Can Obama Pull Off a Historic Presidential Double Play?

''On or about December 1910," Virginia Woolf wrote, "human character changed.'' We can be much more specific: "On November 4, 2008, just after 11 pm Eastern, America changed" (human character remains rather intransigent).

The change was driven by two things: our country's remarkable capacity for regeneration, and Barack Obama's remarkable ability to tap into the better angels of our nature.

You know something extraordinary is happening when even Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, and Joe Lieberman trip over themselves -- and their hastily discarded invective -- to say nice things about Obama and the "tremendous signal" sent by his election.

Sure, it's easy to see their encomiums as purely tactical attempts not to be on the wrong side of history, but they are more than that. They also demonstrate how certain moments and certain individuals are able to bring the best out in people -- even people who have shown us some of the worst aspects of human character. Because, hard though it may be to accept, the best and the worst reside in each of us, side-by-side.

As Alexander Solzhenitsyn put it: "The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart." And the greatest leaders are those who inspire us to reside on the good side of Solzhenitsyn's line.

Obama does more. As David Brooks wrote recently, Obama's fractured childhood "is supposed to produce a politician with gaping personal needs and hidden wounds. But over the past two years, Obama has never shown evidence of that."

Here is someone whose childhood could have easily led to a life in shambles. But Obama has somehow -- and without, as far as we know, thousands of hours of therapy --succeeded in not letting circumstances dictate his life and reactions.

During the campaign, Obama was an object lesson in equanimity. Insinuate he's Muslim or sympathizes with terrorists, and he brushes off the mud. Hammer him with trumped up charges -- "sexist," "socialist," un-American" -- and he rolls with the punches. He simply doesn't let it in. He demonstrates that we have the ability to master whether we allow setbacks and attacks to throw us off course.

A lot has been written about Obama's calm in the face of adversity over the course of the last 21 months. Less noted has been how he displays that same centeredness in the face of triumph.

On Tuesday night, he could have waxed transcendent, he could have wrung every last tear and every last cheer out of the adoring crowd at Grant Park. But he chose not to. Instead, his speech gracefully touched the clouds a few times then soberly came back to earth, focused, as always with Obama, on moving forward.

To their great credit, the American people have responded to Obama's example by remaining remarkably focused as well. Despite the seemingly endless parade of meaningless sideshows trotted out during both the primaries and the general campaign, the public refused to be distracted. These kinds of tactics had worked well in 2004 -- but not in 2008. Obama's focus, his sense of purpose cleared a path through the carnival of clownish attacks and chamber of horror scares. And voters followed.

After eight years in which it has felt like the very foundation of our country was under assault, it is a testament to our democracy's inherent capacity for regeneration -- our ability to course-correct -- that Americans responded the way they did to a campaign so premised on an appeal to our greater selves.

A country can change only to the extent that the individuals within it change (and some changes come slower than others, as evidenced by Prop 8 and the other gay marriage bans that passed on Tuesday).

So it's back to Solzhenitsyn: "If you wanted to change the world, who should you begin with: yourself or others?"

Our president-elect is obsessed with Lincoln, who changed the country both by changing government policy and by using the bully pulpit to help us change ourselves. And our president-elect is endlessly being compared to FDR, who gave us both the New Deal and one of the most famous life lessons in history: "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."

Now it's Obama's turn to pull off this rare presidential double play.

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[mdmpo]

Thank you for asking our ideas for the Rachel Maddow show. I would like to see this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/14/obama-faces-more-personal_n_144005.html

Obama faces more personal threats than any other president elect. Betting pools on when he will be assassinated, offers of free hangings, etc.

How much responsibility should we assign to the Palin/McCain campaigns. Should they admit they have played a part in inciting hate? Is an apology required? Should they take some responsibility to reach out to their supporters to heal this nation?

What is the impact of Limbaugh, Colter, Hannity and the like? Are they aware of the very real dangers facing Obama? What are their opinions on this subject.

Should they tone down the rhetoric when it comes to personal protection of the President-Elect, or should we all just respect our free speech rights?

[josephebacon]

Hi Arianna!

May I also suggest an update on the anti-Prop8 actions?

Thank you!

[YungJoc]

Hello Arianna, I am looking forward to you being on Rachel Maddow's show. A good topic would be to discuss where Hillary Clinton would fit into an Obama administration, and could she be a supreme court Justice. Thank you for all you do.

[Housewife]

I am curious as to what, if anything, President Elect Obama plans to do with the millions of volunteers he has ready to rally around his agenda. I volunteered for him during the campaign and I would like to continue to support him as I am sure many others are. It would be great to hear from someone inside like Rahm Emanuel or Robert Gibbs about that issue.

