1 post tagged “vote2008”
Barak Obama is amazingly inspirational speaker and I think any voter under age thirty-five cannot help but be drawn to him when he speaks about change. However, Senator Obama has not demonstrated an ability to transform his idealism into real policy change. This really scares me because it reminds me of the presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter. Why is that scary? Because both were candidates who ran on inspiration and hope, yet proved to be ineffectual presidents who did little to advance the progressive cause while in office. I am so scared, that I have felt a need to support Hillary Clinton since John Edwards dropped out.
Kennedy was an inspirational president who is remembered very fondly (especially given his tragic death), but who didn't actually accomplish any significant change during his short presidency. While it is arguable he might have advanced civil rights and other causes had he lived, most of the real work in the area of civil rights happened because of his Vice-President, Lyndon Johnson. LBJ was a brass-knuckles legislative fighter who pushed civil rights legislation through Congress and made a stab at building his "Great Society." He could not have done any of this without be a realistic and partisan fighter. In other words, being someone like Hilliary Clinton.
Carter, as the democratic candidate in 1976, offered a new direction in American politics after the disastrous presidency of Richard Nixon. Indeed, when Carter secured the nomination that summer he lead Gerald Ford by 70-30 in opinion pools. By election day, Carter and Ford were neck and neck. A major reason Ford was able to close the gap was the GOP attack, "Who is this Jimmy Carter?" By highlighting Carter's significant inexperience, the GOP was able to play off people's fears and set the stage for Ronald Reagan. Barak Obama suffers from the same flaw, and it may also prove to be his Achille Heel as President.
Barack Obama is an amazing orator who can inspire, but he cannot move the football without someone who can throw a few body blows for him when the times comes. JFK, in the same position, understood this and choose LBJ to be his running mate. History demonstrated, tragically, that JFK needed LBJ but LBJ didn't need JFK. Jimmy Carter, in the same position, did not choose a legislative pit-bull. He chose Walter Mondale. That was doubly disastrous for the Democrats (Rememebr 1984!)
The same principles that applied to JFK and LBK and the Carter and Mondale applies to Hilliary and Obama. Obama will need someone like Hiliary to turn his ideals into reality. Hilliary will not need a Barack Obama. Since it is impossible to have the two on the same ticket, I would rather choose the candidate that historical precedent shows can enact significant policy change over the candidate just hasn't demonstrated an ability to do anything other than inspire devotion. I'd rather that we have another Great Society that fails to live up to its full potential than four wasted years that give way to a new Reagen that will make progressive change impossible for another generation. Since I honestly do not see any evidence that Obama understands this important fact, it is very hard for me to support him. My vote won't much matter, but I'm sticking with Hillary.
