At the rate we're going here in the USA, the last people who need to be out proving their solidarity with the rest of the world's socialists are our so-called progressives.
Amusingly, during this year's May Day celebration along with protests over mistreatment by any number of capitalistic entities from Big Global Business to civil rights-abusing governments and financial institutions, we were also treated to the shrill sound of lefties maligning the very regime that they themselves helped to install.
Despite sprinting through his agenda to the extent allowed by fellow "Democrats", Obama is getting called out by the even-farther-left for dragging his feet on any number of promised "reforms" from militarism to gay rights to global warming and all things green. Of course, they're not upset enough yet to simply call him a liar like the rest of us do.
As traditionally angry as lefties tend to be on May Day (which is also known as International Workers' Day) much of the anger thus far in 2010 has been with the policies of their too-slow-to-redistribute Dear Leader. But unlike the cry from the rest of us there is little demand for the creation of jobs or for the transparency that was promised us during the first segment of his never-ending campaign.
Arizona legislation-inspired immigration protest and meaningless whining over labor union "rights" helped to kick this year's May Day circus performances up a notch. But you can hear commies around the world yawning over yesterday's protests here in the USA and whispering to each other that: "Those wannabe socialist 'progressives' in Amerika never had it so good."
Meanwhile, at the University of Michigan's commencement in Ann Arbor, Barack Obama made a classic out-of-both-sides-of-his mouth speech to career start-challenged graduates. He pontificated about his vision of how important government is to all of us and how we should all love government and work to help government to help all of us -- hardly a socialist theme.
In one breath he urged both sides in the political debate to tone it down:
"Throwing around phrases like socialists and Soviet-style takeover, fascists and right-wing nut may grab headlines but it also closes the door to the possibility of compromise. At its worst, it can send signals to the most extreme elements of our society that perhaps violence is...justifiable."
In the next:
"[Politics] has never been for the thin-skinned or the faint of heart...if you enter the arena, you should expect to get roughed up."
Then back to:
“If you’re someone who only reads the editorial page of the New York Times, try glancing at the page of the Wall Street Journal once in awhile. If you’re a fan of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh, try reading a few columns on the Huffington Post website. It may make your blood boil. Your mind may not be changed. But the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship."
In other words, 31 minutes of "do as I say, not as I do" delivered via teleprompter with about as much talk of jobs as we heard from the rest of the socialists on their International Workers' Day.