I scraped the following paragraph from Shepard Fairey:
Check out this critique of Obama. I agree with the writer on 90%. However, I think he fails to recognize the climate Obama must operate in. I disagree with the Afghan war escalation, but it does not surprise me. In general, the tenor of “normal” or moderate political conversation on issues has shifted so far to the right that Obama is being called a Socialist! Good ideas need to have a receptive audience to take hold and right now they don’t. Obama’s faults are in many ways reflective of a retarded audience. Maybe more people should serve in Iraq etc… to gain the writer’s perspective on war. That was not necessary for me… I’ve been a believer in the MLK approach for years. I think the realistic goal is to change the attitudes of the people, causing the leaders to fall in line. The leaders are credited too much with being the cause when they tend more to be the effect. Bush was atrocious and was still re-elected in 2004. I’m disappointed in Obama, but even more so in Americans. I’m working on a healthcare graphic right now, not waiting for Obama or congress to fix things without pressure.
-Shepard
Here’s a link to the article Shepard is referencing The Betrayal of Generation Hope.
I agree with 95% of what he says, but I really feel as though Obama has let progressives down in a major way. He threw us all under the bus in vain hopes of some kind of larger compromise that is proving elusive. Political capital isn’t lost in a huge war decision (that was just one of many last straws), political capital is lost on a day to day basis. And Obama’s boat has leaked like a sieve since day one. This statement comes from a jaded 35 year old. Can you imagine what the late-teens and early 20-somethings are feeling?
