http://thethirdestate.net/2010/01/sitting-on-the-fence/ What Is The Third Estate? Everything. What Has It Been Until Now In The Political Order? Nothing. What Does It Want To Be? Something. Tue, 22 May 2012 14:12:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 http://thethirdestate.net/2010/01/sitting-on-the-fence/comment-page-1/#comment-6867 Roland M Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:50:55 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/?p=3408#comment-6867 Great article Sal. You are right about Obama alienating his base there is certainly a lot of anger about the bailouts, continuing unemployment, Afghanistan, the empty rhetoric of change. A pretty strong anti-healthcare reform vote also featured in the race with the Republicans bombarding"Americans with false but effective talk of death panels and a government takeover of their doctors’ offices." I think that the healthcare issue shows that if Obama moves any more to the left, there is a risk that we end up with Sarah Palin winning in 2012 or someone of that ideological ilk. But I guess at the same time instead of bailing out the banks, Obama should have used the economic crisis to dramatically alter American society to help make an impact on the issues that matter. Instead as you say he bailed out the banks and then sat on the fence. Whether he would be able to move much to the left is another matter. The healthcare issue has shown how impotent and hamstrung a US President is under their political system. Sadly there is a strong risk that Obama's presidency will be remembered as one of lost opportunity, empty rhetoric and the failure to bring about any real change. Great article Sal. You are right about Obama alienating his base there is certainly a lot of anger about the bailouts, continuing unemployment, Afghanistan, the empty rhetoric of change. A pretty strong anti-healthcare reform vote also featured in the race with the Republicans bombarding”Americans with false but effective talk of death panels and a government takeover of their doctors’ offices.” I think that the healthcare issue shows that if Obama moves any more to the left, there is a risk that we end up with Sarah Palin winning in 2012 or someone of that ideological ilk. But I guess at the same time instead of bailing out the banks, Obama should have used the economic crisis to dramatically alter American society to help make an impact on the issues that matter. Instead as you say he bailed out the banks and then sat on the fence. Whether he would be able to move much to the left is another matter. The healthcare issue has shown how impotent and hamstrung a US President is under their political system. Sadly there is a strong risk that Obama’s presidency will be remembered as one of lost opportunity, empty rhetoric and the failure to bring about any real change.

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