[Donde]

Prop 8 and the separation of Church and State

The State – legally under the US Constitution any two people who want to marry should be allowed. Your gay, want to marry – find a judge, justice of the peace, or magistrate and have a great day.

The Church – if you don’t like that the US Constitution provides equal rights for all to marry, your specific religion does not have to offer to provide a religious ceremony for gay couples. Your gay and the religion you choose to follow does not sanction gay marriage – find a new church or work to change the policy of the one you belong to.

Why this debate is not framed in this way is beyond me – last I checked we are not a theocracy.

[historyprof]

I would like to see Joe Liebermann interviewed on the Rachel Maddow Show. He should explain why he should be allowed to retain his committee chairmanship after his traitorous behavior during the the Presidential election, especially since Barack Obama campaigned for him two years ago.

[tom ellison]

"Barack Obama's remarkable ability to tap into the better angels of our nature"

I would like to have a good feeling about Obama, but his record on abortion is so extreme.

[Karen Dalton-Beninato - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi Arianna,

Here are two questions: What are the chances the rhetoric of fear will work for the incumbent in the Georgia senatorial runoff? Playing up to the clingers (guns, god and fear of foreigners) lost McCain the general election, but won him Georgia.

or:

How can viewers demand more from the news cycle than: "As a Democrat, what advice do you have for the Republicans party?" It seems to be on an endless loop when global issues like restoring Louisiana wetlands and bringing humanitarian aid to the Congo remain unaddressed.

BTW, Rachel Maddow is amazing - you'll be a great fit for the show.

[BlueZoo]

The politics of fear being mongered in GA is real and is working for Saxby Chambliss. I am aghast at the rumors you hear people repeating in Atlanta. "Obama is going to close down small business by taxing them into oblivion." "Obama will raise everyone's taxes and you won't be able to afford your home." The list is endless! The real problem here is that white voters traditionally turn out for run-off elections and minorities do not. If we can reverse this trend, Jim Martin just might have a chance.

[goldeagle]

I think it needs to be pointed out that the Democratic -Progressive agenda has a mandate based upon the last two elections, so we can get out of Iraq, get universal health care cut the insane cold war budget of the military and actually have talks with Iran, and other non-friendly countries, like Cuba. Why is it the far right thinks it can set the agenda for the Democrats. Why is it we have to wait for a Red-baiter like Nixon to talk to China or Reagan to talk to the Soviet Union? It's time for the Democrats to set their own agenda and to stop listening to the voices of fear that block the potential progress we all so desperately wish for.

[QuietLightTraveler]

Well, Adrianna, I'm not certain I agree with this. Sometimes mean people can be humbled
by being chastised or repudiated by the powers that be (e.g.,the election of obama) and sort of forced
to adopt an apparently more amiable facade, which you viewed as our better selves, But these same people will then regress to their usual mean selves once they have again gained the upper hand. The leapard never changes his spots so to speak. Well maybe this is a pessimistic view. Some people can change for the better, but not easily. For the most part it requires education or an apocolyptic event in their life. As for Obama, I would agree, it does seem a bit unusual that his broken chilhood doesn't seem to have had the negative effect upon him that one would have expected.

[andygaus]

Suggested topic for your show: habeas corpus for airline travelers. There still is no limit to how long you can be involuntarily detained on the tarmac in a plane that isn't moving with toilets that aren't working and no water or food. That is a fundamental denial of human liberty.

[noesis]

Topic for Rachel Maddow Show:

How about exposing the myth of "we are a Center-Right nation" to the light of reason. I'm really getting fed up with this, one of the MSM's favorite memes (I'm looking at you Jon Meacham).

[bluff]

I think that Obama's biggest road block to viable changes in social, economic and political policies will come from Congress - Democrats and Republicans alike. I'd like some speculation on who the specific culprits might be. We listeners would have a heads-up on whom to pressure not to mention whom to kick out of office next time around.

[Marveng]

RMaddow show: Get NAOMI KLEIN. (I agree with Craig 77) But focus on how the Paulsen bailout is being screwed up.

[apoyo]

Naomi should be a regular at least weekly for the near future.

[penpar]

Another weary, wary voter for Naomi Klein

[freshnotbitter]

Your guests: A critic of GM as a whole vis a vis foreign manufacturers, a critic of GM management, a critic of GM unions, a critic of current GM health care model and how it could be replaced with quasi medicare system paid for by payroll withholding which would be conpetitive with foreign auto manufacturers, a critic of current auto technology who has a viable alternative, i.e. energy efficient car, a critic of auto lobbying in Washington.

Maybe you should save for a future show as I think it would be too much for your debut. You could put together quite a show with the right guests.
I'll bet Michael Moore knows a thing or two about who the best critics of GM are.