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OBAMAS_LEFT_BEHIND
November 9, 2016
(When in doubt,
go with butt humor.)
So, I heard the word that there was a protest of some sort
down in Ogawa plaza, and I happened to be out biking around
then, so I decided to swing by it -- I had mixed feelings
about the idea of "protesting" an election result (unless
you felt like the process was crooked, but I haven't heard
of any good evidence of that as of yet).
It was more of a rally, with speakers and audience. As I
showed up someone was beginning a talk titled something like
"how did we get here?"... he started out talking about how he
really did have "hope for change" back when Obama was
elected, but was quickly very disappointed. He said, okay
maybe Obama did a few little things like health care
(seriously, the dude put it that way), but really Obama
didn't do much, because you see, it turns out that Obama is
bought by the same interests who--
At this point the audience started shouting things at him,
like "racism!". It sounded like a Black Lives Matter
contingent. He tried to put them off with a "Yes, I'm
going to get to that", explaining that yes, he understood
there was a lot of racism and "this is not a post racial
society" and so on... they weren't having any of this, and
I gave up on that point and left.
This seems symptomatic of the Left of late--
What's actually on our minds at this point is how Trump
managed to win the presidential election-- he squeaked in
despite losing the national popular vote, with an edge in
many key states of only around 1%. This makes it pretty
easy to imagine multiple things that could have been
different that would've defeated him.
HE_WHO_SHALL_NOT_BE_NAMED
Myself, I'm a "the Dems shoulda gone with
Bernie" kind of guy, and I suspect the speaker
would agree with me on that-- but in all honesty On the other hand, no one
the thing Bernie had going for him isn't that *objected* to Bernie's
he's way left, what he had is the perception background, so yes, the
that he's an outsider. Hillary was supposed to standard advice that you
be the "safe" pick, but in a throw-the-bums-out need to go right to win
year the middle-of-the-road is going nowhere. is wrong.
Anyway, that's what I think, but unlike
all the other folks anxious to tell you
what they think, I have to admit that the
evidence that my opinion is correct is It would be pretty
fairly slim: there were advance polls back cool if *someone* out
during the primary season that showed there would start with
Bernie doing better against Trump, but that problem: since it
we've all just seen pre-election polls seems that "everything
flop really badly, so how can I argue that we know is wrong" the
those other polls were so indicative? first question is "is
it possible to know
Of course, there's also the sheer scale anything?"
and enthusiasm visible at Sanders
rallies... POLLS_AND_REALITY
But instead of starting with the case for
Bernie, this fellow felt the need to wind
the clock back and complain about Obama--
But if the idea is "Hillary lost because
Obama", that's pretty weak: Obama's approval
ratings have been really good lately, and Presuming we can trust
there's no evidence that I know of that the the approval ratings.
electorate is going "damn, Obama should-a been
more left!"
BECAUSE_OBAMA
There are things about
The speaker had fallen into the trap of Obama that dissapoint me
presuming that the stuff he cares about is also: at the top of
the stuff that politicians need to address the list, he's a
if they want to win, but he's got no good constitutional scholar
reason to assume that he's representative that's decided that
of the public at large, and there's good assasination by executive
reason to think otherwise. order is okay.
And yeah, I wish he'd shut
One of the things people had down Guantanomo rather
reservations about about Bernie than just scale it back...
was that he seemed to have At least they *claim* he
trouble connecting with black shut down the equivalent
people-- I know that at least sites whose names we don't
some black people thought know... but it's not as
Bernie was too critical of though we can check.
Obama, and strangely enough
many like to think of Obama as But to my knowledge, there
their guy. are no signs that the
electorate at large cares
What would possess someone to about this stuff. Most of
think that the election of them are sold on the idea
Trump was the right time to that an aggressive foreign
complain about Obama-- to an policy will Keep Us Safe.
audience on the streets of
Oakland, no less? But I also have to say that
compared to the other
Presidents we've had of
It was wrong, irrelevant and late, Obama has done a
politically tone-deaf: that's decent job. The Obamacare
the trifecta... that the speaker tried to
dismiss is far from being a
It makes me wonder if this minor achievement, even if
guy has ever tried his ideas the Left would've preferred
out in public before... does a simpler single-payer
he ever poke his nose out of scheme.
his bubble?
The economic stimulus after
the 2008 crash helped smooth
The reason the Left can't out the pain;
get any traction in
American politics is And the oft complained about
uh... a conspiracy of the bank bailout, whatever
mainstream media! problems it had, did not
ultimately cost the taxpayers
anything: it was a loan, long
since paid back.
Complain Obama didn't do
enough, if you like, but that
pretty much can only apply to
the first two years, after
which the obstructionist
Republican congress took over,
and getting anything at all
done was a near impossiblity.
Oh, and that rabid opposition
does indeed look like it was
motivated by racism, doesn't
it? I think those folks in
the audience might've been
saying something about that.
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