WTF? Lieberman? Clinton? That's EXACTLY The Obama I Voted For
Some of my fellow progressives are understandably gnashing their teeth over the sparing of Judas Joe Lieberman. They may find it ironic that Hillary Clinton -- who wrote most of the script for the McCain attacks on Barack Obama -- might end up as Secretary Of State if she decides to. On MSNBC, Chris Matthews was sputtering with frustration over the "nice'" and Chuck Todd wondered how long the liberal blogosphere would put up with it.
Speaking for my tiny little chunk of the liberal blogosphere, I don't like Joe Lieberman. I was disgusted by Hillary's campaign. And I couldn't be happier with Obama's decisions.
You see, I took all that talk about new politics seriously. In speech after speech, Obama said we had to move past "the smallness of our politics" and he didn't single out the Republicans. He didn't say the smallness of their politics. The smallness has been in both parties and it's turned our political system into a decades long episode of Crossfire where angry and self-righteous adherents shout at each other across an infinite abyss because they are both totally convinced of the righteousness of their own positions.
With these early pre-Presidential decisions, Obama is showing confidence in the idea that he ran on; that America was ready for not just new policies but for a whole new approach to governing. It's the biggest possible change I can imagine.
It's not just good politics. It isn't some clever move. It's what those better angels Obama kept mentioning look like. No wonder it's confusing to so many people of all ideological stripes.
Mind you, I'm not claiming to be above this. I've done my share of partisan growling and barking and I surely will again. It's not your problem, brothers and sisters. It's mine. It's ours.
And on that note, I'll end with a quote from one of the most profoundly religious films ever; Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.... I quote from the book of Jules Pitt in the scene at the very end of the movie.
If you want to picture yourself as Samuel L. Jackson sitting in a diner and aiming a huge pistol at Joe Lieberman (Pumpkin) and you want to imagine Hillary in the role of Honey Bunny, feel free. It's kind of fun.
JULES
You read the Bible?
PUMPKIN
Not regularly.JULES
There's a passage I got memorized.
Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the
righteous man is beset on all sides
by the inequities of the selfish
and the tyranny of evil men.
Blessed is he who, in the name of
charity and good will, shepherds
the weak through the valley of the
darkness. For he is truly his
brother's keeper and the finder of
lost children.
And I will strike down upon thee
with great vengeance and furious
anger those who attempt to poison
and destroy my brothers. And you
will know I am the Lord when I lay
my vengeance upon you."I been sayin' that shit for years. And if
you ever heard it, it meant your
ass. I never really questioned
what it meant. I thought it was
just a cold-blooded thing to say to
a motherfucker 'fore you popped a
cap in his ass. But I saw some
shit this mornin' made me think
twice. Now I'm thinkin', it could
mean you're the evil man. And I'm
the righteous man. And Mr. .45
here, he's the shepherd protecting
my righteous ass in the valley of
darkness. Or is could by you're
the righteous man and I'm the
shepherd and it's the world that's
evil and selfish. I'd like that.
But that shit ain't the truth. The
truth is you're the weak. And I'm
the tyranny of evil men. But I'm
tryin'. I'm tryin' real hard to be
a shepherd.Jules lowers his gun, lying it on the table.
Lee Stranahan is a film maker and writer who has started work on his first feature length documentary project - a film about the state of race relationships after the 2008 election.
Follow Lee Stranahan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Stranahan
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Hey Lee, Loved your comments, absolutely loved that spoof of a movie, but is laying, not lying...
Jules lowers his gun, lying it on the table = Jules lowers his gun, laying it on the table.
You see folks we, teetering toward the left, have our share of loonies also. Similar to the righteous right they too are narrow focused and often one issue supporters. Theirs most often. The concept of compromise for the common good does not enter into their souls. It's me, me, me, or nothing.
I too will hold my mouth and support the man I think I know. If he is half of the man potrayed in his books I'm more than happy.
Me too.
Just as long has Obama has a Plan 'B', because Lieberman and Clinton might work out well, or they might not.
Obama good Bush evil. Now that's change I can believe in.
Thanks Lee for your article. Just excellent & much needed. It's only TWO WEEKS since the election & the amount of bad tempered complaining is ridiculous. The Prez Elect is smarter than most of us and has been more than upfront about who he is. Everybody should at least give the guy until Jan 21 before biting his head off.
Thank you, Lee Stranahan! Anyone who has read "The Audacity of Hope" knows Obama wasn't just blowing smoke in the campaign. Magnanimous choices, yes, but also smart. Old Chinese proverb: "Keep friends close & enemies closer." Obama seems able to go one better and convert enemies into friends. It may take some time for those who love to be righteous to truly get this (I'd like to kick Lieberman in the shins myself). But it is what I have most admired about Obama since I first heard him speak at the Democratic Convention in 2004. Lee is right. That mindset represents huge change!
And look, any Dem with any experience was in the Clinton administration. Should Obama just bring in a bunch of kids who’ll spend the first year trying to find the Rayburn Building? And the people he is looking at are more often than not folks who have been with him throughout the campaign. As for Clinton, she and Biden are long time friends, so a good pairing for Biden who is forceful, independent, and deep on foreign affairs.
Obama must hit the ground running full speed to turn the Titanic even a degree or two to miss about five looming icebergs all connected under the surface. He'll have to be able to act and work with people to get legislation passed very quickly. I say "GObama! And keep the gun down, shepherd!"
My thoughts exactly! Isn't it a little early for people to jump off the bandwagon?
Yes Memphisphoenix and Gotcha - it's way to early to jump ship or get all bent out of shape...
I WAS freaked about the elevation of Hillary & Rahm, and the pardon of Judas Joe... But I now appreciate the method behind the seeming madness.
