I didn’t watch the State of the Union speech.  I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I feel really bad that I’ve gotten to the point that I’m just tired of empty rhetoric.  I think that is one of the most disappointing parts of the last year to me.  I bought into the “Obama phenomenon” hook, line, and sinker last year.  For me, it was a big step to send money to anyone.  Both because I don’t have much to send, and because I’ve been so turned off by politics since the Viet Nam war and the assasination of RFK.  Also, the advent of “progressive talk radio” had grabbed my attention and I started listening to the so-called progressive voices in the early days of Air America.  In fact, I’ve continued to listen to “progressive” radio since – sort of as an obligation.  I think it’s important to keep it going.  Recently I was saddened by the news that “Air America” radio had shut down and was liquidating.  To me, this is simply a symptom of the real problem – which is getting to the REAL SERIOUS stage.

I’ve heard commentary about both Obama’s State of the Union speech and the “obligatory” republican response, and I haven’t been surprised by either.  Well, I should rephrase that a bit.  I’ve been somewhat surprised by President Obama’s remarks in that he came out a bit more forceful – again, based only on what I’ve heard. (at some point, I’ll probably be able to bring myself to actually watch the speech)  Of course, everyone I listened to who was describing the speech said it was a “wonderful speech.”  The reality is that Obama gives “wonderful speeches.”  The problem I’m having is that it’s harder for me to watch the “follow through” of a politician that I support than one I don’t.  That is, GW Bush didn’t really surprise me.  If he surprised me at all, it was because he was actually WORSE than what I expected.  Him and Dick Cheney (and, really, the rest of the republicans) was why I was so invested in President Obama.  And, in my mind, Obama reneged on many promises – some MAJOR BLUNDERS – which is why I’m so discouraged.  (I’m not going into any of the broken promises – I have termed them “red flags” – there are over 200 posts for you to read if you’re interested in what I’m not happy about)

Well, I believe even Obama is owning up to the first year not being all that it could have been.  That’s good.  It’s refreshing to have a president who believes that it’s not beneath the dignity of a US president to admit mistakes.  I’m sure if you talked to George W Bush today, he’d still be reluctant to admit that anything he did was a mistake.  I’m positive that he’d still claim that destabilizing the middle east by invading Iraq under falst pretenses was not a mistake.  So, from that standpoint (and many others) Obama is a BREATH OF FRESH AIR.  However, as I’ve stated many times on this site, being better than Bush is not good enough for me.  When I voted for change, I actually thought there would be change.  I was ready for a president who would let the whole system be shut down to call out the republicans on their CRAP!  We still have a democratic party who cowers at the word filibuster (and they have a 58 member caucus!).  FOR GOD’S SAKE make the “you know what’s” ACTUALLY FILIBUSTER!  Bring in the cots (and bring in extra cameras with them) so that the American people can see these republicans for what they are.

For some reason Obama and the democrats don’t want to do that.  They continue to “play nice” with the republicans.  And, I can tell you, the republicans could care less about anything Obama and the democrats do (does anyone picture republicans “playing nice?”).  They will continue what they’re doing until the democrats FORCE them to change.  And, that will only happen when the Amercian people are painfully aware of what these republicans are all about.  Based on the exerpts I’ve heard of Obama’s speech, the commentary I’ve heard from TV pundits, and the hour of Randi Rhodes I heard tonight driving home from my work, I’m convinced that the president and his supporters still “don’t get it” regarding the “populist rage” they’re trying to counteract with their “new” words and proposals.  Randi Rhodes, tonight, did it again to me.  I listen to her a lot, I have a lot of respect for her, yet she continues to call the progressives “stupid” who call her show and tonight, worse than that, she was cow-towing to the “tea baggers” who were calling (claiming GW Bush was a “liberal” of all things).

