Ezra Klein is disappointed to learn that the Obama transition team is reportedly considering offering the post of Agriculture Secretary to corn-loving Tom Vilsack, a possibility which Ezra pegs as evidence that Obama “will not upend the ag subsidy apple cart”.
Well, yeah – and if you expected anything else, then I’ve got a few gallons of E-85 to sell you. As has been the case in any number of other instances, the kind of “I read Michael Pollan!” talk that gets folks like Ezra and Alice Waters all excited was just that – talk – and all those who fell for it should be taking a lot more cynicism with their morning coffee.
So congratulations, America. Our long national nightmare is over, and now we’ve got a president-elect who apparently goes in for spying on his citizens, torturing his enemies, expanding the military, violating the sovereignty of our allies, threatening to attack Iran, providing effectively unconditional support to Israel, keeping massive residual forces in Iraq well beyond the date of our “withdrawal”, bailing out banks and automakers alike, massively shrinking the tax base while increasing federal spending by hundreds of billions of dollars, and now sticking with the kinds of agricultural policies that degrade the environment, encourage bad eating habits, and contribute to the global hunger crisis. But don’t worry – I hear he’s a sharp guy with a really calm temperament, which of course is all that really matters. Here’s to change we can believe in!
(Image via Flickrer jimmedia.)
Filed under: agriculture, food, government/law
[...] Four (Eight? Twelve?) Years Posted on 12 November 2008 by nathancontramundi John has it here and [...]
Obama won’t do everything you would like. But he is more acceptable than the other guy. And there was no point in being correct on all the issues and the majority of American people voting for the other guy.
While I don’t want you to dissuade you from your righteous blog rage, I would urge you to actually consider your sources before you flatly assert things like ‘Obama goes in for torture.’ Even the Sullivan article that you link to as evidence says the anonymous chatter may have just been ‘placed’ by a Bush official. But hey, who cares about truth and details when there are massive, poorly supported generalizations to be made?
Oh, I’d also like to point out that both you and Klein are blog-raging over a rumor. Vilsack has not been appointed to anything. But hey, condemning Obama is like Christmas shopping, you can never start too early.
I, too, have been dismayed by Obama’s support for ethanol and corn subsidies, in which he his hardly alone. For all the gnashing of teeth the farm bill came through congress basically unscathed, which should heap shame on ALL the players. But at least there is a possibility of movement towards a new agricultural policy under Obama and we do need to hold him to his promises. I can’t honestly picture any push by a McCain administration, or any other Republicans, against the agribiz machine.
Yes, I suppose even IF Vilsack does get it, he might be able to pull off a Nixon in China thing (sorry). We’re assuming that all of this will work like a mathematical formula (Vilsack = corn-lover = continuation of bad agricultural policy), but of course it is never so simple. Now that it’s all completely out of our hands, let’s see what the real world effects of an Obama Administration (combined with a Dem Congress) are.
Another ranting self-righteous blogger.
*yawn*
But D-Ny, if they wait for Obama to actually take the oath of office and begin enacting policies, what will bloggers fulminate about for the next 3 months? New Rumor About Appointment Or Policy And Why It Means We Are Doooooomed–it’s even bipartisan.
Pepe,
You forget “a few years out of college.”
Thus it should be probably read “Another ranting self-righteous blogger a few years out of college. *yawn*”
Otherwise you nailed it.
There was a also rumor duing the campaign that he was going to choose Anne Veneman as his VP. People got up in arms over that, too.
Yes, there are powerful, deeply entrenched forces that will try to block change at every turn, and it sucks. And in that environment, I’d rather have a president who has read Michael Pollan than one who hasn’t.
[...] to make the whole exercise worthwhile. All you get otherwise is “more of the same,” more or [...]
You’d rather have John McCain making these picks or something?
Actually, agriculture subsidies are one area where McCain’s policies were clearly better than Obama’s. But no, I wouldn’t rather have McCain. So?