"Cultivating Hope While Perpetuating Unfairness Is Cruel"

Is it cruel for a leader to cultivate false hope from cynical voters, only to flip the script and crush those hopes two years later? Is what we were promised in 2008 being delivered on in 2011? To dig in to that topic, we’re bringing one of our Radio Free Dylan favorites, Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com.

“The promise of his candidacy, the reason why young voters and new voters became so energized by his The campaign, or the reason people became so “hopeful” to use his word — the central promise was that things would actually be different, the central promise of his candidacy was radical changing of these dynamics. And not only has the critique been that he’s failed to change it, that he hasn’t changed it quickly enough or fundamentally enough, it’s that he’s doing the opposite. He’s moving it in the other direction. He’s bolstering it and intensifying it and strengthening it, and I think that’s the real complaint,” says Glenn.

As we all remember, the promises of the Obama campaign were lofty. ”The real irony and the real tragedy of the Obama presidency is that there were so many speeches where he talked so insightfully about the cancer of cynicism that was infecting the body politic, that people really believed that there was no point in participating in politics, that the political system was stacked against them inherently, that politicians were intrinsically corrupt. And the promise of his campaign was to eliminate the cynicism and to restore in all kinds of factions of the citizenry who lost it. And by raising people’s hopes that greatly, only to then crush those hopes, that has done more to intensify cynicism than any other single event. It let people who had been jaded and cynical believe that they had finally found a reason to be hopeful. Then to dash those hopes, maybe of an entire generation to give into cynicism forever. I think you saw that in 2010, and you’re seeing it in his approval ratings now,” says Glenn.

Even more serious than that, says Glenn, is the president’s inaction towards prosecuting corruption in big business and government, and the protection of those who actually have committed crimes.

MORE AT.........
http://www.dylanratigan.com/2011/05/23/cultivating-hope... /

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Ratigan (repuke) & Greenwald (libertarian). :puke:

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vote for a Republican, vote for President Obama, or stay home.

Given that selection, I'm going to go with vote for President Obama.

If Republicans get even more control you're really going to see something. Look at what they're doing with positions as Governor and from the House. There's no way I'm going to sit back and watch the GOP gain more power.

that they would make this twisted statement.

It's pathetic. It is sad to not want to hope and to look for reasons to kill it.

Would you agree?

on the hope promise. Anyone payng attention and understands basic politics should be able to see that.

Start with health care public option never being on table, single payer advocates (including Obama family MD of 20+ years) being frozen out from meetings, discussions while the CEOs of health insurance corporations, hospital and clinic chains, big pharma were all welcomed in to White House discussions and negotiations. Do you know part of the ACA 2010 legislation prevents groups of MDs from founding any new physician owned hospitals? That was a favour to Kaiser, Tenet, Columbia and the big players.

The fix was in early. And the people who've followed health care issues for 20 and more years know that PEOPLE were ready for big change. All the administration had to do was use the bully pulpit and submit legislation from Obama's experts. We who know what happened knoe Joe Lieberman didn't stop public option. That's ridiculous.

Dr. Zeke Emmanual, Rahm Emmanual and others fought for the system they wanted which preserved corporate hegemony over the welfare of the American people. So all of us, the struggling and working poor, just barely hanging on, got screwed. The for profit model which is twice as expensive as systems in all other developed nations (but which is twice as bad at preventative care) became enshrined in law as America's official bloodsuckers for the forseeable future.

It didn't have to be this way. :(

The bottom line is that I mostly agreed with how it was handled by the President.. all things considered.