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Obama At the UN: Think of Me as FDR, Not Bush
Distancing himself from George Bush and embracing the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt -- to the point of quoting the 32nd president on the need for "the cooperative effort of the whole world" to build peace and prosperity -- Barack Obama addressed the United Nations Wednesday as a old-school liberal internationalist.
After reviewing the breaks he has made with the Bush administration's unilateralist approaches -- with a heavy emphasis on the determination of the United States to engage with the UN and international groupings that promote human rights and cooperation between nations on issues such as disability rights -- the president said in his first speech to the UN: "We have reached a pivotal moment. The United States stands ready to (usher in) a new era of international cooperation."
Obama portrayed that readiness as an opportunity that nations that had come to distrust the U.S. during the Bush-Cheney era should now embrace. And he suggested an ambitious global agenda.
Like Roosevelt speaking in the last days of World War II, when he outlined "four freedoms" to be promoted across borders and continents, Obama described "four pillars" of progress for the planet.
"The magnitude of our challenges has yet to be met by the measure of our action," said Obama, who called for action to address the "four pillars" that he described as:
1. Nuclear Nonproliferation. "We must stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek... a world without them," said Obama as he committed to new negotiations to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction and promised that the United States would live up to its responsibility to lead in endeavor.
2. Pursuit of Peace. Declaring the United States to be "committed to diplomacy" and to "partnerships to target terrorists" and peacekeeping and development aid, Obama said, "I will not waver in my pursuit of peace." And he drew applause with an aggressive embrace of Middle East peacemaking, in which he announced: "America does not accept the legitimacy (of Israeli settlements)." Said Obama: "The time has come to re-launch negotiations -- without preconditions -- that address the permanent-status issues: security for Israelis and Palestinians; borders, refugees and Jerusalem... The goal is clear: two states living side by side in peace and security -- a Jewish state of Israel, with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967, and realizes the potential of the Palestinian people."
3. Protecting the Environment is Essential to Peace and Prosperity. We must recognize that in the 21st century unless we take responsibility for (climate change on) our planet," said the president, who added that, "The days when America dragged its feet on this issue are over."
4. A Global Economy That Advances Opportunity for All People. Speaking of setting "new rules of the road" that address greed and speculation, Obama promised to promote "a course for growth that is balanced and sustainable." But his primary focus was on working with other countries to address hunger, disease and poverty. "We will set out sights of the eradication of extreme poverty in our time," he said, emphasizing the responsibilities of wealthy nations to do more to aid and respect developing nations.
Obama acknowledged that his words were just that -- words. And he spoke bluntly about the need for leaders to return to their countries and "do the hard work" of making real the promises presented at the podiums of the United Nations.
Obama, whose rhetoric has too frequently extended beyond his reach, has plenty of work to do in Washington.
He admitted that "America has too often been selective in our promotion of democracy," and his administration has yet to make a full enough break with the lawless and anti-democratic approaches of the Bush-Cheney years.
Indeed, if Obama would simply live up to the lofty language of his address, it would represent a break not just with Bush but with compromises on issues ranging from extraordinary rendition and the use of military force that have continued since January 20. That's a message that domestic activists should highlight, particularly in debates about torture and respect for international law.
But what was encouraging about Obama's speech was his recognition of the need - and the value - of distancing his presidency from that of George Bush and his determination to link his mission with that of a more worthy predecessor.
Speaking the language of Roosevelt rather than Bush, Obama promised to "redouble our efforts" to strengthen the United Nations because, as this president rightly noted that: "Amid many crises... food, energy, recession and pandemic flu, hitting all at once... the world looks to us for answers. If ever there were a time to act in a spirit of renewed multilateralism... a moment to create a United Nations of genuine collective action... it is now."
74 Comments so far
Show AllI didn't hear the speech but these are great quotes. It is sad that the Democrats don't seem to be able to put any of it into practice.
"We must stop the spread of nuclear weapons" - except to non npt signatory India, and our own and Israel's weapons, let's not talk about that.
"committed to diplomacy" - if by diplomacy, you mean threats of a suprise attack against Iran, Venezuela or occupied Gaza.
"Protecting the Environment is Essential to Peace and Prosperity. We must recognize that in the 21st century unless we take responsibility for (climate change on) our planet," , - but of course we want recently industrialized and much poorer China to make the first move.
