Reply #85: I'll try to give you a serious answer, based on my own [View All]

[alsame]

perceptions (I've lived through more Presidents than you have). It appears to me that over time, say the last 30 years since Reagan, the forces that have control of our gov't have gotten stronger and more powerful. I'm talking about, for example, the MIC, the private corporations, Wall Street, lobbyists, etc.

I think we're at a point - with things like the Bush v Gore and Citizens United decisions, SCOTUS judges attending Tea Party meetings, Koch Bros - where the veil of illusion is coming down and we can see how truly corrupt our gov't is and how little they actually govern for the people.

So I think the fact that President Obama seems like he doesn't wield a lot of power is because the true Powers That Be have such a stranglehold on all three branches of our govt. To me it seems like he can't break through the corrupt system, he's just able to do what he can within the framework of the status quo. And too many Dems in Congress are themselves invested in maintaining the status quo.

So we stay in Afghanistan, we don't prosecute Bushco or Wall Street, we don't dismantle the health insurance industry, etc.

Hope this makes sense.