Obama: From Cool to Chilly

In 2008, and for a few years after, 44th United States president Barack Obama was cool. More than ten years after his first-term election, he is chilly.

I don’t have a positive let alone warm feeling for Obama.

I think Ralph Nader had it correct, from years ago, when Nader said he doesn’t respect Obama and considers him a “con man.”

Part of the latest con from Obama occurred when he gave a speech in Berlin and he told his audience, “One of the things I do worry about sometimes among progressives in the United States…is a certain kind of rigidity where we say, ‘Uh, I’m sorry, this is how it’s going to be’ and then we start sometimes creating what’s called a ‘circular firing squad’, where you start shooting at your allies because one of them has strayed from purity on the issues. And when that happens, typically the overall effort and movement weakens.” (Source: Barack Obama warns progressives to avoid ‘circular firing squad’.)

Obama is trying to gaslight. He, and his likewise corporate Democrats, are not allies to progressives. Actual progressives. Let us keep in mind that, in his first two years in office, Obama had 59/60 members in the Democratic-held U.S. Senate and more than 250 Democratic-held seats in the U.S. House. And, yet, his Affordable Care Act had no public option, let alone single payer or specifically Medicare for All, and no reimportation from Canada for prescription drugs, and it came with a mandate requiring people, if they weren’t already insured, to buy private insurance. That was not a failure to get his Democratic Congress on board with an actual progressive healthcare bill. That was intentional.

Nearly ten years later, the Affordable Care Act is obviously not good enough. While it gave people more “access,” they are not protected from potential bankruptcy. (I have a family member with the experience.) We need Medicare for All. What reveals the opposition to that, in Democratic ranks, are people like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Barack Obama—all, from their positions, recent party leaders.

I see Obama now as a political enemy. How could I not? In December 2012, one month after he won re-election, he told Miami, Florida-affiliate Noticias Univision 23, “The truth of the matter is that my policies are so mainstream that if I had set the same policies that I had back in the 1980s, I would be considered a moderate Republican.” (Source: Obama: More Moderate Republican Than Socialist.)

Imagine if a December 1984 Ronald Reagan or a December 2004 George W. Bush, the last two two-term Republican U.S. presidents, “The truth of the matter is that my policies are so mainstream that if I had set the same policies that I had back in the 1960s, I would be considered a liberal Democrat.”

I, frankly, don’t like Obama. I used to. Not anymore.

My favorite video response, in addressing that speech by Obama, came from MCSC Network’s Niko House. It will be the first of the following videos. I have also included ones by The Jimmy Dore Show’s Jimmy Dore, The Rational National’s David Doel, The Humanist Report’s Mike Figueredo, Secular Talk’s Kyle Kulinski, and Status Coup’s Jordan Chariton.

Here they are:

‘Daniel Ellsberg On Assange Arrest: The Beginning of the End For Press Freedom’

With the arrest of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, on Wednesday, April 11, 2019, comes the issue of what this means for press freedom. Lots of videos discussing the issue. One that really speaks to this issue was published to YouTube by The Real News. Daniel Ellsberg, now 88, who was the Julian Assange of the early-1970s, with the Pentagon Papers (Source: Wikipedia — “Pentagon Papers”), is very insightful. I share it with readers of Progressives Chat.

A Week of Anniversaries

Noting that this week has anniversaries, a combination of births and deaths of people in music and politics, I cite the following five because they stood out in my mind as being worthy of this one blog topic thanks to timing.


Brenda Russell
The sublime songwriter and singer Brenda Russell turns 70. She was born April 8, 1949, in Brooklyn, New York. Russell’s career took off more in the late-1970s, with her 1979 self-titled album including “In the Thick of It,” “A Little Bit of Love,” “So Good, So Right,” “Way Back When” and, later as a 1985 hit for Luther Vandross, “If Only for One Night.” Russell received a 1988 Grammy nomination in the key category Song of Year, awarded to the songwriters, for her haunting pop hit “Piano in the Dark.” (Video of that recording, which was on Billboard’s Top 10 Pop Chart, follows.) An excellent songwriter, a strong singer, this surprisingly underappreciated talent was nominated for five Grammy Awards as well as a 2006 Tony for Best Original Score for the stage-musical adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film, which was an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, The Color Purple.

