Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

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512-517-2708

Alan Maki

Alan Maki
Doing research at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

A program for real change...

http://peaceandsocialjustice.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-progressive-program-for-real-change.html


What we need is a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which would make it a mandatory requirement that the president and Congress attain and maintain full employment.


"Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens"

- Ben Franklin

Let's talk...

Let's talk...

Saturday, August 18, 2012

The 2012 Elections Have Little To Do With Obama’s Record … Which Is Why We Are Voting For Him

I agree with Michael Munk's commentary below introducing this piece by William Greider from The Nation.

In fact, these "liberals," "progressives" and "leftists" rallying for Obama's re-election now tell us we shouldn't even care about Obama's record and others are telling us we can expect Obama to carry out a progressive agenda in his second term.

Michael Munk politely questions if these people are serious about movement building.

I will be more to the point and point out that these phony liberals, progressives and leftists who sold Obama the first time around as being "progressive" are trying to sell him as a "liberal" this time around.

Carl Davidson and Bill Fletcher, Jr. even try to pass Obama off as a "corporate liberal" meaning Obama represents what they call the enlightened "high road capitalists" as opposed to the "low road capitalists."

In fact, Barack Obama is as reactionary as hell--- a neo-liberal--- carrying out Wall Street's agenda of imperialist wars for profit and world domination abroad paid for through shoving austerity measures down our throats here at home.

We have seen very clearly what these "liberal," "progressive" and "leftist" Obama backers consider "mass movements" to be--- they hold a press conference threatening action but the action never materializes and if by chance signs of fightback and struggle for peace and reforms do begin to materialize as with the "One Nation Working Together" or the Single-payer Universal Health Care movement or the anti-war movement they sabotage these struggles "nipping them in the bud" so as not to cause any embarrassment or problems for Obama and the Democrats.

Actually, they aren't a whole lot better even with the Republicans in power but their yapping is a little more pronounced and somewhat louder.

But, the stock in trade of these phony "liberals," progressives" and "leftists" is always and every where to do nothing but talk a good talk about the battles they intend to wage but never provide the resources to to get off the ground much less follow through to the conclusion which would mean winning real reforms which improve the lives, living conditions and standard of living of the entire working class while raising the majority of people of color, women and the handicapped out of poverty.

Peace and poverty should be the over-riding focus of the 2012 Elections and the struggles need to be initiated now, not later, so people can see where these politicians like Obama really stand--- with Wall Street not the working class. 

Never in my life have I ever heard of such utter stupidity and betrayal as embodied in this other article by Carl Davidson and Bill Fletcher--- the title alone is enough to make any reasonably intelligent and honest working woman or man puke:

What to Do in November, and Beyond
August 14th, 2012  
The 2012 Elections Have Little To Do With Obama’s Record … Which Is Why We Are Voting For Him


Whoever heard of voting for any politician with total and complete disregard for their record while in office? Only complete morons would advocate such stupidity.

But, aside from the stupidity of these "liberals," "progressives" and "leftists" call for Obama's re-election there is the very basic question of strategy and tactics involved with supporting this Wall Street warmonger who under the guise of "seeking bi-partisan legislation" he strengthens the hands of those like Mitt Romney and none other than this very evil man Paul Ryan and in return supporting Obama further strengthens our enemy: Wall Street.

Whoever heard of anyone saying they were going to mobilize a fightback and struggle for progress being engaged in strengthening the hand of the very enemy one is going to have to turn around to fight and struggle against for peace, social and economic justice.

And if this betrayal isn't enough, they turn around and try to pump up Obama as being some kind of symbol of a victorious struggle against racism when Obama and his Administration have intentionally set out to destroy the most important civil and human rights achievement: Affirmative Action.

