• I am a homo. That is a good thing. I am a liberal. That is a good thing.
    Everyone is godless. I belong to the minority that has figured this out.

Partial Listing of Bush Regime Policies Obama Has Continued Or Expanded

Get the Facts on Obama's Wealthcare Plan for the HMOs and Health Insurers

About Me, Me, Me!

I am the epitome of evil to the Religious Right....OK, so is at least 60% of the U.S. population.

Followers!

"Google Bombs"

Blog Archive!

Labels!

On President Obama's First Major Break with Bush Regime Policy

Posted by libhom Saturday, February 06, 2010

During the first year of his administration, Barack Obama followed Bush regime policies in most major areas, while making a number of small concessions to try to mollify Democratic voters. Here are some examples of major policy continuity:

1) Increasing total occupying forces in Iraq (troops plus mercenaries)

2) Continuing the policy of kidnapping people and sending them to other countries to be tortured ("extraordinary rendition")

3) Keeping the torture center in Guantanamo open

4) Expanding the Bush regime's hate based initiatives to take federal grant money from inclusive nonprofits and give it to nonprofits that discriminate on the basis of religion.

5) Continuing the policy of creating AFRICOM.

6) Refusing to withdraw from the World Trade Organization

7) Refusing to negotiate the end of corporate controlled trade agreements such as NAFTA

8) Attending "National Prayer Breakfasts"

9) Expaning the wars in Pakistan and Afghanistan

10) Supporting a huge corporate giveaway in the name of "healthcare reform" (remember the Bush regime's Medicare changes?)

11) Refusing to support legislation cracking down on bankster and brokester bonuses.

12) Continuing illegal spying on Americans without warrants.

I could go on, and on, and on, but you get the point. This year's administration budget proposal includes some important continuity with the Bush regime. Obama wants domestic spending (including veterans benefits) frozen while continuing enormous increases of military spending. The proposal does nothing to cut off funding for the illegal war on Iraq that goes against American values.

Yet, there is an aspect of the budget that actually does represent a major break with the policies of the Bush regime. President Obama is calling for Bush's tax cuts for the rich to expire. Even when the tax breaks expire, the parasitical rich in this country won't be paying anywhere near their fair share in taxes. But, any progress in this area is critically important. It represents a break with 30 years of corrupt policies that have robbed the poor and middle class to benefit wealthy campaign donors.

We need to pressure President Obama to break with more Bush regime policies. This is a good start, but Obama has a long way to go before he can call himself a Real Democrat.

 

3 comments

  1. puddy Says:
  2. i'm not so sure that this isn't what a "real democrat" is these days.

     
  3. Lew Scannon Says:
  4. This is good, not just because it'll ruffle the feathers of some chickenhawks who think we should invade every Islamic country but want someone else to pay for it.

     
  5. GDAEman Says:
  6. Guess I'm not the only one keeping a list. Here's my rough tally:

    + Things that Obama hasn't changed:
    1) Extraordinary Rendition is now just regular rendition
    2) States Secret legal argument
    3) Drone attacks inside Pakistan. Does he have Pakistani authorization? (probably, but he still has a stated policy of violating sovereign boarders, which is an illegal act of war)
    4) Obama Backs Bush Policy on Bagram Detainees DN! 2/23 Headlines,
    http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/23/headlines
    5) White House E-Mails
    http://leftwingnutjob.blogspot.com/2009/02/tonght-big-o-speaketh.html
    6) DN! 2/2409 Headlines
    9) Flashpoints 6/16/09 Electronic Frontier Foundation
    10) 6/15/09 Rachel Maddow: Cuban 5
    11) 6/16/09 Rachel Maddow: Dedacted torture memos

    I said it was rough ;-)

     

Search!



Facebook Fan Box!


More Links!





blogarama - the blog directory