Laura Nyro
The groundbreaking songwriter, not quite as well-received as a singer, wrote late-1960s and early-1970s hits for other musicians. Among them: “And When I Die,” which she sold to Peter, Paul & Mary, who were first to record it, and was best-remembered as a late-1968 hit for Blood Sweat & Tears; “Wedding Bell Blues,” a hit for Fifth Dimension; “Stoney End,” recorded by several artists, including Nyro, was mostly remembered in 1970 by Barbra Streisand. Nyro’s albums included More Than a New Discovery (1967), Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968), New York Tendaberry (1969) and, from the late-1970s, Smile (1976). An intriguing and striking achievement was Nyro collaborating with Labelle—which were Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash—on Gonna Take a Miracle (1971), with the four performing with a sound of classic soul with the likes of “I Met Him on a Sunday,” “Jimmy Mack,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” and, of course, “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.” Laura Nyro was born October 18, 1947, in New York, New York, and died from ovarian cancer, at age 49, on April 8, 1997, in Danbury, Connecticut. (The following video is her June 17, 1967 performance, at age 19, at the Monterey Pop Festival in Monterey, California.)

Phil Ochs
It was 43 years ago that Phil Ochs (December 19, 1940–April 9, 1976), the folk singer and songwriter, died. (Source: Wikipedia — Phil Ochs.) Ochs’s “Love Me, I’m a Liberal” is a fantastic commentary on the hypocrisy of left-wingers who wear their hearts on their sleeves and give a good deal of lip service—yet, when it comes to time to stand up, not only do they refuse but they also betray their allies to their left. (The following is a video tribute to that great song which is as fresh here in 2019 as it was with its original release in 1966.)

Franklin Roosevelt
On April 12, 1945, the 32nd president of the United States Frankin Roosevelt died. (Source: Wikipedia — Franklin Roosevelt.) So, this year marks the 74th anniversary of the death of who is, arguably, the greatest president in United States history. Next year will be the 75th anniversary. Roosevelt, born January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York, won all four of his elections (1932, 1936, 1940, 1944) in landslides with electoral-vote scores north of 400. The only Democratic president, after Roosevelt, who achieved that was Lyndon Johnson with his full-term election in 1964. A revered Ken Burns documentary on The Roosevelts, which originally broadcast on PBS in 2014, is available on both Blu-ray and DVD. (The following video, from C–Span, in 2013, is of Franklin Roosevelt’s first inauguration and speech.)

Tulsi Gabbard
The U.S. Representative from Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, and a 2020 candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, Tulsi Gabbard was born April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, American Samoa. She turns 38. Given the fact that we have been following progressive politics, there is no need for me to write more, with this birthday mention, on Gabbard. It is pretty interesting timing. (Source: Wikipedia — Tulsi Gabbard.) Gabbard is a very important person in U.S. politics. As I mentioned, in a previous blog topic, only two 2020 Democratic candidates have the ability to unseat Republican incumbent U.S. president Donald Trump. One is Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. The other is Tulsi Gabbard. (The following video is her February 4, 2019 presidential candidacy speech.) So, Happy Birthday to Tulsi Gabbard!

The New Apple Card

Apple is coming out with its first credit card this summer.

It will be a MasterCard.

Apple is partnering with Goldman Sachs.

Yes, I am absorbing that.

This particular blog topic is different from most. But, it still involves politics. With the financial meltdown of 2008, there is something to this that does not sit well.

I made the switch from PC to Mac—and I mean, iMac—in 2017. (I use a desktop computer housed in a very nice hutch.) I already had the iPhone by then. I had iPod Classics in the 2000s and the first half of this decade. In fact, I bought an iPod Touch before my iPhone. I also have the tablet iPad and the streaming device Apple TV. So, obviously, I like Apple products.

Anticipating that I will be offered the new credit card, I decided to look at videos which are about the Apple Card.

Above is the video, by Apple, for the new Apple Card.

Below are two videos, not by Apple, with some thoughtful takes on the Apple Card.

Feel free to give your two-cents.

‘Michael Tracey Live | Cenk Uygur Denies Being Part Of Trump/Russia Conspiracy’

A live discussion on Sunday [March 31, 2019] was streamed on YouTube between host Jamarl Thomas and guest Michael Tracey. It lasts nearly 1 hour 15 minutes. Even though that may be too much time for some to watch, it is interesting.

This video, titled, “Why Democrats Are Blue and Republicans Are Red—and Why It’s the Opposite Everywhere Else,” was published to YouTube one year ago today, April 1, 2018. I was going to use it loosely as this blog topic until I came across the Jamarl Thomas–Michael Tracey video.

