Reply #3: I hope so; I think that his own humble background and his work in [View All]

[grannylib]

Chicago have certainly given him both first and second hand exposure to some of that gritty reality, at least. And heaven knows we need a candidate who honestly gives a shit about ALL hard working Americans, not just the white ones. Although as a white, near 50, <$50k woman, I certainly don't mind my share of attention as a worker and a consumer :-)

As to whether or not politicians can change the climate that has devalued work and workers, and in which there is a greed (not a need) for low wage workers, I think SOME politicians can, if they have the leadership skills and the talent surrounding them to help the business community line up behind policies that are good for the nation overall, as well as for themselves (I don't hear many people mention that, if 70% of GDP is driven by consumer spending, shit wages are hardly going to keep the economy going, wage earners also being consumers (or at least, potential consumers)

Wage inequity; anti-labor climate; corporate greed; overall tax burden inequity; gap between uber-rich and the rest of the nation growing ever wider; there are a whole host of issues that need to be addressed in that area. I think if there is a politician who maybe CAN do it, Obama would be it - superficial though it may seem, there's a lot to be said for charisma and eloquence if it's useful in either persuading, or in helping to broker compromise, between parties/ideologies/viewpoints/etc.

Just my $.02 worth