An opposing view to George Will's take on the New Deal:

http://mises.org/freemarket_detail.aspx?control=355

RE: "Progressive complaints about Obama's appointments - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com"

I'm so tired of hearing people put words/thoughts into the heads and on the lips of others. On what basis does Greenwald claim to know what Obama knew?

I believe Obama is a pragmatist, not driven by ideology; that seems to match his record. It's good enough for me, at least for now, to know that he has clearly and consistently stated that he wants to focus his agenda on providing an economic boost for the working class, even when that boost might mean increasing the burden on the upper income class. This objective is what makes him a "progressive".

If he has some means of getting there that does not fit within the ideological based presumptions of the arm-chair experts; then so be it.

RE: "Progressive complaints about Obama's appointments - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com"

I am much more conservative than Greenwald, and so am less disappointed--actually, re-assured--by many of Obama's cabinet picks. That said, I think his analysis is by and large on the mark.

It's impossible to quantify, but I think the vast majority of Obama supporters were perfectly clear-eyed about what he is and voted for him for the standard unremarkable reasons -- that they perceived him as better than the alternatives. But there is no question that Obama has inspired among many Democrats a type of deep and intense loyalty that is personal to Obama rather than grounded in policy issues, that many see him as much more than a politician who will make good political decisions. That gives him far more latitude to do what he wants -- far more power -- than the average politician has.

Yes, and I think most of us knew that too, that he has that effect on people. Whether one is personally swayed by it, the cold-blooded observer can easily observe that it's a good trait to have if you want to build political support for what you want to do.

Finally, I think it's important to acknowledge that Obama hasn't done anything yet. BUT - with recent discussions of health care and a 'new' new deal, it's hard for me to really see the point of saying he's not "progressive" enough. Governing means working within the system for incremental change; if he really follows through on some of his recent promises, the result should be rather bold, left-ward shift--maybe not far enough left-ward for some, since it's not Sweden socialism, but great by me.

This post, by Jane Hamshire, which Greenwald links, seems to me quite sensible. The final sentence, which I've italicized, states my own view better than I myself could:

I'm actually modestly sympathetic to his current predicament. There are an awful lot of entrenched interests who will quickly line up to sabotage Obama if they think their privilege is threatened before he's even out of the gate -- we're talking about a group of bitter Beltway denizens, after all, who hamstrung Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter for populating their administrations with "outsiders" simply for the catty, junior high hell of it.

Obama is going to have to keep these vultures somewhat quiescent if he's going to achieve any real change.

His isn't the administration I'd pick, but the proof will be in what he actually does. If for instance he sets up a panel to take on torture, opens up intelligence files and lets the public know how this horrible, malignant policy came to pass, it will go a long way towards assuring people that a choice like Brennan for CIA chief isn't just "business as usual."

Look, for people who convinced themselves that Obama was the second coming of Saul Alinsky -- wake up. He never was. He may, however, be the most progressive person we could have possibly hoped to elect as President of the United States.

Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to help keep the obstructionists off his back and push him to fulfill his campaign promises to end the war, pass health care legislation and the Employee Free Choice Act, clean up the environment, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, repair our infrastructure, create good jobs and restore the middle class.