‘Status Coup’ with Kshama Sawant

Status Coup, from Jordan Chariton, is now on the Recommendations list.

There are now a listed 30 Recommendations.

I made this change over the last weekend.

It is with enthusiasm that I also post in this thread topic “Status Coup” with Kshama Sawant.

In these videos, there is coverage of Seattle, Washington council member Kshama Sawant on affordable housing, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, the destruction of capitalism, and other issues.

Beyond ‘Russiagate’

Now that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election is complete, and that the report has been submitted to U.S. attorney general William Barr, several thoughts occur to me.

This is not about the investigation itself. 

It occurs to me that, if a 2020 Donald Trump wins re-election as the 45th U.S. president, this may be key to why. A president winning a second term has mostly to do with the conditions. The economy. Employment. But, this two- to three-year pushed narrative—which, according to the book Shattered, was devised by the losing 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign—has finally turned people off. And turned people off to the Democrats.

According to Poll: Half of Americans say Trump is victim of a 'witch hunt' as trust in Mueller erodes, “A 52 percent majority say they have little or no trust in the president’s denials that his 2016 campaign colluded with Moscow in the election that put him in the Oval Office.”

The problem with this, for the Democrats, is that the electorate has a way of protecting an incumbent U.S. president. It is not in their nature to want to be against a sitting president. The last two incumbent presidents who became unseated were Jimmy Carter, in 1980, and George Bush, in 1992. What they had in common was bad economies having struck on their watch and which sunk their attempts to win a second term. The economy we have right now does not compare to 1980 and 1992. So, that is an advantage for Trump heading into 2020. But, the Democrats having pushed this Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election propaganda now makes Trump look like he was targeted; that was the victim.

When an opposition-party challenger unseats an incumbent president, part of it has to do with nominee offering a vision that is a change in direction. Ronald Reagan did that against Jimmy Carter in 1980. Bill Clinton did that against George Bush in 1992. For those who believe the Democratic nominee in 2020 will do that against Trump—Any Blue Will Not Do. 

This is why I perceive there being only two 2020 Democratic candidates who have the ability to unseat Trump: Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hawaii #02 U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Sanders, because of his progressive agenda he describes as democratic socialism (which should be sold as being a social democrat) of Medicare for All, free public college tuition, and with addressing the problems of income inequality; Gabbard, for some of those reasons but, and this is where she is better than Sanders (and all other candidates), on foreign policies and for confronting the endless wars with the powerful and overfunded Military Industrial Complex.

The problem with Trump is that, even though the economy and jobs conditions are considered positive (I am not saying they are strong), he still polls poorly. Gallup, with a report on March 14, 2019, has Trump at 39 percent. (Link: Trump Job Approval Falters After a Month of Higher Ratings.) Why? I think it has to do with the distaste many have for Trump. Say what you want about him—one thing people can agree with is that Trump is controversial. But, it is also necessary to look at more than one source. CNN reported on March 18, 2019 that Trump is doing even better. “A majority give the President positive reviews for his handling of the nation’s economy (51% approve), and his overall rating has ticked up to 42% in the new poll.” (Link: CNN Poll: 7 in 10 say economy in good shape — and Trump may reap the benefits.) 

How much of these polls do I believe?  I have to take them one at a time. And they are usually followed by figuring whether they overall jibe with reality. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind where we are at right now, with this blog topic posted on March 25, 2019, and for when elections of 2020 will arrive. What can happen, with just over 19 months until the November 3, 2020 general election, is that Trump’s job-approval percentage can increase. But, it could also end up at a level similar to now. (I have it figured Trump must reap at least 48 percent in the U.S. Popular Vote to prevent a Democratic opponent from unseating him. And, frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up winning two elections without a majority in the U.S. Popular Vote.) 

This witch hunt against Trump can re-elect Trump. The innate tendencies of an electorate protecting an incumbent U.S. president, that incumbent U.S. president having become a victim of a witch hunt, and the opposition-party trying to control not only how the party operates but exactly who is permitted to win their party’s presidential nomination—that, and with even more reasons, can add up to re-election for Trump. If the 2020 Democrats nominate yet another hollow corporatist—be it 47th U.S. vice president Joe Biden, former Texas #16 U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, or anyone else down the line who would have the blessing of the party establishment (which is, frankly, the Clintons)—that will make re-election for Trump much more within the realm of possibility than Democratic Party Loyalists will acknowledge.

I leave Progressives Chat reader with the following videos (which were published on the night of Sunday, March 24, 2019) from The Jimmy Dore Show: