[Marxism] "going through the experience" of Obama disillusionment, Louis Proyect, Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:45:39 -0500 (EST)

[Anthony Boynton]

Re: [Marxism] "going through the experience" of Obama disillusionment, Louis
Proyect, Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:45:39 -0500 (EST)



Personally I think Obama and his Clinton retreads are going to do a lot of
unpredictable things. Not because they want to, expect to, plan to, but
because they are faced with an economic tidal wave. They are probably going
to take doing a lot of "FDR" like things, and a lot of un-FDR like things.



Some things are already becoming obvious. They are going to launch a public
works program – a la FDR –



They are going to run the printing presses as their answer to deflation.



They are almost certainly going to initiate some kind of
rescue/restructuring of the automobile industry which is very likely going
to look like one or more mixed public/private corporations.



And if they do something like that in auto, where will they stop? What will
they do with the airlines?



And then what about all that equity the government is already accumulating
in the banks? What if the banking and financial sectors can not be
stabilized with Bail-Out I, Bail-Out 2, and Bail-Out 3.



They are probably going to try to paint everything they do green.



They are considering a major reorganization of the working class a la Andy
Stern (neo-company unionism), also like FDR.



And, although they do not have a really big war to get into, like FDR did,
they might not mind one if it came there way.



I think the FDR comparison, updated, is a pretty good one. Not because of
FDR's plans when he ran, nor because of Obama's plans even now, just because
FDR took office as the United States was drowning in shit, and Obama looks
like he is about to do the same.



Anthony