The Definition of Insanity
Eight years ago, liberals cheered as the Obama administration deposed an autocrat in Libya. The result was mayhem and chaos — and now they want to do the same in Venezuela.
Search Result(s) for: “Obama”
Kamala Harris’s Student Loan Forgiveness Flop
Kamala Harris’s student debt forgiveness plan is a joke. But it won’t be the last time she puts out policy proposals that masquerade as social justice initiatives but accomplish little. It’s what Obama and many Democrats before him did — only now, millions of people aren’t buying it.
Corbyn. Is. Dumbledore.
J.K. Rowling, Barack Obama, the list goes on. Prominent liberals all opposed Jeremy Corbyn — and it didn’t matter.
The Bipartisan Origins of the New Cold War
At the start of the century, there was a consensus that the US should cooperate, rather than compete, with China. But starting with Obama, American presidents embraced the idea of arresting China’s rise, opening the door to Trump’s trade wars and hawkishness.
The 2024 DNC: All Vibes, Little Substance
The DNC revealed a Democratic Party still in love with the Obamas. The fantasy is that Kamala Harris will be a reboot. Brat summer is cooling — are you ready for an Obama autumn, heavy on feeling good and light on political substance?
Mi Casa Es Su Casa
Obama to heckler: White House, Palace of Versailles — same difference.
The Backroom Deal That Could’ve Given Us Single-Payer
It’s not so much that Obama “sold us out” to a powerful constituency as that he picked the wrong powerful constituency. A quick look at the financial details reveals that health insurance nationalization was always the real “path of least resistance.”
The US Immigration System Is an Exercise in Mass Cruelty
A new Netflix series puts the evils of Donald Trump’s ICE on full display. The solution to such blatant cruelty isn’t to return to Barack Obama’s deportation-happy approach, but to finally construct a humane immigration system that isn’t tied to the carceral state.
Will Democrats Try Cutting Social Security and Medicare After a Disastrous Midterms?
If Democrats lose the midterm elections, as it seems like they might, there’s a very good chance they’ll follow up by trying to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits. It’s the same thing Barack Obama did twelve years ago.
Joe Biden Is Not Ready to Confront Corporate America
Joe Biden will likely govern to the left of Barack Obama. But his willingness to spend has everything to do with capital’s relaxation of deficit worries — and where capital says “no,” no one should expect Biden to say “yes.”
Aiding and Abetting Apartheid
Obama's new military aid pledge to Israel will help further the country's crimes.
Excluded and Exploited
US immigration policy fuels economic exploitation and racial segregation. Obama’s executive order does little to change that.
Breaking Promises
Obama’s “Promise Zones” anti-poverty program is a Trojan horse for deregulation.
The Sunset of Neoliberalism
To anyone who lived through the Clinton years — or merely remembers the Obama era — the discrediting of neoliberal ideas that were once sacrosanct among Democrats is nothing short of astonishing.
America’s Railroad to Nowhere
We know the US rail network is no match for trains in France or Japan. But Barack Obama’s plan for high-speed rail couldn’t even match that of Morocco or Uzbekistan.
Donald Trump’s Executive Orders Are Covering Both His Left and Right Flanks
Trump's recent flurry of executive orders on “anarchist jurisdictions” and diversity training have him moving hard to the right to shore up his base — but, perhaps more worryingly, moving further left to keep Americans from losing their homes during a crisis than Obama did.
Centrists Aren’t Political Realists. Leftists Are.
Barack Obama’s call for Democrats to stay grounded in “reality” has it backward — it’s centrist liberals who are living in a fantasy world.
Joe Biden Should Take a Hard Look at What Obama Did in 2009 — And Do Exactly the Opposite
The incoming Biden administration risks repeating the catastrophic policy failures of the past decade. Deficit cutting won’t help ordinary Americans struggling amid the crisis — but direct relief and increased federal spending will.
The War on Terror Enabled Donald Trump’s Authoritarianism
Preemptive war without congressional approval and unchecked executive power were normalized during the “war on terror.” Trump is following the path set by Bush and Obama but pushing it to dangerous extremes, writes CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou.
Vinson Cunningham’s Great Expectations Retells the Obama Era
Vinson Cunningham’s debut novel, Great Expectations, follows a staffer working for a magnetic young black senator making a bid for the US presidency. It’s a book about the emptiness of political symbols and the comforts and dangers of blind faith.