Stop the Gripe and Groan, Mr. President

“When I hear Democrats griping and groaning and saying … ‘the health care plan didn’t have a public option’, and … ‘the financial reform — there was a provision here that I think we should have gotten better’, or, ‘you know what, yes, you ended the war in Iraq, the combat mission there, but you haven’t completely finished the Afghan war yet’, this or that or the other, I say ‘folks, wake up’, ” Obama told wealthy donors at a Democratic National Committee dinner.

Obama told wealthy donors at a Democratic National Committee dinner.

The problem is all those things Obama is blaming liberals for ‘griping and groaning’ about: no public option, no teeth in finance reform, endless wars for profit not purpose, is because Obama has always and only been talking to wealthy donors. The corporatacracy; the financial oligarchy; the great sucking sound as the rich steal from the poor and give to the rich.

Liberals don’t need to be awakened Mr. President. You have woke us up.

When liberals gripe and groan about not even a token public option, let alone a robust Universal Medicare for All, it’s because you lied. You said you’d never lie to us Mr. President. But you were for Universal healthcare before you were ever against it. You didn’t even try, Mr. President, you didn’t even try. What did you do instead? You did what Bush did and let the corporate lobbyists write the legislation. You worked a deal with the very reason America’s health care system is a laughing stock world-wide.

You put profits before people. You prefer Americans pay for your endless illegal, irresponsible and immoral wars for profit than for their own general welfare.

When liberals gripe and groan because your idea of financial reform is “fool me twice” and can’t actually name an issue akin to the financial public option it’s because nothing was done to prevent the worst from happening again. The abuses have not been addressed. The newest bubble is the financial industry itself. We’re on the hook for trillions to corporations who gamed the system with compromised politicians and the power of propaganda.

We have been sold to perpetual indentured servitude. The money is gone. Who took it?

When liberals gripe and groan our anti-war polemics against America Gone Wild, we point to one of the key components of our economic demise: A privatized military. A revolving door between policy and profit. Adding trillions to the national debt; trillions we owe to private corporations whose raison d’etre is to profit corporate executives and their elite coterie of ‘shareholders’ which are your retirement accounts managed by other corporations out to serve themselves before their customer.

The Bible talks of turning swords into plowshares. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a cultural thing. War and peace is all in the head. Colbert’s having a “Keep the Fear Alive” rally. It’s a process to reverse centuries of society’s mind. You are what you think. Re-branding one war with double-talk and escalating another with the stupidity of Neo-Conservatism does not give us an idea the process of turning the sword to ploughshare is going to begin any time soon. You may not recognize Hell, Mr. President, but I recognize the hand-basket. Many liberals fear we’ll get to the “ploughshare” moment involuntarily. The cookie will crumble, the cradle will fall. The masks will fall.

It gets into our head and into our souls. Seven billion human souls against a handful of Corporations. Cheap labor, no unions, no loyalty, no rights for workers. Our hearts do bleed, Mr. President, perhaps you need a transfusion of passion, compassion and empathy.

The motto of the New Age Capitalist: Take it or Leave it!

And that’s what you are saying to liberals, Mr. President: take it or leave. Where are liberals going to go? Liberals are homeless in a “big ‘tent’. Swallow your pride, convictions and passion for real change and follow my lead: cynicism and surrender.

Don’t patronize us Mr. President. Don’t tell us to wake up and follow down the Piper’s path to certain destruction.

Or maybe it’s because you want us to walk away from the process. Liberals elected you Mr. President. Kids, unions, hippies, the average American worker in the average job who sees on a daily basis the creeping totalitarianism of the Corporation. You were elected by folks who thought you were against torture and for human rights. You were elected by folks who placed their life-savings of hope into your precious bank of political capital and it appears you ran off with 40 virgins to Monte Carlo. You wife is the new Jackie Kennedy. Huffington tells me so. Michelle and Carla in gossip wars. Third World America in the time of Versailles. Record  poverty and a lost Middle Class, while the next Celebrity Apprentice is voted off the show by Donald Trump.

Don’t you get it Mr. President? Liberals are not griping and moaning. We are trying to help you. Your path is for fools. You have more than the Tea Party to attend to Mr. President; you have pissed off liberals who have sworn a blood-oath to never get fooled again. You were the last shot. The last hope. But you weren’t up to the job. And this disillusionment, disappointment and sadness; this feeling of loss, the end of promise and the future of smoke and bones has had a very sobering effect. We are awake.

And we owe it all to you.

Thank you Mr. President for the wake-up call.

Your turn.