0 Votes
Who can save America?
| Barrack Obama | |
| Mitt Romney | |
| Ron Paul | |
| Populist uprising | |
| External stimulus |
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14 votes,
6 comments
None of the above. by Occams
Save it from what?
If your answer is from a failing economy, or from wasting lives and loot on war, then you need to weed out those from the side of politics that has given us so much of those things over the last decade. Then you need to consider the survivors and ask: Have they learned the lessons?
If those lessons had been learned then those responsible for faking WMD intelligence in order to take us into an unnecessary war that killed so many Americans and Arabs, would be living in Leavenworth.
Those who, through their greed and professional incompetence caused the GFC, costing millions of us our homes or retirement provisions, would also now be in jail.
Neither of those things have happened and new effective laws have not been enacted to prevent them from happening again. So clearly neither the current administration, its supporters, or Congress, have not learned the lessons either.
Conclusion: The USA desperately needs a left wing government, not because that would be a good thing on a permanent basis, but in order to restore the balance after decades of increasingly mad conservative rule. Even a left wing opposition would be helpful.
Instead, we are heading in the opposite direction towards a correction of another kind. Along that road will be the external stimulus of economic ruin and military defeat.
The Romans chose this road, so we know where it goes.
RE: None of the above. by Occams
What is there in the make-up of the USA today that could make anyone believe that a populist uprising would result in anything more than a bloody civil war fought by many different factions. There is no unity of opposition in this country, and no clear alternative policies.
RE: None of the above. by VnutZ
True. That silly Occupy movement was the best vehicle populists had and it failed quite hard from lack of direction, lack of purpose and lack of volume. If nothing else, it empowered those it opposed to realize how untouchable they really are by the populists.
RE: None of the above. by Occams
Yes exactly. It is a concern to me that the poll suggests that many Americans believe that the country can be saved thtough a popular insurrection, as is happening in some Arab countries. I think that the difference is that here there is not the same oppression to unite the people. For us, incoherent fighting would quickly destroy the country. The military would not be able to be used against the people by those currently in power, but segments of it might take sides. The country may never recover from that.
We must work through this popular discontent in a democratic way. That is why we must have an effective opposition party. We have probably never before had an opposition that was more entrenched and determined to hurt the elected government, but that is not what I mean. We need a loyal opposition that can privide constructive criticism and viable alternative policies: one that can ammend bills to improve them. We seem to have forgotten how to do that.
Already Had It by VnutZ
Conclusion: The USA desperately needs a left wing government, not because that would be a good thing on a permanent basis, but in order to restore the balance after decades of increasingly mad conservative rule.
We already had this for Obama’s first two years … remember? If you don’t, it’s because they didn’t do anything and got voted out.
RE: Already Had It by Occams
Yes, and while he was much better thatn who came before, he is not different enough to save America.
Forced Hand of Reality by VnutZ
Yes, and while he was much better thatn who came before …
I still wager he’s exactly the same as who came before in practice. This is a telling testament to a forced hand based on reality as opposed to ideals. And you’ll likely counter with his hand was forced because of his predecessor. While valid, it does make you wonder whether a lot of his predecessor’s doings were just as forced based on reality (to which you and I are not privvy to).
That reality led Obama (according to the cyber article) to ramp up the effort of his predecessor against Iran.
That reality led Obama to clone the surge in Iraq in Afghanistan.
That reality led Obama to renege on closing Guantanamo.
Basically, everything you’ve ever touted to hate about Bush, Obama had the opportunity to “end” and not only did he not do that, in many cases he went further on. Which to me, says maybe Bush wasn’t all that wrong if somebody so diametrically opposed to the concept could be persuaded to take such a course with gusto.
RE: Forced Hand of Reality by Occams
Yes, I think that is mostly fair. Bush w was such an unimpressive person and a non achiever that it was easy to write him off as a fool. Also he was surrounded by warmongers in Cheney, Rummy et al. Obama is not like that at all and he gave hope that things would get better than they did. He has been a huge disappointment, but he is in my opinion still light years ahead if the Republican candidates.
RE: Already Had It by Occams
The Democrats are not on the left. They are moderate conservatives. They offer a better choice for disaffected Republicans, but nothing much for progressives who are unhappy with the way things are going.
We need a European style social democrat party, or an old fashioned labor party to restore the balance.