Obama's Call to Service Is the Key to Electing Him President

Last week, while visiting the evangelical stronghold of Colorado Springs, Barack Obama struck a theme that perhaps more than any other will elect him president.

"There is a lesson to be learned from generations who have served: from soldiers and sailors, airmen and Marines, suffragists and freedom riders, teachers and doctors, cops and firefighters. It's the lesson that in America, each of us is free to seek our own dreams, but we must also serve a common purpose, a higher purpose," said Obama.

More than anything else people want to live meaningful lives. They want meaningful lives even more than they want the economic success that is so important in politics. In fact they often want that economic success precisely because it will allow them to live meaningful lives.

Meaning has two major components. First, you have to feel that you are part of something bigger than yourself. Second, you have to believe that you can personally play a significant role in achieving that meaningful goal. Meaning is about commitment.

The Right has understood and addressed this need for meaning for years. Their appeals to xenophobic nationalism and racial politics are all aimed squarely at addressing that need. Of course, patriotism and religious commitment of any sort are all about providing a sense of meaning.

But for many election cycles, Democrats have often failed to claim the high ground in the values debate. They have forgotten that it is not right-wing individualism but progressive values that are fundamentally about commitment to others.

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The true contrast between right-wing and progressive values is between a dog-eat-dog, law-of-the-jungle, survival-of-the-fittest view of the world on the one hand; and a political philosophy that is rooted in the belief that success in life is not just about what we do for ourselves but in service to each other.

Democrats -- with our progressive values -- are the party of commitment, service and true patriotism. For many years we have lost elections -- and the center of the political dialogue -- because of our unwillingness to speak out boldly for our values, or even talk about our values.

Fundamentally, Democrats lost the last presidential election because while we talked about policies and programs, the Republicans talked about right and wrong. Never again. Barack Obama understands that to his core.

Americans have been waiting for 40 years to have their spirits reawakened with a progressive call to service -- as when John Kennedy asked a generation to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

In this election, I believe Obama can rekindle the progressive, patriotic tradition of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," of Robert Kennedy's last campaign, or of Martin Luther King's call to service:

The ultimate measure of a man or woman is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother or sister to a higher and more noble life.

Progressive values are all about being true patriots -- about being committed to making a better future not just for the idea of America, but for the people of America.

Obama's embrace of that progressive, patriotic tradition will propel him to the presidency, and it gives us the potential to create a progressive transformation of American politics.

Robert Creamer is a long time political organizer and strategist, and author of the recent book "Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win," available on Amazon.com.

Comments

[scottarino]

With our economy every will have the oportunity to serve their country whether it be at the soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or the food bank real soon. This is not the America of the JFK years, this is corporate America today. You serve them, and they will let you get by until another paycheck next week. Getting folks to work for free is real conservative approach to business, we're seeing it today with low wages. Democrats need to shut up about being progressive and do it. You let our unions get busted into non-union low paying service industry jobs. You allowed the nightmare that is NAFTA. You voted for this money grab disguised as a war. You let neo-cons walk over you on sooooo important health care issues. I can promise you the American public will live up to it's end of the bargain if the Democrat party will make good on it's promises and actually get progressive instead of playing to the right of center, which is how it is today. The center today is not the center of 40 years ago, it's been moved well to the right. I expect my Democrat rep to get back to the left. We'll do our part. Don't worry about the public losing "meaning" in their lives. Take care of workers, stop allowing corporate capitalism run roughshod on working class which does a fine job at taking the "meaning" out of life when your constantly struggling to make ends meet.

[wayoutleft]

i am a fan of scottarino because scottarino can think and write. i "get" scottarino. i don't see where any of the foregoing has to be excused or explained. scottarino doesn't have to give my money back. i did not misunderstand scottarino. i am not confused or troubled by what scottarino will do next. there is nothing scottarino will have to undo or take back when he is in office. i would give every far off mountaintop obama gaze, every easy obama platitute about uniting, every quick obama shift- for scottarino's last 3 sentences.

