Posted by blogtransferaccount in 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Why You are wrong about Obama.
Tags: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Congressional Quarterly, George W. Bush, Joe Biden, John McCain, September 11
*This is the second in a series of indeterminate length, in which I will address the often-made arguments against Barack Obama and his candidacy for president.
One argument against Barack Obama that is probably more often thought than actually said is that he wouldn’t have developed the notoriety that is enabling him to run for president if he were not black. To these people I say congratulations, you’re right, great analysis! If Obama did not have the unique racial quality that makes him 1 out of 100 in the United States Senate he would not have the recognition nor the appeal to run for president. When Joe Biden said that Obama would be the first black to run for president who is “clean and articulate,” his words were carelessly chosen but the basic form of his statement is not really open to critique. It is true that Obama is the first black candidate who has strong appeal across racial, cultural and class lines; a quality that makes him unique in the eyes of lots of voters. Without this quality Obama’s rhetoric about unity would likely fall flat.
So I’ll admit that if he were not black, Obama would not be a candidate for president right now. I’ll also say that’s not a bad thing.
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Posted by blogtransferaccount in 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Why You are wrong about Obama.
Tags: 2008 Presidential Election, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, Executive Branch, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Presidential Primaries, United States Congress
*This is the first in a series of indeterminate length, in which I will address the often-made arguments against Barack Obama and his candidacy for president.
The first argument is probably the most popular amongst people, particularly Democrats, who are unable to really challenge him on policy. The argument is something along the lines of Obama reading poetry while Hillary is running for office. I say that people make this argument when they can’t attack Obama in another way because, in truth, I don’t think it’s possible to draw a clear distinction between Obama and Clinton on the amount they talk about substantive policy issues. But it will be interesting to see the kid of analysis that is produced after the election is over.
Obama has defended himself against this argument by saying that throughout American history, words have meant great things to millions of people and that he is the prime example of a product of hope. However, I’m going to come at this argument from a different angle.
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Posted by blogtransferaccount in 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, The Democratic Party.
Tags: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, NAFTA, Presidential Primaries, The Democratic Party, The National Journal
The National Journal has a great article this week about how the Democratic Party is transforming before our eyes. Gone is the party that nominated John Kerry in favor of a younger, more affluent, more Latino, more female, more evangelical and more liberal party. Though I certainly think that the growth of such groups is unequivocally a positive thing for the Democrats, I worry about the remnants of the New Deal Coalition that for so long has been the heart of the party.
I think this is the reason we see Hillary and Obama bashing NAFTA so much these days, especially in manufacturing centers like Ohio. Despite the fact that they probably realize that the aggregate effects of NAFTA are a positive for the US in the long run, it’s important to comfort those who are afflicted in the short term. However, this is not the right post to be discussing trade policy.
Ultimately what this transition means is that the Democratic Party is becoming more knowledgeable and passionate about politics. Passion has long been a problem for the Democrats, which was typically realized by the fact that high overall turnout in any election was usually a good thing for the Democratic candidate. This is due to the fact that passionate Republicans were always going to vote, but more apathetic Democrats were harder to get to the polls.
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