http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/pers-j21.shtml
Six months of the Obama administration
21 July 2009
Six months ago yesterday, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44^th
president of the United States.
The election of Obama represented a popular repudiation of the Bush
administration and its domestic and foreign policies. The principal
slogan of Obama---"change you can believe in"---struck a chord with a
population fed up with eight years of war and single-minded focus on the
interests of the corporate elite.
Obama's persona and individual history symbolized, for broad sections of
the working class and youth, this desire for change. The fact that Obama
would be the first African-American president was seen by many as reason
to believe he would instinctively sympathize with the poor and
oppressed. In any case, it was thought, he would be very different from
what had come before.
What evaluation can be made in light of six months' experience? The
facts speak for themselves. On every critical issue, Obama---presiding
over substantial Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress---has
continued the basic policy of his predecessor.
Military policy
The direction of the administration on military policy was signaled
early on. On January 23, three days after his inauguration, Obama
ordered missile strikes by unmanned Predator drones on a location inside
Pakistan, killing 18 people. With this initial blood on his hands, Obama
proceeded apace.
The war in Afghanistan is now definitively "Obama's war." Under his
watch, the US has set in motion a doubling of its forces, from 32,000 to
68,000, and is presently carrying out a major operation to wipe out
popular opposition in the south. At least 30 US soldiers and 25 NATO
troops have died so far this month, making July the deadliest month to
date for occupation forces.
With Obama, however, the operation has become the "AfPak" war. US
missile strikes within Pakistan, often killing dozens of Pakistani
civilians, have become a regular occurrence. The administration has
pressured Pakistan to carry out its own offensive in its northwestern
territories, resulting in hundreds of thousands of refugees and massive
causalities.
The occupation of Iraq continues. The drawback of US forces from the
cities does not herald an end to US military involvement in the country.
Some 130,000 troops* *remain in what amounts to permanent military bases
outside the cities, and the administration has begun the process of
relabeling troops as "advisors." In the event that the fragile political
situation breaks down, the US military will intervene with full force.
Economic and social policy
On domestic policy, Obama's overriding concern has been to defend the
wealth of the most powerful sections of the corporate and financial
elite. Through cash injections, subsidies and loan programs, trillions
have been handed out to the banks and financial institutions, with no
strings attached. The administration has opposed any real constraints on
executive pay or bonuses.
Utilizing the government handouts, the largest banks reported massive
profits in the second quarter of 2009, including $3.44 billion for
Goldman Sachs and $2.7 billion for JPMorgan Chase. The banks plan on
handing out record bonuses this year to their executives and traders.
The very institutions that precipitated the economic crisis through
their speculation and looting operations are doing better than ever.
This is not an accident. It is the intended outcome of the policy
carried out by the Obama administration.
Many auto workers looked to Obama for positive change. Instead, the
administration has forced through massive cuts in wages and benefits,
along with the destruction of tens of thousands of jobs. Obama has
shepherded General Motors and Chrysler through bankruptcy court, where
the two companies left billions in unwanted liabilities behind,
including health care obligations to tens of thousands of retirees.
The administration is carrying out a similar policy in relation to state
and local governments, refusing to give them the type of loans made
available to the banks. The largest state in the country, California, is
on the verge of economic meltdown, and the state government is seizing
on the crisis as an opportunity to gut education, welfare and other
social programs. Similar draconian measures are being implemented
throughout the country.
As for the Obama's principal domestic initiative---health care
"reform"---the administration's proposals are driven by the desire of
corporations to slash their employee health care costs and are tailored
to the demands of the major players in the health care
industry---particularly the insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
Health care "reform" has been shifted from providing decent care for all
to cutting costs. Obama insists that reducing health care expenditures
is imperative for lowering the budget deficit and restoring the economy,
even as he declares he will do "whatever it takes" to bail out the banks.
If a bill on health care eventually passes, it will require workers to
pay more for inadequate health insurance and rationed care. This
"expanded coverage" will be used as a pretext for slashing federal
health care programs, particularly Medicare.
Like everything else, health care is being restructured as a more openly
class-based system. Workers will have to choose between their health and
their other needs, while the rich are afforded the best treatment money
can buy.
The outcome of the administration's policies to deal with the economic
crisis is a massive redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top.
Democratic rights
On all essentials, the Obama administration has continued the
antidemocratic policies of its predecessor. It has invoked "state
secrets" to block court cases challenging torture and domestic spying.
The administration reversed a promise to release photos showing US
torture of detainees. It has continued the military tribunals and
indicated it plans to adopt a policy of indefinite detention for
prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Obama has repeatedly insisted that there will be no prosecution of any
of the crimes carried out by the Bush administration. This means no one
will be held accountable and that the crimes will continue.
** * **
The outcome of the 2008 elections is an object lesson on the failure of
American democracy. These elections produced an outcome that is
diametrically opposed to the aspirations of the voters who cast ballots
for the victor.
It is not possible, through the existing political system, to effect a
change in government policy. The basic reason is that the political
institutions and parties are the unvarnished instruments of class rule.
The financial elite exercises absolute control over every aspect of
political life.
What is perhaps most remarkable is the fact that the Obama
administration barely makes an effort to conceal its class character. It
seems to assume that Obama's persona by itself is sufficient to quell
opposition. To the extent that the administration's attention is focused
on the Democratic Party and its periphery---the assorted coterie of
"left" publications and organizations---this evaluation is correct.
However, there has already been a significant fall in Obama's poll
ratings, including substantial declines on the economy and health care.
According to the most recent /Washington Post/-ABC News poll, Obama's
overall approval ratings have dropped below 60 percent for the first
time. We suspect that public unease is, in fact, far broader and deeper
than these figures yet indicate.
Here, Lincoln's famous aphorism is appropriate: "You can fool some of
the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but
you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."
Public disenchantment and anger are being driven by the objective impact
of the economic crisis, the consequences of Obama's wars, and the ever
more glaring contradiction between the popular sentiments to which he
appealed to get elected and the social interests that he serves. To the
extent that the American people feel they have been taken for a ride and
played for suckers, the mass opposition will be that much more intense.
The administration has yet to reckon with the independent intervention
of the American working class. When this class movement does develop, it
will seek new channels independent of and in opposition to the entire
political and social system.
Joe Kishore
--
Linda
*http://freedetainees.org <http://freedetainees.org/>
"If we shadows have offended, Think but this,
and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd
here While these visions did appear..."
- William Shakespeare
*
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