Quote Of The Day
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, Quotes, Video
“Let me say this as to my colleagues. Although committed to their philosophy, they are incredibly pragmatic. They have lived through an experience in the minority. And they know how they got to be in the minority. And they know one very important political principle. They know that if President-elect Obama succeeds, all of us succeed. And if he doesn’t succeed, his failures won’t be limited to him.”
- Rahm Emanuel signaling that Obama’s administration will govern from the center
Here’s more…
Policy-wise, Mr. Emanuel has fashioned himself as a “New Democrat” in the Clinton mold. He has long been an advocate of governing from the center, reaching across the aisle to seek consensus. As a Clinton adviser, he championed welfare reform and free trade. He’s even called for a flatter, less progressive system of taxation. As a congressman, Mr. Emanuel supported the Bush administration’s decision to remove Saddam Hussein, though he subsequently criticized the president’s management of the war in Iraq.So I asked Mr. Emanuel if the election of an unabashed liberal like Mr. Obama has made the New Democrat strategy obsolete. Perhaps what we witnessed on Tuesday means that liberalism is ascendant and the U.S. is no longer a center-right nation. “I think the country is incredibly pragmatic,” he responded. “Pragmatic and progressive. But you still have to mix and match different approaches to reach your objectives. You have to be flexible.”
I sincerely hope so.
Also, some video from the WSJ’s Jason Riley about what’s on tap for Obama’s agenda…
More as it develops…
This entry was posted on Saturday, November 8th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, Quotes, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
