Obama dips a toe in the water

Obama's in for '08:

[I]t's not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most. It's the smallness of our politics ... our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions.

And that's what we have to change first.

We have to change our politics, and come together around our common interests and concerns as Americans.

He's full of it. As I observed last month, the Obama proponents' idea that "[m]any voters want to get beyond the stale culture-war issues fought over by rival camps of baby boomers," this

"can't we all just agree to disagree" stuff[,] is an appealing but facile façade. These are not issues that are going away; everyone wants to get beyond them, but "everyone" wants to get beyond them by way of the sort of compromise that Packers fans might have agreed to in Superbowl XXXI: neither side scoring in the 4th Quarter ain't much of a compromise when you're ahead in the 3rd. Liberals own the status quo in the culture wars, so for Obama to come in and say "guys, just forget about this stuff" comes over as just a transparent attempt to close out any more plays.

Politics hasn't gotten bitter and partisan because of "money" or "influence," they've gotten bitter and partisan because there are real and serious divisions in the country, and these bitter divisions are reflected by sending partisan representatives to Congress. This fluffy Unity '08 stuff has a ring of truthiness; it's the same "any problem can be fixed by hard work and brute force, so roll up your sleeves and leave your ego at the door" anti-intellectualism incipient in the way that the present President approaches politics.

The problems that America faces do not all have some pristine, platonic and non-partisan compromise solutions; indeed, the extent to which you even recognize that a given issue IS a problem, let alone what its remedy might be, is not a platonic concept. By "[w]e have to change our politics, and come together around our common interests and concerns as Americans," what Obama really means is "conservatives need to accept liberal dogma, or at least, shut up and sit in the corner while we implement it." His voting record and speeches offer scant indication that he is anything more than Hillary Clinton without the substance, albeit with people skills and a nice grin.

In some regards, Obama starts from a similar premise to Unity '08, whose launch I castigated last year in terms that apply just as well to Obama's announcement, should it turn out to be well-received:

[It's] distressing that such a high percentage of people are apparently sick of politics, incapable of engaging with the issues, and basically just want someone who is above politics to steam in and fix the problem. This is something that has been tried before, although I can appreciate why the lesson hasn't been learned[,] since the old newsreels carrying the story were all in German. There is something patently false (and profoundly dangerous) in the idea that there is a single platonic "right" solution to every problem that exists out there[,] independently of politics, and [which] all these beastly politicians are doing their best not to happen upon.

Like Unity '08, Obama's "announcement" is more phony "tell me your problems" bullsh*t. This is not leadership; it isn't even honest, because frankly, I think Obama is far too smart to believe what he's saying. Right now, he's an empty suit, hoping that people will project their own aspirations onto him - and the best material to project onto is a blank canvas, which is precisely what this announcement amounts to. I'll take Obama seriously when he starts saying what he thinks America's problems are and what his solutions to those problems would be. Until then, sling your hook.

Update: more here.

Post facto:
Who fired first? Who has to fire last? (1/18/07)
More thoughts on Obama (1/18/07)
It's supposed to be magnaminity - not idiocity - in victory (1/3/08)