I've just been watching Jim Hightower on BookTV, discussing his latest, "Swimming Against the Current." One of the first questions in the question and anwer segment was, "which candidate do you support, and why?" Predictably, as Jim is a leader in the progressive movement, his answer was "I supported and endorsed Obama." But he added that a primary reason for his endorsement was the "the phenomenon around Obama"--the mass movement of people becoming involved in politics for the first time because they believe it's a chance for real change. He believes, he said, that Obama would "bring us into the White House with him." I appreciate that the hardening of the progressive community around Obama almost from the beginning is largely for the same reason. But my question is this:
If Obama is a fraud, as I believe, simply using the good will and faith of millions to advance his own ambitions, does it matter? Does it change the Hightower/progressive equation?
I honestly don't know the answer. But the fact that the question has been ignored by the progressive community, that it has willfully blinded itself to the obvious--that Obama is extremely ambitious and has very little to show for his supposed commitment to progressive ideals--is what has made me angry from the beginning. As the campaign has gone on, Obama's sexism and willingness to play dirty political games of racial "gotcha" targeting Hillary Clinton has hardened me against Obama and the large number of his supporters who seem closer to manaical than idealistic.
So, does it matter if Obama is a fraud? For me and millions of others, the proof is already there.
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Unfortunately Linda your blog is stereotypical of someone your age and social orientation. Obama supporters simply acknowledge people like you are not going to embrace change and though you know it makes sense its the person who is about to deliver this huge change that you have the problem with. You will wriggle and squirm to find any excuse or reason not to accept him, when change is fundamentally right and needed. Infact what you need to examine is how good a job did his successors do and what were their qualifications when they began. Nobody comes to a job with all the answers. People vote for people simply because they like the look of them and not because they can actually do the job which just shows how shallow people really are. What do you think advisers are for? Even the less abled surround themselves with good or bad advisers. They dont function on their own lady! But because he comes from a minority class the level of your scrutiny becomes exascerbated, we look at every finite detail of his existence. A minority person cant simply go for a job today like his white counterparts and be judged at the same level without the intensity as everybody else, what they will look at is absolutely everything and for me thats inherent closet racism. What would take you 5minutes to accept if its a minority person makes you stop and think about a host of other things and it takes you 55yrs in the making as opposed to 5minutes. The younger populus are proving to be more accepting of others and thats why this new change involves the open minded. This generation have heard their parents and grandparents complaining about the current legislative governments and seem their parents complacency but have the insightfulness to vote for something different. I am not here to try and persuade you and nobody should. You will not be part of this movement for change because your own personal bigotry wont let you. Change will happen if not now in the future with or without you!
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