What Will (and Won't) Change if a Democrat Wins in November?
One can only hope and pray that things will be different if a Democrat,
whether Obama or Clinton, wins in the general election in November. I'm
pretty sure that there are some things that will no doubt change for
the better. After all, how could things get any worse than what we have
had under Bush II?
If a Democrat wins, over the next four years we might get our Constitution back with a complete change or even repudiation of the USA Patriot Act and an end to secret, warrantless wiretapping and spying on American citizens in the name of security. I have no doubt that those ridiculous signing statements that President Bush has used to defy over 750 laws enacted since he took office will greatly diminish and the office of the President of the United States will no longer see itself as an independent branch of government not accountable to anyone but itself. President Obama or Clinton, I am sure, will open up and cooperate with Freedom of Information Act requests in ways consistent with the intent of the law rather than block access and impose more government secrecy as has been done over the last eight years. Further, a Democratic president probably will actually pay attention to the real phenomenon of global warming and pay heed to science in a way that logical and reasonable people should. Likewise, No Child Left Behind, the most ridiculous piece of education legislation to come out of any governmental body in American history, will more than likely be radically amended or entirely scrapped in favor of more useful and empirically-based reform that truly does put American children first. And I hope, no matter what Democrat wins, we will see a reversal of the massive deregulation campaign of the George W. Bush's administration in all areas, particularly concerning the environment and worker safety standards as well as the economy. We might even see a couple Supreme Court justices appointed to help move the High Court back towards the center, protecting Roe v. Wade and ensuring that the Court itself does its job at protecting the rights of all Americans.
Yes, these are the things of which I am almost certain will change at least in some part as a result of a Democratic victory in November.
Unfortunately, there are too many things that will simply not change due to historical forces, a lack of courage, corporate power, and the narrowness of what falls under the auspices of acceptable public discussion. Because of the history of the two political parties as well as the nation itself, I can say with near (and possibly cynical) certainty that more things will remain the same than will change, much to the peril of the world in which we live.
Under an Obama or Clinton administration, the United States will still lead the world in the incarceration of its own citizens. Today the United States has five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the world's prison population. We will continue to execute innocent people in the name of justice and will sit with China and Iran as the top three murderers of its prisoners. The so-called War on Drugs will continue to be a failure due to the same short-sightedness that has filled our prisons. Millions of Americans will continue to live either below the (insanely low and outdated) poverty rate as set by the government or on the brink of falling below it. Millions more will continue to be classified as the working poor, not qualifying for public assistance and being forced to work two or even three $7/hour jobs. The gap between rich and poor will continue to increase as CEOs and high level corporate personnel refuse to pay their workers living wages while they themselves get million dollar bonuses. And our schools will continue to be at the highest level of segregation since 1968.
With an Obama or Clinton Adminstration, the world will still live in significant danger of a nuclear attack, most likely accidental. The United States will still be the world's leading trader of arms, as it has been for so many decades. We will still fight the so-called "War on Terror" primarily through the military, with an ever-constant willingness - sad as it might be - to impose our own terror on civilian populations in the name of fighting terror worldwide. Our support for Israel will be unwavering, no matter what they do, no matter what crimes they commit in the name of their rightful existence. (This does not excuse Palestinian crimes but rather holds Israel to the same principle we uphold for our enemies much more than we do for our friends.) We will still continue to outsource our interrogation to countries that torture, as this has been done by the CIA since its inception after World War II. And our world trade policies, the so-called free trade, will continue to dominate the IMF, World Bank, and WTO, causing millions upon millions of people throughout the world to live in abject poverty in favor of American corporations. Profit will still be the guiding force behind American intervention in the world.
So while I am quite hopeful that President Obama or Clinton will bring about some necessary changes in this country's policies, I have no reason to believe that the most necessary changes that affect the world the most, save climate change, will be implemented. Neither party has had the courage to do these things in the past. There is nothing that indicates anything different. I hope for all our sake that I am wrong.
If a Democrat wins, over the next four years we might get our Constitution back with a complete change or even repudiation of the USA Patriot Act and an end to secret, warrantless wiretapping and spying on American citizens in the name of security. I have no doubt that those ridiculous signing statements that President Bush has used to defy over 750 laws enacted since he took office will greatly diminish and the office of the President of the United States will no longer see itself as an independent branch of government not accountable to anyone but itself. President Obama or Clinton, I am sure, will open up and cooperate with Freedom of Information Act requests in ways consistent with the intent of the law rather than block access and impose more government secrecy as has been done over the last eight years. Further, a Democratic president probably will actually pay attention to the real phenomenon of global warming and pay heed to science in a way that logical and reasonable people should. Likewise, No Child Left Behind, the most ridiculous piece of education legislation to come out of any governmental body in American history, will more than likely be radically amended or entirely scrapped in favor of more useful and empirically-based reform that truly does put American children first. And I hope, no matter what Democrat wins, we will see a reversal of the massive deregulation campaign of the George W. Bush's administration in all areas, particularly concerning the environment and worker safety standards as well as the economy. We might even see a couple Supreme Court justices appointed to help move the High Court back towards the center, protecting Roe v. Wade and ensuring that the Court itself does its job at protecting the rights of all Americans.