"Tit for Tat" never got anyone anywhere except in trouble (aka = up a creek without a paddle or cutting off your nose to spite your face...)
Liberal/lefties must figure this out too: Get over it, and get on with it. Otherwise we're doomed with an never ending cycle of despair.
Lieberman has already written his own epitaph...
As for the likes of Hillary and Rahm - they are strategically wise choices - not for all the cynical reasons the pundits spout on cable TV - but because these are experienced people, who know what they're doing and can hit the ground running. And NONE of them are flunky "loyalists" (see GWB History 2001-2008) or just Google "Heck of a job Brownie...
They shouldn't be viewed through the lens of being Clinton re-treads - they are all very bright, talented people who had the misfortune of getting caught up in Bill Clinton's immaturity and personal recklessness (polite words..)
Obama not only deserves a real chance - he deserves a full four year grace period considering the utter disaste/legacy Bush & Co.will be leaving him with...
Mr. Stranahan---
Thank you so much for your post.
I was wondering if I was the only one out here who has those very same thoughts. I too believed Obama from the beginning when he has said that he wanted a "different kind of politics" and was interested in "giving everyone a seat at the table. He didn't just mean 'I'm interested in giving everyone who agrees with me on everything, a seat at the table'.
The thing that gives me assurance is that he has the judgement and intelligence to listen, to make up his own mind, and then be the leader.
I hope people stop praising Obama's potential selection of Hillary solely based on their supposed status as (former) rivals, and start asking why he would potentially select someone whom he described in the Dem Primaries as having little to no foreign policy experience. The position of Sec. of State is critical in putting a face on our foreign policy and in guiding our actions in the international community, so could we please start talking about who is and isn't qualified and stop talking about how Lincoln-like this potential selection could be?
Elect the man and hold him responsible for success and failure, that's the rule. So, if you then dictate his team then you can't hold him responsible. Simple management 101. Obama's reaching out to former foes, and a Judas to boot, is what many us see as very positive actions that will help the country heal from the last many years of real and manufactured crises. I am including the Clinton years when much of his and Congress's efforts were spent fighting each other. Plus, the republican's have over the last two or three decades perfected the "southern" strategy and wedge politics. This created the red and blue divisions that may be waning some but still exist. I am happy to see him aggressively building his team and staying on message. We need to heal.
We, each one of us, are a vital part of that healing. How we live and interact with one another is everything.
You are completely right. I don't get why that hasn't clicked with some people yet.
Wasn't the character named Jules Winnfield?
This was pointed out below - I got Pitt from the Big Kahuna burger scene
Some of us just don't get it, do we? Obama is doing exactly what he said he would do while campaigning. Do you expect him to hold grudges? No. Do you want him to have a Cabinet of ignorant, incompetent people? No. This guy wants only the best for us. His policy is one of change. We have been abused for eight (8) long years by the current administration and sometimes when you are abused for so long, one feels that is the way he/she is suppose to exist. Obama is new and refreshing, forgiving and kind, truly about the business of the America people. He is someone we have never seen before. Anger, the way many wants him to get is not his style. I recommend that we wait and see, continue to pray for him and for each other. Truly, America will be so much better under his leadership.
Obama is corporate.
Let me repeat what december30 said......
Where did we get with the Bush Administration, which relied SOLELY on loyalty as the litmus test for cabinet worthiness? It got us in this stinking mess we are in now. I think -- no, I KNOW -- Barack Obama is way smarter than that.
Hillary will be a fabulous SoS, and better than fancy-pants Kerry or the more machismo Richardson. And I'm sure Barack will offer each of them some post in his administration.
But all the rabid left wingers and right wingers who foam at the trough of loyalty underestimate Obama or really weren't observing him closely during either of the campaigns (primary and national.) He isn't going to be a slave to old politics. He doesn't worship at the altar of loyalty. He wants many divergent and muscular opinions on every issue. He will hear it all and make his decisions.
He is not your father's Oldsmobile, and he will not bow to the chattering class calling for "elections should matter" and "where's the change we were looking for?" OBAMA is the change.
So let me understand
You elected Obama because you wanted a Democrat who would enact a right-wing agenda with right-wing appointments?
So in fact, the talked of "change" was not a shift to the left by the nation, but instead, a further shift to the right by the Democrats in the name of cooperation. Once semi-left, then centrist under Carter and Clinton, now the Democrats have come full circle!
We now have TWO neoliberal globalist parties! And peace be damned, YOU are happy Mr Stranahan! Go pat your hard-reasoning self on the back!
No, I voted for Obama because I thought he was going actually change the tone that's mainly benefited the GOP's awful policies for years.
Oh please. Obama enacting "a right-wing agenda with right-wing appointments"? Quit the nonsense of labels (right wing, semi-left, neoliberal etc) and start dealing with specific ideas and policies. We have had way too many years of getting lost in label land and all the segmented realities that requires. Good ideas get scrubbed because they don't fit into some premade mold. Boring at best, destructive at worst. If you were ever really listening to Obama and not just putting him into one of your molds, you would have known he was about something different. I for one am thankful he is living up to his promises.
Perfectly said. We've just completed 8 years of separation between the White House and the needs on the country because the right wing owned the GOP and insisted on their agenda without compromise. Now it's suggested by many on the left that we duplicate that approach. I want better and I want to stop this damned self righteousness. There's much work to be done and every part of the country must begin to learn that compromise is essential to get the job done.
Your reply reminds me of the mantra of the Naderites in 2000......
Kind of wrong then, huh? About as wrong as your letter now.
Get real.
No, we elected Obama because he is obviously intelligent, not impulsive or rash, but a person of deep thought ~~~ finally, a leader who is quietly competent, rather than a boastful buffoon.
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