Yeah, I've been critical of much of what Obama has done. Here's why-- [View all]

[Jackpine Radical]

I campaigned for, voted for, and contributed money to Obama despite the fact that he's a long way to the right of where I wish our party was. Electing him was far preferable to allowing Willard and Queen Ann to assume the throne. I think I put more money into Democratic candidates, including Obama, than I have ever done before. The Supreme Court and all that, plus contributing to an environment that permitted the election of people like Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin & Alan Grayson.

I sure as hell wasn't about to piss away whatever small difference I could make by making a Quixotic third-party gesture.

That was the first part of my civic duty as I see it.

The second part is to hold Obama's center-right feet to the fire, to make my views known, and to promulgate progressive policies. I can't very damn well do that without being critical of him. If people like me shut up, the only voices heard in Washington will be centrist sycophants and critics from the right.

I'll gladly cheerlead when he does the right things, and he has done many.

But don't expect me to nod & smile while we tighten up the Security State, give Murdoch control of the American news media, harass medical marijuana industry while letting banksters skate because they're too big to prosecute, and jail whistleblowers while pursuing the ends of Empire.


If that makes me disloyal, or something other than a Democrat, so be it.