Thursday, June 10, 2010

Who Would Be a Better Progressive President?

Progressives are still pissed at Obama. Scratch that: by the looks of this post by Glenn Greenwald, they are lately even MORE pissed at Obama. After passing health care. After passing financial reform. After passing a very unpopular stimulus that saved jobs and helped stave off a great depression. After doing some very smart things in the foreign policy arena, including hitting the re-set button with Russia and trying in good faith to stand up to Israeli settlements (and, yes, failing miserably; but he deserves credit for effort). After nominating two highly competent women to the supreme court. I could go on.

But rather than try to defend Obama by arguing over his record, which can get tiresome, I'd like to ask a simple question of those liberals who are unsatisfied with Obama: who, in the great pantheon of American politicians, WOULD satisfy you? And I don't want to hear about some hypothetical/mythical politician constructed from scratch, or rather constructed from a progressive policy wish-list. This is not the movie "Weird Science." I want to hear a name of a real human being. Who, as president, would be better for progressives--and for the country--than Obama? I'll even allow retired politicians to qualify. Who would be better?

Hillary Clinton? Bill "triangulation" Clinton? Al Gore? John Edwards? John Edwards before we found out he was an adulterer? Dennis "I believe in UFOs" Kucinich? Nancy Pelosi? Howard Dean?

Who?

3 comments:

Dave said...

Paul Krugman

Dave said...

Paul Krugman

Brendan Clifford said...

Yes, I think Dennis would be a brilliant President for a Progressive America. But I don't think he's be the best person to represent everyone in this country, but then again, I don't care about representing EVERYONE IN the country, I care that the country and its constitution are represented thoroughly and intelligently. If the people in the country don't like what that means, they are welcome to find a country that fits to their personal views better. Instead the prevailing belief is that the country must be changed to fit what they believe, rather than the freedom for all beliefs living under a democratic constitution.

One of my big problems with this country is that so many of its citizens think it is "their" country, not "our" country... that the place they WANT to live, where their religious beliefs are upheld and enforced on the entire population. That is not what America is.

Now I'm off on a tangent. My point was going to be that I don't appreciate the effort to discredit Kucinich's ability to be a progressive president because of his "belief in UFOs." I think he would be refreshing change as someone who stands for what he stands for, regardless of who is standing with him... and he is a defender of the constitution.