Liberals are growing increasingly nervous – and some just flat-out angry – that President-elect Barack Obama seems to be stiffing them on Cabinet jobs and policy choices.
Obama has reversed pledges to immediately repeal tax cuts for the wealthy and take on Big Oil. He's hedged his call for a quick drawdown in Iraq. And he's stocking his White House with anything but stalwarts of the left.
Now some are shedding a reluctance to puncture the liberal euphoria at being rid of President George W. Bush to say, in effect, that the new boss looks like the old boss.
I find it amazing – truly amazing – that this guy campaigned on all kinds of promises, bashed George Bush for his policies and told the world that he would usher in a new kind of politics (21st Century ideas for a 21st Century America and all that), then he turns his back on his own party before he even gets into office.
"He has confirmed what our suspicions were by surrounding himself with a centrist to right cabinet. But we do hope that before it's all over we can get at least one authentic progressive appointment," said Tim Carpenter, national director of the Progressive Democrats of America.
How is this possible? I mean, seriously, how did this happen? Prior to the election, Barack Obama was surrounding himself with some of the worst possible people on the Left. Heck, he even got an endorsement from Hamas. I seriously thought this guy was going to have a more hard left cabinet, but some folks are leftover from the Bush Administration. I guess I can’t really complain, after all that means there will be some Republican power left somewhere in the federal government, but he kinda had me goin’ there.
OpenLeft blogger Chris Bowers went so far as to issue this plaintive plea: "Isn't there ever a point when we can get an actual Democratic administration?"
Jaimetud paging Chris Powers: “Bite me.”
Even supporters make clear they're on the lookout for backsliding. "There's a concern that he keep his basic promises and people are going to watch him," said Roger Hickey, a co-founder of Campaign for America's Future.
Honestly, who fell for this? Look, I realize the historical significance of this past election and I think it's perfectly alright to have a black president. I really don't have a problem with his race. But did people who voted for him really think that he was going to live up to half of the promises that he made during his run? Troops out of Iraq on day one of his presidency? Tax deductions for 95% of Americans, families or the tax bracket of the day? Seriously. Obama drew rousing applause at campaign events when he vowed to tax the windfall profits of oil companies. As president-elect, Obama says he won’t enact the tax.
I got a few friends who were kinda betting on those taxes going through. Yunno, like that was a good idea to begin with. Alright boys, pay up.
Obama’s pledge to repeal the Bush tax cuts and redistribute that money to the middle class made him a hero among Democrats who said the cuts favored the wealthy. But now he’s struck a more cautious stance on rolling back tax cuts for people making over $250,000 a year, signaling he’ll merely let them expire as scheduled at the end of 2010.
Which leaves the other tax bracket up for grabs and to anyone’s guess on what he’ll do with him. To the left, this must be like getting your sentence prolonged, but for us folks on the right, it’s just a quick breath.
Obama’s post-election rhetoric on Iraq and choices for national security team have some liberal Democrats even more perplexed. As a candidate, Obama defined and separated himself from his challengers by highlighting his opposition to the war in Iraq from the start. He promised to begin to end the war on his first day in office.
Now Obama’s says that on his first day in office he will begin to “design a plan for a responsible drawdown,” as he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. Obama has also filled his national security positions with supporters of the Iraq war: Sen. Hillary Clinton, who voted to authorize force in Iraq, as his secretary of state; and President George W. Bush’s defense secretary, Robert Gates, continuing in the same role.
For more information, click the link above and go through the entire article. It’s not a bad read. In all honesty, I could be pretty happy about things in a few years from now. There's a chance that he might actually do something that I kinda like, but for now, I just don't like being lied to, m'kay?
And with all that, I shall leave you all with what I believe to be a perfect representation of the incumbent Democratic administration. Enjoy!
