Roger Hodge Lays Bare US Politics (Harper's), Remembering Daniel Pearl

Hi. Here are the opening paragraphs of a brilliant critique of the

Obama administration; progressive and constructionist at the

same time. The full six questions and Hodge's responses go to the

gist of policy, history and constitutionality of much of what's bothering

not only progressives, but much of the populace.  I plan on voting

Democrat where it counts, as I deeply fear the alternative, but consider,

the dynamic analyzed herein will maintain after the eledtion.  Change

won't happen without us, only with us.. That's whatever happens in the

election. This is one to save and use in that essential struggle. 

Ed

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Anthony Saidy

Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 8:35 PM

Subject: Young Author Hodge Trenchantly Lays Bare US Politics(Harper's)

One of the most intelligent and accurate analyses you are ever gonna see, by a young man w. historical depth. -AFS

 

 

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2010/10/hbc-90007615

 

The Mendacity of Hope–Six Questions for Roger D. Hodge

By Scott Horton

Former Harper's Magazine editor Roger D. Hodge has just published what may well be the definitive critique of the Obama presidency from the left: The Mendacity of Hope: Barack Obama and the Betrayal of American Liberalism. I put six questions to him about his new book.

1. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs recently derided liberal critics of the Obama Administration as the "professional left." Was he talking about you? What do you make of this line of attack?

I'm not sure Gibbs has a coherent idea of what he means by the "left," but if opposition to permanent war, extrajudicial assassination of American citizens, boundless state secrecy, and unlimited corporate bailouts constitutes "leftism," then so be it. True to their Clintonian principles, President Obama and his advisors have spurned the Democratic Party's liberal base and have sought to govern by appropriating the policies of the Republican right. Just as Bill Clinton enacted NAFTA and destroyed welfare, Barack Obama has pushed through a health-care program that was inspired by the Heritage Foundation and largely written by the insurance lobby—and he shows every sign of being willing to vandalize Social Security in the name of deficit reduction even though the program has nothing to do with the federal budget deficit. Obama has embraced the Bushite war on terror and has refused to roll back the unconstitutional executive usurpations that so outraged his supporters. And yet Democrats expect liberals to toe the line and shut the hell up lest the Republicans take advantage of their dissent. In fact, for the most part, the "professional left" of policy intellectuals, public interest advocates, and opinion journalists have done just that.

What's fascinating about the Democrats is how consistently they have squandered enormous political advantages. The party's leaders have apparently internalized Republican propaganda to the point that they feel they do not deserve to rule; consequently, when Democrats come to power, they always negotiate with themselves prior to meeting their opponents, make the tough-minded decision to betray their most loyal supporters, and profess shock and anger when the GOP—which never makes the mistake of publicly spurning its base—refuses to accept the purported bipartisan compromise. What results, of course, is that the Democratic Party, over and over again, enacts some version of the Republican agenda.

***

 

A Mighty Hard Road: 

From Woody Guthrie to Cesar Chavez;

a concert with Los Angeles Folk Singer Ross Altman at

The Found Theatre in Long Beach

                              Sunday, October 10, 2010

2:00 PM;

tickets $5  all ages

599 Long Beach Blvd. (at 6^th St.)

 Reservations:  (562) 433-3363

                                                 

 

      

This special program is a part of Daniel Pearl World Music Days in October. October 10 is Daniel Pearl's birthday.  He would have been 47 years old this Sunday.  Starting in October 2002, the year he was murdered in Pakistan four months after 9/11, an annual commemoration of music in the spirit of Harmony for Humanity has been celebrated worldwide, with literally thousands of musicians from all countries and genres presenting their work in the context of this broadly ecumenical effort to bridge cultural and religious differences at home and abroad.  We are extremely proud to have Ross Altman represent us as a part of this program.