In addition, like many people who read this blog, I am a recent refugee of the "Obama wars" that take place all too often on Daily Kos. So imagine my surprise when I checked in there today and found a front-page post by DarkSyde titled This is what political courage looks like.
Political courage is a bit of an oxymoron, as it poses no physical risk to the politician expressing it and hinges critically on looking beyond politics. It is acting on behalf of the American people for no other reason than it's the right thing to do, regardless of the grave but purely political risk posed to one man or one party. Barack Obama made just such a call knowing full well that success would be downplayed if not outright stolen by the usual backseat drivers. And he had to know that even partial failure would have fueled a division of conservative media bulldozers intent on burying him.
But I was even more shocked and pleasantly surprised to find the author say this in the comment thread:
I'm actually starting to wonder if I may be wrong regarding Oabma's approach. I never doubted his courage or resolve, it''s always been out there clear for anyone to see. But I've had some doubt about his methods and unwillingness to use the bully pulpit from time to time. Now, seeing his consistency and confidence through this light, I have to give his political judgment the benefit of that doubt.
That statement takes courage as well - not to mention an open mind. So thanks DarkSyde for the dose of hope today.
I never doubted the Presidents intelligence and capability. I do doubt whether he's picked capable enough advisers.
ReplyDeleteHis handling of Osama has finally shown the world what he's about. Advisers take note. We like it.
I also never doubted Obama's intelligence and capability, or his courage, but do have a problem with a lot of his choices, not just the choice of advisers.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned before, I really despise his religiosity. That will always be a stumbling block for me with any politician.
Smarty, you have really got LHB all wound up with your avatar! Bet it didn't occur to you, when you picked it, that it would cause so much…excitement.
ReplyDeleteAnd now you're stuck, he'll throw a fit if you ever remove Sally at the deli.
The big story to me here is the open mind. That is a rare thing! It seems that the hardest words in the English language are..."I was wrong." That's essentially what Darksyde said here and I commend him for it.
ReplyDeleteRobbie
ReplyDeleteIt absolutely DID occur to me. It was a kind of experiment.
But I'm done with it and just yesterday started wondering what I might chose for a replacement.
I like that it was an experiment. Interesting to see their reactions, wasn't it? Kind of like my nasty sexist comment to see how much those who loved VM's would like mine. Not much, it turned out!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about its being so hard to admit one is wrong. Maybe it's hard for the arrogant, I guess. I would love for Obama to prove me wrong about some things and if he does I won't mind at all saying so but I don't think that would mean I'm at all courageous!
What's with that comment section at Daily Kos? It seems impossible to read.
But I could be wrong about that!
Robbie
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe that you can hang around political blogs and not see how hard it is for someone to say they were wrong.
That is the very thing expat was struggling with the other day when he was trying to pin the whole birther issue on Obama. He couldn't simply say that conservatives had been wrong about that.
Anyway, that's just one example. Rationalization is the name of the game in politics. Open minds are few and far between.
What I suspect you are saying is that its different for you. I think that's something to be proud of and hold on to. Because in my experience - you would be an exception.
Smarty, I suppose you're right about that. Certainly where expat is concerned. I don't hang around political blogs all that much (except MT), and I guess I thought the people who do are the exceptions. But if they're not, that's kind of depressing.
ReplyDeleteIt's a whole childhood-related hangup with me. My father NEVER admitted when he was wrong, and even as a very young child I was really bothered by that. So my whole life I've made a point of recognizing, admitting, and apologizing if called for, when I'm wrong. Especially to my children.
I confess here and now that I was probably wrong to make the snarky comment to the sock puppet that I just did on the MT replacement thread.
Robbie
ReplyDeleteOn that last one - YOU WERE NOT WRONG!!!!!!!
:-)
Someday soon we're going to have to have a long talk about childhoods. Suffice it to say, I can relate a lot to what you just said.
I'm thinking that perhaps it would be fun to have this be my next avatar.
ReplyDeletehttp://stustation.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/dolores_umbridge.jpg
LOLOL
Oh yes! LHB will have a fit! The contrast is very funny.
ReplyDeleteBut you know, that's why I don't see movies of books I've particularly liked. That is not at all what I imagine Dolores Umbridge looking like.
ReplyDeleteAbout childhoods--did your mother drink? Mine did. It was so nasty, and embarrassing, though in our neighborhood of mostly military families it seemed all the mothers drank, especially when their husbands were in Vietnam. Afternoon "sherry parties" were the custom. I didn't know what sherry was but I saw what it did.
ReplyDeleteSo I went the opposite way, not teetotaler but with a deep disgust of drunkenness (ha! Note that alliteration!) and no taste at all for hard liquor or wine.
My parents taught me how not to be.
Nope - my parents are the opposite, teetotalling fundamentalists. A whole other kind of crazy that I had to learn not to be.
ReplyDeleteWell, smarty, you should be pleased to hear that my son, who normally hates all politicians and thinks they're all evil, just spent the last 45 minutes telling me how cool Obama is.
ReplyDeleteMy ear is sore from pressing the phone against it because his new fancy Android phone that does all sorts of miraculous things has very poor sound quality. My son tells me the newer phones are not meant for making actual phone calls.
Maybe Obama could fix that!
Now that's progress...phones that are not meant for making actual phone calls. What'll they think of next?
ReplyDelete(I have now placed myself firmly in the camp of the old and crotchety.)
LOL
But yeah...hooray for your son!!!!!!
I dunno. I've never heard my son gush about any politician before so I'm kinda worried about him. But I suspect it may have more to do with his feeling that Obama really stuck it to the Republicans than with anything else. Son hates Republicans more than he hates Democrats.
ReplyDeleteHe actually likes Bernie Sanders but then nobody considers Bernie to be a real politician.