People Get Ready

So did anything happen in the news this week?

Amidst all the moving and shaking going on in my own life, I did find a little time to digest the Obama speech and a small fraction of its coverage. Fellow bloggers Conor and Derek wrote commentaries on it here and here, respectively, to which I will add only these points:

(1) Obama reiterated his commitment not only to grassroots campaigning (vis-à-vis the Ashley story), but grassroots governing. This is what many of his critics fail to grasp. Obama supporters do not - for the most part - view him as a Messianic figure. We view him as a mobilizer, tapping into the vast, untouched resources of the American people. Racism - and the other pervasive scourges of our time - can not be solved by "big government" if we view that government as something separate from ourselves. If we've learned nothing else from our failed experiments in nation-building, it's that democracy can not be given; it must be taken. In this sense, Obama's vision gathers up the best objectives of the Left and weds them - in most cases - to the libertarian impulses of the old Right. True conservatives (whoever they are) may quibble that he'll raise taxes - and he will - and so declare that by that act alone he will forfeit any claim to the mantle of "small government solutions." My only answer to them is this: with a nation of 300 MILLION and a global influence second to none, there's no such thing as a "small government solution" anymore. The best we can hope for is a government whose awesome power is diffused and tamed through collective participation, a government that is transparent and accountable to its people, a government with 300 million checks. A system that irreducibly large can only be balanced when its agents are stacked one-high. How this will be implemented is still a giant question mark. You can't legislate good citizenship. But you can incentivize it. Look for me to join the Peace Corps or teach in a high-need area at some point during an Obama presidency. Populism is the new libertarianism. And if that bothers you so much, then buy a shotgun and move to Ruby Ridge already.

(2) Racial thought was one of the areas I focused on as an undergrad and grad student. It constitutes a tremendously labyrinthine terrain. It draws from sub-disciplines and schools of thought as diverse as genetics, discourse analysis, art history, social construct theory, sociology, classical studies, and political science. In short: it's complicated. I can't tell you how unusual it is to hear a politician say anything on the subject so attentive to nuance, so resistant to soundbiting, so brave. Obama's candidacy represents a tremendous opportunity for the United States. Unfortunately, there's a catch-22 involved. If he's not elected, it'll be because we aren't - as a people - ready for a politician like him. But if we don't elect a politician like him, we may never - as a people - be able to get ready.

Alright, enough of my speechifyin' and prognosticatin'.

I'll leave by giving out an award. Sean Hannity gets the prize (what should I call them? The Fashies?) this week for his comments on Obama. My fellow Irishman has earned notoriety for his portrayal as a scandalized, compassionate observer who was sincerely dismayed by the shocking hate speech of Jeremy Wright. I think I'll call it "Worst Impression of Someone with a Soul":



I'm paraphrasing, but he essentially says the following:

"Let's just imagine for a minute that Barack Obama does share the politics of his pastor - I'm not saying he does, but let's just play 'what if' - what if he does? Can you imagine what it would be like to have a president who was a racist and an anti-Semite?"

Yes, imagine the tragic dystopia in which a president - an American president, mind you - harbors hatred in his heart. Envision the Bizarro World in which our Head of State represents only the majority of Americans. Contemplate a parallel timeline of the United States in which our Chief Executive bestows his blessings upon the basis of race.

I really hope nobody ever shows that doofus a reputable history book or hands him a twenty-dollar bill. Imagine a president who's racist? I'm harder-pressed to imagine one who isn't.

Anyway, I won't make a habit on this blog of bashing right-wing pundits. That's why we have Al Franken and Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart. Also, I prefer my sports to be competitive.