Obama’s governing philosophy
A Daily Dish reader makes an important point about the relative ambiguity of Obama’s philosophical roots and the political need to convey a compelling theme:
Obama’s philosophy could be called “pragmatism,” but the problem is that while pragmatism might reorient how things get done in Washington, it won’t reorient the country’s political philosophy because it won’t connect with the public …
Voters knew where Reagan would come out on an issue, even if they disagreed with him. If voters ask themselves what Obama will do to address a problem, and the answer is “Whatever government programs/regulations he can get thru Congress,” they will both disagree with him (he’ll “betray” liberals and anger conservatives) and have no sense of what compromises he will make on subsequent issues.
In an age where government actions is needed, Obama needs to have a simple hook with voters to explain his philosophy, something along the lines of “Not big or small government, but effective governance.”
I think it’s right to just suggest that at this point, liberals and conservatives would probably agree that Obama’s approach involves something like “pragmatism,” compromise, and political charisma – but many on both sides would likely view the resulting policies as failures. Liberals saw his election as an opportunity to enact needed basic changes – repeal DOMA and DADT, pull out of Iraq, pass universal health care (with at least a public insurance option), and adopt significant measures to combat climate change. Thus far, Obama is batting a very low average in the eyes of so-called “purist” progressives.
While some moderate conservatives are praising the president’s piecemeal approach to change, many on the right instinctively oppose the initiatives of a Democrat-dominated government, and as this reader says, are likely to view even severely compromised policies as leftist encroachments.
Obama is left with no real ideological “base,” then, and must rely instead on the strength of his practical methodology. But is “realism” enough to sustain popular support in America? My sense is that pragmatic successes are the stuff historians and political scientists appreciate, but that political victories in real time require the kind of compelling philosophical message that FDR, JFK, and Reagan (arguably) exemplified.
-Colin
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2 Responses to “Obama’s governing philosophy”
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Maybe something like this…
http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=684
Given the almost 50-50 split in the country, does he have any other option other than pragmatism?