You voted for change, didn't you? Are you sure?

Asking that question is important because we seem to be getting a whole lot less change than what we thought we voted for. At least I'm not, as should be clear from my frequent criticism of Obama. From the way the health care bill is being handled it appears a lot of other progressive people are getting a lot less change than they voted for.

This latest rant is brought about by an interview that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel had with the Wall Street Journal. Summary: The Left doesn't matter. Along the way he endorsed an article that characterizes the Left as a bunch of elitist whiny racists. Racists? Really? We're the ones who voted for the black guy.

Emmanuel's disdain for Progressives is known. After the 2006 midterms Emmanuel said that this is a center-right country and he would push the Democrats to that position. He apparently had Harry Reid's buy-in shortly thereafter.

Which means the Democratic Platform for 2008, that wonderful document which (among other things) endorsed all manner of gay issues -- federal civil unions, ending the military gay ban, equal rights in the workplace, etc. -- was a sham. It was published to get the votes but there was no intention to follow it, even by the Big Guy who peddled it all the way to the White House. Very little was done for gays in 2009. Very little will be done in 2010 (this is people in the Dem. party talking).

So while the Republicans have become teabaggers, the Democrats have become the new Republicans. Which makes Obama an intelligent version of Bush.

Over the last year or so I've been wondering if the GOP had gone so far right if there might be a new political party of moderate conservatives. Now there is talk that a new party might actually be progressive. And a progressive just might challenge Obama in 2012 or run as an independent.

Silly season is about to start in earnest. Pay close attention to the primaries. Encourage progressives (even gay ones) to run for office. And yes, I've thought about running -- long enough to decide I would make a terrible campaigner and would hate the job if I ever got it.

Emmanuel apparently hasn't paid much attention to election calculus. I've written about this before (probably too many times to hunt down links). No voter who identifies as GOP is going to vote for a Dem., no matter how conservative the candidate is. They are consistent voters, but always for the "R." Those who identify as Dem. are a mighty throng, but if you don't do what they want, they simply don't vote. That leaves independents. Are there enough of them, suitably wooed to make the effort to vote, to ensure victory? Doubtful.

So why screw over the progressives? Why not put that Obama intellect to work to make the case for the progressive cause?

Nineteen years ago Poppy Bush waged the Gulf War and amassed an approval rating topping 90%. He then proceeded to do nothing with it, apparently satisfied with being president rather than using the presidency to better the country. There was a clear moment when I decided Poppy had lost my approval. (His son never had it, even after 9/11.) I wasn't the only one to think that way. Poppy's approval dropped and he lost re-election.

In spite of Obama dissing gays, over the last several months if anyone had asked I would give Obama my approval. Most of that was because he appears to say a lot of great things in foreign affairs and he isn't Bush. I’m now to the point where I withdraw my approval. We voted for change and we're not getting it.