"We will set out sights of the eradication of extreme poverty in our time" - Unless of course that means cutting the billions in farm subsidies that impoverish and starve to death farmers around the developing world.
Nichols' article is a great exercise in delusion.
After only 8 months, Obama's words and rhetoric in the Big House remain as empty and useless as they did prior to his election (knowing elections never mount movements and/or change).
Ask a dead Iraqi, Afghan, or Pakistani how different the American Empire is under this administration as opposed to the last.
Not once do American leaders (read: corporate militarists) ever discuss the idea of changing the Empire's behavior for the betterment of the world's population - christ, that would border on anarchism.
All of these four goals would be furthered by the immediate and complete withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan.
I would've put it much more succinctly, Rich: "Blow it out of your ass, Barry. Talk is cheap, but we're not buying."
That pretty well sums it up, Rich and Seditious.
Haha! "Rich and Seditious", sounds like a description of the Beck/Limbaugh gang...
There is a saying, "Being stupid is its own reward." And NMFC is living proof that it's true.
Indeed. After reading that unbelievably laughable Katrina Vanden Heuvel "Obama Shows (Some) Progressive Spine" screed posted just a few days ago, and now this, I have to say that I'm beginning to wonder if "The Nation" is from the same viral infection of the brain as as NoMoreForCorps.
Marketing is what you do when your product is no good. And Obama sure has great marketing.
Obama has a whole portfolio of personas, one to fit most any occasion. When FDR wears thin, just pull out another one. What will it be today, MLK, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Abe Lincoln....?
I can't take it anymore. What a heap of deceiptful crapola.
It won't be too much longer before the rest of the world catches on to this skillful phoney and his empty words.
Obama's like a philandering spouse. He lies to your face with all the right words and promises of fidelity, then turns on his heels straight out the door to spend the night with his mistress.
I believe Chris Hedges summed it up perfectly when he said something to the effect of:
Brand Obama says one thing and candidate Obama does the opposite.
You said it well, freepressmyass.
So far, this guy ... with all those nice words ... isn't worthy to sew a patch on FDR's underdrawers.
But, once upon a time FDR was a charming, shallow, philandering, bright fellow with ambition and the gift of the right words. And then he was brought down to the ground, and he learned to crawl and struggle and to drag himself up by great effort to a sitting position. When all was said and done, he understood feeling humiliated and freakish and ashamed to be seen.
And thus began his spiritual honing that eventually opened his heart to the pain of others--the oppressed, the vilified, the poor, the suffering, and because of them and because the right stuff filled out his own soul, he became a courageous warrior.
He was never perfect, as no human is, but when he died the tears and the wailing by so many across the nation reflected the loss of a true champion, their champion.
My take is that the best presidents ... just a handful ... lived with and faced up to pain and hardship and deeply felt it, and then they transcended their own feelings and were able to fully understand and feel the feelings of others, and then act on the basis of compassion and justice and fairness ... and love.
Obama, more and more strikes me as an emotional adolescent who won the prize. He's intelligent and reasonable and cerebral to a fault. It sure worked in Harvard, and must be comfortable to have all those Harvard alums and Ivy leaguers around him. Deja vu, all over again. But now he is President in a world gone mad. Until, by whatever means, he achieves some depth of feeling that ignites his courage and his passions for his own people, for the people of the world and the earth itself, he may do more damage with his honeyed hypocrisies than anyone before him because this is The Crucible for all of us. Perhaps, however, all those honeyed hypocrisies may piss enough people off to make the difference.
And I will add one more thing. Obama is a reflection of the changed and twisted character of a nation beginning in the '60's which emphasized being #1 as a nation and as a person, being encouraged to have anything you want because You Deserve It, which included okayness regarding cut-throat competitiveness, and over-all, the emphasis on MATERIALISM, including the best Yoga mats, rather than true Mindfulness, and Self-gratification rather than a sense of other and empathy toward those who weren't able to make it all the way to the MacMansions and the gated communities, and they became increasingly invisible and people and neighborhoods to avoid.
