"Almost every time Bin Laden's scalp was paraded around on its pike – all thanks to the warrior spirit and unflinching courage of our commander-in-chief – the crowd of progressives, liberals and party faithful erupted into a prolonged "USA. USA" chant. ...
It is a truly potent indicator that this grand achievement has become the greatest source of nationalistic pride. Americans once found national purpose – justification for their belief in their own exceptionalism – from inventing new life-improving technologies, or putting a man on the moon, or advancing the cause of equality, or vanquishing the mighty Nazi military machine, or enshrining unparalleled protections for core liberties in the constitution.
See article here.Now, many Americans find it in the heroic ability to hunt someone down who is in hiding, pummel his skull full of bullets even as he lay dying on the ground, and then dump his corpse into the ocean. That such actions are the new source of American pride, vindication of national greatness, was the claim made by President Obama when he first announced the killing ... "
Comment: And inside of this nationalistic warmongering and blood letting political ritual not a word from Tom about his extra-judicial assassinations of American citizens or his growing hit list, or his drone massacres of innocents, or his undeclared wars across the globe, and don't forget his failure to close Guantanamo.
Perhaps most striking in domestic policy terms, Obomber said zilch about the masses of unemployed and underemployed people he promised "change you can believe in".
It is one thing for liberals to sit around laughing at the idiocy of the party of Lincoln but from my vantage point there is little to distinguish either idiocy as less mad in real terms and especially in outcomes.
Nonetheless, if a real left existed among liberals the murderous fool in charge would hardly look so confident of continuing his murderous reign for another four years.
I have written elsewhere and stand by the conviction that "there is no democratic justice under this Uncle Tom (or his party) - to believe his bullsh*t is more than delusional at this point, it is downright deceitful."
Onward!
2 comments:
How to think of the Left as hijacked by liberals.
Unlike many, I believe there are ways of critiquing liberals without the standard and tired argument that doing so runs the risk of playing into the machinations of the Right.
This is Obama's campaign model this year: the Dems prefer loyalty over critiquing stuff, which they see as aiding the delusional Right.
I agree with you Kweli.
In late 97 I co-wrote an article entitled "What is Left of the Left" and it raised the worrisome issue of the decline of leftists in the liberal establishment.
But as you know American politics plays loosely with what is considered liberal and conservative.
The term progressive is even a further muddying of what is left.
There is no real left in the US, at least not one that is organized and coherently present in the political spectrum.
Left of left folk (those who should not identify with Obomber) found themselves doing exactly that - I think of notables like Chomsky, even West, and the late Zinn.
In part, a large part really, their ideological co-option is because there is hardly a politics of real choice in the US - like Dubois said 1956 when he described both parties to be one party and consequently withdrew his consent to vote.
But you are absolutely right that liberals think critiquing Tom means you are supporting Romney.
That design is the default politics and the outcome is never change you can believe in - it is a guarded system that protects the rights of elites and their corporations no matter what.
It is time the US adopts a democratic system of governance.
Peace boet.
Onward!
Ridwan
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