Obama: Paroles, paroles?

[ionelv]

I'll first state that Obama is by far the better of the two candidates and I think that he'll win by a considerable margin. I mean, it should be a no-brainer to choose between a maverick "Country First" Vietnan-vet POW W-ass-kissing son-of-an-admiral career politician and a smooth-talking "Change We Can Believe in" up-by-his-own-bootstraps lawyer from Springfied, Illinois faithful Christian egghead ivy-league professor, right?

That being said, I'm afraid Obama promises more than he can deliver. Here is my quick take on his stance on the economy, healthcare and defense:

• On the economy, his platform indirectly states that free trade is the shizzle (about the same as the other guy's position). Well, Obama at least admits that there are some small problems with NAFTA:
  

  Obama believes that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. Obama will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.
  

  
  I wonder how he'll fix that? Maybe by starting a work-abroad program with the motto South of the Border Maquilas: Where the Party Is So Phat, You Won't Wanna Come Back.
  

  
  He will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world. [...] Obama will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.
  

  
  And pigs will fly, China will stop human rights abuses and we'll all sing Kumbaya. On usury:
  

  
  Cap Outlandish Interest Rates on Payday Loans and Improve Disclosure: Obama supports extending a 36 percent interest cap to all Americans.
  

  
  A little usury is not gonna hurt anybody, is it? And, besides, the loan sharks will dissapear 'cause:
  

  
  Obama will encourage banks, credit unions and Community Development Financial Institutions to provide affordable short-term and small-dollar loans and to drive unscrupulous lenders out of business.
  

  
  Just look at this record:
  

  
  Obama called attention to predatory lending issues. [...] he also was credited with lobbying the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices.
  

  
  
  
• On healthcare, here is Obama's position versus the other guy's. Obama will basically expand the plan available to members of Congress to the rest of the equal but less equal than Congressmen... Well, something similar anyway, maybe, we'll see... The other guy will give you tax credits for health insurance, and make your insurance portable.
  
  
• On defense, Obama advocates spending more, "increase the size of the Army by 65,000 soldiers and the Marines by 27,000 troops", and "will provide the National Guard with the equipment it needs for foreign and domestic emergencies". Oh hell, the federal deficit credit card is not laden enough with discretionary defense spending, what's another few ten or hundred billion dollars? One fast-and-small-looking-on-the-outside, but raw-and-expensive-on-the-inside war with a side order of perpetual-expanding-defense-spending salad, to go, please! You take plastic, right? Can I split the bill on multiple cards, 'cause I'm kinda maxed out...
  
  Oh yeah, and the other guy will give us more of the same, although he hints to deal once and for all with the remaining Evil Axis of Iran and North Korea...
  

But I'm sure, Obama is not as conservative as he seems once you take a closer look. He must be getting all that campaign dough by pulling the wool over the lobbyists eyes: he'll show us his true giving Christian inner-core once he becomes prez...

Or maybe he actually believes that the tough love of laisser-faire capitalism will make America stronger, just like we're repeatedly told it should be despite the evidence...