Lately, I have heard a lot of screaming from liberals about how Obama is catering to the ignorant people who brought us Dubya, instead of implementing his "mandate." That appointing all the "Clintonistas" and announcing Hillary herself as Secretary of State, is far from the "Change" he promised.
I too, am elitist and think there are a lot of ignorant people in this country, and that we'd be better off without them. But it serves no purpose to dwell on this fact, and I do believe that Obama winning isn't any indication that this ratio has changed.
Obama won because of the economic crisis, plain and simple. It was NOT the "change" mantra which caused so much hype amongst his followers which helped him win, and he does NOT have a mandate for change. People are hurting, so they voted for "the other guy".
Obama seemingly is smart enough to have learned his lesson with his "bitter" remarks about blue collar workers. However, most of those he insulted would never have come around, had it not been for the fact that many are losing their jobs and life savings because of the financial crisis.
Whatever we think of them, Obama has learned that these swing voters have to be brought around gently, and things need to be explained beyond the soundbites. Obama has done this very well, and I am genuinely impressed by the way he is handling this transition. He knows the importance of having ALL people, no matter what their level of intelligence or participation or conservative views, on his side. He has created a team of very middle-of-the-road people, included republicans, and this has had a very calming effect on the entire nation. I've even heard bush-lovers remark that they are becoming Obama fans.
If Obama gets his 60 majority in the Senate, I don't think he's going to declare a revolution and implement his campaign promises just because he can. Those people who didn't vote for Obama may be like us, but they are Americans, and a good leader will bring them around, rather than insult them or ignore their concerns. Obama is quietly setting things in place so as not to freak out the conservatives, the swing voters, the ignorant. He means what he says when he says he is the president for ALL Americans, not just the left. And I'm sure he will make some compromises or decisions which will piss off the left. But I do believe we will see an unprecedented period of non-partisanship. I can see us having a period in the Senate where the dems have a filibuster-proof majority yet the filibuster is not needed as a tool.
I was the first to complain that Obama had no experience or record of "bringing people together" as he claimed he would do during the primary. And he didn't. But this man does have an extraordinary ability to do this and he is proving it to me NOW.
I draw a lot of parallels between many of Obama's supporters during the primaries and their hateful, divisive, misogynistic attitude towards Hillary (as evidenced on ngs and blogs) and current attitudes of liberals towards the new "enemy". It's a very good thing that Obama himself is above this. He wasn't always, but he is a quick learner, and he will hopefully lead his followers away from the divisive stuff by being an example.
I can truly see Obama as being the most beloved president since Raygun. He won't win over the Limbaughs of the world, just as Raygun didn't win over the liberals. But I think he can get this country's pendulum swinging again in the opposite direction and have full support for his policies. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and I can envision a day when this entire country begins to believe that every citizen deserves health care because they believe Obama when he says they do. This is leadership; not relying on polls to show him the way people think, but to show the people the right way to think.
Just like with Clinton and his "don't ask, don't tell" compromise, which prepared our military to the point where it can now accept openly gay people, you have to move slowly and bring the people along with you. This is the sign of a great leader. Liberals screamed bloody murder about Clinton "selling us out" with dadt, but it was a necessary step.
And I have the feeling it will be the liberals who will be screaming most about Obama not moving fast enough, but I do think he is going about it the right way. I'm very impressed so far, and if we get a third of what he promised without the divisiveness we've had since Raygun, then I will be a proud and satisfied liberal.
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2 comments:
Well said, Laurie. The only little part that I might disagree on has to do with "change." Maybe the "change" isn't a paradigm shift from a conservative to a liberal agenda...maybe the "change" is a shift from a divisive approach to an inclusive approach - building an America we *all* can be proud of, and that the world can look up to again.
In any case, you hit the nail squarely on the head. Thanks for this!
Thanks, Shaun. I agree with what you say about "change". In fact, it probably means something different to every follower of Obama, from change to a time of judging people by their character rather than the color of their skin, to change in human nature... I guess that's why "change" is a good campaign slogan!
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