President Obama's a nice fellow, but wrong, not enough of a philosopher, too much a politician. He and I both worked for Harold Washington, a watershed experience for many now facing a tough future. From the experience I think Obama concluded that working together "one could get things done". One of the tiny percentage of "white men" in the campaign, I came away thinking that belief, ideology, was paramount. The founders of the US shared the belief that "white men" were mostly "free and equal" - and built around that belief a system that is "mostly" a republic with some democratic characteristics. The shared belief and the republic let mostly equal white men build political coalitions that led to the Civil War. Today, we are divided between those who believe "All people are equal" and those who don't, now in power and getting ready to exercise their beliefs. I think it is time for us to get clear about our shared belief. I'm with Emerson: All people are individuals and all people are equal. Also I'm with Thoreau (and Navalny), it's up to us to build an effective, legal resistance to the impositions of the ideology of inequality From my beliefs fairly easy to guess my choice in ephemeral coalitions.
Yes, but I think the main point is that a republic does not necessarily have to be democratic. Athens was not a republic. And I don't think Switzerland is, either. Most of far northern Europe isn't either. Just to note it, I have to say, I've been aware of this republic/democracy tension since 6th grade! One of my classmates told me that all this democracy talk was crap and that the most important thing was that the republic let the best people rule! And the best people were not necessarily found by democratic processes. He must have got all that from his folks. I was shocked I must say. And I have never forgotten it. You and our political friends should never forget that this took place in 1964, the mouth it came from and the ideological content in it, and the fact that this fellow has grown up, either.
It was Obama who as President had the best opportunity since FDR to curb the power of concentrated wealth when he had just won a convincing election, the people were mad as hell about the financial crisis; and the obvious greed and criminality that brought that crisis to a head were staring him in the face. He summoned the heads of the very financial institutions that created and profited from the financial crisis and he reassured them that he was going to stand between them and the angry public. They eat his lunch and stopped any real reform or deluding of their control over the economy. Furthermore, his Department of Justice was supine in the face of vast the criminality and malfeasance of the bankers and lenders who benefited from the lax regulation of the Bush era/error. Obama did nothing to further mobilize the Movement.Org folks to push a truly serious democratic Democratic Party. Let us not forget that his administration jailed more whistle blowers than all previous administrations combined.
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Great weave of past and present issues. I get what Obama is saying; we should focus on interests and not positions. Kamala said this over and over, 'we have a lot more in common than our differences'
These concepts just need to be broken down a little better for people to latch onto... increasing potential collaboration.
This is interesting coming from the mouth of Barak Obama, especially since when he was president of the United States of America, he was the deporter in chief of immigrants.
Deportations are legal when carried out legally, i.e. processes via the law and not done in sweeps and without due process (yes, non-citizens get due process). I have a friend who has been here for 17 years but faces deportation to a tough country where she now has no resources. Very hard but not illegal. We're trying to protect her. It IS ILLEGAL to deport people to places where they would face overt discrimination and danger. I guess I rely on HRC to check out my facts and I guess I wonder in what case would deportation be OK according to Richard. Why not concentrate on the people providing jobs to undocumented people? Oh yeah, that's the free market operating, right? Build and they will come to take the construction and landscaping jobs.
President Obama's a nice fellow, but wrong, not enough of a philosopher, too much a politician. He and I both worked for Harold Washington, a watershed experience for many now facing a tough future. From the experience I think Obama concluded that working together "one could get things done". One of the tiny percentage of "white men" in the campaign, I came away thinking that belief, ideology, was paramount. The founders of the US shared the belief that "white men" were mostly "free and equal" - and built around that belief a system that is "mostly" a republic with some democratic characteristics. The shared belief and the republic let mostly equal white men build political coalitions that led to the Civil War. Today, we are divided between those who believe "All people are equal" and those who don't, now in power and getting ready to exercise their beliefs. I think it is time for us to get clear about our shared belief. I'm with Emerson: All people are individuals and all people are equal. Also I'm with Thoreau (and Navalny), it's up to us to build an effective, legal resistance to the impositions of the ideology of inequality From my beliefs fairly easy to guess my choice in ephemeral coalitions.
It's worth noting that a republic is the most common form of democracy.
Yes, but I think the main point is that a republic does not necessarily have to be democratic. Athens was not a republic. And I don't think Switzerland is, either. Most of far northern Europe isn't either. Just to note it, I have to say, I've been aware of this republic/democracy tension since 6th grade! One of my classmates told me that all this democracy talk was crap and that the most important thing was that the republic let the best people rule! And the best people were not necessarily found by democratic processes. He must have got all that from his folks. I was shocked I must say. And I have never forgotten it. You and our political friends should never forget that this took place in 1964, the mouth it came from and the ideological content in it, and the fact that this fellow has grown up, either.
Dear Heather,
It was Obama who as President had the best opportunity since FDR to curb the power of concentrated wealth when he had just won a convincing election, the people were mad as hell about the financial crisis; and the obvious greed and criminality that brought that crisis to a head were staring him in the face. He summoned the heads of the very financial institutions that created and profited from the financial crisis and he reassured them that he was going to stand between them and the angry public. They eat his lunch and stopped any real reform or deluding of their control over the economy. Furthermore, his Department of Justice was supine in the face of vast the criminality and malfeasance of the bankers and lenders who benefited from the lax regulation of the Bush era/error. Obama did nothing to further mobilize the Movement.Org folks to push a truly serious democratic Democratic Party. Let us not forget that his administration jailed more whistle blowers than all previous administrations combined.
But, it is nice to see that he likes pluralism.
would like to unsubscribe from substack and would like to read article how do i do that?
go to the email that you get about this and scroll down to the bottom. You will see in small print a link to unsubscribe. Click it. then if you want to read the article you have to go to Substack and search for the latest for HCR.
Read in app never works when I go to my email. It only sends me to audio post.
Great weave of past and present issues. I get what Obama is saying; we should focus on interests and not positions. Kamala said this over and over, 'we have a lot more in common than our differences'
These concepts just need to be broken down a little better for people to latch onto... increasing potential collaboration.
This is interesting coming from the mouth of Barak Obama, especially since when he was president of the United States of America, he was the deporter in chief of immigrants.
what deportations did Obama carry out?
Deportations are legal when carried out legally, i.e. processes via the law and not done in sweeps and without due process (yes, non-citizens get due process). I have a friend who has been here for 17 years but faces deportation to a tough country where she now has no resources. Very hard but not illegal. We're trying to protect her. It IS ILLEGAL to deport people to places where they would face overt discrimination and danger. I guess I rely on HRC to check out my facts and I guess I wonder in what case would deportation be OK according to Richard. Why not concentrate on the people providing jobs to undocumented people? Oh yeah, that's the free market operating, right? Build and they will come to take the construction and landscaping jobs.
Don't see a place to lower the voice...