Yes, these are the things of which I am almost certain will change at least in some part as a result of a Democratic victory in November.
Unfortunately, there are too many things that will simply not change due to historical forces, a lack of courage, corporate power, and the narrowness of what falls under the auspices of acceptable public discussion. Because of the history of the two political parties as well as the nation itself, I can say with near (and possibly cynical) certainty that more things will remain the same than will change, much to the peril of the world in which we live.
Under an Obama or Clinton administration, the United States will still lead the world in the incarceration of its own citizens. Today the United States has five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the world's prison population. We will continue to execute innocent people in the name of justice and will sit with China and Iran as the top three murderers of its prisoners. The so-called War on Drugs will continue to be a failure due to the same short-sightedness that has filled our prisons. Millions of Americans will continue to live either below the (insanely low and outdated) poverty rate as set by the government or on the brink of falling below it. Millions more will continue to be classified as the working poor, not qualifying for public assistance and being forced to work two or even three $7/hour jobs. The gap between rich and poor will continue to increase as CEOs and high level corporate personnel refuse to pay their workers living wages while they themselves get million dollar bonuses. And our schools will continue to be at the highest level of segregation since 1968.
With an Obama or Clinton Adminstration, the world will still live in significant danger of a nuclear attack, most likely accidental. The United States will still be the world's leading trader of arms, as it has been for so many decades. We will still fight the so-called "War on Terror" primarily through the military, with an ever-constant willingness - sad as it might be - to impose our own terror on civilian populations in the name of fighting terror worldwide. Our support for Israel will be unwavering, no matter what they do, no matter what crimes they commit in the name of their rightful existence. (This does not excuse Palestinian crimes but rather holds Israel to the same principle we uphold for our enemies much more than we do for our friends.) We will still continue to outsource our interrogation to countries that torture, as this has been done by the CIA since its inception after World War II. And our world trade policies, the so-called free trade, will continue to dominate the IMF, World Bank, and WTO, causing millions upon millions of people throughout the world to live in abject poverty in favor of American corporations. Profit will still be the guiding force behind American intervention in the world.
So while I am quite hopeful that President Obama or Clinton will bring about some necessary changes in this country's policies, I have no reason to believe that the most necessary changes that affect the world the most, save climate change, will be implemented. Neither party has had the courage to do these things in the past. There is nothing that indicates anything different. I hope for all our sake that I am wrong.
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And remember that most of the democrats in congress also voted for the Patriot act and both war actions.
Also remember that every campaign promises to "change the way things are done in Washington," but it doesn't really mean much.
June 2, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you for reminding us of some of the important problems that get pushed aside in this race for "change." This may be a dumb question, but do signing statements die when a Pres leaves office? If a law is signed with "reservations," do the reservations stand or only apply to the signer? I'm not so sure the Patriot Act would be rolled back though perhaps the more blatantly unconstitutional laws like the MCA will. I doubt that SCOTUS will change its RW activist leanings even with a new appointment. A return to balance in government and reform of agencies and regulatory bodies is important, too. Maybe stopping the bleeding is the best to hope for at this point.
June 2, 2008 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the signing statements only apply to the president who signed them, but I could be mistaken. Though their purpose doesn't make much sense if they can be applied to successive presidents.
I agree there are some aspects of the Patriot Act that will stay, a lot of them actually. It's the most egregious portions that I hope will go, like the sneak and peek searches and the suspension of habeas corpus for American citizens suspected of terrorism.
June 2, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that an Obama administration would most likely divert the focus of the "War on Terror" from Hard Power to Soft Power. Joseph Nye might get a job in the Administration, and he'd certainly push for a diplomatic soft-power approach to tackling extremism. After all, he's acknowledged that the election of Obama as president would in itself be the single greatest event to increase American soft-power around the world, particularly after 8 years of W.
Other than that, I largely agree with what you write.
June 2, 2008 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree, though what you call "soft power" is still a reflection of American hegemony that much of the world finds atrocious and power we, frankly, really don't have the right to impose but do so in the name of global security (read: dominion).
June 2, 2008 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink