The Daily Background

The above video was posted to Obama’s YouTube account today, as a message to Caucus for Priorities, a group that started in Iowa (and spread to New Hampshire) affiliated with Ben of Ben & Jerry’s True Majority group dedicated to lowering the amount of tax dollars spent on weapons systems and the Pentagon and increasing the amount of tax dollars spent on health care and head start and education etc. Most of the other Democratic candidates have done similar things to try and woo Caucus for Priorities, and some of them have worn their lapel pins. Here’s the Caucus for Priorities logo, you may recognize it:

As much as I love pretty much everything Obama is saying in this video in terms of spending and so forth, you can tell he’s really focused on “pandering” (it’s a dirty word but we can admit that it’s applicable) to this particular constituency group. The same is true of the other candidates in terms of how they deal with Caucus for Priorities– it’s not just Obama. As much as they’re supporting Caucus for Priorities in YouTube messages, you really don’t see this kind of language spill over into their stump speeches or major policy addresses, which would be a lot more bold and meaningful.

Oh well, at least posting a YouTube video anybody can see is better than meeting with constituency group leaders in secret and giving them private assurances that you support their agenda (cough cough, Rudy Giuliani on gay marriage bans).

Filed under: Z-TDB Blog