How the Obama Administration is Losing It's "Political Capital"

"I have political capital and I am going to use it" said George W. Bush when he won a second term of election and stayed on as president of the USA, in 2004. The world sighed once again in disbelief that this could happen. Then, he, but mostly vice-president Dick Cheney and his pals at the Oil and War Industry rammed through legislation to get what they wanted - the dismantling of legislation built over hundreds of years from our founding fathers, from checks and balances in the Congress of the United States, to the Senate and all the way up to the President so that he himself could not abuse powers presented him by "We, the people." The "Shock Doctrine" as the author Naomi Klein puts it, based on years of refinement of the Milton Friedman 'free market principles', were put into action with cunning smoothness and without moral recourse - illegal wars in foreign land based on corporate interests rather than genuine threats, the dismantling of due process for prisoners of war and the shameless shredding of the Geneva Conventions to pieces, to the corporate hijacking of government-based programs (Think FEMA for Katrina, "No Child Left Behind", etc.).

"Yes, we can....." These words are still ringing through my ears as I sat through the night to hear the new President, Barack Obama, accept the presidential seat of honor. "Change has come to America" he said. The world heaved a sigh of relief. Then followed the unbelievable luck, two years later, that both the Congress and the Senate majorities belonged to the Democrats.

Rather than use this new 'political capital' to undo the attrocities committed by Bush and his apathetic corporate friends, and more over, considering how much good this one-time chance of power could bring "change" to the jobless, the uninsured, the debt-ridden, the abused and the neglected, the Obama administration went on a binge to appease the Republicans in the USA. Yes, the same republicans who could not give a damn about the Democrats in Congress and the Senate and held closed-door sessions in Dick Cheney's office, are now being sought after to find, as the Obama administration puts it, 'a middle ground.'

Utter nonsense. But somewhere, somehow, within six months, the Obama team has lost control of both the message and the political capital that could do a world of good for generations to come just like when President Roosevelt siezed the reins from the corporations to implement the 'new deal.' And that from a team, whose campaign was completely controlled and whose messages promised an era of hope. "What would you want your children to say, when they look back at this point in time?" said Obama in his victory speech in Chicago. Forget the children. The Obama team is not even convincing those who elected them into power to implement change.

Framing was a powerful tool the Republicans used to push through government-abash legislation. You want to cut taxes for the rich? The Republicans called it "tax relief for most americans", never mind that the tax 'relief' was only for the rich. The dismantling of the Geneva Conventions was framed as 'Patriot Act.' Naturally, how can one be against tax relief and not be a patriot? And the media pushed the message for their Republican friends where there could be no more debate.

So what does the Obama administration do about health care? It loses already in the first steps, by not being faster than the Republicans on framing the issue. This team was supposed to be more intelligent and more battle ready than the Bush team and their cronies, based on experience!! Where everywhere else in the world, a public option for health care is a right, the Obama team cannot even control the basic messages for the most important issues facing the world and particularly the American population today.

The swagger the Bush administration used to dismantle decades of protections, be it workers' rights or prisioners captured in illegal wars, could be SO WELL used by President Obama to finally do a world of good. But he has failed miserably so far to control the financial bailout where former colleagues of Goldman Sachs worked in the Fed and the Treasury to give away billions if not trillions to their pals and no one can really track where the tax-payer funded bailout went, except as bonuses to the Goldman Sachs workers who all of sudden within a year, reported record profits!!! He has also failed to protect and reverse limitations on gay rights and is now backtracking on this issue based on pressure from 'liberal' groups. He has also not taken complete control of subsidies given to local governments where the results have yet to take effect.

If it weren't for the constant pressure from 'liberal groups', who in the end really want for everyone what is fair and just, this administration would cozy up with the Republicans to find unneeded 'compromise' which in the end is no new policy at all.