Wednesday, November 05, 2008
The Angry Arab News Service: Obama Bashing Begins Here
Abukhalil is the sort of strong left voice that all of us should emulate as he insists that we must hold Obama accountable for his actions as President. I hesitate to predict the future with as much confidence as him because there remains the prospect, however slight, that Obama may go in a different direction on some of these issues.Those who supported Obama: you will be disappointed and you will remember my caution. Remember me when Obama will endorse an Israeli war on a refugee camp and on a Lebanese village, and he will call that justified self-defense. Remember me when Obama will mourn the deaths of Israelis and will celebrate the deaths of Arabs and Muslims. Remember me when he orders his first bombing campaign on some remote area of Pakistan. Remember me when he betrays the poor in favor of Wall Street. Remember me when he will betray the aspirations of black people in favor of the white middle class that is now the headline of the Democratic Party. Remember me when Obama will not fight for his health reform plan, and will he not deliver on many of his promises. Remember me when Obama will stick to his campaign promise of opposing gay marriage. Remember me when when Obama will continue to blame the failure of the American occupation of Iraq on the Iraqi people themselves. On Angry Arab: the Obama bashing has just begun and will continue unabated.
I'd also like to believe that the American left, as personified by people like Zinn, Chomsky, Fletcher and Ehrenreich, among others, will push Obama with equal vigor, but I am dubious. I sadly suspect that an Obama presidency will be remembered for its successful incorporation of much of the American left into a moderate, neoliberal vision of society, consistent with the remarks of Walter Benn Michaels.
Labels: American Empire, Barack Obama, Israel, Lebanon, Neoliberalism, Pakistan
