What's Wrong with Being a Lefty?

When NBC's Tim Russert questioned Senator Barack Obama on being far to the left, Obama should have responded with pride, and said, "Well yes, I am a lefty and am in great company."

Many presidents who are quite deft have functioned on the left.

Just ask Hillary Clinton. While she may be bereft at what she considers the theft of her rightful position of Democratic nominee, she need only look to her husband and see yet another left-handed charmer who managed to win the hearts of the public and beat a competitor with more gravitas and experience. Not only is Bill Clinton left-handed but so was the Republican's patron saint, Ronald Reagan.

As Maureen Dowd, the New York Times' sassy sage observed, "experience doesn't beat excitement" and "voters gravitate toward the presidential candidates who seem more comfortable in their skin," such as Clinton, JFK and Reagan and W.

And while JFK may not have been left-handed, his two children were including Caroline Kennedy, whose endorsement helped propel Obama's candidacy to soaring heights.

Another key left-handed supporter for Obama was Oprah Winfrey whose endorsement helped conflicted women see the light that their vote should be based on who is the best candidate and not swayed by gender.

The writer Chris McManus, author of Right Hand, Left Hand, argues that left-handed people are often high achievers and that "left-handers' brains are structured differently in a way that widens their range of abilities." In fact, the genes that determine left-handedness also govern development of the language centers of the brain.

Fortunately, some studies have revealed a link between left-handedness and creative intelligence. Doesn't this trait apply to Senator Barack Obama?. After all, for his so-called inexperience, he has managed to organize a campaign that outsmarted the "experienced" candidate.

It is no secret that President George W. Bush botched his presidency by being too right, and should have leaned a little left like his left-handed father, George Bush.

We have no worries about Obama being too right, only right in his conviction to change America and bring us back on course. But challenges lie ahead. The economy is tanking and he doesn't want to be remembered for that other left-handed president, Herbert Hoover, whose clueless financial policy threw the nation into depression. Perhaps he'll be a visionary thinker like left-hander Benjamin Franklin and smart enough to assemble an innovative team to help calm the financial tremors rippling globally. If investing in energy reform, Obama could distribute some of Exxon's bloated profits to fix many domestic problems. It just takes some innovative thinking and courage.

As for Hillary Clinton? She will soon have to hand over the prize to Obama but perhaps she can demand to be the Senate Majority Leader, a role that best suits her talents.

But just imagine White House dinners filled with lefties. How interesting would it be if Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Jessica Parker, Paul McCartney, Natalie Cole, U.S. Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Anthony Kennedy and even Republicans like Steve Forbes all were guests at evenings designed to showcase an invigorated country and Presidency? To that I say, "Right On!"

Comments

[peonyharp]

I'm a southpaw Liberal, so a lefty times two. :)

As for the left-handed dinner party, one little nicety -- no one bumping elbows (or rushing for the corner seats).

[moderationsmuse]

I cannot say that I see much advantage in being a lefty, nor any advantage in being right. We have to use the whole brain. Similarly, we need to muster the whole citizenry if we want the nation to really blossom. I think we've have altogether too much of partisanship and not enough of commonwealth.
Anyway, one can certainly shift back and forth between modes. I am right handed, and I usually vote Republican, a fact that has gained me undue criticism here at Huff Po. But I'm an artist, and I sometimes draw with my left hand -- as here http://flowerstudiesaftercezanne.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_4875.html
and most the time I draw with my right hand -- as here http://flowerstudiesaftercezanne.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_7553.html
And I think both ways of drawing are wonderful. I began drawing with my left hand to see what it would be like to use the right hemisphere of my cortex in a direct way. Because it's not my typical habit, the line is shakey. And I discovered that I loved this wavering outline.
So, what do you suppose we might gain by getting outside our confort zones, from time to time, and looking at the world through the eyes of someone different. Lefties, I think you ought to all go hug an Evangelical today. It would do you good.

[Lemeritus]

moderationsmuse, you are absolutely my favorite "usually vote Republican" and I'm happy to see you, as always.

[moderationsmuse]

What a sweet comment! Greetings to you, as well. -- Muse

[TRex86]

Speaking as an unapologetic leftist (right-handed qua ambidextrous) the left: right political dichotomy is a dodge. Likewise liberal: conservative has no real meaning. American politics is a joust between corporate interests competing to feed at the public trough. Ideology died a long time ago. The labels are camouflage. Both sides of the aisle morph into convenient coalitions in order to advance their views. And both political parties are merely the opposite ends of a European social democratic party.
The Republicans have been more talented at opportunistic alliances of radically disparate groups: theocrats, plutocrats, and libertarians (for the benefit of the plutocrats). The Democrats reflect the amorphous ideological views of most Americans but have been artless in creating and moving a coherent agenda. Both Gore and Kerry were vastly better candidates than the fratboy from Texas, but foundered because they didn't stand for anything other than not being Bush.
Whether they say a word, simply by holding office Hillary and Barack stand for something important. Either represents a watershed event in our history. Either could be as feckless a President as Franklin Pierce and Cal Coolidge put together yet they represent something profound, the end of the rule of the Good Ole White Boys.
I have longed for this day.

