FW: [Peace-discuss] Uncle Noam on the BBC

[LAURIE SOLOMON]

Subject: RE: [Peace-discuss] Uncle Noam on the BBC

 

>I think the Chomsky point is that it is a great opening moment for the
People and for organizers of people, a point also made by Naomi Klein (on
>October 29) who said, "Obama is a Centrist. It is up to us to move the
Center."  Even were he to be better than our fears, he cannot fail to
disappoint >because the size of the mess he steps into. 

 

While I agree that this may be an opening and that if you move the center
Obama and other Centrists will probably follow, I think that the above
statements and statements like this tend to get Obama and his administration
as well as the Centrists in and out of Congress off the hook by shifting
responsibility for anything which does not change in a
progressive/reformist/liberal/leftist direction to the People rather than
placing the responsibility where it belongs on Obama and his supporters and
Administration.  I think the people who put their faith and hope in Obama as
the new opportunity for change should hold his feet to the fire for each and
every thing - big or little - that he does not do or does differently from
how he represented himself throughout the campaign, allowing for no excuses,
rationalizations for failures to do so.  

 

 

From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Barbara
kessel
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 11:42 AM
To: kmedina at illinois.edu
Cc: peace discuss
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Uncle Noam on the BBC

 

I think the Chomsky point is that it is a great opening moment for the
People and for organizers of people, a point also made by Naomi Klein (on
October 29) who said, "Obama is a Centrist. It is up to us to move the
Center."  Even were he to be better than our fears, he cannot fail to
disappoint because the size of the mess he steps into. 

      We need now to "stretch the map" of anti-war protestors. Just because
64% of the voters said that their top issue was the economy and 10% said it
was the war does not mean that these issues remain unrelated in all the
minds of that 64%. True Anecdote: 84 year old father of a friend of mine,
who is a veteran of WWII, a stone racist, always voted Republican, cast his
first Democratic vote for Obama saying to his grown children, "I am sick and
tired of seeing the government throwing our money away on useless and
unnecessary wars."  Barbara Kessel

On Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 11:12 AM, Karen Medina <kmedina at illinois.edu> wrote:

>The Prophet [Noam] says: what matters is what people do with their

disappointment when Obama fails to meet their expectations.

I think the best thing Obama can do is hire the best cabinet possible to do
the real
work and he be the negotiator between the groups. He's smart enough and
there is
some evidence that he just might find the humility to do this.

He should take on one thing himself: universal healthcare would be a good
choice.

My worst fear is that he appoints only centrists and the right to his
cabinet. He has
a mandate to move left, but he may not be able to recognize it. He has a
tendency
to overcompensate to the right.

-karen medina

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