Obama and the Courage of our Convictions

A year or so ago I wrote a book entitled The Courage of Our Convictions. It urged Democratic leaders to restate the principles that guided the party successfully through the age of Roosevelt (1932-1968): commitment to national community, security alliances, citizen obligation, and equality and justice. Only when our principles are clear can voters know who we are and identify with us and can we develop persuasive and effective policies,and programs. Principles, policies, programs.

The Iowa caucus results seem to support this ideal. Senator Obama is a man of principle. He is committed to restoring a sense of national community to America. He believes in restoring our security alliances through active diplomacy and engaging those who disagree with us in constructive dialogue. He restates the requirement that we all give something back to America, to become engaged in the public arena, in the national interest. And, most important, he is the walking embodiment of equality and justice.

Already the Obama candidacy has sent a powerful message around a watching world: The torch has been passed to a new generation of American leaders, and we don't care what color it is.

As one who has struggled throughout a lifetime for restoration of idealism to American politics, I can only smile, and perhaps shed a tear of happiness, that our time may have come.

This is a new day in America. Let's call it hope.

Comments

[DruidChieftain]

Almost at the start of Hillary's run I've been backing away. Kicking off the campaign with Rupert’s backing woke me. Facts like she comes as convert from the Goldwater upbringing. When she started to call herself a progressive and at the same time resisted distancing herself from corporate alliances it became crystal clear to me that Hillary only gets my vote if and when she get's the Democratic nomination. In view of the fact Kucinich could not realistically make the cut I was happy with John Edwards. Truly talking about structural changes and with low negatives compared to Hillary I said to myself, "self we just might have a republican slayer here".

The media confounded things in my opinion. Maybe to block/hinder John Edwards for Hillary's sake maybe just because of the Clinton machines power over the party and the system or again maybe not.

Anyway Edwards still looks the cleanest on special interest, clearest on clarity of the mission, and strongest as a counter balance to the status quo.

John Edwards remains my first choice based on the principles I hold dear and was brought up with as a son of the American Dream, one that believes in a UNITED STATES governed for the WHOLE of the PEOPLE not the corpocracy fooling burdened peoples with amoral intent as if republicanism or libertarian freedoms and liberties can even exist without fair progressive government. What they want in the extreme is the ultimate liberty to enslave others to their amoral god money absolute, as the strongest legal control.

Barak Obama remains my #2 choice credentials wow, American without question, A bit young/johnny come lately that is where he is today as a pick relative to Edwards whom deserves this round. One blog really looked at his team. There are questions about the old guard.

With an Obama candidacy, we tell to the world, we can control ourselves, rite our ship, live at higher moral level.

I'd be interested to know others feelings of the pro's and con's of these two men.


Tom J. Flaherty
Concerned Citizen
Quincy, MA

[TheKiddy]

So why Gary are you talking to Mike Bloomberg?

[Silknspark]

I walk with Obama until he heads down that road of Socialism.
Socialism, regardless who presents it, or how it is presented, is still ugly, unfair, undesirable, unacceptable, cruel, unnecessary means of income redistribution to maintain a government for the government that completely disallows "WE THE PEOPLE."

[bobdob]

When I listen to Obama speak, I am inspired. Not because of who he is, but because he reminds me of who WE are. I want my country back. And Barack Obama has convinced me that he gets it--that he knows and loves and longs for the same America I do. I want him to be my president because I believe he wants me to be part of his presidency.

[hu.man]

Let's not forget that the Democrat rank and file will line up behind Hillary. The best hope for Obama is the young and first-time voters. He should focus on mobilizing them.

The party faithfuls will go with consensus candidate and that I believe is Clinton. Why was Bush picked over McCain in 2000? Because he was linked to party roots with his father. Same is at work with Clinton in this election cycle.

Party politics does not always produce the best candidate for the general election. The president is not a reflection of 'will of people' but the 'will of the political parties'.

I think one solution might be to throw everyone into a pot for one national primary election and have a run-off election with the top two vote getters going at it (regardless of party affiliation). This will factor out party politics in nomination process and will also keep parties involved in the process to get their chosen candidate elected. This is really to political parties' advantage because the candidate with the best chance to win will emerge out of this process.

[kathcalla]

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mark Penn and a veritable host of inner circle spinners and advisors suffer from a poverty of conscience, malignant arrogance, blindsidedness, and abject indifference but they cannot insult our collective social political intelligence or dampen the spirit or break the will of surging voters and Obama's Momentum in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and beyond. I can see Obama prevailing on February 5 in my state: New Jersey.

and yes i said yes i will yes -the last line of Ulysses, and the affirmation of all affirmations by James Joyce

[foreffectivegovernment]

The thing I "hope" is that Barack Obama has kept his "Pecker in his Pants" unlike you, so he can survive the Republican Swiftboating Machine if he becomes the Democratic Presidential candidate. The only "convictions" we need are the ones we give the Bush/Cheney gang for the crimes they have commited.
If you want to help the Democratic Party, join your old friend George McGovern who has decided the best thing for the U. S. would be the Impeachment of George W. Bush.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/04/AR2008010404308.html?hpid%3Dopinionsbox1&sub=AR
Democrats can not restore idealism to American politics until we quit getting our asses beat by a party that has no principles of equality and justice, only fear and greed.

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Are you saying Obama is a uniter, not a divider?

[gussini]

The dark age in America could abruptly end or continue for ever. It is in our hands, in the hands of the enlightened and young to put this great nation in the place she deserves. The caveman wants to succumb in fear and bankrupt our economy in military spending;Bush and the crazy neocons are helping him to just do that

[lentinelia]

Obama's statement the other night about why he has voted for all the funding bills for the Iraq war was right out of Bush's mouth. We're supporting the troops sez he.

But to liberals like Hart, and to reborn conservatives like Huffington it matters not. We should be proud because the Iowans voted for a corporate representative whose father was born in Kenya.

Lambs led to the slaughter are we.

[RepublicanBrain]

You are making a really false assumption here. That to prove we don't care about race, we must elect a minority race. This is false. This is caring more about color than the ones who supposedly do.

It is thoughts like that which keep a race-based ideology prevalent.

[blackrome]

I'll shed a tear if Obama says he will hold Bush accountable for his crimes.

Thats the first step in repairing our image and most importantly saving our democracy form the next Reagan/Bush. Criminals.

[MAX1]

.

HOW CAN OBAMA GET THE TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WHEN HE VOTES TO FUND THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

OBAMA EVEN ENTERTAINS INVADING PAKISTAN!

WHAT KIND OF PERSON CAN HOLD TWO OPPOSING TRUTHS AS THEIR TRUTH?

.

[longislandlol]

Thank you--- You are all Heart, Mr. Hart.. and you would have been a great Pres....

[knerd]

Obama vs. Huckabee? Could be.

Both have heart, both have a populist's sense of empathy and social justice nurtured by strong religious beliefs.
Huckabee leans toward being a member of the literalist, fundamentalist camp. There is a fear of modernity and secularism and belief trumps fact when science and faith bump heads.
This understandable fear and dislocation motivate both the suicide bomber and the uncontrolled rage and violence that sometimes simmer beneath the veneer of fundamentalist piety.
Barack, I think, has his core religious beliefs but he seems to use them as a place to stand on rather than as a place to seek protection.

If it is Obama and Huckabee at the end--the corporate/political will have been bypassed by the voters. That will be something.