The Meaning of an Obama Administration

The election of Obama was a breakthrough for the Black upper class. It signaled the capitalist system’s need, in the wake of changing global conditions, to weaken the racial caste system that has characterized U.S. history. It signaled that U.S. capitalism had to adjust to popular opposition to that history of racial discrimination and exploitation. It also signifies a retreat from the proto-fascist (and I don’t use the term lightly) policies of the far right wing of the ruling class.
 
Despite Obama’s image of change, his election however does not signify major detours in the overall direction of the U.S. decision makers. Obama will not make many waves.
 
Yet, a more moderate ruling class will gives organizing more room to work. In this work we will have to overcome the current weaknesses of existing social movements to create real, progressive change.
 
Obama
Barack Obama has always been more a symbol than the content of change. He tapped the desire the change without having to define what it was. If one examines closely his political history, he has the background of a non-profit industry professional. Consequently, he is probably sensitive to issues of racial minorities and the poor than many past Presidents.
 
His outlook however is that of “the promise of America,” and his method is a policy of mainstream compromise. This has been evident in his efforts to reach out to Republicans such as honoring John McCain and having evangelical pastor Rick Warren give the invocation at his inaugural. Even more serious, he offered further budget cuts to business to win Republicans to his stimulus package. All in all, Barack Obama offers a moderate liberal approach to saving and preserving the corporate capitalist system of the U.S.
 
Two Big Issues
What may drive greater change are the two overwhelming issues of the present era. These issues are the economic crisis and the transition of the U.S. superpower dominated world to a multi-polar one. Obama’s role will be to try to keep the U.S. system afloat as long as possible.
 
As many economic observers have already noted, the current recession and potential depression is the worst economic crisis that the U.S. has faced for eighty years. What many have ignored is that it may be structural crisis. Radical scholars have shown that profits during the last several decades have come overwhelmingly from the financial sector i.e. a part of the economy that doesn’t produce anything and where the profits have been heavily reliant on debt.
 
A second major issue that the world’s sole superpower is now facing a multi-polar world. Europe and China are beginning to compete with the U.S. not only economically but also in determining political policy. Granted that this competition has been within a narrow framework, but it has given more alternative societies such as Venezuela, Nepal, and others the flexibility to challenge U.S. dominance.
 
How has Obama responded?
Obama is not yet President, but early indications are not particularly encouraging. Much of his new appointees are Clinton resurrected – Laurence Summer, Eric Holder, Carol Browner, not to speak of Hilary Clinton – who represented a moderate, not liberal, Democratic regime.
 
In response to the economic crisis, Obama is supporting further corporate bailouts, when hundreds of billions have been already been poured toward monopoly corporations such as AIG and Citibank, who have simply paid themselves. His stimulus package – another trillion dollars – favors expanding corporate bailouts to industrial capital, with auto companies going to head of the line. His most positive proposal has been to support public projects from states and cities.
 
Obama has determinedly backed away from recently commenting on foreign policy, claiming that we can only have one president at a time. We know that he favors increased troops in Afghanistan and a general military buildup. A positive sign is that he recognizes that the U.S. needs to respond to climate change, working with other countries, and that he may utilize scientific opinion.
 
His response to the Israeli destruction of Gaza has been dismal. In the face of the slaughter of a thousand people, many of them innocents, Obama has said nothing. He has nothing to say about destroying hospitals, schools, offices, and relief facilities. He hasn’t said it is not ok to kill women and children and innocent civilians to kill a few those terrorizing you. Change that we can believe in calls for a new humanity i.e. not a commitment to Israel, whatever they do.
 
What organizing can call for
The best thing we can now do is to push Obama from the left. We need to ramp up our ability to organize, such as the call of immigrant rights groups to march on the day after the inauguration. Millions were mobilized by Obama’s campaign for change. That energy needs to be redirected into real policy and political change.
 
Around the crisis, we should call for the trillions to bailout people not corporations. We should demand alternative policies could go to supporting basic services, housing, education, and health as a way to stimulate the economy i.e. from the bottom up. The hundreds of billions already given to the banks have done nothing.
 
We should explain to people that the roots of the economic crisis may be structural and rooted in a system of profits rather than a sustainable society. As the crisis deepens, people will look for answers, and we must work harder to give them some. We can develop self-help programs while demand resources from institutions and people centered policies.
 
In international affairs, we should demand that the U.S. become part of the international community. We should demilitarize. That in itself would help the economy. We should demand a more peaceful and just foreign policy, such condemning Israel for the slaughter of people. We should support real steps toward saving the planet.
 
As we push Obama to the left, people will see the limits and realities of U.S. domestic and foreign policies. Then we can continue the discussion of what change we believe in.