And, to me, Randi has become the left wing version of the radio talk show host shill.  She can defend anything President Obama does – NO MATTER WHAT.  As Rhodes was essentially calling one of her listeners out, a listener who was a progressive, who was frustrated, and who was trying to get Randi to “tell the truth” to the “tea baggers” who call her show – Randi said something along the lines of “I want to talk TO them (“tea baggers”), not talk AT them.”  It was when she finished speaking to this caller (who, based on the conversation, I had surmised to be a very intelligent Black woman who was tired of President Obama being the brunt of racist garbage from the so-called “tea bagger” movement) that I realized Rhodes was doing to the progressives what she didn’t want to do to the “tea baggers.”  That is, she was talking AT THEM.  She referred to this woman – and in the process progressives (like me) who would agree with the woman – as STUPID.  I have heard Rhodes do this OVER AND OVER.  Presonally, I thought the woman was “right on.”  I’m, like her, tired of giving these right wing republicans and their “tea bagger” people any respect at all.  Contrary to what Rhodes said, they are racist by nature.  Yes, they’re angry about what’s going on in America, but the reason they’re so vulnerable to the scheming slugs like Dick Armey and Larry Klayman of “Freedom Watch” (don’t you just love the names these right wingers give themselves – these guys, ‘Freedom Watch,’ promote the corporatocracy that leads to fascism) is because of their racist tendencies – and, in case you’ve missed it, our President is the son of a Black person.  There’s no other rational explanation for it to me – check out the signs at their rallies – IT’S DISGUSTING – and it’s time we called it what it is!  (if they were really angry about an intrusive government, you’d think they would have been on the streets during the Bush years)

I don’t want to beat up on Obama (OK, maybe a little), but I just don’t agree with much of what he’s doing and I believe that MILLIONS of so-called progressives are right there with me.  Again, based on what I’ve heard of last nights speech, the direction President Obama is being pulled by the democratic defeat in Massachusetts and the so-called “populist rage,” is to the right.  That is what BUGS ME!  For some reason, the president (and people like Rhodes) think all the discontent out there is from the right.  Therefore, I’m seriously afraid we’re going to see MORE attempts to placate conservatives in this next year.  Someone’s forgetting:  THEY (conservatives) WERE THE ONES WHO SCREWED THINGS UP!  These conservatives just won’t go away based on the efforts of our president and his supporters like Rhodes.  I don’t know when Obama, Rhodes, and the democrats are going to figure out that we ARE AT WAR!  The republicans feel empowered because the DEMOCRATS LET THEM!  The republicans are a racist party, they believe in welfare for the rich, their leader – Rush Limbaugh – encouraged Americans NOT to help the Haitians after the devastating earthquake a couple weeks ago (democrats should be reminding voters of that EVERY DAY), the new senator from Massachusetts believes in torture (and believe me, it will be “back” if the republicans manage to get back in power – which will only happen after the democrats PROVE they can’t govern), and the more Obama moves toward them the worse it is for the rest of us.

Some of what I heard last night that bothered me:  a three year spending freeze (on non-military spending) to cut the deficit, (I hope I heard this next one wrong) opening up our coastal areas to more “offshore drilling,”  an increase in “clean coal” energy (is there such a thing?), and I forget the other one (OK, now I remember the other one – nuclear power – did I hear him right, proposing more nuclear power plants?  I hope not), but it all sounded like more placating of the right.  I can tell you one thing – IT WASN’T THE “RIGHT” WHO ELECTED THIS PRESIDENT!  Everytime he tries to reach out to these weird people who will NEVER be in his corner (it would be great if I was wrong on this one – but, I’ve become a realist in my old age) Obama loses support from the “people who got him there.”  That is where the real danger lies, in progressives just getting turned off by the whole process.  Obama, Rhodes, and everyone else who wants to see him be a two term president (that includes ME) need to understand that MUCH of his “base” are people under the age of 35.  THEY WILL STAY HOME IF THEY FEEL THEY’RE BEING IGNORED.  I think President Obama is getting BAD ADVICE from all fronts.  Why else would he still be reaching out to the very people who are “betting” everything on his defeat.  Now, Obama even has Randi Rhodes talking “nice” to these racist thugs.  Maybe someday I’ll come around and understand what they’re doing – but, it hasn’t happened yet.  I believe with all my heart that to turn things around in this nation we need President Obama (and his supporters like Randi Rhodes) to talk AT the “tea baggers” and talk TO their progressive supporters!  It is the sense of betrayal President Obama is giving his “base” that is causing the plummeting pole numbers.