Neoliberal Obama

I have never been a fan of Obama politics. Even when he came to power I knew that he had to be a neoliberal (he called himself New Democrat - meaning Wall Street), you don't become promoted to Democrat leader with the support of all the party without being safe for them - without being neoliberal. If you think that is not true, look at what happened to Bernie. However Obama was a good statesman, he was good with quips, and I liked the stuff Michelle did; she was even touted as President did she baulk at that because she couldn't face the neoliberal compromises of her husband? (I like to think so but that is probably fanciful.) But just because Obama had good PR, don't be deluded as to who his masters were, he used drones and illegally went into Syria. I detest the Liberal fawning for Obama. Just because he was pleasant, "sure we tortured a few folks" doesn't make him a nice guy. OK, we can make comparisons with the Trump-puppet and the toxic environment he creates, but the difference is only that environment - they both do the bidding of their masters, the essence of neoliberalism. But that toxic environment is increasingly more dangerous for those without white privilege, I accept that - and probable more dangerous for privileged white women.

Why do Obama now? He has just given this talk at the Mandela lecture; I think the young Mandela would have turned in his Robben island prison at this, I am not so sure of the old pragmatic leader. Real News (here and here) have discussed this lecture, and these clips (1 and 2) connect Obama and the Trump-puppet to the crash of 2008.

The Mandela lecture started so well in its accurate depiction of history, and then he described a transformation. Transformation - sound-byte transformation as wealth has increased but the power-structure and exploitation is the same - neoliberalism. This transformation was a history of supposed liberal gains and developments under the usual "free-world" rhetoric of democracy and human rights. It turned my soul to hear this appropriation of Mandela who had fought the oppression of forces that Obama represents. He might well have inspired Obama but the Mandela of the ANC was in a communist alliance and there is no way he supported neoliberalism.

I am very pleased that Obama became the first black US president, I am a strong believer in positive image. When black people hold onto Obama as a role model, I am happy for them. But how far removed is this process of black identity supporting Obama from women's liberation supporting Thatcher? These were token identity manipulations triggered by neoliberalism. Maggie promoted the worst sort of Tory neoliberal ravages, Obama sugar-coated neoliberal implementation - but it is mostly the same. This is not simply a white man's view, BAR LINK are critical of Obama. The speech is 10.54 of 1.20.19, and I have given up - can't take it.

To the Real News. What is useful with Obama's type of neoliberalism - as opposed to Trump-puppetry - is the type of truth he tells, and Real News on Obama (here and here) points this out with appropriate clips from his speech. He describes how neoliberalism turns us into wage-slaves, how there is a world of super-rich controlling us for their own profits, and that we should accept this capitalism. He does not tell how this truth is funded by global war and the killing of Gaia. Trump-puppetry merely scapegoats, and says that the 1% will give the MAWPs jobs over the non-whites - ignoring the funding as well.

The second clips (1 and 2) take us back to the economic tricks of the bankers of these super-rich. They fraudulently traded in liars' loans (economic details in the first clip) until there was a crash. Obama rewarded these bankers instead of imprisoning them, and enabled market conditions so that they could continue. Because this was same-old-same-old then the inflated standard of living of whites MAWPs) continued to decline - they had been hardest hit by the crash, many losing their homes. Bankers and Wall Street were blamed. This enabled Trump-puppet rhetoric of blame - draining the swamp, crooked Hillary as same-old-same-old, and puppet strategy of buying off MAWP votes for his power. Trump-rhetoric does not however discuss his smoke and mirrors. His rhetoric is an attack on same-old-same-old government regulation, despite the first clip pointing out that Obama failed in financial regulation and suggesting that Democrats would still be in power if such regulation had happened. Instead Trump-puppet is removing regulation, but only the regulation that protects Gaia and its people thus enabling exploitation of resources by the super-rich providing MAWP jobs. Not same-old-same-old - WORSE. MAWP greed provides for their own, ignores compassion, and Gaia declines - dying.