tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6753820.post5548678522175480029..comments2023-10-30T04:16:25.917-04:00Comments on Sentient Developments: Obama's tepid progressivismGeorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13003484633933455827noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6753820.post-44449500726302051522008-11-11T16:28:00.000-05:002008-11-11T16:28:00.000-05:00The United States is not nearly as progressive as ...<I>The United States is not nearly as progressive as it thinks it is</I><BR/><BR/>I didn't know any Americans think we are that progressive. <BR/><BR/>Whether we like or dislike progressive policies, we all (AFAIK) acknowledge America isn't progressive.<BR/><BR/><I>For example, Obama is opposed to same-sex marriages.</I><BR/><BR/>Glenn Greenwald discusses this. Obama wants to revise the Defense Of Marriage Act to give same-sex couples the same advantage as heterosexual couples:<BR/>http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/11/08/various_matters/index.html<BR/><BR/><I>And for those progressives who live in the United States, now is not the time to sit back.</I><BR/><BR/>Absolutely. The kleptocrats haven't been repudiated thoroughly enough yet, and anyone who thinks differently will be unpleasantly suprised.Cliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04198405937534052637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6753820.post-27697646355830012952008-11-10T13:43:00.000-05:002008-11-10T13:43:00.000-05:00You're right, the United States doesn't really hav...You're right, the United States doesn't really have a substantial left-wing faction. Instead, we have a centrist party (Democrats) and a far right-wing party (Republicans). This makes the portrayal of any sort of "left-right" spectrum in American politics pretty lopsided.<BR/><BR/>RE: socialism, the Democrats are centrist pragmatists. They're not going to be as bold as many of us would probably like. Considering the poles are far-left (socialism; complete collective ownership) and far-right (capitalism; complete unfettered private ownership), the Democrats advocate a hybrid system that uses free markets as the main economic engine, while implementing a progressive taxation system and social policies that help level the playing field. Hardly far-left socialism, it's a recognition that free markets and government each have a role to play, much as they do in European or Canadian social-democracies (and none of these states are truly socialist either).<BR/><BR/>So yes, political labels used in many places in the industrialized world don't exactly translate well to American politics.David Golightlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826032679447528405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6753820.post-51532984458849702472008-11-09T13:46:00.000-05:002008-11-09T13:46:00.000-05:00Dustin, I think you missed my point (or I didn't m...Dustin, I think you missed my point (or I didn't make my point clear enough). I'm not trying to debate the merits of socialism at this time, I'm merely suggesting that the term was bandied about during the election as a pejorative label, as a form of name calling. <BR/><BR/>This to me was ridiculous considering that in virtually all other parts of the world the term is used as a matter of course and in polite conversation.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003484633933455827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6753820.post-11935915379043192142008-11-09T13:36:00.000-05:002008-11-09T13:36:00.000-05:00You seem to be just brushing aside the fact that p...You seem to be just brushing aside the fact that people do have valid reasons for not liking policies sourced from the socialism school of thought.<BR/><BR/>I mean, if the consensus among economists/political scientists was that "socialism" was the best course of action, then maybe a "so what?" comment is justified, but the merits of those sort of policies are honestly debatable and hotly contested.<BR/><BR/>You can't claim the right side in an argument by just dismissing valid criticism out-of-hand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6753820.post-86031180411827169632008-11-09T02:43:00.000-05:002008-11-09T02:43:00.000-05:00I too am glad that the Bush/Chaney Gang is on the ...I too am glad that the Bush/Chaney Gang is on the way out; that America is largely conservative is a fact of life that the rest of have to live with, one way or the other; as Americans, we should be thinking about why this gang of thugs ever got into office, and what our responsibility is for letting this happen; I am all for pushing the envelope !<BR/>thanks for your words of clarity and encouragementdharmicmelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09346994589951277673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6753820.post-80408251997811437782008-11-09T01:03:00.000-05:002008-11-09T01:03:00.000-05:00Your point is well taken, and I don't disagree. Bu...Your point is well taken, and I don't disagree. But I chose to use terminology that's a bit more neutral.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003484633933455827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6753820.post-49548717819107907022008-11-09T00:56:00.000-05:002008-11-09T00:56:00.000-05:00It's not unreasonable to think that many of his po...<I>It's not unreasonable to think that many of his political stances are influenced by his metaphysical views.</I><BR/><BR/>"Metaphysical views"? Come on, out with it: "superstitions."Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11074004681516756703noreply@blogger.com