[lbo-talk] Uncritical Exuberance?

[Chris Doss]

I think some people (not Butler specifically) are mad because a black guy won. Now they can't say "a black man will never be elected president, look how evil the US is" AND they want to poo-poo the accomplishment, "so OK maybe a black guy was elected president, but so what, it means nothing! We're still evil!"

Really, you can't really blame Obama for operating when the US political establishment. This is called the "reality principle." He is president of the US and has to function in its political/societal/cultural milieu. Duh. I mean, it is politically impossible for a US president to advocate some of the policies people think Obama should be advocating (like on Israel). Probably some people put unrealistic hopes in the guy, but that's their problem, not his. Sure he probably catered to it, but that's what politicians have to do.

I'm not a huge Obama fan, but some of this stuff is silly, as if when you became US president you suddenly obtained magic powers to do anything you wanted.