The Summer is Ended and We are Not Saved

Barack Obama has been president for six months. During that time, he has allowed special interests and the howlings of Fox News-ites to dominate his policy decisions. For what reason should I continue to support President Obama?

1) War: I don't agree with continuing any war in the Middle East (Afghanistan or the illegal Iraqi war).

2) Torture: I don't agree with the decision not to pursue charges against those who tortured prisoners, from the criminals who actually carried out the brutality, to former VP Dick Cheney (the mastermind behind the torture policy), Rove, Bush, John Bybee (who wrote the Torture Memos, making up legal rules as he went).

3) The Bailout: bailing out corporations and banks with taxpayers money made American taxpayers unwilling shareholders of these corporatoins. The Bush and the Obama administrations took money from hard working taxpayers in order to fund and keep afloat greedy bankers and corporations. Once these corporatoins were solvant again, they used their levity to penalize and abuse those whose used their services with extra high interests rates and banking fees.

4)Health Care: over the course of the summer, the Obama administration has basically given away the entire package, allowing the non-sensical bleatings of the Repubs to drown out any serious discourse on this very, very serious issue. Single payer was never on the table and the public option is all but destroyed. The only real question left is, how much of a profit margin will health insurance corporations and pharacuticals continue to make? How many more families will lose everything they have ever worked for--including each other--because of health care costs? How many insured Americans will be dropped by their insurance company due to illness or injury?

This administration has promised changed but has backed down on every issue important to Obama voters. Instead, Obama has turned out to be a typical politician. He lied about bringing change, he has continued to befriend Republicans who seek to his utter failure and the distruction of his administration.

President Obama campaigned for two years. During that time, he made a lot of cynical people believe in him. And he has thrown it away for the usual conveniences: corporate influence, lobbying, compromising with those who refuse to participate in compromise.