The above is a short list, but there is so much more. And I'm not blaming a generation -- Boomers, X, Y, or Z. The pressures of relentless conditioning by the media and advertisers have succeeded all too well with far too many, and I am fully aware of so many people and groups and businesses of all generations who are out there everyday and have put themselves on the line to create a better world ... save the planet ... stop the carnage ... feed people ... bind up their wounds ...
Again:
"Obama's like a philandering spouse. He lies to your face with all the right words and promises of fidelity, then turns on his heels straight out the door to spend the night with his mistress."
And he sure isn't alone with the members of Congress who have come to relish being Corporate whores and the same for particular members of the Courts, including the Supreme Court, whose sense of justice also seems to start and stay in the Corporate board rooms.
A broken political system and a shredded Constitution? You bet. A fractured Nation? You bet.
So let's be supportive of those and those things that are worthy of our support, and also get seriously busy creating our own systems that incorporate humaneness with all that that word means. That's a tall order, but the thing to do is start, ... and maybe we'll make it afterall.
/cm
Sioux Rose
CEE MIRACLES: You offer a compelling analysis except for the fact it carries a tone of potential hero worship insofar as what the office of the US presidency is capable of delivering. Truth of the matter is, the system is now broken and any who get anywhere near the throne have to have proven to the puppetmasters that they really do stand for corporate interests first and foremost.
There have been times in the nation's history where a better balance between the press (and genuine freedom of expression), informed citizens, and political powerbrokers was at play. Now, like a covert and extended chess game, all the key positions on the board are taken, owned by those that stand for and about profit. Therefore your analysis of where Obama misses the mark can be true to a point, but it doesn't touch the larger issue of what's happened to the highest seat of the land when everything around it has already sold out to the highest bidders. The bitter irony of this scenario being that it's now with the public's OWN money (i.e. the recent banker bailout to the tune of estimates ranging from $700 billion to MANY trillions in dollars) that's being used in a heist against their precious liberties! I think Obama fits the part, which is to say he successfully auditioned for a ROLE. Passing a lot of those tests in the Ivy League schools may have meant he understood what the GAME was asking of him. After all, what kind of economic models--in terms of the greater, i.e. public good--have of late emerged from these institutions? The Chicago School in a kinder, gentler time would qualify as befitting the educational profile preferred by white collar criminals. And the result? A global version of Disaster Capitalism which like a virus, keeps mutating so as to devour more of its host nation. At present that be U.S. Seeing this process in motion I lose any sentimental feelings for the US presidency.
Sioux Rose: "CEE MIRACLES: You offer a compelling analysis except for the fact it carries a tone of potential hero worship insofar as what the office of the US presidency is capable of delivering. Truth of the matter is, the system is now broken and any who get anywhere near the throne have to have proven to the puppetmasters that they really do stand for corporate interests first and foremost."
SR - I did say FDR wasn't perfect, and he wasn't, and I could have elaborated. And I have been saying for a long time that the System is broken, and we have to face that.
I make no human a hero, but sometimes humans do heroic, courageous things. And a President does set the tone. Eisenhower's warning as he left office, with an economy growing by leaps and bounds, was pointed and clear.
The military/industrial/congressional/financial/C.I.A. complex began to go into high gear and especially in his last year in office with JFK talking about the absolute priority of World Peace, and NOT a PAX AMERICA with our military and armament sales all over the world, that was not going to sit well at all.
I think that JFK because of what he was saying in that last short year of his presidency before he was killed suggested that he had gone through some kind of transformation, and might have been one of the great ones. He had the charisma, intelligence and wit, and he too had suffered a great deal of pain during his life, and the death of Patrick, the second son who died of hyaline membrane disease, truly affected him very deeply. He and Jackie were much closer, and she too was talking about alleviating hunger worldwide and remedies to cure the simple conditions that killed so many of the world's poor.
No one can argue that JFK was a flawed human being as all of us are, but he was getting strong legs under him, and speaking out with vision and courage on issues that were controversial, and saying what needed to be said toward a more peaceful, cooperative world for all people. It's no surprise that he was killed. And he had made a mortal enemy right from the get-go of Alan Dulles, head of the C.I.A., when JFK came into office and found out that an attack on Cuba was planned. JFK refused to support it, but Alan Dulles went ahead with the Bay of Pigs operation, expecting that Kennedy would fold and provide the air and naval support. He didn't, but took the rap for the event itself and its failure.
