Who and What Will Obama Fight For?

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

"Obama would much rather displease his own people than fight the Right."

Homeowners facing foreclosure should know that their plight is not an immediate priority for Barack Obama. The new president last week told Illinois Senator Dick Durbin that the White House doesn't want its economic stimulus package to include a measure that would allow judges to adjust the mortgage payments of bankrupt homeowners. It's called bankruptcy "cram-down" legislation, and it was the only ray of hope in sight for at least some of the millions facing loss of their homes. Obama previously claimed to support the concept - but backed off in fear that "cram-down" might endanger his economic stimulus package. As a consolation, the White House assured Senator Durbin that cram-down will move to the pile of "must-pass" legislation to be acted on at some later time.

I have a feeling this is going to be the pattern under President Obama: His genius for rhetoric allows him to cast a large and glittering net, with which he hauls in loads of people who are willing to support HIM. But at some point the question arises, Who will Obama support, wholeheartedly? The answer, I suspect, is that Obama is much quicker on the take, than on the give. Obama got everything organized labor had to give during the campaign. What the unions want most desperately in return is passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it much easier for workers to join unions. Obama promised to back the union measure, but now it's been moved to the back-burner, just like the besieged homeowners' cram-down bill. It's rumored that Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel wants to delay action on the Employee Free Choice Act until after the midterm elections in 2010, after which, presumably, there will be fewer Republicans around. (Of course, there might just as easily be more of them.)

"Obama promised to back the union measure, but now it's been moved to the back-burner."

Obama seems easily intimidated by rich people and their Republican servants. Obama will dismiss an ally to his left in a second, but he's quick to back off even a hint of confrontation with the rich and powerful. There weren't supposed to be so many tax breaks for the not-very-needy in Obama's stimulus package. But Obama included them as goodwill gifts to the Republicans, hundreds of billions of dollars worth, offered in the hope that the GOP will be kind to the rest of the stimulus. Remember, the battle on Capitol Hill has hardly begun, yet Obama relentlessly gives ground to the GOP while help for unions and desperate homeowners is delayed indefinitely.

The Republicans will soon figure out - if they haven't already - that Obama would much rather displease his own people than fight the Right. He is so quick to jump over the aisle to the Republican side, sometimes it seems like he likes it better over there. Obama has been holding meetings with Republicans only, on Capitol Hill, lately. It appears they're getting next to him. Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists that the Democrats will move to repeal George Bush's tax cuts for the rich, but President Obama has gone silent on the issue.

Homeowners that hoped the Congress and president would give them a chance to plead their case with a bankruptcy judge, are running out of time. They need Barack Obama's help right now, but he's got other fish to fry.

For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

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