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Empire's New Clothes: Barack Obama in the Real World of Power 1st Edition

by Paul Street (Author)

4.4 10 ratings

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As Obama nears the middle of his first-term as president Paul Street assesses his performance against the expectations of his supporters. While mainstream journalists have noted discrepancies between Obama's original vision and reality, Paul Street uniquely measures Obama's record against the expectations of the truly progressive agenda many of his supporters expected him to follow. Taken together, the list of Obama's weakened policies is startling: his business-friendly measures with the economy, the lack of support for the growing mass of unemployed and poor, the dilution of his health reform agenda, the passage of a record-setting Pentagon budget, and escalation of US military violence in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Street's account reveals these and many other indications of how deeply beholden Obama is to existing dominant domestic and global hierarchies and doctrines.

ISBN-10

1594518459
ISBN-13

978-1594518454
Edition

1st
Publisher

Routledge
Publication date

September 23, 2010
Language

English
Dimensions

6 x 0.65 x 9 inches
Print length

288 pages
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Street
22
Paperback
8 offers from $5.34

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Empire’s New Clothes is a hard-hitting, clear-eyed look at the reality of the Democrats in power and the Barack Obama presidency. Anyone who hoped for genuine change, and is disappointed that it has not come since 2008, should read this book and discuss how to rebuild a genuine social movement that can end the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the tyranny of capital over our lives and the planet.”
―Anthony Arnove, author of Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal and coauthor, with Howard Zinn, of Voices of a People’s History of the United States

About the Author

Paul Street

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (September 23, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594518459
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594518454
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.65 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,959,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,007 in Political Leadership
- #3,732 in United States Executive Government
- #5,242 in Human Rights (Books)

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Thomas B. O'Neill

Covering the Empire and the Emperor by Uncoving Them

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is a highly effective unveiling of the nonsense and misrepresentation on foreign policy daily being churned out by the White House and the media. - Tom O'Neill

One person found this helpful

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Dienne

Meet the new boss, just like the old boss

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2011

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Hasn't it been great since Obama took office? After undoing all the Bush-era abuses, he has ushered in a whole new glorious era. Thanks to his health care reform with a robust public option, now every American is covered by affordable coverage, regardless of pre-existing conditions and insurance companies have to compete to keep their costs down. With Obama's leadership and the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, worker protections are tighter than ever and American workers are enjoying ballooning salaries, benefits and comforting job security. Obama has reigned in the Wall Street banks and investment firms with a firm hand, thereby preventing any future economic meltdowns. And America is once again a beacon of light for the world as Obama has ended civil liberties abuses such as indefinite detention, warrantless wiretapping and rendition. The war on, er, in Iraq is finally over and, with Obama's tight focus, the war on, er, in Afghanistan is rapidly winding to a victorious close.

Oh, sorry, for a minute there I stepped into a parallel world where a bright, sincere young presidential candidate actually meant what he said and fought for it as vigorously as he fought for the presidency. Unfortunately, that world is not this world.

As Paul Street amply and repeatedly demonstrates, it's not even that Obama is trying as hard as he can to pass his agenda, but is simply running into obstacles such as Republican and conservative Democrat opposition and the reality of implementing major policy changes such as closing GITMO or ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's that he hasn't even tried. In fact, in instance after example, Obama has actively and deliberately continued on the path laid down by Bush 43 (and Clinton, Bush 41, Reagan and Carter before that), and in some cases has even expanded upon such policies, all while uttering soothing words and making modest, rather decorative changes to keep the populace contented, distracted or completely in the dark.

In chapters ranging from Wall Street to foreign policy to social issues to health care "reform" to the national security state, Street demonstrates how wide the chasm is between Obama's words, especially his campaign promises, and his deeds. While promising a sweeping health care reform, Obama negotiated away the "public option" in the opening rounds. Obama's public insistence on a "robust public option" gradually became more and more tepid until it disappeared altogether and Obama then claimed it was never a major component of his reform to begin with. And that is now the official administration line, as well as that of Obama's die-hard supporters.

