As some people get older they find themselves becoming more and more conservative; for me, the situation has been the exact opposite. With each passing year, I find myself becoming more and more of a social and economic liberal. I see what the other side stands for and I get frightened for the future of our country.
Just to give you an idea of where I stand politically, I view President Obama more as a moderate conservative than as a liberal. He has governed as a center right politician, and many of his policies are quite similar, in fact, to those of his predecessor, George W. Bush. To think that this guy is a socialist, as some wacky right-wingers do, is simply the height of delusion.
If the stakes weren't so high I would probably support a Green Party candidate for president or even a Republican progressive like Buddy Roemer, who at least expresses some concern about the dangerous role of corporate money in our elections. But, after what has happened in Wisconsin yesterday, it would be morally irresponsible for me to do anything like that.
In case you haven't been following the news for the past year, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was forced to fight an extremely tough recall election after basically trying to strip public workers in that state of collective bargaining rights. He is probably the most loathsome governor in the country--and given how many despicable right-wing governors there are all around the country right now, that's saying a hell of a lot.
There really wasn't much of a realistic chance that Walker would lose the recall election. As soon as the monied elite in this country saw what was going on, they pumped millions of dollars to prop Walker up in the campaign. In fact, out of state corporate money helped Walker outspend his Democratic opponent, Tom Barrett, by almost eight-to-one.
The recall election in Wisconsin is almost certainly a rehearsal for what is going to happen in November. Corporate interests are poised to spend over a billion dollars to defeat Obama and, if possible, take control of both houses of Congress. Money buys elections in the United States and the 1% in this country want one of their own as President. They are not likely to find a more compliant servant then they'll get in the form of Mitt Romney.
The 2012 presidential election, in fact, could move the country so far to the right that our American democracy itself could be at risk. With the tremendous disparity between rich and poor in this country, the vanishing middle class, and corporate control over our government, the United States is rapidly becoming a classic banana republic. The only question now is whether we'll be the first world equivalent of Bolivia or Uzbekistan.
That's the reason why I'm supporting a conservative--Barack Obama--for President in the fall. It's not because I like conservative ideology or governing policies. It's just that, given a choice between a conservative Democrat who at least talks a good game about issues like income inequality and a candidate beholden to a party that is moving inexorably towards corporate-sponsored fascism, I'll choose the conservative every time.
It would be nice if there was a real progressive candidate who could win the Presidential election in the fall--the 21st century equivalent of a Franklin Roosevelt or Bobby Kennedy--but that's probably not going to happen. So I'm going to grit my teeth and support Barack Obama for President in November.
Sadly, it's the only sensible thing a realistic progressive like myself can do.
Just to give you an idea of where I stand politically, I view President Obama more as a moderate conservative than as a liberal. He has governed as a center right politician, and many of his policies are quite similar, in fact, to those of his predecessor, George W. Bush. To think that this guy is a socialist, as some wacky right-wingers do, is simply the height of delusion.
If the stakes weren't so high I would probably support a Green Party candidate for president or even a Republican progressive like Buddy Roemer, who at least expresses some concern about the dangerous role of corporate money in our elections. But, after what has happened in Wisconsin yesterday, it would be morally irresponsible for me to do anything like that.
In case you haven't been following the news for the past year, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was forced to fight an extremely tough recall election after basically trying to strip public workers in that state of collective bargaining rights. He is probably the most loathsome governor in the country--and given how many despicable right-wing governors there are all around the country right now, that's saying a hell of a lot.
There really wasn't much of a realistic chance that Walker would lose the recall election. As soon as the monied elite in this country saw what was going on, they pumped millions of dollars to prop Walker up in the campaign. In fact, out of state corporate money helped Walker outspend his Democratic opponent, Tom Barrett, by almost eight-to-one.
The recall election in Wisconsin is almost certainly a rehearsal for what is going to happen in November. Corporate interests are poised to spend over a billion dollars to defeat Obama and, if possible, take control of both houses of Congress. Money buys elections in the United States and the 1% in this country want one of their own as President. They are not likely to find a more compliant servant then they'll get in the form of Mitt Romney.
The 2012 presidential election, in fact, could move the country so far to the right that our American democracy itself could be at risk. With the tremendous disparity between rich and poor in this country, the vanishing middle class, and corporate control over our government, the United States is rapidly becoming a classic banana republic. The only question now is whether we'll be the first world equivalent of Bolivia or Uzbekistan.
That's the reason why I'm supporting a conservative--Barack Obama--for President in the fall. It's not because I like conservative ideology or governing policies. It's just that, given a choice between a conservative Democrat who at least talks a good game about issues like income inequality and a candidate beholden to a party that is moving inexorably towards corporate-sponsored fascism, I'll choose the conservative every time.
It would be nice if there was a real progressive candidate who could win the Presidential election in the fall--the 21st century equivalent of a Franklin Roosevelt or Bobby Kennedy--but that's probably not going to happen. So I'm going to grit my teeth and support Barack Obama for President in November.
Sadly, it's the only sensible thing a realistic progressive like myself can do.
