ASPEN - I took part in an interesting panel last night at the Aspen Ideas Festival, discussing the ins and outs of Barack Obama and John McCain with David Brooks, Stuart Rothenberg, Jim Wallis, Jonathan Capehart, Amy Goodman, and Jonathan Alter moderating.
I was particularly interested in the takes of Brooks and Rothenberg. They were smart, knowledgeable, eloquent... and utterly wrong.
Brooks was even-handed with both candidates. He suggested that McCain's biggest failing was his weakness as a manager (I said I was far more concerned with the disastrous direction in which he wants to lead the country). And he criticized Obama for lacking the "Senatorial skills" of either McCain or Hillary Clinton. (In an unrelated riff, Brooks let the audience know that, based on an off-the-record conversation with President Bush, he could categorically assure us that we would not be bombing Iran.)
Towards the end of the panel we were all asked whom the nominees should pick as their VP. One of Brooks' recommendations for Obama was Tom Daschle because the former-Senator understands how to get things done. In Brooks World, the presidency is all about keeping the machinery greased and the cogs of government running smoothly. It's leadership as McDonald's management: keep serving up the tried and true, with maximum efficiency.
Rothenberg -- astute, detailed, and supremely confident -- dipped into his political analyst's bag and pulled out a steaming chunk of conventional wisdom, echoing his recent declaration that "This whole election is about swing voters. Whoever wins them, will win the election." Where have we heard that before? Oh, yeah, that's right -- from countless inside-the-Beltway pundits and Democratic strategists in every election the Democrats have lost, going back a generation.
But, as we've seen, Barack Obama is not immune to the seductive call of the Conventional Wisdom sirens. And it's a call that's only going to get louder. He'll hear it from the chorus of pundits standing outside his window -- folks like The New Republic's Noam Scheiber, who today counseled Obama that being labeled a "typical politician" is a very good thing for him because it will assure wary voters that he won't do anything rash.
He'll hear it from some of the advisors inside his campaign. Folks like the aforementioned Daschle, for whom caution is part of his political DNA. Don't forget, as Senate Majority Leader, Daschle had gone along with the president's desire to hold the vote authorizing war with Iraq before the 2002 elections because he and many other Democrats believed an early vote could help shift the focus off the war and onto the economy, which they felt was their strong suit. And we saw how well that strategy turned out. Daschle was also the poster child for Democratic spinelessness on the war, going from supporting the use of force to questioning it to ultimately supporting it with his vote because he felt it was crucial for America "to speak with one voice at this critical time." And we know how well that turned out, too.
Obama will also hear the siren call from inside his own head. According to Brooks, Obama's overriding personal characteristic is caution.
So, to counter the conventional wisdom pundits, the cautious campaign advisers, and his own inner cautiousness, I'm offering Obama the following suggestions for staying true to the vision and message that took him from longshot "unlikely candidate" to presidential frontrunner -- and for avoiding the fate of the many before him who fell prey to the misguided belief that the path to the White House runs down the middle of the road.
1) Load up your Kindle with passages from leaders who were looking to fundamentally change the country and following an inner compass, not the latest focus-group results. Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King would be a good place to start.
"Some men see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream of things that never were and ask, 'Why not?'" (RFK)
"There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right." (King)
2) Load up your iPod with passages from your own speeches. They've inspired others; now let them re-ignite the inspirational leader in you.
"This campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us - it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice - to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.... That's why I'm in this race. Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation."
3) Get your campaign to give you a printout of the names of the over 1.5 million people who have donated to your campaign (at an average of $197 each). Give that list a read every day; feel the heft. And remember -- sorry, Stu Rothenberg -- that the tried-and-untrue swing voter strategy is what has led to the Democratic Party's prolonged identity crisis. Forget the fence sitters. Instead, continue to speak to those who have turned their backs on the electoral process -- those who are struggling without health care, without decent schools, without jobs, without hope.
4) Tape to your mirror the poll results from July 2004, where Kerry was up by six, and June of 1988, where Dukakis was up by 15... and don't get complacent.
5) Go to YouTube and watch the concession speeches of Kerry, Gore, and Hillary Clinton, each of whom decided to run to the middle in an attempt to attract undecided swing voters.
6) Don't let the daily petty squabbles of the campaign distract you from the core message that this campaign is not a referendum on John McCain's war record or the level of your patriotism -- but rather on the future of America. Are we a nation driven by hope and promise or a nation driven by fear?
When Bobby Kennedy was agonizing over whether or not to run in 1968, he told one of his advisors: "People are selfish. But they can also be compassionate and generous, and they care about the country. But not when they feel threatened. That's why this is such a crucial time. We can go in either direction. But if we don't make a choice soon, it will be too late to turn things around. I think people are willing to make the right choice. But they need leadership. They're hungry for leadership." Forty years later, we are starving for it. Real leadership, not a poll-driven facsimile. Not swing-state, swing-voter leadership. Leadership defined by an ability to capture our imagination and a willingness to challenge us. Leadership geared to transforming the country through the audacity of hope instead of keeping it mired in the politics of fear and division.
