Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Obama Disappoints

Preface: (The purpose of this entry is to highlight the fact that it is absolutely necessary to hold politicians accountable. It's much better to disagree with the person you voted for than to blindly follow without critical analysis; something many Republicans and Democrats have had difficulty with recently.)

Obama, after securing his party's nomination, has moved to the right. What's disappointing about this move is that it represents more of the same old politics, the kind he is apparently running against. Ultimately, I realize that Obama is trying to appeal to a broader base in order to win the election. Unfortunately, this means he sacrifices principle in favor of calculation, which only serves to confuse his base and others. Is Obama paying lip service to the right or is he geniune? There wouldn't be any confusion if he stood by his principles. (Issues of concern include FISA, public funding for campaign, and off shore drilling.)

One is certainly entitled to change his or her opinions after long deliberations, and in many cases one should change course regardless of the political consequences. In politics, timing, image, and perception mean everything, and in the case of Obama's recent changes, he certainly appears to be calculating his moves at the expense of principles. To me, this is a disappointment. For others, it may be a pleasant surprise. Nonetheless, I still plan to vote for Obama for a variety of reasons including McCain's well-documented list of transformations since his true Maverick run against Bush in 2000.
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/flipflops

Excerpt from The Nation:
"Now Obama is not only putting politics ahead of principle--he's also calculating the politics wrong. The fact is, his stance in February helped him win a landslide victory in the Wisconsin primary, just as Feingold's principled but lonely stand against the Patriot Act helped him win overwhelming re-election in 2004. Obama inspired the support of millions when he refused to play the politics of fear and called on us to heed the better angels of our nature. He risks endangering that support when he plays the politics of calculation."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080721/editors