Why?

The question that we all wanted asked, has been, by Prof. Adolf Reed, Jr. in the Black Agenda Report:

This is what passes for a left now in this country. It is a left that can insist, apparently, that Obama's FISA vote, going out of his way (after all, he could simply have followed the model of Eisenhower on the Brown decision and said that the Court has ruled; therefore it's the law, and his job as president would be to enforce the law) to align himself - twice, or three times -- with the Scalia/Thomas/Roberts/Alito wing of the Supreme Court, his declaring that social problems, unlike foreign policy adventurism, are "too big for government" and pledging to turn over more of HHS and HUD's budgets to the Holy Rollers are both tactically necessary and consistent with his convictions. So, if those are his convictions, or for that matter what he feels he must do opportunistically to get elected, why the fuck should we vote for him?

My emphasis. Why, indeed? Those of us that were hoping that some dawning of consciousness would appear on the horizon of American politics this election have been sorely disappointed. The relentless framing of the 'issues' has once again woven its magic and excluded the 800 pound gorillas that are growling at the doorstep.

"Gorillas, we don't see any gorillas out there.", say our press all-stars. Wouldn't they tell us if they saw them? And Barack Obama, wouldn't he?

Nope. No way. The ratcheting up of American imperialism this decade seems to have been embraced wholeheartedly by Obama, though he quibbles about the recipients of our tough love. So, stay in Iraq, or go to Pakistan, have a national security state that has half the population on watch lists and the other half watching, one of the 800 pounders is never mentioned, at all. How to pay for our brave new world?

He talks about invading Pakistan like one would mention invading Grenada, about leaving a residual force in Iraq that would only be about 80,000 troops, and about preventing Iran from doing anything the Israelis might not like, presumably by bombing them back to the stone age. But how to pay for it all, never a word. Not that distinguishes him from anyone, au contraire, it is his obedience to the boundaries of American discussion that reveal him for what he obviously is, a pandering, two-faced politician, just like the rest of the crew.

Really, the only reason to vote for Obama is this: fear, fear of John McCain. McCain is stupid, he is, I believe, at least slightly mad, and has a terrible temper. Just to look at the guy make one want to run for the exits. He has also jointed the kleptocracy wholeheartedly, these people use all these powers they've grabbed (enabled by the Democrats), and used it to hijack the financial system, destroy the Department of Justice, and steal everything they can lay their hands on. McCain, just like Bush and Cheney, will continue to enable their depredations.

So, I guess I've answered Prof. Reed's question, and my own. You vote for Obama because you're scared shitless of McCain.