[SonofLiberty1]

Yeah...teaching kids to speak spanish because IT'S THE LAW...and I thought we lived in America?

[ramara]

I also wanted to point out the plan to tie service to education grants. I wonder if an older person could also make the same deal for education. Imagine this as a way off welfare - so much better than what passes as welfare reform by putting women in dead-end jobs.

This is different than the draft of our youth - the choice is built in, you don't have to prove anything to exchange military service for public service. It was one of the things I liked about Edwards.

I am often taken aback by the meanness of social conservatives. Let's open people's minds.

[leftydem]

Having read Obama's book, Dreams , I know that he can talk about service with some conviction. This is a man who has spent his adult life serving others. And as someone who personally spends time each week volunteering at a food pantry, I know how just how powerful a community that serves really is. I think it's awesome that Obama expects our spoiled nation to do more than just consume. That's one of the big reasons he has my vote.

[bobsmith]

Anyone who"s been around awhile knows that a "meaningful life" has a lot to do with family, friends, relationships, and learning; and very little to do with government. The idea that a politician would provide "meaning" in our lives is ridiculous.

You seem to be hinting at some type of mandatory "national service". It's one thing for sell-out politicians to harm us by dismantling the constitution from afar; it's quite another for them to lay claim to the very persons of my children and grandchildren. If such a program were to gain traction, I would do everything in my power to keep them out of the grips of our corrupt government.

Regarding "patriotism"¦ Patriotism is a way to set one group of people against another. We could use a lot less "patriotism" and a lot more outrage about the actions of our government in recent years.

I would have to say that the sentiments expressed here have at least something to do with the fact that Obama raised the hopes of a lot of people, and then immediately trashed it after securing the nomination. By being the first politician in a generation to offer a little hope, and then dashing it, Obama has done more than any politician in recent times to lock in a permanent state of cynicism. Cynicism is almost always correct " I know that " and I should not have trusted him. I"ll never make that mistake again.

[scottarino]

Well put.

[wayoutleft]

it's a bait-and-switch attempt to take control of the issues. specifically, to substitute guilt-tripping for addressing peoples' social problems- to introduce "designer issues" behind which to fold on the serious class exploitation issues in this country. we now have a candidate making us feel guilty for the falling standard of living we have.

[sufi66]

The key is that he must stop equivocating.

[paulhray]

Robert Creamer is absolutely correct. Meaning and values are just as important for progressives and swing voters as for social conservatives. However they're least important for business conservatives.

In a national representative sample survey I did in March 2008 (sample size 2,000) there was strong support across the board from Americans for Obama's position on this:

51.4% of all likely voters agree a good social invention would be:
"All youth do national service for two years in good causes, the military being just one option"

68.5% of social and political opinion leaders who are likely voters agree.

55% of Obama and Clinton supporters who are likely voters agree

53% of Democrat likely voters agree, and 56% of Independents agree, while just 44.5% of Republicans agree.

[wayoutleft]

so with troops in the middle east, $4 gas, $12billion/month in war expenditure, no national health care, government spying, collapsing food and drug standards, loiss of control of our borders, citizens arming against each other, half a million jobs lost this year... you have concluded that some type of (possibly mandatory?) "national service" is the key to this election. is that about right? wow... might i suggest you get it together on the issues first? would that be ok? or is it better to bring up unconstitutional involuntary servitude and the specter of a draft- after the last president lied and squandered his way into losing 4500+ lives in the middle east -as an election tactic? i ask you.
you need to tell the cleaning crew at a big grocery store at dawn when they move the trash out that they need to sacrifice their $8.75/hr for others and not shop all the time. that would be a good place to start.

[GuyRC]

It is going to be harder for Obama to deliver a message than for Kennedy, the media has changed. The right have bought or bullied the media into submissive distributors of swiftboat truthiness.

