Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Obama, heir to Ronald Reagan?

Well, not so much. But heir to William Bennett, who borrowed liberally (right word?) from Reagan in writing Book of Virtues in 1993.

Lee Siegel at The Daily Beast posits, without apparent irony, that Obama's speech to schoolchildren Tuesday was filled with conservative (i.e., Republican) ideas about self-responsibility. Did you read it? Did you see it? How much of it sounded liberal/progressive to you?
Take the deceitful uproar over Obama’s speech to schoolchildren. The speech
wasn’t “socialist.” It wasn’t even liberal. It was squarely in line with 20
years of profoundly conservative thinking on how to raise a child.

It's obvious why the right wingnuts are pissed off at Obama. It's sort of not a surprise that liberals are pissed off at Obama. For the wingnuts, they're pissed because this incredibly intelligent and charismatic president is owning their philosophy. Liberals are pissed because this guy who they voted for in droves is actually way more conservative than they're comfortable with.

Think about it: personal responsibility, self-determination, faith, and working across the aisle -- these were the hallmarks of the Reagan revolution. And Obama, while he has encountered massive resistance from the lunatic fringe (including those Republicans still in Congress), has not shied away from including them in discussions, listening to their ideas, and even incorporating some of their ideas into his policy agenda. And while all that's going on, he's also firmly in favor of a government that provides the ultimate safety net for the neediest Americans, a solid liberal/progressive ideal. And our polarized society, beaten to smithereens after eight years of Bush/Cheney and their politics of exclusivity and demonization of anything "other," are throwing multiple fits because we can't reconcile these two distinct, paradoxical facets of this one extraordinary man.

And until we can, every policy change this president initiates will infuriate on both sides. At some point we'll be sick and tired of being sick and tired and just go with the flow.

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