Progressives Against Obama launched

The following press release was sent out by Progressives Against Obama this morning, announcing the formation of a purely progressive opposition to Barack Obama, due to his support for the FISA Amendments Act, faith-based initiatives and other right wing causes.

It’s an important project, given that Republicans have begun accusing progressives, since Barack Obama voted for the FISA Amendments Act, of abandoning their values for the sake of political convenience. Take, for instance, what right wing blogger Right Voice had to say about Democrats and the Constitution yesterday:

“The next time the left begins talking about the “shredding of the Constitution” they would perhaps best be served by taking a good long look inside before casting their dispersions and their judgments. The only thing is that that will not happen because they aren’t interested in it. Rather, what they are interested in is making cheap political points, and playing cheap political games, believing the Constitution only applies when they want to make those points or play those games but not when it applies to anything they believe in.”

See the new line of Republican attacks? Barack Obama has made the entire progressive agenda vulnerable, by making it appear to be insincere. Progressives Against Obama proves that argument wrong. We progressives value the Constitution over politicians – even when the politicians are able to make pretty speeches.

The press release:

“When Barack Obama broke his promise to progressives, and voted for the FISA Amendments Act, it was with the assumption that progressive voters would never abandon the Obama campaign, because they had no alternative. Now a group is organizing disgruntled voters online with the purpose of proving Obama’s assumption to be wrong. Progressives Against Obama have begun to organize online at ProgressivesAgainstObama.com.

The FISA Amendments Act is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, but it’s not the only betrayal of progressive values by Barack Obama. Progressives also object to:

– Obama’s eroding position on ending the American occupation of Iraq
– Obama’s plan to expand Bush’s so-called faith-based initiatives
– Obama’s use of religion as a tool for his presidential campaign
– Obama’s support for liquefied coal and other dirty “clean coal” schemes
– Obama’s advocacy for the death penalty
– Obama’s opposition to gun control
– Obama’s opposition to full marriage equality
– Obama’s use of homophobic preacher Donnie McClurkin to campaign for him
– Obama’s support for Joseph Lieberman against Ned Lamont in the 2006 Democratic primary

Some say that progressive voters should put their concerns about Barack Obama’s embrace of George W. Bush’s politics aside. They say that progressives should help elect Barack Obama, and then pressure him after the election to make sure that he does what we want.

There is an old story about a scorpion who asks a frog for a ride across a river, assuring the frog that he would never sting him, because to do so would be to kill them both. When the frog reaches the other side with the scorpion on his back, the scorpion stings him anyway, because it is in his nature.

Progressives have seen the nature of Barack Obama. They have been stung by him already, and are not willing to carry him to victory just so that they can get stung again. Obama has broken his promises, and he no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Now is the time to put serious pressure on Barack Obama. After the election, progressives will have no leverage. Now is the time to speak out, precisely because it is so inconvenient for Obama’s campaign that we do so.”