Obama Praises Reagan’s Ability To Sense Change…
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Blogging, LiberalismObama does not, however, praise his policies.
Here’s the video:
Note to liberal blogosphere, what Obama wants to be is the “liberal” Reagan. On election night 2008 he wants to hear how “Obama Republicans” gave him a decisive victory over the Repubilcan nominee. That way he can get the nation behind ideas like universal health care, middle class economic stimulus and getting out of Iraq. Because consensus building is the way liberalism will be more readily accepted in the halls of Washington.
Here’s more about Obama’s ability to be a transformative steward for liberal ideals:
But at a moment in history when Americans are war-weary and eager for change, the optimistic, fresh-faced Obama should at the very least be considered a formidable candidate. To those who care about limiting the size and scope of government, the threat of Obama goes deeper than his potential to capture the presidency. In the Illinois senator, Democrats may have finally found a political figure capable not only of winning an election, but of advancing liberalism.Skeptical conservatives would be wise to heed the words of Kirk Dillard, the Republican minority whip of the Illinois state senate, who worked with Obama for eight years in the legislature. “Obama can be to liberalism what Ronald Reagan was to conservatism, and that’s a friendly face or likable personality that can move the country left,” Dillard told me.
But yeah, take Obama to task for trying to build bridges and pull more people into the party. That strategy will get you exactly what you want, more partisan backbiting. More and more, I really think that’s what you want. After all, it’s good for the blog business…
(h/t: Reason)
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January 17th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Every single one of my Republican friends will not vote for Obama under any circumstances as they feel he is inexperienced and not in any way ready. Now he speaks really well and has a real state of grace about him, but after listening to him discuss policy, he seems as centrist as HRC and not transformative, unless the transformation is to compromise with the people who have worked to oppose your policies for years. These people didnt oppose these policies out of personality but out of ideology. I frankly dont see how much more the Dems can give up of their agenda in order to simply get something done with the agreement of their opponents. The idea that Obama can transform this and make them abandon their firm ideology is, I think, a fairy tail. His decrying the fights of the 90’s is also bothersome to me. and I refer you to Barney Frank’s similar views expressed recently where he took Obama to task for criticizing the fights of the 90’s. I think its a joke to think that the Repubs are just waiting for a nice guy to become President so they can all agree on solutions to our problems. But then again, I could be wrong or it could be that we all need to see that this is wrongheaded in an Obama presidency before we will understand it. I think that the idea Obama can open up the tent to Repubs and we will all come together and solve problems is, to be perfectly frank, a young person’s delusion. I think older Dems understand this is simply not the way politics has ever worked and it is highly unlikely it will work now. But hey, maybe they really can change the world. Then again, we tried to change the world in the 60’s and fell flat on our asses. The only transformative legislation to come out of the 60’s was the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act, and that took LBJ acting on the heels of the assassination of JFK. After that, nothing but Nixon and Vietnam and more assassinations. So, good luck to all Dems because we need to win, but I am not convinced yet that this so-called transformational message has any meat.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
If Obama wins, it is proof positive that politics has made that unfornate decent into a pure marketing & branding schema and that any remnants of substantive philosophy are gone. You now elect a president like you chose a soft drink or a car. It is he that you elect, not ability, thought or ideas, but a personality, shiny teeth, exc.. An empty vessel really. Ronald Reagan, of course, was popular, even among people that hated him. But the popularity, the personality was a salve that allowed for a broader discussion. Here, the palliative smile of Obama itself is suppose to clean up without any substance — “change” apparently means “socialism” which is hardly change or new. Anyway, I’d like to have a beer with Obama and see if after a couple of drinks he stops the MLK-want-to-be parlance and speaks like a normal human. With all do respect to him (again, nice guy) — if we elect him, why don’t we simply pick a Hollywood celeb’s name out of a hat and let them be president? We’d probably get the same policies and someone equally attractive, if not more. The entire Obama strategy is not run, win and govern using sentiment and emotionality over reason. Obama, not Ron Paul, is the true cult leader in this God aweful race. Someone, please get on the loud speaker and tell them to drink the medicine in the cool-aid - the Republicans are at the gate.
January 17th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Under the friendly smile, the persona and all that hogwash, Obama is a liberal. Admittingly, some republicans are following the pied piper, but the rest of us are not throwing conservatives ideas away so we can support liberal ideologies.
President Reagan as Dos stated used his likeability to convey his beliefs, bringing to the table constructive ideas that resulted in tangible change. Obama continues to be a mystery.
January 18th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Elisabetta, there is only one conservative in the race and you don’t support him. Guess what, running up $10 trillion in debt, playing world policeman, growing government by record amounts, growing medicare by record amounts, spying on citizens, outing CIA agents, legislating morality, etc., etc. are NOT conservative! All of the candidates you like support all of those things.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I’m not sure how old you are, but for those of us who lived through Reagan; this is not a good thing. There was nothing bi-partisan about RR. Just remember Watt for instance.
Obama isn’t really going to get a republican votes, so what he needs to do is win the primary. Praising Reagan does not help in that regard.
He was my favorite, but the more he talks the less I like him.