Once again, there is the sorry spectacle of President Obama committing below-the-waterline injury to his own reputation, giving future biographers lots of fodder for head-shaking, as well as sticking it to the Democratic Party, the country, the planet.<\/p>\n
This is a tale of two Obamas.<\/p>\n
One is the president who has meekly accepted the GOP\u2019s mugging of our judicial system, congressional precedent and constitutional mandate, its refusal to schedule hearings for his Supreme Court nominee. He seems to have just given up. \u00a0You can almost hear Obama saying, \u201cOh, well, I\u2019m tired, and I\u2019m almost out the door, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other Obama is newly engaged, Johnny-on-the-spot, ready to expend every last bit of political capital to something passed:<\/p>\n
That is the Obama who is insisting that the democracy-targeting Trans-Pacific Partnership be voted on in the upcoming lame-duck Congressional session. TPP will override U.S. national sovereignty and further cripple that very same judicial system that the GOP has put in its rifle sights.<\/p>\n
Obama\u2019s obstinacy has, of course sparked outage among the progressive groups and constituencies that are not very happy about Hillary, but must show up in November in order for Hillary to get elected. It even contradicts Hillary\u2019s own stated \u201cevolutionary\u2019 position on the subject. It contradicts Trump\u2019s own faux-populist opposition to the treaty. It plays right into Trump\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
The word \u201clegacy\u201d is one of those terms, concepts, adjectives that have been rendered largely meaningless by our \u201cmainstream\u201d \u201cnews\u201d media. They tell us over and over again that Obama wants TPP passed to ensure his legacy.<\/p>\n
Whether or not TPP passes Congress, certainly this will cement Obama\u2019s legacy as a corporate toady who was always avid to give Jamie and all the other Jamies whatever they want at all and any cost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Once again, there is the sorry spectacle of President Obama committing below-the-waterline injury to his own reputation, giving future biographers lots of fodder for head-shaking, as well as sticking it to the Democratic Party, the country, the planet. This is … Continue reading