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in southern Ohio, I learned that the biggest issue, the issue that moved Republicans and independents to vote for McCain, was the economy.
People are scared. They are hurting. A Reagan Republican on a teacher's pension worries about being able to maintain her lifestyle. Younger people are worried about jobs and outsourcing. Obama's first priority has to be repairing the economy and doing it in a way that protects the interests of the working and middle classes. This may seem obvious, but I don't see people like Rahm Emmanuel appreciating just how dire the situation is and how angry the American people will be if Obama lets them down.
The people who helped Obama win -- the voters who were swayed to vote for Obama after supporting Bush and Reagan -- will turn on Obama just as quickly as they turned toward him if their economic situations are not improved quickly.
And if these voters turn against Obama, the consequences could be deadly. We were, prior to November 4, just a thumbs width from repression, from a dangerously fascist corporate dominance. We dodged the bullet for the moment.
If Obama feeds the beast, pays his dues to the corporations and does not defend the economic interests of the ordinary people who switched sides to vote for him, they will become cruelly conservative out of sheer desperation.
I'm not too worried about Obama's intention to name conservative Democrats to his cabinet. I won't even be too worried if Obama names a few Republicans to assist him in governing. But, I hope that he understands that he has to lead those he names as aides to support an agenda that clamps down on the greed of corporations and their managers. I hope he understands that the American people cannot take another eight years of government of the rich elite, for the rich elite and by the rich elite. I know some people feel certain that Obama will do the right thing. I am not so sure. I think we need to keep the pressure on.
I respect your right to disagree with me. But there are no guarantees. We have to keep expressing our values and making our hopes known. We should not be silent about our view of the priorities.
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