Then Lyndon went down the tubes because of his terrible insecurities. If he could have stuck with The Great Society and vision of the end of poverty, which was bearing rich fruit, and not have been concerned that JFK would have continued in Vietnam [which evidently was not the case -"We're getting in over our heads. Maybe it's time to get out."] until "we won," LBJ, with his enormous powers of persuasion could have been one of the greats to change the face and substance of this nation. And then there were more assassinations. Then the paranoid and pathetic Nixon came on board with Kissinger always close by. [Worth seeing the film, NIXON, again. What an eye-opener now. Pure evil.]
And by the time of the denouement of Watergate and the Nixon pardon by President Gerald Ford, the military/industrial/congressional/financial/C.I.A. complex was not going to be uprooted.
[continued]
[continuing]
And I think you are absolutely right, Sioux Rose, your whole second paragraph.
By the time of Eisenhower's warning, it may have been too late already, but certainly as the aroused public protested the Vietnam War and its influence made a difference in ending the war, along with journalists and news commentators who still were professionals whose truths still made front page and front TV screen, the POWERS at the very top of the heap were not going to sit still and let the democratic process and a government of, for, and by the people ruin their toga parties celebrating the imminent future of financial and world resource takeover, including the Zionist's takeover of all of Israel.
Excluding that last, Naomi Klein spells it all out in THE SHOCK DOCTRINE.
So, yeah, we're broken, our process is broken. I, in no way, disagree with your assessment.
And it is sad for me and all of us that when Obama won so resoundingly, and after a few months of orientation in his new office, he didn't come out swinging with moral indignation and passion as he got a grasp on everything, and especially because the vast majority of the public would have responded because they were and are ready, it might have changed things. That was a hope at least. He might have been assassinated almost immediately too then. But I had already picked up statements in his campaign that bothered me a great deal, and his cabinet appointments were more than enough of a clue, and certainly I am well-steeped in what anyone running for the presidency is up against, and especially since they are hand-picked and supposed to hew the line, it would be surprising if they turned on their Masters.
One still can be disappointed, however. So much is at stake.
And, so, yes, in my growing up years there were quite a few heroic leaders, and it made all the difference in the world. There are some around now, but unfortunately, in this country, they can't make it to first base.
I greatly admire Vladimir Putin, despite some of the harsher measures he took early on to keep Chechna in line, but he is one savvy, strong, decisive and intelligent dude, and I believe, from reading his background, from statements he has made, and positive things he has done, that GW, of all people, was right. Putin has a good heart and soul and no one is going to pull the wool over his eyes and destroy his country, and if he can help it, the planet.
++++++++++++
One hellava' play to be part of, SR, isn't it?
peace, cm
Sioux Rose
CEE MIRACLES: I apologize for getting back to your response so late, but mainly I just wish to verify it, and thank you for taking the time to elaborate. (I had appointments today.) While out and about I gave some thought to what happened to America, the many things that have turned on themselves defy sanity, decency, and probability; and then it occured to me how the US populace could well be the only one in the world, the case A textbook study, in what happens to a people that are influenced by advertisers and mass media to such a full extent from pre-school into the phase that immediately precedes death. Many persons have no clue as to what their actual taste buds tell them, or what is appealing in sound for that matter. EVERY ONE OF THEIR sensibilities has been shaped by media. Wilhelm Reich had a lot to say about what befalls a people that sublimates its own sensory apparatus, and substitutes what a 3rd party considers right and proper in lieu of its own organically seasoned preferences. Our citizen-consumers are taught to march lockstep with "another's beat," or drummer. The lack of passion and conviction, added to obesity, depression, rage of all sorts demonstrates the outcome to this level of social engineering or mass-media styled conditioning. And again, thank you for exploring nuance and adding much to this forum.
As for "the play," I wonder if the spirit world defines it under comedy or tragedy (or both)?
And Franklin had Eleanor.
As usual, Obama can be quite eloquent in language, but a language which belies his/U.S actions. How long can he beguile the world with flowery phrases?