7) Heed the old Texas advice of Dandy Don Meredith and Molly Ivins: "You got to dance with them what brung you."
Voters longing for hope, inspiration, a new kind of politics, and fundamental change are "them that brung you" to the big dance. Don't let the pundits, the advisors, and the cowards convince you to let someone else cut in.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
He is not an ideologue, much as you want him to be one. Remember, he very clearly said that he was against this war because it was stupid and unnecessary—but he’s not against all wars—and he has voted for money for the troops. Just because his instincts are more centrist, than you like, doesn’t mean that he is “moving to the center” for political reasons.
How about re-reading “Audacity of Hope”—that, to me, shows a very nuanced guy who is trying to work with all the people instead of the 50.1% that you seem to be angling for. As you know, the perfect is indeed the enemy of the good.
Remember that Barrack is for real change—a change in the paradigm. For the first time since Jackson, we actually seem to have the ability (through the inter-net) for a real participatory democracy. But we still need a leadership willing to include and balance the needs of all sides in our heterogeneous society. And, Barrack, our community organizer, is the guy that is committed to do just that.
He is not an ideologue, much as you want him to be one. Remember, he very clearly said that he was against this war because it was stupid and unnecessary—but he’s not against all wars—and he has voted for money for the troops. Just because his instincts are more centrist, than you like, doesn’t mean that he is “moving to the center” for political reasons.
How about re-reading “Audacity of Hope”—that, to me, shows a very nuanced guy who is trying to work with all the people instead of the 50.1% that you seem to be angling for. As you know, the perfect is indeed the enemy of the good.
Remember that Barrack is for real change—a change in the paradigm. For the first time since Jackson, we actually seem to have the ability (through the inter-net) for a real participatory democracy. But we still need a leadership willing to include and balance the needs of all sides in our heterogeneous society. And, Barrack, our community organizer, is the guy that is committed to do just that.
While the Commission on Presidential Debates won't let Nader into their debates, Google / YouTube are now planning a debate for September 18. The website is:
www.neworleansdebate.org
Unfortunately, right now a candidate must be at 10% in national polls to be included. Nader is doing better this year than in any previous year--he's at 6% nationally. But he will probably be excluded by this rule. Go to the debate website and click on the "Contact Us" link; tell them to make it 5%.
This would get in Nader--and also Bob Barr (Libertarian Party). This is important because if Bob Barr gets votes that might otherwise go to McCain, there is less worry about Nader getting votes that might otherwise go to Obama. But it still puts Nader into the debate where he can hold Obama's feet to the fire. Barr is also anti-war, so this also pulls Obama in that direction--and it makes it three anti-war candidates against McCain.
Spend your time and money electing 15 or 20 more liberal democrats to Congress. That will do a lot more to influence presidential policy than relying upon either candidate.
Slowly and subtly, Barack Obama is wiping out every reason to vote for McCain
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/andrew_sullivan/article4275040.ece
Yes, Mr. Obama is a politician and a damn good one, otherwise he could never have come so far so fast.
Are I and other Obama supporters dismayed by some of his recent positions? You bet! But to even contemplate the idea that, given what's important to us, John McSame would be a better choice for President is beyond ludicrous. We are FED UP with what you Repugnantcans have given us for the last seven and a half years. We sure do not need four of eight more years of the same policies and procedures which is what we'd get Mr. Double Talk Express.
The only possiblity of undoing the damage this country and the US Constitution has suffered under this administration is an intelligent President, a Democratic President, and significant majorities in both houses of Congress.
Vote no on ALL Repugnantcans. They've earned it.
This is so offensive. Don't assume that what you don't give a flying f about is the same as everyone else. That old distinction between self and other... "special interests" here is used as a big stick to try to bully people who'd like a more equitable country for themselves whatever the reason.
More tax cuts for more hedge fund managers who will make more money moving more factories to Mexico so they can import more Mexican housekeepers to take care of more mansions and have more unemployed Americans to send to more useless wars which the hedge fund managers don't pay for because they will simply fund more public debt from China for more deficits while they visit their Park Avenue doctors and their maids get the best health care in the world on medicaid while the laid off factory workers ponder their "choices" in the world of mega corporate health insurers.
If anybody thinks this picture will change under McCain then consider that he recently reiterated his stay the course message in Iraq before boarding a flight to Colombia on the 4th of July week end where he met with the elites who will become billionaires on the latest trade deal while gutting the American middle class and the population of Colombia and the environment simultaneously.
The republican response to this critique is that democrats are for gay marriage.
Couldn't have said it better myself!
He's got to stick with the forward thinking vision thing to win so his VP should reflect that spirit. Jerry Brown is the ticket.
"Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean its not true" Ornette Coleman
I've been turned off lately by his actions. I'm still going to support him, but he needs to get back on track with where he was in the primaries.