Similarly, while Obama can certain thunder ragefully with the best of them over the "outrage" of obscene executive bonuses for the very executives responsible for the financial collapse in the first place, he has intentionally blocked and watered down any meaningful reform which would prevent any future collapse or bar said obscene bonuses. Yet Obama is credited (by himself and his supporters) with passing the most sweeping bank reforms since the New Deal.

Again on the foreign policy and national security fronts, Obama has continued Bush's imperial agenda and his assault on American civil liberties. He has continued to blunder on in Iraq and Afghanistan (while declaring the former ended due to a change-over to contracted mercenaries instead of U.S. soldiers). Not only has he not closed GITMO, but he opened what is essentially GITMO East at Bagram Air Base, and he has continued and codified the practice of indefinite detention and rendition to secret "black sites". The candidate who promised to make his administration the most "transparent" in history has blocked every attempt to reveal secret deals and maneuverings. The only "change we can believe in" has come from words and window dressing to make people feel better about the same basic policies.

In fact, Street argues that has been Obama's very role. Under Bush, American citizens were beginning to chafe about the length (and apparent failure) of the Iraq war, civil liberties abuses and the economic downturn caused by Wall Street speculation and greed. Obama's job, for which many elite Wall Street firms and other corporations contributed handsomely to Obama's campaign, was and is to "protect" the elite by continuing corporatist and militaristic policies while soothing the anger of the general population by selling such policies in prettier packaging or by distracting American's attention from such packaging. Modest tinkering around the edges to placate public anger is acceptable, but businesses trust Obama not to fundamentally interfere with their hard-earned advantages.

Furthermore, Street argues that we were warned. Obama's campaign manifesto, "The Audacity of Hope" was a paean to "pragmatism" which would be better understood as corporatism. And to those paying attention, Obama's legislative votes in both the Illinois Senate and the U.S. Senate did not, despite the right-wing brouhaha, indicate a politician with significant liberal leanings.

I don't necessarily disagree with anything Street has written, but I would ask, what was/is the alternative? At the time I voted in the primaries the only real choices were Clinton or Obama. (Edwards was still on the ballot, but fading fast, and given the reality of his exposed personal life, can't we all breathe a sigh of relief he wasn't nominated?) Clinton is certainly no liberal; at least Obama pretended to be. And in the general election, what was a liberal to do? Vote for McCain and put Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency? Or vote third party, which is essentially a vote for McCain?

I agree that there's very little daylight between the corporate-controlled Republicans and the corporate-controlled Democrats, but there is some. For instance, Obama continued the Bush tax cuts for the rich in exchange for extension of unemployment benefits and other trifles, which is galling enough, but McCain simply would have extended the Bush tax cuts and who cares about those lazy unemployed slobs? And I'll be the first to admit that Kagan was a lousy replacement for the liberal lion Stevens, but she isn't nearly as far right as the Scalito clone that McCain would have nominated. Given the realities of the two-party system, Street doesn't really provide a realistic alternative, so maybe we all should just smoke some more Hopium and go about our lives. Hey, does anyone know when the next Dancing with the Stars begins?

37 people found this helpful

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DakotaBoy

John Edwards supporter?

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2010

If you think somebody who campaigned for John Edwards in 2008 can be classified as a liberal, progressive, leftist, whatever, then this book is for you. I agree with C3's comment on Josmar's review. To imply Street is the new Chomsky is a real stretch.He's not even the old Chomsky--a world-class linguist.

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2015

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really tells where the world really is great book

2 people found this helpful

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Josmar

Obama ether

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2010

This book is handy manual when dealing with the Hope-ium addicted Obamabots that stink up the left. Detail by detailed political analysis and intriguing food for though are a plenty here. Ive heard some call Street the new Chomsky. Well if he continues writing things up to this standard then they may end up being right!

30 people found this helpful

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Flairy Good

The Empire's New Clothes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2011

Verified Purchase

I recommend you read Street's Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics first. However both give a really detailed analysis of Obama's conservative political views and how he very cleverly branded himself as a progressive to appeal to liberal voters.

This second book is a bit of an "I told you so". It covers the first year or so of Obama in power and how he has just continued and even intensified a lot (most?) of Bush's policies.

Street has been described as the new Chomsky and he certainly has Chomsky eye for detail and analysis.

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