News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. July 1, 2016: All these poignant moments ….
President Obama’s last this and last that as President of the United States. Coming up next – the Obama’s last July 4th in The White House.
But for me INDEPENDENCE Day will be January 20, 2017, when it is good BYE Barack as he leaves office to collect the Big Bucks as X-President.
Back to this Independence Day, July 4th! What we see – what I certainly see – is the fruits of 240 years of American independence much, much better than any other current alternative but paradoxically not at all what it should be.
And here I go again – 8 years of Barack Obama did nothing of any significance to improve the situation. In fact, too bad President Obama is not subject to the question: are you better off now than you were 8 years ago?
Am I crazy? Eight years ago when we had the sub-prime major financial crisis – of course “we” are far better. Who are the “we” who are far better off? I can think of one group – the very RICH who are even better off than 8 years ago. President Obama bailed them out with trillions of government dollars to protect virtually all of them from any consequences, and then by keeping interest rates so very low these last 8 years their wealth has soared.
FLASH … and absolutely NO one went to jail except Bernie Madoff! Are normal Americans’ better off than 8 years ago? President Obama did not bail out the middle class or poor from the results of the sub-prime meltdown. There are lower paying jobs than 8 years ago which offers little solace.
The far, far wider point beyond the sub-prime rip-off is the much larger issue of are you better off than 8 years ago; which means are you financially and socially in better shape and does the future look bright?
The answer is NO and why? Obama’s America is about his FAILURES. The rich in America are richer and more prosperous than they have ever been and their future is looking even better for them to get richer still and buy ever bigger homes and more luxurious private jets, etc. etc…more of everything.
While at the same time over 90% of Americans have no reason to believe the future will be even better for them. NEWS FLASH – it won’t be because the relentless march into the future reveals absolutely nothing that will change that gives most Americans reason to be optimistic except if you define optimism as surviving reasonably well while feeling insecure watching the Elite live the very, very good life while you don’t.
Which brings me to where I want to be in Obama’s America for July 4th … rhapsodizing about the meaning of July 4, 1776 and the reality of 2016!
Just the same as asking are you better off now than 8 years ago, is are we better off as America and Americans than 240 years ago? Superficially the answer is an easy YES but that is not the useful question here.
The REAL question is that looking back 240 years – is the PROMISE of American INDEPENDENCE 240 years later being realized for most Americans as that first step in 1776 should have led today?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! There was true optimism back in July 1776 that throwing the British out would open a new world of potential for all.
Yes there were skeptics, most famously Thomas Paine. But still …
While the Founding Fathers were not projecting 240 years ahead in terms of the reality of their world – they were visionaries. They were not Aliens from another Universe who could see 240 years into the future and they were not out of their time. And most of them, with the exception of Alexander Hamilton, came from prosperous well bred American families.
They were the elite of American society in 1776 but they were also RADICALS who envisioned and established a new nation far different than any other. They did not embrace revolution as some cynical strategy to make them personally wealthier and more powerful. They risked their wealth and power and lives for a better society for all except Slaves.
Based on that motivation, I am confident in saying that if the were alive in 2016 with contemporary values – not as time travelers from 1776 – they would be very disappointed to learn that power and wealth in America is today as concentrated as in 1776. By the way they would not at all be shocked that Slavery had ended long ago.
… only if it had not ended.
Their intent, and especially Hamilton’s, was not to eliminate wealth and power and the incentive to personal success but rather that over time it would both would be far more evenly distributed because that was necessary for the kind of country they envisioned would EVOLVE over time.
If these Founding Fathers were here today and after being informed about the concentration of wealth and power in America today, and the amount of poverty and homelessness, and that the vast majority of Americans will not be better off tomorrow than they are today …
they would be SHOCKED about America 240 years later. As all of us should be because the PROMISE of America is no longer its future.
That was the defining theme of the American experience and the essential facts that equality and fairness were key to that Promise. So that no matter how imperfect America was any time during these last 240 years there would always be a consensus shared by most Americans about the better future.
NO more and no one should find my interpretation of American history as SHOCKING it is certainly not original with me nor anything anyone else should not see as well as I do especially my readers.
Which brings me back to Barack Obama his Presidency and his FAILURE…
He will put out a statement and in his weekly radio message put out his standard gibberish about how great America is on July 4th 2016 even if we need to try a little better and harder still all is good in Obama’s America.
NONSENSE … good very good for the Obamas’ indeed but not the rest of us.
And ironies of ironies – NOT for most African Americans most of all!
The fact that Obama’s ratings are fairly high means nothing except to no surprise he is very good at selling himself or he would not be President.
So what is the Obama Presidency?
It is a very typical Democratic Party Presidency. His message of CHANGE in 2008 and especially coming from an AFRICAN American was a fabulous strategy to con us in to thinking Obama would be DIFFERENT.
Has he been the face of Evil as the Wacky Right Wing portray him? Of course not! That is not his FAILURE. All that hatred has done is provide him cover among normal Americans and even far more has African Americans fiercely “defending” one of their own from the Bigots.
Barack Obama ‘s FAILURE is that he is so, so typical as a President with the same mega PR apparatus that spins him as special as it does all Presidents.
Has he done some good things? Sure, how could he not, but has he fundamentally changed anything? NO! Has he altered the march of the rich and powerful getting even richer and more powerful at the expense of everyone else?
NO NOT AT ALL. Barack Obama is the President of the Status Quo …
Just as Hillary Clinton will be just like Obama with White Skin.
So that is the story of this July 4th in America – the Status Quo reigns in America just as it did before July 4, 1776 under King George, III.
We once again live in pre-revolutionary America the 2016 version. Happy July 4th President Obama enjoy all the power and wealth. That most Americans do not and never will. It will be even worse in 2026 for …
America’s very BIG 250th anniversary BASH when Obama is long gone.
