Cornel West calls out President Obama (via truthdig, transcript here):
My Dear Brother President Barack Obama,
I salute your unprecedented, historic victory. Just a year ago, we were there celebrating on the Mall. And here we are 12 months later, and I must say that, despite your brilliance, despite your charisma, I'm disappointed when it comes to the fundamental question, which is a question of priorities, a question of urgency: How deep is your love for poor and working people?
We need democratic policies, not technocratic policies. Your economic team has little or no concern about poor and working people. Job creation is an afterthought. You say the recession is over, but 10.2% of our precious citizens are still unemployed, and many of those have given up working. How deep is your love for poor and working people? Don't be seduced by the elite.
I applaud your brilliance; I applaud your charisma. You changed the image of America. But don't simply be the friendly face of the American Empire....
I believe like Martin King that democracy can be reinvigorated, can be revitalized. But it takes courage. You can't just cut deals. You have to take a stand. You have to have backbone....
Cornel West's note to Obama - January 20, 2010
The pressure is more "loving" than it is from this dude. But the message is pretty much the same: you've got an awful lot of work to do, President Obama, if you want to win back your base and fulfill anything near the promise of your presidency. And time is quickly running out.
Note:
There's actually some good advice in that rant linked above. But since it's hard to listen when someone is ranting at you, this is the essence, put into more positive terms:
*
Win. Use the political advantage you still have. 59-41 is still a huge advantage if you have the political will to use it. Don't use the loss of your supermajority as an excuse to do nothing.
*
Lead. People don't even have to agree with you as long as you take a stand and lead toward a goal, especially in a time of national crisis.
*
Care. Show that you care about the issues you're leading on. Calm rationality is good, but passion on important issues is vital to winning on them.
*
Take ownership. Enough of leaving everything to Congress to lead on. Own the issues and spend your political capital on them before it slips away.
*
Stop with the bipartisanship. You're looking for common ground with the people who are calling you a fascist and a granny murderer. It makes you look like a fool.
*
Help the people, not the elites. No more bailouts for the people who caused the problems and leaving the cupboard bare for the people who are losing their homes and their jobs.
*
Call out the bad guys. This includes the corporate vampires of the health insurance industry, the corporate pirates of Wall Street, and the professional liars and propagandists of the Republican Party who are selling out the country and the constitution.
*
Live up to your words. If you're going to talk about bending the arc of history and Martin Luther King's dream, you damn better well have some action to back up the rhetoric. People notice when you don't if you've caught their attention and raised their hopes with your words.
*
Organize. A huge army of passionate volunteers helped you win the WH - they can help you pass true health care reform, financial reform, and climate change legislation if you'll just mobilize them the way you did to get elected.
*
Set up a narrative. Set a clear vision and talk to the people about it. Think The New Deal, The Great Society, The New Frontier, etc.
*
Fight! When the opposition tries to define you as a socialist, a fascist, a foreigner, an apologizer, a taxer and spender, fight back! Smash it right back at them! Give them worse back.
*
Focus. Hammer on the important themes passionately, over and over and don't get sidetracked into wasting your bully pulpit on things that don't fire you up because they aren't important.
*
Push DEMOCRATIC policies. No one - no one at all - wants Repiggie-lite solutions for health care, financial reform, climate change, etc.
Good advice, all the way around.