blatham wrote:sozobe wrote:I feel the same way, JPB. I know that not everyone does.
Here is one place where I've talked about it.
[..] My reading suggests that we ought to be pessimistic. For example, Limbaugh and Ann Coulter won't turn nice and any dem candidate moving to reform medical delivery will be in the crosshairs of corporate structures who have enormous wealth and power and they will fight tooth and nail. This thread just started by snood tells of a small corner of the story...
http://www.able2know.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=109699
Yeah, I completely agree with Blatham here.
You know, or perhaps it was on the other thread I mentioned it, A has a friend visiting who turns out to be a true believer in Obama. She's like, an adept, follows all the news intensely (poor A just will not get a break from those darned elections she's not interested in). And we did talk a lot about the elections and stuff, but I didnt say anything about Obama (or about Edwards), cos, well, I'm not really that type of guy.
But there was one exception, when we were watching the Dem debate, and Hillary slammed Obama (indirectly) for being "words" when it's "action" that counts. And Obama went on this theme of optimism and hope about how words DO count, they have an influence, they can get things done, by inspiring people, by bringing people around, by creating new majorities for better policies (as, the implication was, Bill Clinton didnt, Hillary couldnt, and he would).
It was at that point that I blurted out, OK, THIS is why I dont like Obama. He really seems to believe that when he is President, and he is faced with this disciplined, obstructing Republican party in Congress, with the huge corporations governing health care, with Fox News and all that, that he can just bring them round by
persuading them. That if you're just a special enough person, if you just have the power to inspire and inspire confidence, if you treat them with respect and in dialogue, you can persuade them to at least co-operate. I think that is so eye-blinkingly naive. (Not that I used such adjectives, of course :wink: ). These people are immensely invested in the status quo, not just ideologically; they have billions of money invested in it, they have huge structures of power and influence invested in the hardcore conservative agenda, they're not going to "come around"!
Her answer kind of symbolised my problem, too. She's all, kind of Soz-like, but there
are millions of independents, even Republicans, out there who are yearning for a change, who are open to reason, who can be pulled into a new coalition if there's just someone there who doesnt treat them like the enemy, who inspires them. (OK, I'm embellishing now, but you get the drift). And sure, that is true, but that's
voters - regular people. Perhaps the occasional moderate or principled Congressman even too; but not the machine itself. Health care - these insurance companies will lose billions with any new system that serves the people better, the only way you can succeed is
force them. How are you going to bring them round to give up billions by sitting round the table with them? She's all, "they will see common sense!"
Yikes.
I'm afraid a President Obama will spend the first two years trying to "bring them around", dialogueing and inspiring, and by the time he realises what he's up against, it's too late to still get such big structural changes done.
I'd wager 2 to 1 you are full of it, as usual. The gamblers appear quite sure Obama will be taking down New Hampshire. He's now a favorite for the nomination in their eyes as well. Your hateful muckraking has failed. :wink: 
