Lost in the Hubbub

by: Mike Lux

Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 12:23


Lost in the hubbub of Obama doing lots of things that irritate progressives in recent days are two very significant pieces of good news about the potential of an Obama Presidency:
Mike Lux :: Lost in the Hubbub

  • First, news has come that Obama blew off the recent DLC meeting even thought it was happening in Chicago on a day when he was in Chicago. This little item was so quiet that it almost completely slipped past my radar screen, but I was pretty surprised by it. I'm not certain about this, but if memory serves, Obama is the first Presidential nominee since the DLC's founding to blow off their pre-general election convention.

    I think that's a pretty big deal. All of the progressive movement folks who have been trying to marginalize the DLC for years ought to be crowing about this coup: a Democratic Presidential nominee, even as he is sending signals that he wants to be seen as a "centrist", blows off the DLC convention when they came to his doorstep, even though he's scheduled to spend the day in Chicago? That's about as marginal as you can get, and also is a good sign for an Obama Presidency in terms of who he is distancing himself from.

  • Second, I was really delighted to hear his answer to a question at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials the other day on health care.

    He clearly reaffirmed his commitment to pushing comprehensive health care reform, saying that his goal by the end of the first term was that "not a single American cannot get health care" coverage. Even more importantly, he announced that universal health care would be one of his very top priorities, and that people should hold both members of Congress and himself accountable for that promise. He also hit very directly at health insurance and drug company lobbies.

    Health care is a deeply personal issue for me, probably the one that matters more than any other, so I was glad to see this statement. But I was also glad because this was not a cautious, careful, centrist thing to say: he said it would be one of his highest priorities, he held a very specific and very big goal with a clear short-term timetable, and- most importantly- he was very clear that we should hold him accountable if he wasn't getting it done. That's a gutsy and unusual thing for a politician to say.

    I hope we get more of these kinds of quotes and news items in this campaign. It's important for Obama to remind us why so many of us got excited about him in the first place.

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    Lost in the Hubbub | 24 comments
    Didn't any of the contenders .. (4.00 / 1)
    blow off the DLC last year as well? .. IIRC .. not even Hillary showed up their last year(though I think Bill went) .. does anyone know if Obama is going to Netroots Nation .. in Austin this year? .. that should be interesting if he does
    Nobody (4.00 / 1)
    showed up for their mtg last year, but that was before the general election got started. I think it's huge that in this year, Obama wouldn't show.
    [ Parent ]
    My favorite DLC moment (4.00 / 7)
    Was Kos' description of "accidently" calling Joe Lieberman an asshole when he was on a panel and having everyone applaud.

    Not only the emphasis on universal coverage, but he hired Hillary's top domestic person, who was the architect of her health care package, as his Domestic Policy Director.  Universal coverage and global warming/energy sustainability, plus getting most of the troops out of Iraq were his top 3 priorities.  Anyone who thinks he won't be an improvement over either McCain or Bush is getting distracted by the media hysteria.  

    John McCain--He's not who you think he is.

    No one is disputing that he'll be better than McSame ... (4.00 / 2)
    the point is ... we have much higher hopes for him .. that he'd use McCain's own words against him .. that he'd be willing to stand up to conventional Versailles group think ..  that he'd stand up for the Constitution .. and that he'd indeed do things differently
    [ Parent ]
    The point is ... (4.00 / 7)
    right now .. it looks as if Bob Shrum is running his campaign
    [ Parent ]
    I kind of agree with that (4.00 / 6)
    I'm about as big of an Obama supporter as they come, but this week did make me think "when did Bob Shrum show up?".  I hope this wears off soon.
    [ Parent ]
    I was thinking the exact same thing last night (4.00 / 3)
    So much mediocrity....
    [ Parent ]
    He came out against the CA gay marriage ban (4.00 / 5)
    That's not so cautious, but is consistent with someone who has gone to balck churches and talked about homophobia.  And yes, he supports civil unions, I know.  But he seems to be flexible enough to support having some states make same-sex marriage equal to opposite-sex marriage.  That's ok with me.  And, of course, I suppose he couldn't find himself to the right of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    John McCain--He's not who you think he is.
    [ Parent ]
    I'll give you this. (0.00 / 0)
    Most significant thing he has done lately.  And you're also right of course with the Schwarzenegger observation.
    [ Parent ]
    gay marriage (0.00 / 0)
    One can argue the point, but I think this formally qualifies as a drift to the left from his formal position.  But I do think it was the most cautious position he could take.  FISA is off everyone's radar outside of the blogosphere but he'd take a huge hit if he supported the amendment.
    [ Parent ]
    Agree (0.00 / 0)
    ...but since I'm such a critic, thought I should give some credit when it is due.   I was a witness to my next door neighbors' wedding on Friday.  They've been together for 20 years and have a wonderful 9-year-old child.  I'm not sure they ever thought the day would come.  It was a beautiful event.
    [ Parent ]
    Excellent points ... (4.00 / 6)
    Thanks for posting to remind us that, while imperfect, there is indeed a lot to like about Obama!
    That's what gets me standing up and cheering. (4.00 / 1)
    Thanks for sharing that great health care news.

    John McCain thinks we haven't spent enough time in Iraq
    No one is perfect (4.00 / 5)
    From a currently recommended Daily Kos diary from PSIfighter...
    The answer's simple: nobody's perfect. I challenge any of you to find a 'progressive' or 'liberal' politician who would be perfect to you.