His actions with respect to Palestine and Israeli occupation and repression there, his acceptance of the atrocity of Gaza and its strangling siege by Israel, his non-actions with respect to the coup in Honduras, his continuing occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, his bombing of innocents in Afpac, his threats against Iran while ignoring those of a nuclear Israel, the maintenance and even expansion of military bases throughout the world, rampant militarism, lack of transparence, all this and more show that his actions are in fact a continuation of the Bush actions if not a continuation of Bush language.
John Nichols glosses over all this, he too being beguiled by Obama's "lofty" words.
1. Nuclear Nonproliferation... starting with Israel? Ain't happening... ever.
2. Pursuit of Peace via "partnerships to target terrorists"... That's a good one. Yes Obama, War is Peace, indeed.
3. Protecting the Environment... from its phony protectors?
4. A Global Economy That Advances Opportunity for All People... like 20% unemployment and Obama's taxation without representation.
Obama: "I am FDR" ... right... and I am Alexander the Great.
If Obama was anything like FDR, his first job would be reinstate Glass-Steagall. Unfortunately, he is another empty suit, another sock puppet with a history of lies and broken promises. He would make a good clown to entertain the kids but you must be kidding yourself if you trust a word of what he says.
Arktig: or should i call you alexander...
i found your dry wit very amusing and your points are well taken
you write: "he is another empty suit, another sock puppet with a history of lies and broken promises. "
david icke calls these facilitators "the suits that come and go"
their role is strictly cosmetic and like a good juicy zit will pop and explode with minimal pressure
obama is history - died as a result of a self-inflicted blast of empty meaningless rhetoric
or maybe he got his sock stuck in his windpipe...
"the suits that come and go" - that's a good one too. Thanks.
Obama thinks you can carry the health insurers too... next to the bankers... but hey, no more hay for you...
yes yes we know he can talk the talk!
But, I have yet to see him walk the walk!
Judge them by their actions!
'...determination of the United States to engage with the UN and international groupings that promote human rights and cooperation between nations on issues such as disability rights -- the president said in his first speech to the UN: "We have reached a pivotal moment. The United States stands ready to (usher in) a new era of international cooperation."'
Not that disabiliy rights aren't important, but this like championing no cigarette advertising targeted at children, considering the pressing issues of the hour, seem like safe causes to hold up as rally calls for change.
Please. The world doesn't turn to us anymore, Obama, no one is buying your BS.
no no no no no! Bush is the war criminal, Obama is the "sort-of-God" Obama can bomb and kill all he wants. MoveOn does not care. Media does not care.
Sioux Rose
LUCKY: True observation. Obama, championed for his so-called legendary gift of oratory is more truly a master of speaking in tongues, that is, Orwellian-style doublespeak. As you pointed out, the hypocrisy is glaring!
And there's Qaddafi stealing Obrama's thunder: Calling for the perpetrators of the Iraq war to be tried, calling out the double standards of the U.N. Naturally Obfuck will just scoff and laugh it away.
Headline: Crazy Guy in Tent Makes Sense
The 7.7 trillion owed should come from the global fascists! Time to shine a light into Swiss banks. Close tax loopholes.
If only Khaddafy added one more thing to make his speech greater-- call for a real investigation of 9/ll!
I am optimistic there is going to be a new world order, but it is not going to be the kind of nwo a few are dreaming. And I will be relieved when the US is not the police of that version.
I watched MSNBC's coverage of both Obama's speech and Kadafie's speech at the UN today. MSNBC's judgement has been passed. Obama's was great and Kadafie's was "disjointed and full of conspiracy theories". Putting aside how terrible the UN translator was, that helped to butcher the speech of Kadafie, looking beyond that at the substance and what each was trying to accomplish:
1) Obama tried to tell the world that under his administration the US has changed. It was now prepared to engage the world, support the UN's initiatives on global climate change, feeding the poor, bringing free drugs to the Third World, stop torture, etc, etc.
