He came out of nowhere and captured the imagination of a nation, not because of what he advocated, but because of what he was: a viable candidate who wasn't George Bush or GOP, nor tainted by the slop poured on the Clintons by the Right Wing for 8 years. (Remember, the GOP wanted to run against Hillary- -and continued to do so, even when it became clear that her candidacy was going nowhere).

So his ideological and policy underpinnings were tentative and changeable, for sale to the highest bidder, if you will, as evidently is happening. There are no principles that Obama is not willing to sell out: Guantanamo, torture, rendition, habeas corpus, privacy, rule of law, traitors, war criminals, Iraq, Goldman Sachs, health care, as examples. I'm truly surprised he hasn't screwed over unions yet. But there's still time. And he did let GM and Chrysler do it by proxy, so I guess that's already covered.

As a result, Obama feels that he is walking in a combination quicksand/minefield. He feels compelled to turn to the Money, since it got him in, not the People, who can get him out if they get ticked off enough.

After all, Money can buy or steal elections without fuss or fear of reprisals. People can only vote as they are told, or declare a revolution, and either of those is much chancier than election fraud.

This isn't the country I was born and raised in. It's some other land, ruled by corporations.