the chief advocate for a Consumer’s Protection Agency in the Obama Administration. However, in keeping with his penchant for “playing it politically safe,” he managed to sidetrack her and, as most of us know, she is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts. She is a strong, determined, and able person who would make an excellent President.

Amy Klobuchar, incumbent U.S. Senator from Minnesota has proven herself an extremely bright, energetic and highly principled individual. She has represented her state and its constituency well and has the attributes of a reasoned and thoughtful leader. She could handle the responsibilities of President very well.

Jan Schakowsky is one of the incumbent U.S. Congress-women from Illinois and has served in various responsible and powerful positions since she has been in the House. She has proven herself as a bright, energetic and strong leader.

It is well beyond the time for us to put aside any reservations we may have about a woman serving this nation as President. History has given us numerous examples of women who have carried burdensome responsibility as well as or better than any man. Some that come to mind are Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel, Golda Meier, Queen Elizabeth II, Indira Gandhi, and Christine Lagarde. Any one of them has demonstrated she has what it takes to serve a nation as Head of State.

Any one of the four I have enumerated could, and would, prove that she is more than capable of that challenge, and has earned the distinction of being our first woman President. I can think of no one more capable of steering this country away from a Republican disaster in the making, and restore confidence in our ability to choose and support a leader that will truly do what is best for the people of this country, and the interests of our nation in the world community.

Barack Obama has failed the American people, and he has failed the Democratic constituency he inherited, based on false promises and his cozy relationship with the very oligarchs, plutocrats and scions of business that have taken this country to the brink of ruin. That he is little more than a political opportunist is borne out by the extent to which he has been instrumental in selling out the working people of this country. The time has come for Barack Obama to stop playing with the national psyche and step aside in favor of someone who will take the job seriously and make an honest effort to turn this country around.

Mitt Romney is what he is. He is a ruthless and wealthy opportunist in the game for himself and all those who have amassed phenomenal wealth at the expense of every citizen who has a stake in the future of this country; not just a privileged few.

I don’t see where the “macho” complex and being a member of the “Old Boys Club,” has done us any good. I think it is time for bold and decisive action. The time is now, and the time is for a woman. They have waited long enough.

Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
June 18, 2012