It Seems I Should Be For John Edwards -- So Why Am I For Obama?

I'm what they call a "left conservative." That means someone who remembers when progressives were united around a vision of global economic justice, someone who cautioned against the displacement of that vision during the rise of an otherwise completely righteous identity politics in the '70s.

In a nutshell, it means someone who realizes that, while it is a sign of progress when Richard Parsons and Carly Fiorina can become CEOs of major corporations--it is not fundamental progress, it does not change the nature of institutions.

Apart from good ole' Dennis, hapless as he is, John Edwards is the candidate who comes closest to reviving that old vision. And yet, somehow, I just can't be for the guy. I'm a bit embarrassed about my reasons, they are so superficial--his naked ambition, his smoothness and, yes, his hair: it adds up to a package I just don't trust. His commitment is palpable, but it feels like a lawyer's commitment, a professional commitment, a determination to win whatever case he has.

But with Obama? Well, it is passing strange. With the exception of Iraq, his positions are as centrist and vague as his rhetoric. His ties to big money are established. But he's got something else--no, he is something else.

Bill Clinton said it best, actually--while he was slicing and dicing Barack on the Charlie Rose show. Just a Symbol of Change, he opined, not an Agent of Change. Like Hillary (say what?).

As an old-fashioned leftie I should be skeptical of a mere symbol, shouldn't I? Well, it depends. Obama is a very special symbol. He transcends the culture wars and identity politics simply in virtue of who he is. Andrew Sullivan gets it right in a recent piece called--Goodbye To All That. Exactly. Enough with us boomers and our ancient grievances.

Sullivan also emphasizes the impact of an Obama presidency on a world that now fears and despises us. Just the fact of it. Just the face. Just the name. At a stroke, America secures a new beginning--in its own eyes as well. Nothing else could do it so decisively. So what if he's inexperienced? He's smart. He's a quick study. He'll listen to Dick Holbrooke and Joe Biden and he'll make those sensible, centrist decisions. He's no radical, he's shown that, Lord knows--he'll be as deliberate and pragmatic in office as he's been in the campaign.

It's not the policy, stupid, it's the symbolism. Obama actually embodies what he represents. That means he doesn't just represent change. He is change.

Comments

[Gdebs]

I wish Obama was saying the things Edwards is saying. I would love to vote for him. I may be fooled again but I have to vote for Edwards because he is saying the things I want to hear.

[cbendersf]

Listen to how Barak Obama is finessing his message to sound like a populist now that John Edwards is gaining on him. He will say anything he needs to in order to get the nomination. As much as I would like to vote for a mixed-race candidate (or a woman for that matter), that person has to be more than a conciliatory, centrist, placeholder until the next time our government gets ratcheted further to the right.

[OtayPanky]

"...while it is a sign of progress when Richard Parsons and Carly Fiorina can become CEOs of major corporations--it is not fundamental progress, it does not change the nature of institutio­ns."

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Well said.

[MRb1000]

Why Obama because he tells the truth. He answer question. He tells people what need to hear and not what they want to hear. He is a fresh start.

[Merlin7]

I have concluded just the opposite. I first favored Obama but am put off by his almost timid demeanor on the campaign trail. His canned and predictable views on various issues, especially foreign policy, also have been disappointing.

I first ruled out Edwards as a slick lawyer on the make, but recently I have become convinced that he really cares about ordinary people and their problems. The other candidates have yet to convince me of that.

[davedave]

so vote for both of them.

give edwards the nomination and let them run together. if there is good governance in their administration then give obama eight more years.

oddly enough it might take two capable people to "unscrew" this pooch...

if you voted for gore in 2000, you voted for lieberman. stomach queasy?

d

[axelgrease]

Thank you. This post perfectly summarizes my feelings about the Democratic race. Edwards is all ambition--the left's version of Mitt Romney. Hillary, like Bill, is a moderate Republican. Obama is a symbol, yes, but an important one at this point in America's history. He seems to represent what America at its best was always supposed to be--merit, wit, decency. After 2004 nothing shocks me, but I am concerned that the Democrats, the party of ideals, could miss this opportunity.

[slc20]

You are right.

And i believe Obama would send a message to the rest of the world that America is NOT full of cowboys and xenophobes.

(But i also support Obama because his policy views are in line with my own.)