2) Kadafie who was speaking there, as the representative of the African Union was critical of how the UN has been operating and how it is presently structured. There wasn't anything that he said that I could disagree with and here are some of the main things I remember of his speech:
1. The UN's Pre-amble to its charter states that all nations are equal. So Kadafie questioned the setup where only a few rich nations comprise the Security Council of the UN with the power to veto any decisions arrived at by the UN Assembly. He pointed out that this power was not democratic and that it has been used, time after time, (64 wars since the UN was founded) in the interests of the powerful nations against the Third World nations. He called for a democratization of the UN where the General Assembly was supreme and the Security Council should be restructured so that not just the victors of the Second World War should be on it, but rather true representatives of the various unions throughout the world, such as: the Africa Union, Union of South American States, the G100, etc. He referred to the actions by the permanent members of the Security Council as terrorism against the Third World nations, that leave each and everyone of them in fear as to whether they will be next. He called on the end of trying to build democracy from without and that each nation needs to be left to struggle for democracy on their own without outside interference and within their own historical development.
2. He said that the International Court was not legitimate because it only brings cases against Third World "offenders" and totally ignores the illegal activities perpetuated by the First World countries, such as the illegal wars against Yugoslovia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Nicaragua, etc. He said the Third World will not recognize this court as long as it is being used as a tool against the Third World.
3. He pointed out that there needs to be investigations by the UN into who brought about and are responsible for the many wars of aggression that have taken place since the founding of the UN and the perpetrators need to be brought to justice.
4. He told the history of how the First World enriched itself at the expense of the Third World through the period of colonialism and how today economic refugees from the Third World are being turned back by the First World although the latter is only rich today because it stold the wealth of the Third World and enslaved millions. He suggested that if the First World paid reparations for the wealth they stold back to the Third World, there would be no refugees. He estimates the amount owing to be around $7.77 trillions.
5. He suggested that after 50 years it is time the UN was headquartered somewhere other than the US. He said that because of the security measures the US has undertaken because of being the focus of terrorism, it is too difficult for nations to get all their diplomats to the UN forums in the US. Besides it was time the UN was moved to either the "East or Middle Hemispheres".
6. He said that a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue cannot be solved by a Two State Solution. Too many Jews now live in Palestinian territories and vice-versa. What is needed is one state, democratically structured to represent all of them. He pointed out that throughout history the Arabs were the ones who supported the Jews against onslaughts against them because "they were a common people". He believed that Jews and Arabs could get along as they have done historically.
7. He called for investigations against political assassinations, such as Kennedy, MLK, and others.
8. He stated that the IAEA never investigates nor is it allowed to, the nuclear affairs of the rich countries. It is being used as a tool against nuclear development within the Third World. He called for end of nuclear weapons by all the nations of the Earth.
In short, he represented the views of the vast majority of the Assembly, the 190 nations that make up the UN. So his whole representation was to offer specific restructuring and actions to make the UN more representative of all the nations in the world. To the MSNBC pundits, this means it was "disjointed" and without any merit nor worthy of any consideration.
Of course we could see this coming, as the MSM has been going out of its way to demonize Kadafie prior to his arrival at the UN.
I watched the guy on MSNBC rip Qaddifi without addressing his specific claims.
He simply was unable to comprehend that the views Qaddifi expressed are shared by most of the rest of the world.
His anger towards Qaddafi spoke volumes about his legitimacy as a news reporter.
I was running on a treadmill and can't remember his name.
Thank you for your excellent comments, Struggle. The Nichols article is not worth reading--I no longer have the stomach for Obama's "great" speeches that end up meaning the opposite of what he says--but your summary of what Khadafy said is very interesting. Everything Khadafy says, as you have reported it, is sensible and true.
Struggle - Thank you for that excellent reporting and summary. [Don't have a TV anymore because I can't stand "our journalists."]
peace, cm
he could have pointed out that american foreign policy is dictated by big business - read the rockefellers - who control the government, food production around the world, the american military, the american government - oh yeah - and the media networks who play the whole charade of the un
who set up the un: the rockefellers
who "donated" the land the un sits on (nice tax break too): the rockefellers
who provides the secretary(s) of state since the 50's - each and every one - the rockefellers
who has enslaved and exploited the third world more than the rockefellers - no one, they stand alone as tyrants
who receives the biggest welfare checks from the us government - the rockefellers
who pays no taxes thanks to their tax free foundation: the rockefellers
who is the nwo: the rockefellers
who funds gmo's, factory farming and agribusniess: the rockefellers
who raped and enslaved south america and aisa : the rockefellers
who run the american education system: the rockefellers
i could go on
ignorant sheeple make fun of the beleaguered world leaders trying to set themselves free from the rockefellers
the news speak of the rockefellers - the truth is a lie the lie is the truth
you know - the rockefellers must sit back and laugh
by the way: who got all the bailout funds: guess who
the books you (very seldom) read, the tv you watch, the (shit) food you eat, the lousy meds you take, the car you drive, the gas you use
and we laugh at ghadaffi
now that's funny
at least he knows who the master is
Sioux Rose
STRUGGLE: Thank you for sharing all this information. It's quite interesting.