    Russ Feingold may have been the lone voice standing up to the first Patriot Act, but he voted for the confirmations of John Ashcroft and John Roberts.

    Paul Wellstone was a strong liberal voice in the Senate, yet he voted for DOMA and the Patriot Act.

    Dennis Kucinich, aside from being on the political fringe, was a lifelong pro-lifer until he decided he wanted to run for president.

    Chris Dodd may do quite well on constitutional matters, but he voted for the Iraqi war, the Patriot Act, and is too beholden to the big banks and the hedge funds which he oversees from the Senate Banking Committee.

    Howard Dean may have generated the first Internet-powered campaign and spoke out forcefully against invading Iraq, but he was a centrist governor who reluctantly allowed for civil unions in Vermont (and only because by a court decision, he was forced to).

    Sherrod Brown is widely liked for his populist pitch, but he voted for torture in 2006.


    http://www.dailykos.com/storyo...

    We won the Battle. Now the Real Fight for Change Begins. Join MoveOn.org and fight for progressive change.  
    Good point (0.00 / 0)
    I just hope the campaign doesn't make a habit of this kind of thing.

    Following KO's advice from his Special Commentary would be a good start.

    [ Parent ]
    Yup (4.00 / 1)
    Nobody is going to agree all the time. He has definitely made some missteps but the way I look at it is that the last week or so has worked to shut up the Clinton deadenders who kept whining that Obama supporters NEVER critized him!
    [ Parent ]
    He also came out against the California Gay Marriage ban initiative (4.00 / 5)

    Picking his battles (4.00 / 7)
    I appears to me that Obama has chosen a small handful of progressive causes to bring to the general election (health care, energy and Iraq, primarily, but also infrastructure, minimum wage, progressive taxation and a few others) and try to keep everything else off the radar by going to the muddy, middle ground.

    Many here have given good arguments why this is a bad idea, but it certainly seems to be a rational idea.

    If I'm correct, we won't see Obama back down from those issues he has always chosen to emphasize, but we'll see continued rightward drift on other issues.

    Well those tend to be the issues at the top of the electorates concerns (4.00 / 4)
    So that is quite encouraging to me. De-emphasizing the other issues means the campaign can't get sidetracked on things the American people are not pissed about. Makes sense if you think about it.
    [ Parent ]
    Good point (4.00 / 2)
    We may all be too close to this deal to properly game it out. The original pro-Obama CW was that he would, in a nutshell, expand the map by enlisting red and purple voters into an overall purple and blue cause. Maybe this is what that looks like in practice -- the main issues (again, as already clearly and explicitly stated by Obama) are Iraq, global warming, and (nearly)universal health care. These are all large, blue issues with purple appeal. Supporting faith-based initiatives, the FISA bill, the death penalty for rapists, etc., are smaller scale red issues with purple appeal. I know that FISA and the Constitution are big deals but planetary survival depends on getting global warming right, soon; Iraq is the biggest foreign policy mistake in U.S. history; and our health care system is one big national disaster waiting to happen. All three of these problems are big, messy, problematic and initiatives to fix them will be opposed strongly by powerful, well-financed groups.  
    [ Parent ]
    Words and symbols again. (4.00 / 1)
    Once again, Obama feeds you symbolism, and you mistake it for something promising.

    Marginalizing the DLC has been a big goal among the netsuckers, but the goal is worthless unless something better replaces it.

    Obama has deliberately distanced himself from progressive positions.  He's on the record.  Whatever he is creating, progressives have no seat at the table.  You will get scraps, once again.  

    The symbolic snub - to the extent it was a snub at all - is a show for your benefit.  The DLC members are major players in the party.  Obama doesn't have to go to their meeting to negotiate with them or adopt their policies.  The choice between the old DLC and Obama's new DLC is a matter of a new seating chart among corporate Democrats - nothing more than a battle of egos over personal ambitions.

    I listened to his answer on healthcare.  He didn't say a word that he hasn't before.  His plan was the worst among those proposed by the Democratic candidates, and still is.  Once again, style over substance.

    I think the argument can be made that Dems have always been fine on substance (4.00 / 4)
    But could never do style. Policy wonks like Kerry and Gore and others before them lost because the American people in general don't have much time for long-winded nuance. If this guy can sell then I'll take him.
    [ Parent ]
    You mean like when he named his top three priorities (4.00 / 2)
    for his administration: health care, Iraq, and global warming? His plan to curb global warming and stimulate the economy via a clean job program is nothing if not substantive. His plan to get us out of Iraq is practical yet timely. And his healthcare plan, while not universal and arguably less progressive than the other major Dem candidates, is certainly substantive. There's a rather small percentage of citizens who will have the option, but not be forced, to sign up for the plan. Somehow for you and other haters, this missing chunk is non-substance of deal-killing proportions.
    [ Parent ]
    Agree with you (0.00 / 0)
    The DLC's reputation has been dragged through the ground so much that it's better for any candidate to ignore them. Speaking to them won't win him any votes or good copy, but it will rile up his left flank to no good effect.

    As a symbol, it works, but symbols can be misleading. It's whether he espouses DLC-style policies that is important.

    Forgotten Countries - a foreign policy-focused blog

    [ Parent ]
    Lost in the Hubbub | 24 comments
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