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Timed for the inauguration, we look back at the first Obama term, and the prospects in the next four years. Professor David Coates of Wake Forest and author/activist Norman Solomon offer analysis.
Coates has a new book, Pursuing the Progressive Case? that is based on his blog posts since 2009. He looks at the disappointing record of Obamaco, and how the repeated efforts for bipartisanship yielded setbacks for progressives. He also notes that Obama adopted GOP framing for most issues, and keeps trying to use the Reagan legacy to woo the right. On the banking and foreclosure crises, poverty, and the protection of Social Security and Medicare, Coates is critical of Obama for failing to lead and always trying to find the mythical middle. You can get an e-book or hard copy at Amazon, and vist his website here.
At 36:18, Solomon joins us to talk about the rollback of our constitutional rights that continues under Obama. Solomon is the author of War Made Easy and ran a very compeititve priamry campaign for COngress in California last year. He criticizes Obama’s expansion of the Afghan war, the use of drone strikes and the aswsertion that the president can authorize killer drone strikes, even on Americans, without due process. And he offers an important critical analysis of the House Progressive Caucus, which takes strong positions–only to fall in line with corporate Democratic policies when the vaote is taken. And he encourages you to join Roots Action to fight for progressive policies. Visit his website here.