Are We Seeing A Slow (Or Not So Slow) Erosion Of Obama’s Campaign Promises?

This week has turned out to be quite a disappointment for us Liberals…

First, Obama has stated that he will try to block the justice department from releasing the horrific detainee abuse pictures in a recent ACLU court case that the judge mandated be released by the end of the month. Second, Obama late Friday nominated a well-known corporate lawyer, Ignacia S. Moreno to the post of Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division in the Department of Justice. Moreno is currently a corporate environmental counsel for Chevron, the top environmental polluter, and has helped in obstructing the clean up of several superfund sites. (See links below for more info).

How is this the change we asked for? The erosion of his campaign promises of transparency, the contraction of executive powers, and stringent regulations regarding corporate accountability and consumer protections are still going awry. Nevertheless, I will hold off on forming any concrete conclusions here, As yet, it has only been a few months since Obama has taken office, but I have to say that I am concerned with what we have seen so far. There were very clear promises he made to the American people regarding consumer environmental protection and reversals of the bush's war on terror; I hope he will commit to making these promises a reality otherwise, he will be regarded by his loyal followers as just another politician who used rhetoric and half-truths to get elected... This is not the hope I envisioned nor the change I am still seeking...


Links
Obama Blocking Release of Detainee Photo's
Obama Naming Top Polluter Lawyer to DOJ Post

Comment sent to Obama Regarding Public vs. Corporate Lobbyists

I sent the following comment to President Obama last week after I read the following article:

Read The Article Here: Obama anti-lobbyist Policies

My Response and Comment To Obama Sent via the whitehouse website:
I am questioning the validity of not making a distinction between public lobbyists vs. corporate lobbyists and/ or special interest groups. To ban lobbyists who work in the public sector who for example help poor people get their basic needs met is counter-productive and quite frankly harmful to your presidency and to achieving your own administrations goals. Public interest lobbyists are quite different from the corporate and many special interests groups that have taken over Washington. I believe this policy needs to be updated, revised or waived to reflect this distinction.

Many of our most informed, and experienced policy people lobby with public interest groups. We need their talent, intellect and experience in your administration if you are to pull off your great and far reaching agenda. It's possible you may not even have to revise your lobbyist rules. You can add a clause in your waiver policy that creates a distinction between public and private lobbying thus allowing public sector lobbyists to work for your administration. Please read this article as it covers all the points I have made here and more regarding this issue much more eloquently...

Comments on the Justice Department's Window Dressing of the Enemy Combatant Doctrine...

UPDATE: 6:25pm:
It's been three hours since my rant below. I have since calmed down and read the Justice Departments actual memos regarding detainees and enemy combatants. The language is extremely vague and says nothing of the implications of moving the jurisdiction of holding detainees to congress. However, there is a glimmer of hope as Obama has mandated that there be a complete review of all detentions and that this will take six months to complete.

Supposedly an independent team will relate its findings back to Obama and the Justice Department. We can only hope that this memo is just a very small first step in reclaiming our civil liberties. I still have faith in Obama, but we cannot be complacent. Please let him know how you feel by sending him posts on his website demanding that he keep his promise of upholding our constitution and protecting our civil liberties.

Would love to hear from you as well...

Send your comments here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Earlier Post: 3:15pm

I just read this article on Huffingtonpost.com: Check it out

Dropping the "Enemy Combatant Language"

We cannot continue Bush's Enemy Combatant Doctrine by dressing it up with new language and having Congress in charge....this is not what we had in mind when we voted for Obama in November! I am outraged and sickened...We have got to come together and fight this....

I had this to say in the comment section of the article after I read the post....

Well, I am sickened by what I have just read....so much for doing
things differently. Same old thing just dressed up with new PC
language. We need to uphold all rights of people held in our jails,
otherwise how are we any different than our enemies. What allows us to
rise above the rest is our constitution and our moral and ethical
values. Without these we are no better than the ones who want to kill
us. Based on our constitution, We have no right to deny an individual
the right to habeas corpus that actually works; a speedy trial; be
charged in a timely manner and be allowed to address his/her accuser.

To detain an individual indefinitely in our prisons regardless of
whether they are a citizen or not or if they are held on U.S soil or
not violates our most fundamental rights. We have sunk to the level of
our enemies, as one interesting Libertarian, Jacob G. Hornberger,
commented; We have shifted from being "a Nation of Laws to a Nation of
Men"....Today is a sad day for liberty for all people of all walks of
life... The united States used to set the standard when it came to
civil liberties and the upholding of rights of all individuals....This
is an unconscionable precedent to continue to set for all people to
witness around the world. A sad, sad day indeed...

Response To Certain Liberals Losing Faith In Obama

This was my response to an email I received from a volunteer who felt Obama was selling out by moving to far into the center.
******************

Dear Brad and Others Who Feel the Same Way:

I understand your frustration with Obama not coming out as liberal as we would all like. However, please, PLEASE don't lose sight of the importance of him becoming our next president. First, even though my political leanings are extremely left, I am also a pragmatist and believe that Obama needs to appeal to the center if he is to win this election.

The extreme liberal vote will not win the whitehouse, as we can see how many votes Kucinich received. As much as I would have liked to see a Kucinich get into the whitehouse, it's not practical when we have close to 50% of the country believing in such conservative ideology as to elect the Bush brand of politics.

Don't forget that close to 50% of the voters voted for Bush in the last 2 elections. If we the democrats are to win the white house back then we are going to have to appeal to the center of the political system. That is just a fact. Obama would be a fool to do anything other then that, and it is clear he is no fool.

With that said, have you seen the San Francisco Chronicle today? He is said to have come out AGAINST the amendment bill which would ban same sex marriage in California, by amending the state constitution. Now how is THAT the center of the political system? Also, regarding what is being said about his stance on the FISA bill, I believe we need to give Obama a chance to hear his argument. Don't be so quick to judge.

I still strongly believe, he is by far the most important political candidate we have ever seen certainly in my lifetime and possibly not since Lincoln (or ever) for three main reasons:

1. He refuses to take PAC money or special interest lobbying funds.

2. He strives to have a transparent campaign and when elected, a transparent government

3. He refuses to play dirty politics: will not smear other candidates and only focus on the issues at hand..

He is changing the political system at its core foundation. This election goes way beyond talking points or political issues of the day. When Obama wins in November, he will have a set a precedent for a new way of running for office and will set the stage for creating a new political system of government far beyond anything we have ever seen in the history of this country...AND THIS, for starters is why I have more FAITH in him and his political ideas then any candidates EVER!.

He is changing the political system at its core foundation. This election goes way beyond talking points or political issues of the day. When Obama wins in November, he will have a set a precedent for a new way of running for office and will set the stage for creating a new political system of government far beyond anything we have ever seen in the history of this country...

AND THIS, for starters is why I have more FAITH in him and his political ideas then any candidates EVER!

Would love to see your comments!