Obama as Ombudsman

This is one of those “Remember The Sixties” flashbacks. It’s not necessarily a “Sixties” thing as it had happened many times before during the union movement struggle dating back to the turn of the century and the African-American Civil Rights Movement since 1955. But I didn’t see it with my own eyes until the late sixties.

Here’s the scene: Everything is about to boil over. The media talk about widespread unrest in the inner city, college campuses, and in the workplace. The fuse is lit and everyone knows it’s just a matter of time before “something happens.” City, State, and Federal officials as well as college administrators want to avoid another race riot or massive anti-war demonstration. So they put forth … an Ombudsman to work with … The People.

Way back then I had never come across the word before so I had to look it up.

Ombudsman:

1. a government official who hears and investigates complaints by private citizens against other officials or government agencies.
2. a person who investigates and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, as between employees and an employer or between students and a university.

They always looked something like this: Short sleeved white shirt. Skinny tie. A crew cut that had barely grown out enough so he could part his hair. The cartoon equivalent of a white middle class straight guy whose job it was to find a way to work with a bunch of pissed off people.

After many tumultuous meetings where nothing but compromises were made over and over again … the Ombudsman would go back to “Management” with a list of watered down demands that barely hinted at what was needed.

Following a meeting with The Powers That Be, the go-between Ombudsman would return with a pronouncement. He’d say something like, “After lengthy deliberations with Management … we’ve decided to relax the dress code and institute Hawaiian Shirt Fridays.”

So much for “Working Within The System.”

Most of the time The Powers That Be did something that eloquently demonstrated exactly what little regard they held for the wants and needs of The People.

Like on November 27, 1965 when some 40,000 protesters led by several student activist groups surrounded the White House, calling for an end to the war, then marched to the Washington Monument. That same day, President Johnson announced the escalation from 120,000 to 400,000 US troops in Indochina.

Cut to November 2006 when the Republicans lost the Senate and House in the midterm election. The Democrats won because people wanted an end to the War in Iraq and were fed up with the Republican culture of corruption. In January 2007 Bush’s response was to announce a “surge” of more troops to Iraq.

Progressive change didn’t happen when labor or civil rights organizers worked within the system. Change happens when rules are broken. When management says, “Screw You” we don’t change a goddamn thing by staying politely out of sight within a prearranged Free Speech Zone. The Powers That Be didn’t give American workers an 8 hour workday or African-Americans the right to vote because people sent angry email.

Americans went on strike … and won.

What I saw 40 years ago …and finally … completely … understand today … is that The Ombudsman works for Management. That’s where his checks come from.

During his first State of the Union Address President Obama is going to ask Congress to freeze spending for some domestic programs saying it will save taxpayers $250 billion over the next 10 years. But at whose expense?

The Department of Health and Human Services is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. If Obama’s budget is passed, spending for DHHS will be frozen until 2013.

The Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department would be exempt from the proposed freeze.

As Paul Krugman writes in today’s NY Times, “ … it’s a betrayal of everything Obama’s supporters thought they were working for. Just like that, Obama has embraced and validated the Republican world-view and more specifically, he has embraced the policy ideas of the man he defeated in 2008.”

We worked diligently and gave the Democrats victory in the 2006 midterm elections. We worked our asses off again in 2008 and gave the Democrats increased majorities in both houses of Congress and the Presidency.

And they have returned after meeting with their Corporate handlers to tell us that they’re going to relax the dress code, institute Hawaiian Shirt Fridays, and completely ignore the needs of the people.

What did we expect? The Ombudsman works for Management. That’s where the checks come from.

As Jonathan Zaslof wrote today, “If this is true (Obama’s proposed spending freeze) … then there seems little reason to support Obama on anything. … What next? The rotting corpse of Andrew Mellon as Treasury Secretary? Or do we already have that?”

Krugman adds, “Mellon was Herbert Hoover’s Treasury Secretary, who according to Hoover told him to “liquidate the workers, liquidate the farmers, purge the rottenness”.

We know where they stand. We need to leave the Free Speech Zones and take back our streets, our cities, our schools, our courts … our country.

E.J. Dionne Jr. writes in today’s New Republic, “Hoist Your Pitchforks! Time for angry Americans to march on the Supreme Court.

… The only proper response to this distortion of our political system by ideologically driven Justices is a popular revolt. It would be a revolt of a sort deeply rooted in the American political tradition. The most vibrant reform alliances in our history have involved coalitions between populists (who stand up for the interests and values of average citizens) and progressives (who fight against corruption in government and for institutional changes to improve the workings of our democracy). It’s time for a new populist-progressive alliance.”

Obama as Ombudsman February 26, 2010