I was thinking last night about how I'd considered the passage of Obama's speech in which he'd nodded empathetically to anger some whites feel about this or that thing involving blacks -- crime, affirmative action, etc. -- to be not only generous, but shrewd. But then I realized that as far as I know -- and please correct me if I'm wrong here -- on policy, Obama's proposing nothing to address the anger he seems to concede has some legitimacy. He favors racial preferences, for example. So what? Most liberals do.
But Obama's sympathetic appeal to whites on this matter strikes me as hollow, and hollow in a way I'm coming to identify as part of his style. On abortion, Obama has struck a similarly conciliatory position toward pro-lifers, professing to understand where they're coming from. And maybe he really means it. But he consistently takes the most extreme pro-choice stance in his actual voting. A voter to whom pro-life issues meant a lot could be forgiven for wondering what good Obama's warmth and sympathy does them. Wouldn't we be better off with a liberal Democrat who's going to take the liberal hardline without making a pretense of empathizing with the concerns of the other side?
OTOH, perhaps the personal decency and genial style of Obama is preferable to the unsentimental ways of Hillary Clinton. If we're going to have a liberal president, isn't it preferable to have one who sees his opponents as only that, and not as enemies? In another context, if you had to have an ideological conservative governing you, would you rather see Ronald Reagan or Tom DeLay in the White House? When the 3 a.m. phone call comes, and the news necessitates a 7 a.m. televised address to the nation in crisis, would you rather have Hillary trying to bring us together and rally us, or Barack?
Style does matter. Style would help President Obama disarm his conservative opposition in legislative matters. But it would also help him lead the nation more effectively in a time of crisis. (And speaking of, I was impressed by how Obama handled this crisis in his campaign; he wrote his Wright speech himself, under a tremendous amount of pressure. He stayed cool, and delivered a masterful performance that probably saved his primary campaign.)
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I hear you, Z. Though, as I'm sure you've heard, people tend to grow more conservative as they get older.
What really frightens me, as I mentioned above, is that I believe a healthy vibrant economy with expanding opportunities for all is the essential foundation for a liberal political regime, and we quite frankly have been letting our economy go to pot for more than twenty years. Neither Rev. Wright nor I are going to like the chickens that come home to roost because of this. And I must insist that I'm a mainstream economist. I feel as though I'm forced into this pessimistic stance by the facts.
Z, I've already learned a thing or two (or three) from younger people and I ain't all that old. I look forward to watching my little boys put together their unique perspectives on the world as they grow up.
One point. I can see both sides talking past each other while desperately trying to make the other see how correct they are. I dont expect people to agree, just to listen with some modicum of respect.
However, on a board with such a high level of discourse I was disappointed at how readily those film clips were used to reach conclusions of 100% certainty. Pyrrho, I think you said you were an economist and I have a science background. As soon as I saw those I started Googling Wright and looking at the Chicago Tribune. I Emailed some old friends from Chicago. It was important to me to confirm that these werent out of context cherry picking. I looked for interviews with Wright about those tapes. I found some other Wright sermons on-line. I couldn't confirm in my available time (work keeps getting in the way) that this was what happened everyday for 20 years as was repeated ad nauseum. Either I missed something or its just the norm now to accept edited film clips as fact. But then, I was the guy on the football team who got into fights standing up for the retarded kid who worked as our team manager. I dislike attacks on other people w/o strong proof.
I do have some personal weaknesses here. There is a part of me that thinks its just not possible to be a real bigot and preach God's word so effectively AND have the kind of outreach program that church has which to me reflects Christ's teachings. I may be wrong here. Perhaps people really can compartmentalize so well.
Steve
Steve,
I lived on the Southside of Chicago for years. OK, I lived in Hyde Park (University of Chicago), but I did get out and about. I used to like going past Louis Farrakhan's place in Kenwood during the "changing of the guard" (a really cool ritual, actually), volunteered and did research in Woodlawn, regularly hung out in the local bar (about 95% black) regularly when the Bulls were in the playoffs -- for all six rings, went to an integrated parish church, talked up Nation of Islam guys at Starbucks (mostly about the Bulls). I'm no hero and have (mildly) conflicted, contradictory views and feelings about race and my experiences at the time. And I hung out with people "just like me" most of the time. But, believe me, I know just what a sh*thole South Chicago is and just what black folks have gone through there. I have seen crap that you just would not believe (especially in Woodlawn). But Hyde Park is a really decent middle-class black neighborhood, too, so it ain't all bleak.
The funny thing is I have *never* condemned Rev. Wright or even Louis Farrakhan for feeling the way they do. I'm just disappointed in Obama, who aspires to be the leader of all of us. But even that disappointment may be wearing off. This story is geting tired!
Here's to breaking bread. What a nice thought particular given what we celebrate shortly.
Blessed be the peacemakers .....
Pyrrho,
Kids do teach adults as much (although inadvertantly) as they learn from them. :)
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