There’s no reason to be hopeful. Obama’s economic program is too little, too late. His cabinet is too moderate, too in-the-box to understand that he may well end up being the last president of the United States. There’s no dot-com-type event on the horizon that could rescue our overextended asses. And yet, despite everything, hope persists for the rats in the cage.
Give the New Regime a Chance
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
22 Comments. Leave new
Nail on head, man. Nail on head.
He sold the US voters a bill of sale with "change" and that 'change' turned out to be just a change of names, not a change of approaches or actions.
Lame ass pathetic DINO righty-Dems and Republicans in his cabinet? Panetta for chrissakes? Hillary? I mean seriously. Hillary's a fuckin' useless warmonger check-cashing politician like her husband, serving only their own bottom lines not the people.
Last President? Won't surprise me at all. Balkanization of America wouldn't surprise me at all.
it is an interesting thought, our politicians ,over here at least, have sub-contracted the responsibility of running the country to private companies & have now no clue as to what to do to help the citizens of their countries.We have the unedifying sight of private companies asking for money because sales are down ,so sell something we need not want.Private profit public liability is the mantra & few people pull the politicians up on it, commercially sensitive you see. At least you lot have access to guns you may need them shortly.A friend in Beijing says the Chinese are laughing their chopsticks off at the sight of Western financial institutions floundering about ,when Chinese people get sacked they just go back to their village & family farm ,the poor people of this world are better equipped to survive than we fat greedy bastards in the developed world. Anyway enjoy Angouleme – it is a lot better in April especially near the river.Regards.
Well look on the bright side of the shit stained cloud. If everything really does go down the drain the republicans might win the White House in 2012 and we'll get the luxury of laughing at president Joe the plumber from our new homes in Canada.
Did you hear about how that jackass is gonna do "insider" reporting in Israel for some crackpot rightwing blog. Apparently he's gonna report the "Israeli" side of the conflict. Giving 5 billion dollars to out source our job of bombing Muslims isn't pro-Israeli enough – we have to send our "plumbers"(cuz hes not licensed) over there to in order to keep things balanced. Come to think of it the people of Gaza haven't had running water in nearly 2 weeks so you know what they could really use….
Last president of the United States?
Don't you think thats going too far?
I am sorry, but the millenialism of American opinion on their own country does not surprise me.
To you guys, either America is eaven or its Hell. Very sad. A little realism would do the entire world well.
Y_S
Pakistan
Be patient! Give the new regime a chance!
Yes, actually. That's my plan.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
If Obama drives a "stay the course", middle of the road government, well, he doesn't need my support.
If Obama actually tries anything transformative (and not in the same way that Bush did), he's going to need our support.
I'd prefer not to look back at my own words and see "Obama sucks" "Obama sucks" "Oh, hey, that's kind of neat, we should do that."
The man's not even in office yet. Given that my ability to effect change is infinitesimal, what does my patience cost me?
Y_S,
You always manage to vex me every time you write.
The fact is we are realists. Whatever our politics might be, we still live in our day to day lives.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with looking for the best possible and planning for the worst possible.
If your view is this is what we are going to get and thats it, then you don't understand Americans at all. We always want to make our country better somehow. This is what makes us a great country. The same can be said for other countries who do the same.
What precisely should one do if the end is in fact nigh? There are a number of people (the elderly, i.e.) that cannot avail themselves of the perennial move to Canada option, as the immigration policies of other nations exclude those who are not of working age. The end is clear, but the means of the end is far from clear, as there are credible scenarios involving both deflation and hyperinflation, for instance. The terms of trade relationships between tangible goods (gold and oil, i.e.) are far from stable, so it is hard to determine what to stock in the garage or bury in the back yard to preserve wealth. What would you suggest one do, especially to preserve meager savings?
Knowing what to do next is difficult. The best thing I can figure is, get light–sell heavy stuff and convert into light assets, like cash and jewels.
re: Knowing what to do next is difficult. Absolutely it is, but there are a couple things that you can start on the sooner the better, which pay off even if things turn around and the worst does not come to pass.
I agree with Ted on getting light. I would add, get connected, get networked, get yourself into a local support system of farmers and people who have real skills outside of pushing electrons in a corporate cubical farm. This means people who know how to build things, grow things, can things, hunt, fish, play acoustic instruments.
Just go to your local farmer's market and chat with someone.
Ted, are you suggesting a collapse of industry?
Oops; been forced on ya for thirty years.
Y_S
Pakistan
PS Long Live China
btw – my original statement was against the assumption of Obama's presidency being the last American one. It is Incredibly HARD to break apart a country; even one created by an act of law like the United States.
I should know; I live in one that has been the target of dismemberment, was created through dismemberment and has attempted dismemberment.
Cheers
Y_S
Pakistan
Ted Rall said…
"Knowing what to do next is difficult. The best thing I can figure is, get light–sell heavy stuff and convert into light assets, like cash and jewels."
You're beginning to sound like those guys on late-night TV…"Sell your GOLD for CASH!" If the currency is near-worthless, then gold or stable foreign currency (Euros, Canadian Dollars, etc.) would be a better solution than the US dollar, though small jewels are still a good idea if you're willing to keep them in a small metal tube tucked up your anus (read "Papillon" for details.)
– Strelnikov
That bovine creature on the right is not to scale, is it?
Ted,
You are too pissimistic. I remember
a similar attitude in the late
seventies when we had stafglation
with very high inflation. There was a lot of talk and books about the coming "economic collapse" and
about the wisdom of buying gold and
collectibles and storing canned
food and guns and ammunition!!!
You know what happened, inflation came down and the price of gold
and oil crashed. You get the picture.
Yes, very tought times are ahead,
but there will be no collapse and
people will emerge may be poorer but probably wiser and more humane.
Y_S you echo something I've already written about here: the one feature that ties together Americans of all political stripes is megalomania. If something bad happens to Amurica, it's the end of the world!
Great Depression II, which Team Obama will speed up, is not going stop the sun from rising, or the birds from singing. You're just gonna get poorer, that's all. I'm not so sure about a breakup of the country, but that's no big deal either.
Aggie, your electron-pushing skills and English profficiency could be highly valuable south of the border. You'd have to get used to a different language and a lower salary, but I'll bet that beats unemployment any day.
you draw good rats, ted. the one on the left is kinda cute.
Your rat illustrations have got to be some kind of Art Spiegelmann dis, right??
"Your rat illustrations have got to be some kind of Art Spiegelmann dis, right??"
Are you serious?
They're rats. Rats in a cage. Just like us, hoping for things to get better.
It will be really funny to watch Obama's approval rating drop when he turns down aid from Hugo Chavez. He will be chided for having a "pre-depression" mindset.
I also can't wait to see how the media is going to gloss it over when humanitarian NGOs set up refugee tents in the rural midwest.
I was not serious.
If the price of oil continues to fall (and it will, for the short run) Chávez will be in no position to boast about offering aid to the US. He might have to for the clinch, a bona fide, old-style coup, if he wishes to stay in power indefinitely, like it seems.