Liberals in denial

Sam Smith – The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote a column in the Washington Post that would have made her a prime candidate for psychotherapy had she been talking about alcohol or sexual problems. Fortunately, she was just writing about Obama and how “progressives” were not really opposed to him: “What’s happening on the left isn’t the equivalent of the anti-incumbent anger on the right. Most progressives support Obama and want his agenda to succeed.”

Leaving aside the distortion of the term progressives – properly applied to those tired of liberals in denial – the claim raises some precise questions that vanden Heuvel never addressed. For example, do her “progressives” support:

– The war in Afghanistan?

– The continued use of Gitmo and similar facilities?

– The continuation of unconstitutional practices in wiretapping?

– The harassment of government whistleblowers?

– The corporate-driven war against public education?

– The bailout of huge banks while foreclosure-threatened homeowners are left to fester?

– Increased funding for war on drugs?

– Obama’s plans offshore drilling?

– His handling of BP crisis?

– The support Israeli apartheid and occupation of Palestine?

– Obama’s plans to undermine the Miranda ruling?

– The extension of the Patriot Act?

– Obama’s attempt to wrest more budgetary control from Congress?

– A commission designed to cut Social Security and Medicare?

– Plans to turn public housing over to corporate slumlords?

In fact, true progressives oppose all the above and as a result do not want Obama’s agenda on these points to succeed. Vanden Heuvel best go back to calling herself a liberal, because for them, it’s an agenda, sadly, they can live with.