[prochange]

When I lived in Germany I admired part of their draft policy. If you did not want to do military service you could chose to do service in a hospital, retirement home, or any other public service instead. The unfair thing was that only men were drafted.

All these people waving flags and pretending to be patriots,are protecting corporations - not people. Quality of life does not come from waging wars . Quality of life comes from living in a country where everybody can make a decent living and people care about each other.
The purpose of life is not "shop til you drop" and owning the latest gimmick will not make you happy. Interaction with other people and helping them (not on the Internet, or by texting, or visiting porn sites) creates happiness. Watching the Christie Brinkley divorce unfold, just proves my point. Rich, famous , beautiful and very unhappy.

Obama"s idea of service is a good solution.
Visiting people in hospitals and retirement homes, helping out elderly people, who live alone, babysitting for single moms, tutoring children, teaching English to new immigrants, teaching art and sports, cleaning neighborhoods, building and repairing houses after disasters , working in National Parks, being a foster parent or big brother or sister, just being a friend to a lonely person.

I am opposed to military service. Imagine how much good we could do with all the money which goes to war. We could have a country of educated, healthy and happy people.

[jhNY]

Kerry lost the election because the Republicans stole the election in Florida and in Ohio, not because he didn't articulate his policies. Pretending his lack of explanation is what hurt him is sort of ridiculous. If anything, the monontonius stentorian oratorical speaking style he employed throughout the campaign hurt him more than any of the ideas he attempted to articulate.

And service to whom exactly? We're presently, nearly all of us, in servitude to a predatory financial system which is devouring us at whatever rate is legal interest today, and aside from a few noises from Obama only yesterday, nobody in the hallowed halls of congress is exercising themselves overmuch about it, since in fairness to the legislators, it's hard to fight a battle from the inside of the enemy's breast pocket. Our debt, personal, private and public, will be the beneficiary of most of the service Americans might wish to or be compelled to offer for many years to come.

[harriscrl3]

This has been one of my problem with democrats they are certian things that they've conceded to the republicans like having a military thats NOT a republican issue. Security is an AMERICAN issue and it bugs me that democrats think that if you want to maintain on improve the military it means you are a hawk. NO it means that you are protecting your country. Having an excellent military doesnt lead to war in fact it should be the opposite. We need a military and its for security and peace. No body is saying that you are going to be fighting wars but you want to have a military thats in shape just in case. Its NOT the military thats the problem its the Leadership in the White House. I'm sick and tired of dems rolling over and conceding to rethugs. Becausae when they do that rethugs CORRUPT it. Military is one example Religion is another. Republicans corrupt religion by turning into a reason to hate and demonizing groups like gays and dems just LET THEM because religion is evil for Dems. There are times when I loathe democrats more than I do republicans seriously. They are not representative of the American people and yet the claim to be.

Carol

[Marlyn]

"I believe Obama can rekindle the progressive, patriotic tradition" ???

NOT if he couches his message in religion.

[Marlyn]

"we must also serve a common purpose, a higher purpose," said Obama.

So young people should sign up to become killers? NO THANKS!

[Guitarsandmore]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/sex-crimes-in-the-white-h_b_111221.html

National Service like the Peace Corp could possibly teach young people how to reach out and help others.

But right now U.S. institutions have such a complete disregard for the law and have a policy of abuse and sexual torture that none of them would qualify as a healthy environment for a young person.

I would not want any of my kids serving in the military or any other branch of the government.

Obama needs to restore the constitution before he can sell me on the idea of National Service.

One country with one legal system, please!

[Marlyn]

"Obama needs to restore the constitution before he can sell me on the idea of National Service."

Agreed.

[MyNameIsJames]

Great point!

Restore the Constitution first , then reform the political system - drive money out of Congressional decision making. After all of this -- we can start talking about national service--hopefully it will entail restoring civic engagement at the local and state level.