Barack Obama, at his first Press Conference on Monday evening, February 9 refused to answer the most important question put to him; he obscured the truth in "answering" other questions.
It was all too obvious, throughout the press conference, Obama was groping for the right words to fit in with his con-artist act.
The most important question was asked by avowed liberal and long-time journalist, Helen Thomas, who is known for her forthright questions to presidents and her persistence in getting honest answers.
Helen Thomas asked Barack Obama to name all the nations in the Middle East known to posses nuclear weapons.
A simple enough question for Barack Obama to have answered; but, the only question he chose not to answer.
Every reporter in the room should have insisted that Barack Obama answer this question before Obama moved on.
Barack Obama's failure to answer such a simple and basic question immediately calls into question his moral and political integrity.
We all know Barack Obama refused to answer this question in order to protect Israel.
On the domestic front, Barack Obama is just as devious when it comes to the economy.
Barack Obama continues to mouth the line of the capitalist sooth-Sayers in insisting that the present economic crisis is "reversible" when nothing can be further from the truth.
If Barack Obama really believed what he and the Wall Street coupon clippers and their sooth-sayer apologists are saying that quick action is needed in order to make sure the economic problems don't become irreversible he would be taking drastic steps to make sure working people are protected by the government from being further hurt by bankers, industrialists and governments (local, state and federal).
Obama spoke of helping people once things are turned around.
Well, in all likelihood there will never be a "turn-around" for the capitalist economy which is on the skids to oblivion; placing all of us working people well down the road to perdition.
Obama talks about a new kind of "trickle down" theory that has nothing to do with progressivism. Obama tells us he is looking out for the "middle class" and in doing so things will get better for the poor.
There is simply no sound economic basis for making such pronouncements.
The federal government could very easily legislate a moratorium on all home foreclosures and evictions. After all, it would only make sense to tell working class homeowners and middle class homeowners to stay put, don't move; IF, Obama and members of Congress really believed we are going to be pulling out of this mess.
The best, most sensible approach to priming the economic pump and stimulating the economy would be for Obama to call on Congress to legislate a real living minimum wage. Failure to implement a real living wage which would stimulate the economy many times more than these boondoggles they call "stimulus packages" is further proof that Obama and the politicians have accepted the fact that capitalism is shot and on the skids to oblivion... something Obama and the Wall Street coupon clippers pulling his strings will never admit or acknowledge because they want to continue to profit of the mass suffering and misery we are in store for.
Just as Obama refused to answer the question put to him by Helen Thomas to name those countries in the Middle East possessing nuclear weapons; Obama, in spite of claims by some that he has "progressive roots," Obama is nothing more then a charlatan and a fraud--- an Elmer Gantry in every sense of the word because just as he knows Israel has nuclear weapons but he doesn't want to acknowledge this, Obama also knows full well that capitalism is on the skids to oblivion and should he come forward with this truth, he would stop fiddling as poverty and misery grows and he would begin investing in programs designed to help working people survive this capitalist economic depression as we negotiate our way to a planned socialist economy... the only known alternative to capitalism.
This is not about supporting Barck Obama as some confused and muddle-headed liberals and progressives would have us believe.
The issues working people are confronting are what measures will be needed to get us through this mess with as little pain and suffering as possible.
To suggest we have some kind of allegiance to Barack Obama rather than pointing out that it is Barack Obama that has a duty to join with his base of support which is overwhelmingly liberal/progressive/left and working class forces us to continue down the road to perdition when there is a better road we need to be on... the road to socialism.
Just as working people in Chicago stayed put in the factory they were employed in until their problems were resolved, people being foreclosed on and evicted from their homes should stay put until solutions to their problems are found by the government. The solutions are very easy... renegotiate the mortgages and place most of what has been paid in interest on the principal as the cost of these mortgages are brought in line with the real value of the homes.
Obama did not support the workers in Chicago because he was for them or their action... he "supported" them because to do otherwise would have been political suicide.
The solutions to our problems will not be found in having faith in Barack Obama to do the right thing by working people; the solutions to our problems will be found in grassroots/rank-and-file organizing and mobilizations which Obama and the politicians will not be able to ignore without doing the right thing.
Barack Obama and every politician in this country were fully aware of the plight of the workers at the window factory in Chicago--- these politicians remained silent just as Obama did when queried by Helen Thomas about which countries in the Middle East possess nuclear weapons.
That liberals/progressives and the left think they can play this kind of game by supporting capitalist and imperialist gimmicks with Barack Obama and Wall Street and actually win is the epitome of naivete... only class struggle initiatives and activity aimed and winning concessions from the politicians and their Wall Street puppeteers is going to win us anything and get us off this capitalist road to perdition.
One can only hope that Barack Obama will be asked some real meaningful questions about Israel and the economy by other reporters and journalists in the future so Americans can have the opportunity to actually participate in the decision-making process rather than allowing Barack Obama and the capitalist sooth-Sayers to dominate the political and economic life of our country.
There is no time to be playing around with a "honeymoon" between Barack Obama and the press if there are such dire consequences before us today.
Obama should be pressed, and pressed hard, to answer questions.
And the American people should be initiating and organizing so they have a seat at the table where decisions are really made... just like the workers at the window manufacturing plant in Chicago did.
All over the country the economy is going-to-hell-in-a-hand basket and the situation worsens day by day... we simply cannot afford squandering billions of dollars propping up the nuclear-armed Israeli killing machine and fighting wars in three countries.
Peace and eradicating poverty through reordering priorities requiring the redistribution of wealth is the change most people sought as they went to the polls in overwhelming numbers rejecting the Republicans more than voting for Obama and the Democrats... let us make sure Obama and the Democrats don't obscure this very important distinction.
We have a narrow window of opportunity opened up before us by the overwhelming rejection of the Republicans and we need to strike while the iron is hot by letting the Obama and the Democrats know that we will not accept anything less than our problems--- from health care to real living wages--- being resolved.