[sf-core] RE: [Peace-discuss] FW: Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Alienates Americans, Smacks of Elitism

Sun Nov 23 13:04:08 CST 2008

Laurie,

I agree 100 % with your suggested tactics, both the direct and the indirect !

What I initially stated ( about the advantage of having the high expectations for REAL change from a huge segment of the population and using this as a means to begin making demands NOW on Obama's cabinet appointments and near future policy ) is a first " baby step " to get people to begin to act, and more importently to find out for themselves that it will fail. That they will be ignored by Obama and his staff.

But I can't even get most people who call themselves " progressives " or even some who consider themselves " Leftists ", to even consider this.
Their response is ; " give Obama a chance ", or " we should wait until after the innaguration ".
This is reflected at the national level as well, by people like David Corn of Mother Jones Magazine, as well as the Nation and the Progressive.

The last time a democratic president (or any president for that matter ) made any changes of significance, was FDR. 
But the ONLY reason that FDR made the changes that he did, was because we had a near revolutionary situation in the country at the time. One third of the country unemployed with no unemployment benefits, another third under employed, and THREE general strikes in 1934- in San Francisco, Toledo, and Minneapolis.
Hence FDR didn't make the changes for the benefit of the people, but instead to save capitalism from a revolution.

Unfortunately things will probably have to get as bad as they were in the early 1930's before people begin to even consider taking the action that needs to be done to make significant changes for the better.

It shouldn't have to get to that point, especially if so called " progressives " and " Leftists " would wake-up from their denial and get their heads out of their asses, and start making demands loud and clear upon the Obama administration, so that most of the people in this country will see crystal clear that the Obama people have NO intentions of implementing the will of the people.

Then  begin making preperations and initiating the actions that will need to be done.

David Johnson

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: LAURIE SOLOMON 
  To: jencart13 at yahoo.com ; webmaster at one-world.org 
  Cc: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net ; sf-core at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2008 11:08 AM
  Subject: [sf-core] RE: [Peace-discuss] FW: Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Alienates Americans, Smacks of Elitism

  Hmmm!  I am not sure what you are referring to when you ask for my suggestions.   I think that I gave some of my suggestions explicitly to Dave Johnson in response tone of  his post a little while ago and  to others less explicitly in response to similar requests. 

  How about starting now to organize and mobilize a future general strike closing down the government, country, and economy if Obama does not deliver on progressive demands in a significant way within the first 1-2 years of his administration and make this as a threat to back up petitions and requests that the progressives and left is making?  How about demanding progressives and leftists be appointed to significant official posts, nominated for judgeships, and put on task forces under the threat of negative sanctions such as direct actions on the streets ala the 1960s  if it is not done (of course, you will need to have those sanctions in place for potential implementation  and seriously threaten to use them  to make them be a threat)? 

  Of course, one might try the indirect route of threatening to withhold support from  and actually work against the local Democratic party and its candidates if they do not put strong pressure accompanied with negative sanctions for non-performance on the State office holders to strong pressure accompanied with negative sanctions for non-performance on federal legislators (Congresspersons) to strongly pressure accompanied with negative sanctions for non-performance the Obama administration (e.g., by the withholding of Congressional support for his Administration and their legislative programs and appointments) unless Obama and his administration appoint  progressives and leftists to positions of authority and power, implement progressive policies and actions desired and suggested by the progressive community, etc.

  Again petitioning and making demands or suggestions alone will not cut it; this is especially true if such things are filtered through the existing transition team and appointees.  One needs a stick to go along with the carrot; and that stick is not  voting behavior at the next election.

  From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net [mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Jenifer Cartwright
  Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2008 3:50 AM
  To: webmaster at one-world.org
  Cc: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net; sf-core at yahoogroups.com; LAURIE SOLOMON
  Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] FW: Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Alienates Americans, Smacks of Elitism

        Specifically, what do you suggest we do that we're not already doing???

         --Jenifer

        --- On Sun, 11/23/08, webmaster at one-world.org <webmaster at one-world.org> wrote:

          From: webmaster at one-world.org <webmaster at one-world.org>
          Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] FW: Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Alienates Americans, Smacks of Elitism
          To: jencart13 at yahoo.com
          Cc: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net, sf-core at yahoogroups.com, "LAURIE SOLOMON" <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET>
          Date: Sunday, November 23, 2008, 2:40 AM

It is somehow comforting to hear complete sentences from any political figure,much less the president-elect!  Wow! We educated folk get to feel like we'rebeing represented....  Still, we shouldn't be complacent.  A schooled fellow in officedoesn't mean we'll see the transformations we want.  If you want anyhope of your policy ideas being reflected in Obama's policies, you'llhave to start now.  This time of "transition" is the time to starthammering the new president with suggestions.  The aggregate result ofindividuals, responding through the Obama internet behemoth, might actually havesome impact, even if it is only "social movement ammunition" for himto use while he pushes certain agenda.  I'll put it this way  if you want a single-payer national health plan,now is the time to be clamoring.  If you want an end to war, now is the time todemand it.  If you want to see a new "New Deal," with a "GreenProgress Adminstration," then you should start asking for it now.  Thetransition period for Obama is unlike any other in history, because he has setup a 2-way information infrastructure with his base.  We should take advantageof this situation.      ----- Message from jencart13 at yahoo.com ---------    Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:40:42 -0800 (PST)    From: Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com>Reply-To: jencart13 at y!
 ahoo.com Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] FW: Obama's Use of Complete SentencesAlienates Americans, Smacks of Elitism      To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net, sf-core at yahoogroups.com, LAURIESOLOMON <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET>  > This is terrific! Overlooking of course that we all heard Obama say (cringe)  "Prez Bush has kindly extended an invitation for Michelle  and Ito visit the White House".>  --Jenifer> > --- On Sat, 11/22/08, LAURIE SOLOMON <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET> wrote:> > From: LAURIE SOLOMON <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET>> Subject: [Peace-discuss] FW: Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Alienates Americans, macks of Elitism> To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net, sf-core at yahoogroups.com> Date: Saturday, November 22, 2008, 5:30 PM> > > > > > > > >  > > > > > > > Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Alienates Americans, Smacks ofElitism> > In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack  Obamahas broken with a tradition established over the past eight  years through hiscontroversial use of complete sentences, political  observers say.> Millions of Americans who watched Mr.!
  Obama's
 appearance on CBS's60  Minutes on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tick, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences  virtuallyevery time he opened his mouth.> But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last  eight yearsmany Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.> According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University  ofMinnesota, some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a president who speaks English as if it were his first language.> "Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of souning like an elitist."> The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete  sentencesin his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay,  subject,predicate, subject predicate -- we get it, stop showing off."> The president-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete  sentenceshas already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest  critics, Gov. SarahPalin of Alaska.> "Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder  can'treally do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into  whatAmericans are needing also," she said.> > Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New York er and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, 
BorowitzReport.com.>  >  > > >  > >  > >  > > > > > >  > >  > > >  > >  > > > > >  _______________________________________________> Peace-discuss mailing list> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> http://lists.chambana.listinfo/peace-discuss> > > >   ----- End message from jencart13 at yahoo.com -----  

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