Okay, even on his worst day, a President Obama is better than a President McCain. This doesn’t mean people on the left should drink the Obama Kool-Aid. In the last week alone, Sen. Obama has done three things to piss me off and delay writing that check. In no particular order, they are:
- Went against an earlier promise to filibuster the current FISA legislation and said he’ll vote for FISA whether or not there is language in the bill that holds telecom companies criminally AND civilly liable for cooperation in warentless wiretapping of American citizens. If you want to be president, shouldn’t your commitment, your sworn oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States extend to the 4th amendment? Hmm?
- Threw Gen. Wes Clark under the bus for very relevant and true statements about McCain’s service record and its applicability to being qualified to be president. Obama, at the least, could have remained silent about the situation, or at best supported a fellow Democrat and defended them from unfair attacks from the right. Then again, a friend reminded me that Obama didn’t support Ned Lamont, either, and has lended support to more than a few Blue Dog Democrats. Obama isn’t nearly the progressive people on the Left or Right make him out to be. Or at least, he doesn’t appear to be.
- Finally, the news today that Obama wants to expand President Bush’s government support of faith-based charities and services. Look, government has no business in this country of supporting religion. If it was a bad idea for a President Bush, it’s a bad idea for a (presumptive) President Obama. One can be religious and still support seperation of church and state, Sen. Obama.
Since Obama has gained the (presumptive) Democratic nomination, he seems to have listed to the right, and hard. Progressives and leftists of all stripes are going to have to work hard to hold his feet to the fire, and bring him back to a less Republican-lite direction. This nation needs bold, progressive leadership, not more pandering to a discredited Right.
Sen. Obama, I’d like to cut you a check. But I can’t do it if you continue along your current political trajectory. I hope my liberal, progressive and radical friends reading this will participate in events like the my.barackobama.com group attempting to hold Sen. Obama accountable to his FISA promise.
I’ll be writing more about Sen. Obama’s campaign’s use of social media tools this month, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear your views on Sen. Obama’s post-nomination right-ward drift.
UPDATE: Just as I hit POST, Matt Stoller over at the excellent Open Left blog posted a piece with lots of linkage on Obama’s rightward drift. Check it out.
