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Party USA: Statements |
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Socialists Expecting Business-as-Usual from President-Elect Obama
by Stewart A. Alexander
November 18, 2008
It has been two weeks
since a majority of Americans went to the polls to cast their votes electing
Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States. However, socialists
nationwide are not joining the celebrations; socialists believe Obama’s victory is only a
win for the capitalist ruling class and a setback for working class people.
Beyond
the title wave of liberal Obama fanfare that has engulf much of the
nation,
Obama’s election only represents a changing of the guard to usher in a
new
administrator for the capitalist ruling elite. As a result of his
election Barack Obama is now
beholden to big business and the corporate contributors that paid his way to victory.
Matt
Erard, with Socialist Party USA, notes that Barack Obama’s electoral
victory
“was established with the largest intake of corporate contributions
ever received by any candidate in
world history, within the framework of a corporate two-party system established to
ensure that the only truly determinative option voters have, at best, is choosing which
functionary of the ruling class they wish to represent them.” It is important to note
that the capitalist elite invested more than $600 million toward Obama’s
victory and billions more on television, radio, and print media.
Now,
only days after the election, President-elect Obama is moving within
the old
Washington establishment to carve his pathway as president; recruiting
his team of
leaders and advisors from the Clinton and Bush administrations. His
choices are
already offering a glimpse into the future of his presidency.
Socialists,
throughout the U.S. and the world, have been strongly opposed to the occupation in Iraq
and Afghanistan; an occupation that has resulted in over 4,800 U.S. casualties and
more than 1.2 million deaths in these two war torn nations. Barack Obama has
already made clear that it is his desire to keep Robert Gates as Defense Secretary in
his administration. Obama has offered no indication that he will take any
positions to end the U.S. involvement in Iraq or Afghanistan; to the contrary, Obama has
taken the position to protect the interest of the capitalist ruling class which
will push U.S. militarism to greater limits in the Middle East and throughout
Western Europe.
Socialists
are also opposing the bailouts of big corporations that are now threatening a
national and global financial meltdown. These bailouts have been designed by the
capitalist ruling class, using public funds to protect the profits and interest of Wall
Street and the billionaires of the world. Barack Obama has supported the
bailouts of the Bush administration and has indicated that he will support another
stimulus package that is now being urged by President Bush.
In
early 2008, President Bush backed a $168 billion stimulus package that
was an
economic disaster; these public funds offered no relief to the millions
of U.S.
families that are now struggling to keep their homes, to keep food on
the table and to pay their bills.
Now the $700 billion economic bailout, that was also backed by Obama and rushed
through Congress, is already being question by many of the nation’s top economic
analyst, with serious doubts whether the funds will ease the current economic crisis.
It
is likely the Obama presidency will be a continuation of the present
Bush White
House; expanding U.S. imperialism and more repression for working
people. It is also likely that
working people will experience the greatest economic downturn this nation has
experienced within the past 100 years and the world will witness the rebirth of the Cold
War.
Barack
Obama has offered no indications that he is prepared to make any major
shifts
from the present Bush White House; Obama is only a new face for the
oppressors of the working class.
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