Reader Matt P. provides some excellent analysis of Obama's bipartisanshipness:
"If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things. And you know what? It's worked before, because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government."(emphasis added)
I found this little tidbit interesting. I couldn't quite catch the context while reading it. I can't imagine that he was talking about McCain running on "small things," seeing how it seems to describe the Obama run up to the presidency so well. They were able to present trifles, meaningless platitudes and empty rhetoric as big, grandiose policy positions in such a way that he was even able to convince 20% of self-proclaimed conservatives to vote for him.
Oh, and if you didn't catch that quotation, it was in his acceptance speech. Not the one from last night but from the August convention.
There was one other theme of his that I would also like to touch on that has been discussed at length many times and evident again in his Presidential acceptance speech - his lack of bipartisanship.
In the DNC acceptance speech he spoke only of bipartisanship in the role of things that truly lack political division (i.e. his ethics reform bill, nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists and better care for veterans) and instances in which conservatives crossed the aisle to meet on the left side. This was evident again last night when he spoke of bipartisanship in vague terms and then followed it with a "call for unity" that only Barack could give: "And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too." Really?
(see http://patriotpost.us for additional thoughts on the partisanship on display as I cannot lay claim to that original thought)
As Matt P. points out, it's easy to be bipartisan when the partisans on the other side are forced to come to your side because they have no other option. And, it's easy to be bipartisan when the issue isn't one of those that divide the country and the two parties.
When Obama demonstrates that he will work with Republicans on issues that truly divide the two parties and this country, then--then, I will begin to believe that maybe he is a bi/post-partisan.
If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.
