[grandalf]

I think the following truth has a lot of relevance to your comment: the only way somebody gets elected president of the US is if it's a given that he or she will maintain the status quo on behalf of powerful interests.

Obama's campaign promises are as empty as those of any other politician. He's used his presidency to bring a windfall to the Halliburtons of healthcare and escalated the war on whistleblowers and the attack on privacy.

His successor will do the same.

We can hope that his supporters become appropriately disillusioned, but so much of politics is about loyalty in exchange for spoils, not ideas or accountability, so I'm not optimistic.

[542458]

> maintain the status quo on behalf of powerful interests.

I think "maintain" is the best-case scenario under the current system. "Shift dramatically in favour of" is the worst case, and that's primarily what I'm voting based on these days.