Paramount Theatre
Disappointed by Obama
RECEIVED Sat., March 8, 2008
Dear Editor,
I have a confession to make, one that might irk some who I know are largely on the same page as me, all things considered: I’m a politically progressive-minded person who doesn’t have much faith or trust in the promises of Barack Obama. There, I said it.
Barack Obama has built around himself a cult of personality of monumental proportions, and I must say I too have been impressed. But unlike most of the people around me, whose admiration and awe have been centered on the iconographic symbolism of the man himself and his message, my admiration and awe are centered on the work of his campaign advisers. Never in my life have I seen such vague and unsubstantiated rhetoric capture the hearts and minds of so many Americans. The campaign of Barack Obama is nothing less than a public relations coup. So yes, I admire him but not for his promises.
The fallacy of Barack Obama’s promise of change is evident in two important areas: what his acolytes and believers profess and what his record and platform reveal. To the former point, you need look no further than an Obama rally. What you’ll find are hordes of captivated people, many young, enthusiastically chanting for “change,” or simply “Obama.” Obama’s “invention” of the concept of change is recycled cliché, and the chanting of his name is idol worship, not a call for ending the war or acquiring universal health care. Anyone who did the least bit of research (away from Obama’s official rhetoric) would discover his plans for getting out of Iraq are distant and incomplete, and his health-care proposals totally leave intact the travesty of for-profit health care. Though, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The military budget will not shrink under him, Israel’s illegal occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank (the linchpin of all problems in the Middle East) will not be challenged, and war with Iran, Pakistan, Venezuela, and others will all remain on the table. Of course, all of these issues relate to the economy as well.
So call me a crank, an armchair cynic. I can accept those labels. I would just ask this: When has the mass media ever so lovingly covered candidates, like Obama and Clinton, who ever really challenged the system? The answer is never, and it still remains true today.
I have a confession to make, one that might irk some who I know are largely on the same page as me, all things considered: I’m a politically progressive-minded person who doesn’t have much faith or trust in the promises of Barack Obama. There, I said it.
Barack Obama has built around himself a cult of personality of monumental proportions, and I must say I too have been impressed. But unlike most of the people around me, whose admiration and awe have been centered on the iconographic symbolism of the man himself and his message, my admiration and awe are centered on the work of his campaign advisers. Never in my life have I seen such vague and unsubstantiated rhetoric capture the hearts and minds of so many Americans. The campaign of Barack Obama is nothing less than a public relations coup. So yes, I admire him but not for his promises.
The fallacy of Barack Obama’s promise of change is evident in two important areas: what his acolytes and believers profess and what his record and platform reveal. To the former point, you need look no further than an Obama rally. What you’ll find are hordes of captivated people, many young, enthusiastically chanting for “change,” or simply “Obama.” Obama’s “invention” of the concept of change is recycled cliché, and the chanting of his name is idol worship, not a call for ending the war or acquiring universal health care. Anyone who did the least bit of research (away from Obama’s official rhetoric) would discover his plans for getting out of Iraq are distant and incomplete, and his health-care proposals totally leave intact the travesty of for-profit health care. Though, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The military budget will not shrink under him, Israel’s illegal occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank (the linchpin of all problems in the Middle East) will not be challenged, and war with Iran, Pakistan, Venezuela, and others will all remain on the table. Of course, all of these issues relate to the economy as well.
So call me a crank, an armchair cynic. I can accept those labels. I would just ask this: When has the mass media ever so lovingly covered candidates, like Obama and Clinton, who ever really challenged the system? The answer is never, and it still remains true today.
Justin Finney
