Elizabeth Schulte at Counterpunch has a story further elaborating what an Obama cabinet might look like, and it ain’t appealing.  According to the article, there could be an arms dealer, Madeleine Albright, and there’s even an outside chance that Robert Gates will be in the cabinet.

So I ask any fervent Obama supporters out there:  What’s he going to do differently?  Why should any progressive vote for Obama?

Vote Nader tomorrow and send the message that you won’t be satisfied with fake progressivism.  We need REAL changes in Washington.  No more corporate control of government, no more military-industrial complex, no more Zionism in our foreign policy, and no more of the racist drug war.

According to this Yahoo! News story, Senator John McCain apparently doesn’t understand that Social Security is supposed to be paid for by all current working taxpayers. This is probably because he’s never had to scrutinize his own paycheck or met anyone else who has.

He and fellow senator/presidential candidate Barack Obama agree that it will need more money as boomers reach retirement age but can’t figure out how they’ll ever be able to allocate money from the budget in the current system.

Well, we could start by ending the “war” on drugs and making major cutbacks to our military budget.   As for the “war” on drugs, the only things we have to show for it are overcrowded prisons and unnecessary suffering by people who would benefit from medicinal marijuana.  Obama gets a gold star for paying attention, but he still flip-flops on the issue.

If you don’t think downsizing the military is a feasible solution, the Center for Arms Control and Proliferation has some pretty astounding numbers.  If we totalled the world’s military expenditures, the United States’ share of that total is 48 percent. This total is higher than the next 46 highest military budgets combined.  Does the US really need 700 military bases around the world?  And considering the military’s amateurish hijinks in Iraq and Vietnam, is it wise to have all those bases?  Is the money well spent?

It must be important to somebody in the government because they will waste lots more time and money trying to figure out how to pay for Social Security even though the problem has been looming for at least a decade.  Indeed, Senator Obama wants to further increase (!) military spending.

Are you a disgruntled Democrat, or perhaps just curious about what, exactly, Ralph Nader stands for?  This list at ontheissues.org, though not “official,” is pretty exhaustive and supported by quotes from Nader’s speeches and media coverage.

Some of the highlights:

On Abortion

• Supports NOW’s agenda on Reproductive Rights. (Feb 2008)
• Supports stem cell research. (Feb 2008)
• Roe v. Wade is not at risk, even from GOP Supreme Court. (Oct 2002)
• If Roe is reversed, decision just reverts to the states. (Sep 2002)
• Threats to overturn Roe are “scare tactics”. (Nov 2000)

On the Budget/Economy

• Half of federal budget is now military spending. (Jan 2008)
• Allow citizen lawsuits for waste in govt spending. (Feb 2000)

On Corporations

• Obama & McCain differ, but neither takes on corporations. (Feb 2008)
• Corporations have too much control over people’s lives. (Jan 2008)
• Corporations control government; that defines fascism. (Jan 2008)
• Help for ordinary people should replace corporate welfare. (Sep 2000)
• Stop giving corporations the same rights as people. (Dec 1995) (My emphasis)

On Drugs

• Legalize marijuana, and treat addiction as a health problem. (Sep 2000)
• Treat hemp like poppy seeds, not like heroin. (Sep 2000)
• The drug war has failed, despite $50B annually. (Feb 2008) (My emphasis)

On Education

• Focus on civic & consumer education. (Oct 1996)

On Foreign Policy

• US should be the world’s humanitarian superpower. (Feb 2008)
• Corporate activity destroys the third world. (Jul 2004)
• Redefine national purpose to solve Third World scourges. (Jun 2000)
• Support foreign peasants instead of foreign dictators. (Jun 2000)

I heartily recommend reading the full page, but this is a good way to start understanding Nader’s platform.  His number one mission is curbing the influence of corporations on the lives of ordinary citizens and making government work in our favor, not for big business.  How come neither McCain or Obama (or Clinton) ever say anything about curbing business abuses and weeding out corruption?  Nader would put a bounty on corporate crime, paying citizens $1,000 to report it!  I don’t know about you, but that’s the America I want to live in, where people rule and corporate entities do what we tell them.  If you want a better America, vote for Ralph Nader this November and don’t waste your vote on the corporate politicians who are already going to win.