So Obama’s putting it all on the line, telling it like it is, trying to achieve what no one has in history, and where is the support of the people he’s trying to help - the tens of millions who will benefit from change, the people who even voted for him?
It might not be Selma to Mountgomery, it might not be MLK on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial - not in terms of social change, but in terms of changing tens of millions of lives, in terms of trying to get the middle-aged, grey-haired white men to accept change, he needs help doesn’t he?
These people need to be jostled with wheelchairs, waved at with crutches, slapped with hundred dollar prescriptions. These people need to be shamed.
Where are the churches, where are the unions, where are the black groups, poverty groups, the healthcare professionals?
People were out there voting when it mattered, they were out there on inauguration day - how many hundred thousand, why aren’t the people he’s helping out there on the streets of DC surrounding the capital building demanding the changes he was elected to make?
“The people” are watching American Idol and Jon and Kate Plus 8, reading Twilight, listening to Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. “The people” were sold a product - Barack Obama - which was as slickly marketed and advertised as any consumer good. This is how politics works. Anyone who expects anything more from “the people” has a naive view of “the people” and what they want.
Think of it this way: the election, and the months leading up to it, were masturbation. Both political parties were masturbating furiously, and I mean really beating their meat hard.
When Obama won the election, the Democratic party had their orgasm. They spent the next month or so just appreciating their orgasm.
But after the orgasm, they’re not going to get up and start jerking their meat again. Fuck that. They’re going to lie there, relax, maybe have a beer, smoke, whatever; and then pass out.
This is why there aren’t masses of people rallying behind the president right now. Except for a small and vocal minority of people who are able to come every twenty minutes, like the title character from Samuel Delany’s novel Hogg, most people are just lying there, passed out after shooting their cum.
Contrast this with the reaction of the Republicans. They were masturbating just as hard as the democrats, but they didn’t get an orgasm. They never got to come. That load is still inside them, a-bubblin’ and a-boilin’ away inside their balls; they’ve got the ultimate case of blue balls. They worked themselves up into a frenzy over McCain and Palin and they’re still as hard as teak. This is why they continue to shout, scream, howl like a pack of wild apes; they didn’t get that release of the orgasm. They didn’t get to relax. So they’re taking out their blue-balls frustration by hooting and jeering at Obama.
If you think of it this way, it’s a hell of a lot easier to understand.
Umm… There’s a big difference between disapproval in how Obama is handling the issue and “A majority of Americans don’t want what Dear Leader is selling.” Perhaps you could illuminate for us how you made that leap of logic, given your citation.
If I’d been asked in a poll whether I approved of how Obama was handling the healthcare issue, I might well have voted that I disapprove, because I’m starting to get pissed off that he’s making so many concessions to Republicans and it’s taking so damn long. I’d like to buy what he’s selling IF HE WOULD GET AROUND TO SELLING IT ALREADY.
That would be fair comment if the poll was taken after he laid out his plan/bill. As it was the 1,000 people polled were offering their considered opinion on something they had nothing to form an opinion on.
At least after last night you know what it is the fight is about. Hurrah!
You going to be manning the barricades from now on, or are you campaigning on the Internet with SHOUTY WORDS??
Part of the problem is that Obama isn’t firing 'em up, the way FDR did. At this point we need some left-populism, even demagogy. Even to the point of Naming the Enemy. Fuck that “bipartisan uniter” shit!
Seriously. I mean, I’m not slinging mud, because I do it too, but if you want to know where the people are, there are some pretty good examples around here. You can, for instance, check out this thread, where “the people” are arguing with Stephe96, which is worse than a waste of energy, it validates his little fantasy that he actually fucking matters.
This does not mean what you think it means. I would be one of those people who is unhappy with his job performance on Health Care so far. I think he should be doing much more to shout down the stupidity of wingnuts like yourself, but I fully support his plans and according to a CNN poll after his speech so do 67% of the respondents. That is a jump from 53% before the speech, which is still a mojority in support.
Which I suppose is my point. What’s that old saying about getting what you deserve?
If Obama fails, I don’t think those who wanted healthcare reform can complain because, as of the time of writing, they’re doing fuck all to help him or themselves. Sometimes you do get what you deserve, and no more.
I can’t believe, for example, the churches aren’t all over this.
A guy at my health club showed up yesterday. His lymphoma has come back. He has lost his job .He does not know how long he will have coverage. He has had 3 chemo treatments and has lost his hair. His insurance company had refused to pay for tests the doctor has ordered. The doc says a CT scan does not give a specific enough image for him to assess the cancer. The insurance company has over ruled the doc and will not pay for it. He will have to pay for the test himself.
The insurance company will drop him soon. He has resigned himself to going bankrupt while he is very sick. He is 44 years old. That is some health care system we have.
The churches are too busy hoping Obama dies and goes to hell to care about helping the sick.
I’m writing to my congresscritters and donating to progressive candidates, and if I see someone spouting out mistaken facts like “we have the best healthcare system in the world” I refute it. I’m not sure what else I can do.
Oh. Yeah, I’ve sent a bunch of letters to my representatives and senators. Not sure if that counts. I don’t really do protest rallies these days, what with having 3 small children to herd around.