I'm with Lightswitch. I think we-the-people need to get organized and we need to strike. We need to show the government our power. I've also written letters into the void of congressional mailboxes and received their placating form letters promising nothing. The time for change is now, and our leaders aren't offering it to us.

The public DID it's job! Millions of us spent millions of dollars and donated millions of hours to turn the tide in this country, frankly, no thanks to you ex-Clintonites and little thanks to the Democratic Leadership.

What do ya'll actually DO for livings? YOUR TURNS!

I was a big supporter of Obama ... donated the max to his primary and his general election.

Like many ex-pats and volunteers in Nepal at the time, I watched the election at the US Embassy, televised by the Air Force channel (no kidding). We all hugged each other and cried with joy and pride when we learned that he was our next president.

But now, I'm rather disillusioned. There has been a six month history of blaming the past administration and then embracing or upholding some of their worst policies. Won't go into the compromises on Gitmo, health care, and energy that water-down true reform.

If we truly want change, to keep hope alive, and to bring Amerca bacik to embracing the Constitution, I'm not sure this is our guy. And, by the way, the recent luau held at the White House kind of ticked me of ... in this recession/mini-depression, there should be a message of austerity, as that is what most Americans are facing right now.

"People who voted for Barack Obama tend to fall into one of two camps: Trusters... and cynics"

Where is Reich in this rubric? I propose a third category for nattering dopes who don't really understand the consequences of 65% of the political proposals they discuss, but goddamned straight want more stuff now and someone else has got to pay for it.

This might be the biggest group, and I would say Reich would have a good case for head ninny among them.

Of course, we must also acknowledge that a sizable part of Obama's base (Bush, also, of course) is composed of people who are so profoundly politically ignorant that they don't know the VP's name (let alone those of their Senators and Representative), but voted for Obama b/c they were angry at his predecessor, Smirky McFlightsuit.

Anyone Liberal (including RR) who believes that in the past year, the US has turned into a place where socialism and higher taxes will be welcomed is living in a fool's paradise. Amercans have only embraced one side of the socialist bargain, the state benefits. Now that the issue of the bill is arising, the wheels are coming off.

Just try to find a national poll showing anything approaching majority acceptance of higher taxes (excepting those >$250k, naturally); you'll see what I mean.

Obama is genuine in my opinion, I am a "truster". However, as a Canadian who took a US citizenship I am also a "cynic" - always have been when it comes to the "Good Ole USA" (and frankly, the thought of paying for the results of economic and governmental deregulation that I always said was idiotic makes me want to throw my citizenship in GW's face and spit on every useless Republican supporter out there).

If Obama cannot effect the changes this country needs to grant a better quality of life to its citizens, then we're just out of luck. There is no one else better qualified on the horizon, Obama is the best chance for our era.

That he is up against a wall and is failing to redress the dominant power structures that thrived under GOP rule is a reflection of the limits of what can be done. And, a reflection of our serfdom as middle class Americans. Maybe Obama tests the limits and those limits move outward as a result of the testing, as there will always be limits. Or, maybe those limits are absolute.

However, we must take Reich at his word. To reach the limits and perhaps move them, there is still a lot of work for average citizens to pressure the administration to move forward. Unfortunately, the rot at the heart of the American political system requires constant vigilance. This is the price for having allowed the democracy to atrophy and be taken over by the elite, the price for having abandoned citizen responsibility and relaxing in front of the TV. The price for allowing American fear and prejudice against all manner of people and things to run rampant.

I have seen the enemy, and it is us.

"There is no one else better qualified on the horizon, Obama is the best chance for our era."

This is a man with 0.00 years of executive experience prior to 21 Jan 09. Never even run a pet store. Indeed, he is a politician who has missed or fudged a high % of the few votes he faced as a state senator, then as a US Senator (of only 2 years).

While the US poitical elite is a bit of a shambles, the idea that Obama is the best qualified of them is retarded. He may do a good job, he may even be better than the more experienced politicians he out-foxed (e.g. - Clinton in the caucuses). He is NOT the "best qualified" executive available in the US. Ever heard of Warren Buffett?

Americans elected Obama because of the slick marketing campaign Axelrod ran. Americans so wanted a change from George W that they bought the biggest 'Change' message they could find. No matter that the actual man, Barack Obama; had never passed any significant legislation in his entire career; had voted 'Present' in the face of any controversial issue; and had spent almost his entire time in elected office seeking a higher elected office.

In campaign debates and interviews, Obama showed time and time again that without his teleprompter or in situations where the scope of questions posed to him was not strictly limited, Obama stumbled and mumbled in his word fog way.

Obama learned his politics in Chicago, and Obama was never a reformer. Obama did whatever it took to get elected, including stabbing his former mentor in the back; taking credit for legislation he hadn’t worked on; and releasing confidential personal details about his opponent. Obama was a 'get what he could while the going was good' kind of politician, and Obama got a good deal for himself and his wife, including a cushy job for Michelle and a nice discounted mansion. Then Axelrod told him that he could be the president and he stood up behind a teleprompter and promised Hope and Change and Whatever You Want, You Got It!, to his audiences. He promised transparency and progress.

So far??? Obama has strengthened Bush's secrecy provisions; he bailed out Wall Street and let them carry on business as usual and keep their ill-gotten gains; he let Congress divvy of the pork of the stimulus package; he let the Financial Industry write their own regulation legislation; and now he's taken single payer Medicare off the table and is handing the writing of the legislation over to the Insurance and Medical lobbies.

The Chicago Way is now firmly entrenched in the Potomac Way. Obama has never asked, “What can I do for my country?”, but rather, “What can my country do for ME?!”

But go ahead, send him a few letters. That should fix everything.