Obama is somewhat like FDR
...when we remember that it was FDR's Treasury Sec and neighbor, the "gentleman farmer" Morgenthau, who shifted the tax burden off their backs onto ours.
And when we remember that the biggest New Deal goodies - social security and the WPA - were principally attempts to eliminate Huey Long as a political rival.
And when we remember the boast of his dollar-a-year men that they had "saved Capitalism".
And when we remember that FDR ordered that Fr. Coughlin be illegally stripped of his right to mail out his newsletter at the same preferential rate every other mass-mailer got. (Just because someone has turned despicable shouldn't mean he forfeits his civil rights)
And -perhaps especially- when we remember that the "culture of consumption" that's bidding fair to kill us all is a creature of the FDR administration, which needed something to attract the elites away from fascism and the rest of us away from socialism. It was a perfect solution: the elites would get ever more wealthy from stripping the earth and exploiting the devastated and desperate peoples around the world. And we would be able to buy lots and lots of cheap, planned-obsolescent crap and feel like millionaires...for 15 minutes a time.
Yes, Obummer is quite a bit like FDR, when we pull aside the curtain: a great talker, sincere-sounding enough to make a body swoon, but someone who hasn't got the goods in the parcel.
Mairead - And could I ask, where did you get your information from? What books? Magazines? Courses?
cm
My books are still in boxes (I recently moved) so I can't quote chapter and verse. But they're studies of FDR's time by respected left-spectrum (lib/left/radical) historians at major unis. I feel sure you can find the material on line, too, with a little judicious searching. For example, try searching on "steal Long's thunder" (though you have to remember that Huey is still being demonised even today for his anti-elite ideas by both the rightwingers and the soi-disant liberals, so you'll likely have to separate their foaming-at-the-mouth from the actual information).
Mairead - Thank you for the info. /cm
You're welcome, though I didn't give you much.
One of the books (I remembered as I was cycling back from my Dr's appt) is
Leff, M., "The Limits of Symbolic Reform: The New Deal and Taxation, 1933-39" (1984, Cambridge)
It dissects the 1935 "reforms" that used a lot of misdirection to make working people think they were getting reform when in fact they weren't.
And the one that talks about how the "culture of consumption" came into being I was able to track down backwards by remembering that the author is a distinguished prof at Columbia: Brinkley, A., "The End of Reform: New Deal Liberalism in Recession and War" (1995, Knopf)
Both Brinkley and Leff also go into the way Morgenthau shifted taxation from the wealthiest 5% onto our backs -- and then bragged about it to the papers!
Williams's bio of Huey talks about a lot of it, though only peripherally and in relation to Huey (e.g. Huey first supported FDR til he saw that FDR had no plans to actually do real wealth redistribution, at which point he started thinking about opposing FDR for the nomination in '36).
There are other histories, but they're mostly confirming rather than new excavations. Brinkley, Leff, and Williams, especially Brinkley, pretty well cover the ground between them.
If obama would provide actional proof of his going against w & dick's dictatorship then maybe he would legitimately be able to quote FDR, who wasn't all that great and wonderful, but everytime I turnaround to see what o is doing(I will designate obama as o from now on as I did w for the dwarf)I see very little that takes the U.S. away from that heinous dictatorship of w & dick.
The best o could do to prove his 'change to believe in' would be to pull out of iraq, afghanistan, pakistan, shut down our hegemonic military bases and bring them home, after all to curtail terrorism a nation should treat it as criminal acts that they are and investigate along with other countries in a measure to prevent terrorism, then o can go after those financial terrorists on wall street and those information terrorists in our wholly subvert MSM.
