Obama & the Dems: “A Classic Case of the Stockholm Syndrome”

September 29, 2011 in 2012 Election, Barack Obama, Civil Liberties

By JC

In an La Times op-ed, “Obama: A disaster for civil liberties” civil libertarian and constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley laid bare President Obama’s record.

In the post-Bush era, many dem and civil libertarian hopes have been dashed thinking that Obama would usher in a change to the draconian policies that have been implemented or escalated under the guise of a “war on terror.” In many ways, Turley’s piece has given the phrase “the terrorists have won” another layer of legitimacy.

Here is an excerpt. Go read the full article, it’s well worth it. And then get to work fighting for civil liberties and civil rights.

…Civil libertarians have long had a dysfunctional relationship with the Democratic Party, which treats them as a captive voting bloc with nowhere else to turn in elections. Not even this history, however, prepared civil libertarians for Obama. After the George W. Bush years, they were ready to fight to regain ground lost after Sept. 11. Historically, this country has tended to correct periods of heightened police powers with a pendulum swing back toward greater individual rights. Many were questioning the extreme measures taken by the Bush administration, especially after the disclosure of abuses and illegalities. Candidate Obama capitalized on this swing and portrayed himself as the champion of civil liberties.

However, President Obama not only retained the controversial Bush policies, he expanded on them. The earliest, and most startling, move came quickly. Soon after his election, various military and political figures reported that Obama reportedly promised Bush officials in private that no one would be investigated or prosecuted for torture. In his first year, Obama made good on that promise, announcing that no CIA employee would be prosecuted for torture. Later, his administration refused to prosecute any of the Bush officials responsible for ordering or justifying the program and embraced the “just following orders” defense for other officials, the very defense rejected by the United States at the Nuremberg trials after World War II.

Obama failed to close Guantanamo Bay as promised. He continued warrantless surveillance and military tribunals that denied defendants basic rights. He asserted the right to kill U.S. citizens he views as terrorists. His administration has fought to block dozens of public-interest lawsuits challenging privacy violations and presidential abuses.

But perhaps the biggest blow to civil liberties is what he has done to the movement itself. It has quieted to a whisper, muted by the power of Obama’s personality and his symbolic importance as the first black president as well as the liberal who replaced Bush… [read whole article].

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