[research]

While I consider myself a liberal Libertarian, most of these political words have no fixed meaning. Lefty for instance. The rethugs spend millions of dollars piosoning any name we come up with.

Progressive liberal populist is pretty good.

It the conservatism and republican that people should be embarrassed to admit.

[Marrob]

This looks weird

[hank48188]

You're right he should have played up his lefty connections more, not only does he belong to a Church that Honors Louis Farrakahn as a Great Man, but Obama also has the support of the WEATHERMAN TERRORISTS that live in Chicago, Bernardine Dohrn and William Ayers, who bombed the PENTAGON and other Gov't buildings in the 70's

[SteveCox]

Nothing wrong with being left handed, but being too far to the left politically is not only wrong and bad for the country, it is a losing hand in the long run.

If Obama does get elected, which I feel he won't because there will be too many people coming out to vote against the first black in the oval office, he will end up hurting the progressive cause by over reaching to his left.

That has been the mistake of the Bush admin. They over reached to the right and harmed their party. Now, we should have no problem getting the top job. But, it looks like we already have over reached and decided to gamble with the first AA. You could say the first female was a gamble too, but I think a doable one.

It is going to be a sad day when by all rights we should win. We will have a candidate that is 20 times as dynamic as our opponent, is more right on all the issues, yet, we will still lose.

So way to go lefties. Your quick left jab just got picked off and is about to get crammed back in your faces!

And am I upset about it? No! I think it is right that black people feel what the Clintons felt at their hands; getting thrown under the bus in SC and backed over a few thousand times just to ensure they could climb up on their dead bodies to get to the mountain top. Sounds more like Farrakhan;s vision, than MLK's to me.

So am I a racist? I guess not any more than most of the black people in this country, or the left handed guilted white people who are patting themselves on the back for being so accepting at the risk of destroying our country.

I don't know about left handed people, but lefty politicos die sooner, as do all idealist.

RIP: Democratic Party!

[Eoin45]

What a load of crap. It's clear that this country is ready to elect a black man. At the risk of destrying our Country? Complete hyperbole.

[AnotherunhappyDemocrat]

Trust me, although Obama may be left-handed (which, of course, is indeed a sign of a "superior intellect", and evidence that he can indeed overcome many, many obstacles in this "right-handed" dominated society) only an extremist, who has bought into the propaganda of the Republican Party would argue that Obama is too far to the left. His positions aren't that different from Hilary Clintons, making him, at best a moderate Democrat. I see no reason for fear.

[CaroleS]

As a southpaw myself, I'd have to agree that left handers do tend to be high achievers. In fact, Ed Wright in his book, 'A Left-handed History of the World', concludes that left handers have a "disproportionate presence in the history of the world".
We're certainly a very creative bunch. In addition to the film stars and musicians you name, other left handers include UK musicians such as David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Bob Geldof and Sting, as well as movie stars Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, Jim Carrey and Demi Moore. Prince William is also left handed.
And think of all the world-class lefty tennis players. Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Rafael Nadal to name but five.
Being left is alright.
Carole from www.thelefthandedsite.com

[SteveCox]

You lose points for not bringing up Jimi Hendix!

[castlerider]

Jill, I scroll through these headlines a lot and love it when someone grabs my attention with few words like you just did.
Thanks so much for saying what you do here.

It is a failure on the part of the left that there is not a well nurtured ethno-centricism that we use to confront pundits and screwballs like Russert, who is little more then a lapdog for the corporate media. Ironically, I believe that is springs from a feeling of modesty and humility that it is now high time we cast aside and stand up, and look straight at the camera and tell the world we are right, and we know damn well that we are right to be left!!!

Wake up, progressives!! YOU are the ones who are here to save the planet!! YOu are the ones who will make the difference to make this a better world and offer a better future for our children! The world desperately needs you and could not wait a second longer for the changes we need so badly!!!

Thanks Jill, for a great post.

[AnninCA]

One thing I'm sure about is that the public is thoroughly tired of labels.

Left? Right? Center?

We don't care.

[Lemeritus]

We don't??? Oh, what a relief!

[ditsylilg]

As a lefty, I can attest that lefties are in their right mind. Right-handers use the left side of their brain, while left-handers use the right side (organization, attention to detail are two aspects of the right side of the brain).

[Issak]

Well, Obama was honest, he's right of center on most issues. More so even than Hillary, at least she's not threatening to "reform" affirmative action- nor does she refer to unions as special interest groups.

[MaxMarginal]

Jon Stewart, Kurt Cobain, Ned Flanders...

[Doofus]

Hey, people, OBAMA IS LEFT-HANDED.

Ms Brooke is making a little joke.

And a sinister one at that.

[moderationsmuse]

How gauche.

[Lemeritus]

Sinister? Gauche?

Language lovers, rejoice!

[mlmstate]

Ross Perot and John McCain are also Lefties.

Bob Dole is a converted Lefty.