From: Louis Proyect , Doug Henwood wrote: > Lincoln and FDR were produced by a society that was rising in wealth and > power. Obama is the product of a society that's rotting. >
I think Corey Robin made a good point about seeing "left" and "right-leaning" presidents in context: http://coreyrobin.com/2011/08/01/572/ "It doesn?t make sense to say Nixon was to the left of Obama without some reference to the political circumstances. Nixon was constrained by a still vibrant New Deal regime; Reagan came into destroy it, and did so somewhat successfully, but he was still encumbered by it. ^^^ CB: This is true, but too weak. Nixon was encumbered by the Civil Rights Movement-Urban Rebellions-Anti-War Movement-and other social movements of the socalled "60's". The "vibrant New Deal regime" of that period was in the streets. There was a big "bottom up" movement going on. He did initiate the "Southern Strategy" for the information of the idiotic analyses that think criticizing the white supremacy of the Tea Party is a diversion from criticizing capitalism ( that is the stupidest thing ever written around here). Anybody whose says it is not left. Your hatred of Obama has shoved you to the right. Get a goddamn clue. ^^^^^ Obama operates in a different political world. As for taking him at his word, he?s said a lot of words. Sometimes he?s quite explicitly signaled a desire to break with the Reaganite consensus; not just in the campaign but early on in his presidency. So the words are murky." I say this as someone who has said repeatedly that Nixon was to the left of Obama. But Doug's point is essential. The attack on the New Deal gains that date back to Carter and continue and even deepen under Obama are not to be understood by looking at the mindset of a politician. Nixon did what he did because the USA was still a rising power and he could toss some crumbs from the table. Today's Counterpunch article that I forwarded here is excellent because it looks at Obama's rightwing policies in a global context. I dare say that if FDR was elected in 2008, he'd be doing the same thing. ^^^^^^^ CB: You exaggerate how much Obama has attacked the New Deal. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
