Wait and See
I've no doubt that a vote for Obama in November (or anyone not a republican) is totally and without question appropriate.
I will remain a skeptic though until such time as a new administration actually figures out how to tackle the thorny issues confronting us and provides results that confirm it.
Mostly though I will base my assessment on the ability of both the WH and Congress to put a stop to the one sided agenda that pits the vast majority of Americans against corporate interests with the result being an unqualified screwing of no less than 90 % of citizens. Our government has to chnage in a serious way and unless that actually happens I will be no less happy with what a democratic administration brings than with what Bush has given us.
In particular I want to see campaign finace reform that is completely funded by the government and I also want any broadcast or cable provider to have their license jerked where it can be demonstrated they have aired false or clearly misleading information. The degree to which the public is routinely lied to is way over the top and if we are to have any hope of our system surviving it has to start with isolating the media from the corporate interests that inappropriately skew the message to serve their own purposes.
Political commentary is one thing but to have control of the media in the hands of corporate America and thus have the message reflect such a thoroughly distorted view as has evolved, is a contrived idea of free speech that is anything but.
It is time to break up the media cartels that control what we hear and see. The power to influence the public has been abused beyond measure. False advertising is prohibited and that prohibition has to be extended to include false or misleading political advertising. Allowing it is at least, if not more harmful to the nation than false advertising of products. The conflict with this is unmistakable.
I will remain a skeptic though until such time as a new administration actually figures out how to tackle the thorny issues confronting us and provides results that confirm it.
Mostly though I will base my assessment on the ability of both the WH and Congress to put a stop to the one sided agenda that pits the vast majority of Americans against corporate interests with the result being an unqualified screwing of no less than 90 % of citizens. Our government has to chnage in a serious way and unless that actually happens I will be no less happy with what a democratic administration brings than with what Bush has given us.
In particular I want to see campaign finace reform that is completely funded by the government and I also want any broadcast or cable provider to have their license jerked where it can be demonstrated they have aired false or clearly misleading information. The degree to which the public is routinely lied to is way over the top and if we are to have any hope of our system surviving it has to start with isolating the media from the corporate interests that inappropriately skew the message to serve their own purposes.
Political commentary is one thing but to have control of the media in the hands of corporate America and thus have the message reflect such a thoroughly distorted view as has evolved, is a contrived idea of free speech that is anything but.
It is time to break up the media cartels that control what we hear and see. The power to influence the public has been abused beyond measure. False advertising is prohibited and that prohibition has to be extended to include false or misleading political advertising. Allowing it is at least, if not more harmful to the nation than false advertising of products. The conflict with this is unmistakable.