As for his eloquent speech:
1. ""We must stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek... a world without them,""-- this is like a contestant in a miss america pageant saying "she wants peace all over the world" without a jot of an idea of the political and economic barriers to achieve such a thing and o definitely couldn't possibly believe america and izrael would give up those nuclear weapons nor russia either, whom I believe to be a counter measure against our using our nukes.
2. ""Pursuit of Peace. Declaring the United States to be "committed to diplomacy" and to "partnerships to target terrorists""-- yeah I see how o's administrattion is committed to peace, great examples are honduras and the gunboat diplomacy in columbia so the U.S. can get to chavez and reinstitute the turdfuck milton friedman's 'unfettered' markets back in South America.
3. ""Protecting the Environment is Essential to Peace and Prosperity.""-- So what has o done to get those high polluting industries on track with this idea which would require them to use far too much of their investor's profits to keep from polluting; so in reality they would actually be given a free pass on pollution and let the 'cleanups' afterwards bring in more money to help those poor investors maintain their noncontributory part in a real world.(Corporations do nothing that does not make them money)
4. ""A Global Economy That Advances Opportunity for All People. Speaking of setting "new rules of the road" that address greed and speculation, Obama promised to promote "a course for growth that is balanced and sustainable.""-- this is a beauty, o's talking about taking away the 'god given right of speculators/investors to make money any way possible'. Anyway, nature is going to slam the door shut on this one which sort insinuates the everyone will be equal, does it not?
Whatever. Just proves o is full of the samosamo claptrap that w & dick delievered, as slick willie did, as senior bush did, as ronnie retard reagan did, as carter, ford, nixon, lbj, dwight, truman... all the way back to when the 1 amendment became to protect corporation's rights as individuals.
Obama At the UN: Think of Me as FDR, Not Bush
_____________________________________________
We've been hearing it from increasingly desperate moderate liberals for months, and now it's straight from the horse's... mouth:
Think of me as Lincoln! Think of me as FDR! Don't think of me as Bush!
But WHATEVER you do, don't think of me as OBAMA!
It's high time someone asked Michelle who SHE thinks of Obama as when they're having sex-- maybe we ought to elect THAT person president!
· Yr Obd't Servant
One wonders if, for many of the wives (and let's not forget husbands and/or domestic partners) of the politically powerful, it's not some variation of "lie back, and think of England".
Just as digusting as the Obama flim-flam, if not more so, is the defense and covering done for him by the "progressive media" epitomized by The Nation Magazine. Their team playing for Obama is well past the point of ludicrous and sickening. They betray the gullible and insult the intelligence of everyone else. Do NOT donate to, buy from or subscribe to these publications; they either know what they do and are evil, or are really stupid and so serve as the tools of evil. They are worse than useless and should fold.
Ever notice that politicians don't really say anything? Lofty ideas--peace in the middle east, reform in health care, regulate wall street, turn Afghanistan around--mean little. Obama speaks well but I'm afraid he is not a lot different from George Bush-- he's good cop to Bush's bad cop, but untimely-- a big hat; no cattle kind of guy.
Deeds have to match the words.
It's open season on insulting Obama and even Michelle, including gratuitous references to sex. But that's ok because Obama is Satan. The repetitive drumbeat in this thread that Obama is evil is hard to distinguish from Beck/Limbaugh/O'Reilly/Rove. Wonder why.
I know, I know!
That "drumbeat" occasionally imputed to the comments thread is actually the sound of the hearer's own constricted blood vessels trying to feed its brain enough oxygen to figure things out.
That also explains the rigidity and clenching, by the way.
Some claim that it helps to breathe into a paper bag for temporary relief of these symptoms.
Hope this clears things up for you.
· Yr Obd't Servant
You are true soldiers in the Rovian cause of equating Obama with the devil. Ever onward, never say die. The Repub rewards will be seen in 2010.
And you just proved Rich M's point by posting yet another reply that is as infantile as W's statement "You are either with us or against us in the fight against terror."
The Rethugs may indeed see some gains in 2010, but if so it will be due to Obama's fickle impotence, and those people who mindlessly support him, despite his reprehensible policies and actions. People like you.
You took the words right out of my mouth. From the comments of Obama believers at various sites and from those I know personally, I am constantly astounded at how limited and superficial their actual knowledge of Obama (or anything political for that matter) is.