This essay from First of the Month offers a spirited defense of Pres. Obama in the face of left-wing criticism. Not the least of the things I applaud is the casual dismissal of radio host Ed Schulz. Like Rush Limbaugh, Schulz is nothing more than a radio entertainer, to be taken with the same amount of salt - less than a grain, in other words. All the same, starting with a discussion of Shirley Sherrod's magnanimous statement toward her former employer, and building a case for a more broad and patient approach to Pres. Obama's tenure in office misses on several points.
First of all, not all the animus directed at the President from the left is rooted in racial animus (even unrecognized). Indeed, it seems to me much of the criticism of the President, particularly his inept approach toward the current mid-term election cycle, is rooted in specific instances that are easy enough to point out. His famed reticence in the face of the constant barrage of right-wing attacks upon him, his Administration, his policies, and the Congressional wing of his party have only hurt. While I for one still doubt a Republican takeover of either chamber of Congress is likely, even the erosion of current majorities spells the end of any serious Obama-endorsed legislation in the next Congress. Far too many Democrats, never failing to learn the wrong lesson, will have discovered that supporting the President is political poison.
Second, and more to the central thesis of DeMott's article, it seems to me that the so-called "grassroots" insistence on patient support for the President ignores certain facts that are all too clear. Once in office, and after some overtures to certain interests on the left, the President has consistently pursued policies that favor large, monied interests over the far more pertinent interests of the coalition that elected him in the first place. The stimulus package made law early on was deemed by those who know the subject well far too small, by about half, and the subsequent financial breakdown in the states has negated any gains from the stimulus. Because of the success of right-wing messaging on the stimulus, a second chance is just not possible, despite the obvious necessity for such.
Second, placing Larry Summers and Tim Geithner in positions of prominence in his economic team sent the signal that, first and foremost, propping up the large banks would override and all other concerns, not the least of them being holding the banks accountable through serious oversights and regulatory reform. With the recent revelation that the large banks, in an effort to rid their books of questionable assets, may have foreclosed on properties without even a glance at legal procedures, now renders any question of the success of TARP moot.
Recently, most of the large banks have made final payments on their Troubled Asset Relief Program loans floated in the first weeks of the crisis at the very end of Pres. Bush's term. TARP managed to earn a relatively modest profit, and many in the financial community not only heaved a sigh of relief but made this out to be a sign of stability-to-come in the financial services industry. Except, hot on the heels of this good news, was the revelation that the cost of this success was wide-spread, systematic fraud, not the least of which was simply ignoring that most basic right-wing right - recognizing the right to and observance of property rights and laws.
Finally, in a day and time when the right in America has a nearly bottomless supply of financial support for flinging poo at the President, Democrats in Congress, Democrats in general, without any compunction concerning issues of accuracy or even sanity, a plea from "the grassroots" seems not just quaint, but almost sweet. Also, quite irrelevant. The President does, indeed, still enjoy broad support among many liberals and those on the left. I have to wonder, however, if this is a case of "still hoping", rather than dealing with the simple reality that Obama has, in large measure, and despite many specific instances of success and follow-through on any number of campaign promises, been exposed as that most feared political caricature - the hollow man.
The fact is that, despite a history of grassroots, community organizing, Barack Obama's political career has been one long sprint away from this history as he moved further up the ladder of political success. Embracing the notion that being "too liberal", whatever that may mean, is political suicide, Obama has embraced all sorts of measures and political practices that have rendered him weak and, heading in to the midterms, increasingly marginal.
The first year of his Presidency, I was surprised at how well he seemed to do, even as some of the things he did raised red flags. His performance as party leader and supporter of his own Administration's initiatives (health care, specifically) was dismal. The result is the spectacle we see unfolding before us, weeks before midterms that may well not only be a sea-change politically, but offer the spectacle of numerous Nero's fiddling while Rome burns.
