Comments on: Obama, Opportunist? http://www.eatbees.com/blog/2008/12/21/obama-opportunist/ "If not now, when?" Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:12:06 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Elizabeth http://www.eatbees.com/blog/2008/12/21/obama-opportunist/comment-page-1/#comment-28641 Elizabeth Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:59:25 +0000 http://www.eatbees.com/blog/?p=735#comment-28641 Here's to moderate optimism. Nice post. Here’s to moderate optimism. Nice post.

]]> By: eatbees http://www.eatbees.com/blog/2008/12/21/obama-opportunist/comment-page-1/#comment-27758 eatbees Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:23:59 +0000 http://www.eatbees.com/blog/?p=735#comment-27758 radish, I give Obama credit for being aware of the cognitive dissonance between who he believes he is and what he'll be allowed to do. That already makes him unusual among politicians. Also, during the campaign he struck me as more likely than most to question the rules of the game rather than accept them as given. As such, he avoided the paralysis Dukakis, Gore and Kerry all were trapped in once they were nominated. Once he's in office, he may be willing to push the limits in small ways to see what he can get away with. Finally, he's lucky due to the general agreement that the times require deeper change than most presidents are permitted. I'm moderately optimistic .... more so than I would have been with the alternatives. radish, I give Obama credit for being aware of the cognitive dissonance between who he believes he is and what he’ll be allowed to do. That already makes him unusual among politicians. Also, during the campaign he struck me as more likely than most to question the rules of the game rather than accept them as given. As such, he avoided the paralysis Dukakis, Gore and Kerry all were trapped in once they were nominated. Once he’s in office, he may be willing to push the limits in small ways to see what he can get away with. Finally, he’s lucky due to the general agreement that the times require deeper change than most presidents are permitted. I’m moderately optimistic …. more so than I would have been with the alternatives.

]]> By: radish http://www.eatbees.com/blog/2008/12/21/obama-opportunist/comment-page-1/#comment-27754 radish Mon, 29 Dec 2008 01:28:40 +0000 http://www.eatbees.com/blog/?p=735#comment-27754 It's odd enough to see myself quoted that I think I'd like to elaborate. I was referring not so much to Obama's compromises as to the confidence that the powers that be have in their own ability to compromise and control him. I think that confidence is perfectly realistic. Look at the difference between what he said then and what he says now. We accept the "wisdom of forgetting" when we accept power, whether we mean to or not. Power doesn't necessarily make us monsters, but it does, over time, corrupt. It does, over time, make us stupider. There's no reason to think that Obama is an exception, and no reason to think that *he* thinks he's an exception. As it happens, I agree that it takes courage to do what Obama's done, knowing -- as he surely he does -- what lies ahead for him, and how hard it will be to retain any moral clarity at all as president. But Obama's life is no longer entirely his own, just as surely as Lolo's life was no longer his own. It’s odd enough to see myself quoted that I think I’d like to elaborate. I was referring not so much to Obama’s compromises as to the confidence that the powers that be have in their own ability to compromise and control him. I think that confidence is perfectly realistic. Look at the difference between what he said then and what he says now.

We accept the “wisdom of forgetting” when we accept power, whether we mean to or not. Power doesn’t necessarily make us monsters, but it does, over time, corrupt. It does, over time, make us stupider. There’s no reason to think that Obama is an exception, and no reason to think that *he* thinks he’s an exception.

As it happens, I agree that it takes courage to do what Obama’s done, knowing — as he surely he does — what lies ahead for him, and how hard it will be to retain any moral clarity at all as president. But Obama’s life is no longer entirely his own, just as surely as Lolo’s life was no longer his own.

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