It is certainly too early to claim that Barack Obama is going to be a centrist president like the far lefties fear. After all, he hasn't even taken office yet. But, one thing that can be said, when evaluating his pick of staffers and cabinet positions thus far, he sure ain't the candidate of "change" he claimed to be when he was a candidate. Obama has picked no one "new," no one "different," and no one "forward looking." So far, every choice he's made has either been an old Clintonite or another of those old politicos from the 90s that have been on the outside looking in since the year 2000.
The Progressive magazine, for one, is wondering just what the heck is going on?
When is Obama going to appoint someone who reflects the progressive base that brought him to the White House?
Not that I want him to do so, because I most certainly do not, but it is a good question. Was the candidate of hope-n-change just stringing the wild-eyed left along just so he could win?
The Progressive asks why Hillary Clinton is being considered for Secretary of State, as well. The question shows how far Hillary fell from the left's grace as she angled for the middle during the four years running up to the 2008 election. They really do despise her. Not even their love for Bill Clinton is holding up well, apparently.
The funniest suggestion the Progressive made was in saying that the famous UFO spotter from Ohio, Dennis Kucinich, would have made the better choice for Secretary of State. That suggestion in and of itself really proves how one just cannot take the folks at The Progressive magazine seriously.
Still, it is amusing to see Obama wholly snub the extreme left as he gears up to start his administration.
And it isn't just The Progressive magazine starting to get suspicious.
On DailyKos, the Kossacks are beginning to wonder if they've been hornswaggled? Of the latest Obama picks, a recent KosKid carped:
So that's 2 DC lifers, 1 billionaire & 1 more Clinton vet. 50% of hires are Clintonites. Lobbyists abound...What's changing?
Another good question.
A poster on the DemocraticUnderground was just as wary of Obama's choices.
Obama's cabinet is at this point filled with DLC people, very centrist, anti populist, and big business among other things. We heard "change and clean up Washington" before from the last President and we got a redux on Nixon's and Reagan's people. Now we are getting a redux of the 90's Clinton people, that doesn't spell change to me...
Even the Associated Press is starting to wonder...
President-elect Barack Obama promised the voters change but has started his Cabinet selection process by naming several Washington insiders to top posts.
The L.A. Times also chimes in with a piece headlined "Antiwar groups fear Barack Obama may create hawkish Cabinet." So, amusingly enough, the far left's eyebrows are being raised everywhere.
I won't pretend to say what Obama's picks "mean" at this point. But, for now let me revel in the fact that many on the far left are beginning to feel like they've been sold a bill of goods. That they've emptied their pocketbooks on snake oil. That they've been took!
To quote Captain Kirk: "I'm LAUGHING at the 'superior intellect.'"
