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10/23/2006 Entry:
Obama: A Democratic Star
According to the polls and the pundits, a huge political wave is sinking congressional Republicans and lifting their Democratic opponents to new heights. The House seems to be in Democratic sight, the Senate not quite yet. For those Republicans that are worried that Democrats don't stand for anything, I present a few words about Senator Barack Obama, a Democratic star, who stands for solving problems in a way that unites, not divides, the country.
Yesterday, on Meet the Press, Senator Barack Obama presented himself so well that he received compliments from David Broder. Obama said a lot and I thought all of it was good. I came away with the impression that Barack Obama is a junior Bill Clinton. Like Clinton, Obama has charisma, speaks eloquently and looks for ways of getting people together.
At one point, Obama claimed that the polarization categories - big vs. small government, permissive vs. traditional sex, market vs. non-market solutions, military vs. non-military solutions - we have been using since the '60s do not work. With reference to big vs. small government, he said:
My instinct is that the current generation is more interested in smart government. Let’s have enough government to get the job done. If, if we’re looking at problems, if the market solution works, let’s go with the market solution. If a solution requires government intervention, let’s do that. But let’s look at what are the practical outcomes. And I think that kind of politics is what the country’s hungry for right now.
In other words, let's stop arguing for argument sake. Republicans and Democrats don't need to ALWAYS disagree. Let's be realistic and try to solve problems. There is plenty of common ground. Let's try to work together.
During the interview, Obama admited he is thinking of running for president in 2008, and if he ran he would want to be a great president. So Tim Russert asked for his views about what is a great presidency. To which Obama replied:
But I think, when I think about great presidents, I think about those who transform how we think about ourselves as a country in fundamental ways so that, that, at the end of their tenure, we have looked and said to ours—that’s who we are. And, and our, our—and for me at least, that means that we have a more expansive view of our democracy, that we’ve included more people into the bounty of this country. And, you know, there are circumstances in which, I would argue, Ronald Reagan was a very successful president, even though I did not agree with him on many issues, partly because at the end of his presidency, people, I think, said, “You know what? We can regain our greatness. Individual responsibility and personal responsibility are important.” And they transformed the culture and not simply promoted one or two particular issues.
Soaring rhetoric! I love it. I love especiallly the part where he says "that means that we have a more expansive view of our democracy, that we've included more people into the bounty of this country."
Barack Obama is a Democratic star. His star shines so bright that even conservative David Brooks lauds him in print. Obama wants to unite us all, Republicans and Democrats, in the realistic solution of problems. He wants to help all of us, from the richest to the poorest. He wants to make us think again about the common good.
I'm not ready to tout Obama for president. But I am ready to tout Obama as a Democratic star with ideas for uniting Americans.
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