Do these muddle-headed middle class "intellectuals" not understand that people without jobs are going to be poor and that these massive pools of unemployed are sources of extra cheap labor pressuring all wages down and that Obama, just like Republicans, because he is Wall Street's president is using the misery caused by massive unemployment to drive all wages down and to be used as a club over the heads of workers trying to win decent contracts and the unorganized trying to organize?

From these "liberals," "progressives" and "leftists" continuing to back this warmongering anti-labor Obama pushing Wall Street's racist agenda we are supposed to believe these deceitful, lying, two-faced hypocrites who refused to stand up to Obama's biggest backers, the Crown family of Wall Street as they closed plant after plant moving production of Maytag and Whirlpool off-shore leaving thousands out of work and now we have the Communication Workers of America supporting Obama's re-election blaming the Republicans for moving call centers overseas when it was Obama and the Democrats working in bi-partisanship with the Republicans who helped Xerox Corporation set up one of the largest call centers in the Bahama's--- ACS (Affiliated Computer Services) to collect on student loans; instead of the banks profiting from student loans now Xerox is raking in billions in profits as the United States government pays them "collection fees" of over 60% in many cases.

Student loans--- one more operation like the home mortgage scandal Obama has done nothing to resolve as millions of working class families are forced to go through the misery and suffering associated with losing the family home.  

There are many reasons why these dishonest shysters fronting for Obama's re-election bid are trying to paint Obama as a "liberal" wanting us to ignore his record in office expecting us to fall for their "line" that they will launch a struggle AFTER the Election; but, the number one reason these shysters do this is because this is how they perpetuate the hype that they need to surround themselves with in order to continue their very lucrative careers which are based on them creating mass confusion that prevents united mass action by the working class for a world at peace where the wealth created by the working class is used for the betterment of all working people.

These people, these pathetic excuses for human beings who pretend to be liberals, progressives and leftists yet earn their livings by deceiving and confusing and betraying working people defend the rights of the Wall Street venture capitalist (Democrats) and vulture capitalists (Republican) to reap huge dividends from imperialist wars and exploitation of the working class yet the one dividend these pathetic, cowardly and dishonest Obama backers are unwilling to talk about is the "peace dividend" that would result in ending (and stopping from beginning) Obama's dirty imperialist wars.

When have you ever heard these phony "liberals," "progressives" and "leftistists" come out and tell the truth: Wall Street is our enemy

These phony "liberals," "progressives" and "leftists" couldn't even get their "friend" Barack Obama to push the Employee Free Choice Act through Congress. They won't even lift a finger to see to it that the Family Leave Act is enforced and they refuse to call on their Democratic Party "friends" to repeal "At-will hiring; at-will firing" the major impediment and obstacle to union organizing--- when was the last time you saw any of these phony "liberals," "progressives" or "leftists" submit a resolution to any body of the Democratic Party from the precinct caucus to the state or national convention calling for the repeal of "At-will?" Never. We are dealing with cowards who at every opportunity if not by words then by inaction betray working class struggles and these are the morons calling on us to vote for Obama's re-election. 

And when they can't get us to go along with their moronically stupid calls to elect Obama in spite of his record as warmonger and pusher of austerity measures these shills for Obama and the Democrats begin to try to bully and badger us to toe their "line."

These Obama sock-puppets stop at nothing to try to force and coerce us to toe their line.

No lie is too big. 

No excuse too stupid.

Until we grasp that these people are paid big money to trick and deceive us we will be their victims just as we are Wall Street's victims.

Do you think for a moment any of these well-heeled muddle-headed liberals would qualify for anything other than a poverty wage job if they did not use their communication skills to deceive and confuse working people in a way preventing us from challenging Wall Street for political and economic power?

We will never get the kind of movements required to win the peace and reforms and challenge Wall Street for political and economic power until we establish grassroots and rank-and-file organizations free from foundation-funding and free from the control and manipulation of these shills for Obama and the Democratic Party who are always going to fightback AFTER elections.

But this time they have reached an unprecedented new low in telling us we shouldn't be concerned with Obama's dismal record while in office. This is a new low even for these shysters who have always held up their phony "legislative report cards" trying to convince us to vote against our own self-interest by voting for the candidates selected by our employers.

Imagine that--- Carl Davidson and Bill Fletcher, Jr. don't even think we should be concerned with Obama's record in office.

And William Greider, the guy who helped destroy the Single-payer Universal Health Care movement and who has never lifted a finger to organize anything except a way to get payment for his writings and speaking engagements and book sales wants us to believe that he will roll up his sleeves and help us build a movement for peace and reforms AFTER the Election after saying the exact same thing before the last election and the election before that and the election before that.

William Greider might "participate" in one of Richard Trumka's famous "fightback" press conferences talking about how he is going to organize a movement to fightback. But, he and Greider have been holding these press conferences as their gimmicks to avoid and evade struggles for years.

At these press conference fightbacks we get a good display of Trumka's "anger" (all theatrics) and Greider's oh so sophisticated charts and footnotes "explaining" Trumka's staged "anger."

Tell the Democrats and Republicans to go to hell.

Tell these moronic shills for Obama posing as "liberals," "progressives" and "leftists" to go to hell.

Get a few friends and co-workers together and start a grassroots or rank-and-file organization capable of thinking all this through and initiating struggles because William Greider, Carl Davidson, Bill Fletcher, Jr. and Richard Trumka sure as hell aren't going to get beyond fightback and struggle via press conferences--- their "struggles" will always be coming AFTER the next election.

If you want to forget that Barack Obama promised peace, jobs and single-payer universal health care to get the nomination the first time around that is up to you.

But, if you want to take a look at his record in office, Obama is a warmonger who delivered the Republican's "Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010" while enabling thousands of jobs to go overseas including a collection agency/call center he subsidized Xerox to establish in the Bahamas with tax-payer dollars where workers are being paid fifteen cents an hour while American students without jobs have to pay-back loans from which Xerox (ACS) profits. This is the Obama these morons want us to re-elect.

No wonder Obama's supporters don't want us to consider his record in office and start throwing tantrums and fits when we bring forward Obama's record while in office.

Alan L. Maki



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: 
Date: Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 11:03 PM
Subject: [national] Progressives to salvage Obama's policies--after the election
To: amaki000@centurytel.net


In his Nation piece, “How to Launch a Mass Movement for Economic Justice,”  William Greider writes that a labor/liberal coalition has proposed policies intended to head off more compromises with the far right that have guided Obama and the Dems in his first four years.
 
According to Greider, “neither the president nor the Democratic Party much wants to talk about solutions that sound suspiciously liberal. Mitt Romney is mocked for not having a coherent plan for economic recovery, but Obama doesn't have much of one either. "Fairness" is not a governing strategy. Frequent factory visits are not going to bring back manufacturing jobs.”
 
So several “progressive” organization, including the AFL-CIO executive council, the SEIU, the Center for Community Change, the Economic Policy Institute, the National Council of La Raza, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights have endorsed  a document called "Prosperity Economics: Building an Economy for All" that is intended as a “shadow platform” for the Dems to stand on but only after the campaign.
 
Any chance the liberals and labor will be taken seriously by the “Reelect Obama and the Dems”movement? Greider admits that they “are trying to walk a delicate line. On the one hand,they intend to push these comprehensive reform proposals aggressively on Congress and the White House, no matter who wins in November. On the other hand, they are committed to Obama’s  re-election and anxious to avoid making problems for him.”
 
So the liberals will continue to shut up until after the election-when, he says without much confidence, they’ll start “to play hardball.”
 
If they weren’t ready to play for the past years, I’m skeptical they will suddenly find religion after election day. Such is the nature of US politics and its mantra of the lesser evil.

 
 

Visit my website www.michaelmunk.com



-- 
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
 
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763

Phone: 218-386-2432
Cell: 651-587-5541

Primary E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net